I start this blog with our last day in Certaldo Tuscany

and finish it with our arrival in Venice.

Friday started slowly ,rainiing, still tired from the wine tour,so just lazed around to lunch. Soon after Shirley and I were off to San Gimignano, a small village surrounded by a wall but inside there are many different types of shops and craft as well as historic buildings. Shirley, Di and I all went on a spending spree,I known its hard to believe, but yes I spent some money on me. Although we left the villa at lunch time we actually hadn't eaten,as this was part of Shirley's plan to go to a small but travel adviser framed ristorante named Le Terrazze. It has legendary cuisine,great views of the surrounding area and a staff that were exactly as you could imagine of a small country town.we all ate something different, but each meal was special ,an incrusted that true Italian tradition.

Back at the villa a goodbye night to Certaldo had been plan and everyone celebrated hard,the friendships, the excitement and the sadness that such a great time would now be ending.

Our group of 5 have had wonderful time in Tuscany but for now it time to say arrivederci Tuscany and ciao Venice.

Up by 6.30 a.m Saturday , must be in Florence by 9 or pay another days cost. All go well heading for Avis car rental, found the highway, which we thought would be harder in the dark, traveling smoothly until we got to the out skirts of Florence, the Garman has not been updated and sends us the wrong way, suddenly we're lost, time ticking, we asking direction of every second Italian,eventually we bite the bullet and go back to the garman, type in a street we read on the Avis form and hay presto we're there,all good, make the train with time to spare and now a new part of the adventure has begun, we are on our way to Venice. Shirley's planning has once again been superb, only 650 meters from the station, lyes our beautiful Venetian hotel with our room having canal views.

Shirley is never going to sit for to long, so 1 hr after signing in Di ,Shirley and I go exploring the streets of Venice. I have heard the stories of how Venice is sinking and maybe it is but the grandeur of being here and seeing these canals ,the boats, the gondolas and the colorful painted houses, has reminded me that if the global warming continues the beauty I have been fortunate to see, in just 3hrs will be lost to the ones that matter most, the children of the future.

A couple of the blogs got mixed up hope you can adjust your thinking to make it all work. So for now Shirley and I say arrivederci.