EuroBlog 2018: Gli Amici Dell'Universo

So grateful to spend time with our good friends Giulio, Ilaria, and Anita!

Giulio and his daughter Anita -- 14 years old, and growing up so fast!

John and Giulio clowning around with master chef Ilaria after another amazing meal
at her restaurant, "Gli Amici Dell'Universo,"in Cinquale

Giulio excels as a tour guide. Here he is showing us around the cute village of Pietrasanta.

The four of us enjoying a meal together after touring the Carrara marble mines
and the sampling "lardo di Colonatta," a speciality of the region

Sweet treat: Fresh strawberries with homemade yogurt gelato

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EuroBlog 2018: Getting settled into our apartment in Chianti

The entry to our apartment outside of Greve, 1/2 mile up a steep gravel road

Happy hour in our backyard

Vineyard view from the dining room 

Even domestic chores (like washing dishes!) seem more enjoyable here in Italy

Taking in the panorama from our upstairs suite 

Sangiovese vines across the road

Grape leaves have sprouted in early May, but no grapes so far

Vistors welcome!

EuroBlog 2018: Day 1, This must be Italy

Pomodori Italiano: better than home grown tomatos

John at the place where opera great Luciano Pavarotti was born.
(Or maybe this was just one of the places where he used to eat?

We're a little jet lagged still, but enjoying the spirit(s) of Italia

EuroBlog 2018: Prelude

Where does the time go? Another year, another adventure abroad... what better time to officially revive my photo blog. Welcome back to anyone who's been following. This newest chapter began in Whitefish MT and after a series of flights, lay-overs, and delays, finally finds us back in Greve in Chianti, in Bella Italia. Will update my posts soon, post-jetlag.

One last sunset in Big Sky Country before the start of our European trip

On board the KLM "Dreamliner," which more than lived up to its name

Crossing the Alps on the last leg of our flights

Final checked in to our quarters in Greve in Chianti. Mi piace!

Our hostess, Cinzia, greeted us warmly with a bottle of chilled Prosecco.
Cin cin!

Norway 2017: Fall along the Fjord

According to the travel brochures, the Nærøyfjord is "the most spectacular arm of the Sognefjord and the narrowest fjord in the world, at one point only 250 metres wide, with mountains towering more than a thousand metres above its tranquil waters." In other words, get out your cameras!

Looking back at the narrowest section of the "Narrow Fjord"

Dave and Jeannine focus on one of the larger waterfalls in the narrows.

On the ferry from Flåm to Gudvangen

Paparazzi everywhere!

More waterfalls

Small town near Gudvangen

Soaking in the sunshine and the view

Norway 2017: Riding The Rallarvegen

From Bergen, we took the train to Myrdal, elev. 865 meters, where fall colors were in full display. From there, we rented mountain bikes and rode the Rallarvegen, a 20 km dirt road winding from the mountaintops down to the fjord.

Even though the sun was shining, we had to bundle up against the chilly mountain air

The waterfalls were nothing short of spectacular 

The first of dozens of hairpin switchbacks tested our bike-handling skills.

The road eventually leveled off at the valley floor, soon arriving in Flåm

All smiles at the end of the day,
we boarded the Flåmsbana train and retraced our route back up to Myrdal.

The view from the train provided a different perspective of the valley

Here are just a few of the many hairpin turns on the bike trail that we navigated down the mountain

The train winds its way back up the valley via several tunnels and hairpin curves

The Kjofossen waterfalls, which flows underneath the railway tracks,
is a popular stop along the Flåmsbana railway

Obligatory selfie in front of the Kjofossen waterfalls

Norway 2017: Bergen Finals and Farewells

The final event of the World Cycling Championships was the grueling 267km Elite Men's race. Fans of all nationalities lined the streets of Bergen, but the hometown crowd was clearly hoping for a Norwegian victory.

The Norwegian team looked strong from the start

Fans waited intently for each passing of the peloton

Norwegian sprinter Alexander Kristoff was ultimately denied victory in a photo finish 

Here is the reigning world champion, Peter Sagan, mid-way through the race,
 on route to his third consecutive title 

Although there can only be one winner, a big congratulations goes out to all the athletes for their efforts

Goodnight from Bergen Bryggen