Geographical Exploration

I recently returned from my latest geographical exploration.  This time I spent two weeks in Northern Italy with 15 or my neighbors and friends.  We started in Milan and then drove around the small towns in the area.  It was a wonderful trip and we had a wonderful trip leader.  Our plan, at one point, was to take a ferry from our hotel on Lake Como to an island in the center of the lake.  Unfortunately, the lake had other ideas that day and was very "angry"

so our leader went to Plan B.  He found a bus to take all 15 of us to a museum built upon and devoted to Roman ruins.

I find it amazing that these buildings have survived so long.

One of the selling points of this trip for me was a train through the Alps to Switzerland.  I am fascinated by the Alps.  Guess I'm a mountain person, I couldn't care less if I never saw a beach again.

Pretty much the rest of the trip was spent with views of these magnificent mountains.  We visited a farm that is almost completely self reliant.  They have mountain goats, deer, apples, olives, sheep.  The wife of the farmer uses the wool from the sheep to make slippers, purses, etc.  They have a restaurant high in the mountains where we had lunch.  The food was delicious.

Of course, one cannot visit Italy without tasting the wine.  The wine was wonderful.  I could not decide which I preferred - red or white, or even bubbly - Prosecco.  It was all so good.

Before I went on this trip, I was ready to cut back on my travels, especially to Europe so I could concentrate on road trips here in the States.  I'm still planning on a couple of road trips this summer, but I'm wondering where I can travel to next year.  Maybe a river cruise in French wine country.  Yeah that sounds good.