Visiting Italy (Part 1!)

The first day in Italy was amazing, and the weather was unbelievably pleasant. Even though the forecast said the temperature was in the low 90s, there wasn’t nearly the humidity we have at home. It was beautiful. 

As usual, I had a decision to make. There was a walking tour offered that was about three hours, and I decided, with a few other people, to sit at a lovely café inside a beautiful park instead. The walking itself isn't bad, but I was having a little trouble breathing. Could’ve been asthma, but it could also be that I've had some anxiety as I travel. Either way, it was a good reminder that I can still pick what I do on this trip and align it with how I’m feeling at the moment.

Anyway, enough about that. Let me tell you about the Park! There were a ton of dogs and they were all interesting and gorgeous. I wish I could take a photo of every one of them. There were also, a lot, a lot, a lot of runners. All various speeds, all different types of clothing. Some are running so fast that at first I thought there was a race. 

The next day was hotter. It was so hot that several of us elected to not eve go out. The excursion was a walk around Venice, but in the morning it was already in the 90’s. Yikes. So instead, I stayed in my room where the air conditioner is nice and cool. 

Two of the women came over and sat with me as we watched American speaking CNN. It wasn’t that we were that interested in the actual newscast, more in actually being able to hear other Americans speaking. 

Next was on to Florence, and it was still very hot. But hey, it’s Europe and it’s the summertime. What do you expect?

I will say that I would not want to be ill and waiting for a police officer or an ambulance in the streets of Florence. The roads are just big enough for one car and there’s usually lots of screaming and yelling. People drive up onto the sidewalks. It’s still horribly hot here and the wind does not move in between the buildings. It all feels pretty chaotic.

But there are good things, too. We’re staying in a hotel that was built in the 1400s. Can you believe it? And there really are wine windows along the way. You ring the bell at the top, and a little door opens up and they ask White or Red you don’t have a choice of anything other than that. It was so cool. 

There’s still more to report, but I’ve got to stop for now. Check back soon. We’re going to see the Pope!