After Day 11 the blogging came to a screeching hold. First the WiFi was really bad. Then the days were so packed full that I could not manage to get caught up again. Now we are back home again. After James' first birthday party in Germany and the second at home it suddenly is very quiet again. Of course we have to get into a routine again, pay bills, etc.
As you can see on the right side of the blog there is now again a way for you to sign up and get each new blog by email. Make sure you confirm when you get an email after you signed up (if that is what you would like to do). I am happy that I managed to do that.
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A bit rocky night to the harbor Pesaro.
After breakfast a bus drives us to the Republic of San Marino. I gave up trying to take photos from the moving bus but it is always nice to watch the (quite often changing) landscape go by.
When we arrived the bus unloaded us at the bottom of the gondola station from which we were taken to the highest point of this country. The summit of Monte Titano is 749 m (2457 feet) above sea level.
I love looking down from heights and the weather was very nice too. Look at that blue sky.
The summit is more like a plateau and walking around there is really nice, somehow a fort and somehow a little village.
Of course we had a local guide. This in the very beginning of our visit was a place where a tournament of bow shooting is going to take place.
This is a photo for Helen and William: a shop with nothing but rubber duckies in all kind of outfits. They would leave us when hidden after a visit.
This is were we have to meet again (for lunch) when we can explore by ourselves.
A large plaque of the founder Saint Marinus is on the wall.
At the postoffice there we can go and get a stamp in our passports ... for 5 Euros each. Yeah, why not?
A lovely plaza with an awesome view.
I spy a shop which sells bows, arrows and whatever you might need for the tournament.
When the historical tour was over and we were encouraged to explore by ourselves we decide to walk to the first of the 3 towers.
It looks like a fort/castle and we decide to pay the small entry fee (senior discount). It was well worth it. It was the best part of this whole visit.
We went up the tower all the way to the top. We had to climb up a ladder which was a bit so-so. Thank goodness James and I are still young, ha-ha.
The view in all directions was spectacular. We saw others from our group up on the wall but they didn't hear us shout to pose for a photo.
Coming down from the tower was a bit more challenging. There was now a long line of Germans waiting. But, of course, we had a nice conversation.
After Tower 1 we decided to walk to Tower 2. This is called the Witches' Way, really nice and awesome.
Tower 2 was under construction and could not be entered.
I went up to an edge and took a nice photo of Tower 3. We decided that we don't need to hike to it though. Can the view really be even better from there?
There was a bit of time left until we were supposed to meet and we found a nice place to rest and have refreshments.
The entrance to the restaurant where we had lunch.
These was a dish of pasta with black truffles.
The above baked things were a bit like biscotti but you can dip them into the red wine.
From the bus: Why am I even bothering to try to take photos?
Back on the ship which is in the harbor Pesaro. From the ship it is only a short walk across the street (through harbor security) to the beach. I decide that I need to see it.
I find a new friend (from the other group) just about to go for a swim. I take a photo for her as proof that she did.
The walk along the beach was really nice. Lots of very colorful pebbles and pretty shells and these...
Sponge? Coral?
The captain had decided to offer dinner outside on the upper deck. It was really lovely ... until it got too cold when the sun was gone
Entertainment after dinner was a couple which came on board just for that.
Another wonderful day. I had no ideas about San Marino, this tiny country of only 24 sq miles. Sometimes it is very good not to have any expectations because this was a great surprise, ha-ha, like all the other days of this trip.
It's time to have a sleep now though. Night, night.
1 comment:
You took the words right out of my mouth! What SPECTACULAR views! Just breathtaking. And I had no knowledge of San Marino at all!
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