On August 12, we flew from New Delhi to Milan. After several months touring Indonesia,Malaysia,China, South East Asia, and India, Italy was a much welcome change! We spent a quick couple of days in Milan to see DaVinci’s The Last Supper then we were on to Siena for The Palio. The one travel arrangement we’d solidified way in advance was our B & B in Siena for the August 16th Palio. When Zach returned home from studying abroad in Siena a decade ago, he talked of the city’s unique, centuries old, neighborhood competition which takes place annually… A horse race in Siena’s main piazza. Siena has 17 contrade … Each with their own territory, governing board, their own names and symbols. Due to the potential danger to horse and jockey, Only 10 of the 17 contrade race at once. A lottery decides the participants.  The winning neighborhood (contrada) earns bragging rights for the year!  Hard to fathom, but the prize is not monetary…. The contrade race for honor and pride. It has been the same for some 400 years…. Jockeys riding bareback at dizzying speeds 3 times around the Piazza del Campo. The spectators( estimated 60,000) fill the center of the Campo, they hang out windows, crowd balconies and rooftops, and bunch up on bleachers erected in front of the cafes. We claimed our viewing  spot in one of the Campo’s corners around 2:00 pm and waited the five hours and experienced the Medieval pageantry until the canon shots signaled the race to begin! Once 9 of the 10 horses have achieved an acceptable position in the starting line up behind the rope,  the ‘surprise’selected 10th horse officially starts the race by barreling through the rope from behind. 90 frenetic blistering seconds later, The SELVA (Forest) Contrada’s Horse was victorious! Selva will hold the Palio flag (symbol of champion) until next summer. From the Campo, thousands of Siense rushed to the Duomo to witness the blessing of the winning jockey. The crowds carried the jockey and the Selva president on their shoulders through the streets, singing & drumming in joyful celebration. The winning Contrada continues to parade throughout Siena for the coming days into weeks… Tradition allows them plenty of time to gloat over their triumph!

Tuscany and Cinque Terre:

After the Palio, we enjoyed days driving around beautiful Tuscany. An old high school buddy of Bobby’s happened to be vacationing nearby, so we met Andy and his wife, Joanie for lunch one afternoon in the charming old city of Lucca. I didn’t want to leave behind the idyllic Tuscan countryside of undulating hills, grapevines & castles, but our next stop in Cinque Terre was even more special. There are five little breathtaking villages hanging onto the cliffs over the Ligurian Sea. You can choose to walk from one to another or hop the train which connects each village. We spent several delightful days lapping up the peaceful bliss

In Corniglia. Our shabby chic apartment looked out to the glittering sea. Sunset is the featured entertainment… Add a glass of Cinque Terre wine, an appetizer of sweet roasted peppers and crackers, combine them with the incomparable gift of nature’s color streaked sky…. That is enjoying the best of life!

Croatia:

It seems the popular route from Italy to Croatia is via an overnight ferry from Ancona to Split. We caught trains from Cinque Terre across Italy and had plenty of time to make the ferry. We heard many  good things about Croatia and we were not disappointed! The Adriatic Sea has the most spectacular turquoise color as far as the eye can see.From Split, we took a speed boat day trip to several islands and 2 caves. The sightseeing and the swimming in the cool, clear Adriatic made for a great day. We picked out a spot on The Makarska Riviera…coast between Split and Dubrovnik …to ‘chill’ for a few days. The village we singled out was a little jewel! The bus dropped us off on the main road and we had to wind our way downhill by foot to reach the town… Our apartment was situated even distance between the 2 beaches… No 600 steps to negotiate like in Cinque Terre!

The Adriatic is perfect for my favorite sport: floating! We had found another piece of paradise! Coincidentally, our nephew, Nolan Franich, was also in Croatia at the same time! He was traveling by car with his good friend from Germany. It was a treat to have them join us in Igrane and they kindly offered to drive us to Dubrovnik. Thanks to Instagram, we found out we were in the same part of the world!Dubrovnik is one of the oldest cities on the European continent. It’s teeming over with history – both ancient and recent. Dubrovnik was heavily damaged by Serbian bomb  attacks during the war in 1990’s. Thankfully it’s mostly all repaired and enjoying the fruits of tourism. It’s a gorgeous city perched on the Adriatic…I’d say one of the most photogenic cities in Europe. Croatia not only has the stunning Adriatic coastline with dramatic mountains looming over the pebbly beaches, it has pristine lakes,rivers and waterfalls.The cascading waterfalls in Krka National Park are so gorgeous, adjectives aren’t adequate in explaining their visual impact.

Slovenia:

You may not have Slovenia on your radar… We might have not had it on ours without a tip from our daughter. But Slovenia is NOT to be discounted! Located north of Croatia, sharing borders with Italy and Austria also, Slovenia offers slices of Paris,Italy, Bavaria… All rolled into one splendid package! We spent a couple of days riding bikes around the easily navigated capital city of Ljubljana and rented a car to venture out to the alpine Lake Bled and Triglav National Park where the Soca River begins. Our fishing aficionado son-in-law, Matt, told us that the Soca River of Slovenia is considered one of the top fly fishing destinations in the world and is renown for its large headed  trout. It’s certainly beautiful as it tumbles over the white and brown river rocks with the water as pure and clear as melted ice.

Prague:

We had a few days to explore the extremely vibrant and well preserved city of Prague in the Czech Republic. It’s a city of art, music, and richly embellished churchs. Prague was most fortunately not damaged by bombs in WWII. We attended the Opera of La Traviata in the National Theatre. Everyday and night there are incredible operas, musical concerts, and ballets being performed. It is a paradise for classical devotees.

Next: Meeting Alexa and Matt in Munich, Germany on 9/20 for Oktoberfest. We will be joining the newlyweds and Matt’s sister, Elizabeth and Matt’s mother, Barbara for a couple of days of German Brew imbibing! Then onto Turkey with Matt and Alexa!