Even though holidays are fun, there's no place like home. I still have several things to look forward to before that long westward flight: a 2-day trip to Cardiff, Wales; dinner out with friends; one more theatre date; and maybe a day trip to Salisbury. But time's almost up. My thoughts are more and more of family and friends that I've missed during these past 6 weeks, and it'll be nice to sleep in my own bed and cuddle with the dog.
Italy was wonderful! Better than I could have ever imagined! My favourite place was the Cinque Terre - I'd never heard of it before, but here's a photo of me and a new friend, Peggy, on our way over to Portovenere. You can see the colourful buildings behind us. These homes are built on the side of cliffs and walking around these villages takes strong legs. You're walking up or down, never on flat ground!
The other place I loved was Tuscany, of course! Who wouldn't love it there? It is exactly as you see it in calendar pictures - tall straight cypress between some sort of Mediterranean pines and green rolling hills. Here's the group at a vineyard somewhere in the middle of Tuscany. L to R: Peggy (Florida), Leslie (Vancouver), Markee (Colorado), Vicki (Georgia/Florida), Richard, Barb(Hawaii), Joanne (Atlanta), Diana (Akron, Ohio), Angie (New Orleans), Suzanne (Cape Cod), Linda (New Orleans).
First, the hotel in Lerici was wonderful. I'm sure the owners took the photo for their website right from our balcony. Vicki and I gasped when we walked out and saw this view. 
In Positano on the Amalfi Coast, the bathroom with red tile floor and raised tub was way beyond our expectations, but Vicki and I almost wept when we walked through the inner patio and onto the outer patio and saw this!
The best view was saved for last. In Taormina, Sicily, we had a suite with a lovely private terrace. Bougainvillaea lined the edge of the brick wall and we gazed over the Mediterranean with awe.
