The Happy Wanderers

A room with a view!

Posted on June 23, 2015 · Leave a Comment

So, we arrived in Venice in a downpour of epic proportions, and had to hike our stuff to our flat over stepped bridges and down obscure alleyways after lugging it onto — and off of — the vaporetta (waterbus)…and then we couldn’t reach our host to get access to our flat for what seemed an interminable fifteen minutes!

Then, once we got the keys, we had to hump it, groceries and all, up three flights of stairs.

Our host opened the shutters despite the rain and lightening, just in time for a brief break in the clouds, and it was suddenly all worth it when we saw this…

I’m very pleased to say that we have a room with a view!

The license plate game?

Posted on June 23, 2015 · Leave a Comment

Truck from…where?

You know how we try to spot license plates from each province and state as we drive around in North America?

Well, driving from Torino to Venice today, I suddenly realized we were seeing transport trucks from a variety of different countries!

I’ve spotted trucks with markings indicating Russia, Croatia, Slovakia, “North Africa,” Poland, Spain, France, and Germany, at a minimum…other than Italy, of course.

Unfortunately, I don’t know how to interpret their license plates, so I have to do my best with brand identities on the sides of the trucks, which don’t always help me.

Still, this is fun!

Truck from Poland

Noontime bells ringing out all over old Pinerolo

Posted on June 22, 2015 · Leave a Comment

We absolutely loved the sound of these old bells, one near us (visible in the video) and one further up the hillside behind (not visible in the video), chiming out every quarter of an hour! Hope you enjoy hearing them gonging away for the noon hour on June 22, 2015.

Pinerolo, Italy.

Driving the streets of the old city of Pinerolo, Italy

Posted on June 21, 2015 · Leave a Comment

Jacquie took us for a spin on the streets around her neighbourhood in the old city of Pinerolo, Italy. What a blast! And is she ever good at navigating them… 🙂

Walking, and walking, and walking…

Posted on June 21, 2015 · Leave a Comment

I’m proud to say that I’ve bested my counted-steps (I use a FitBit to track my activity) best-ever scores several times already on this trip!

Did it again yesterday.

Went 18,341 steps for an estimated 12.5 kms. How? Went to the Pinerolo Saturday market and checked out the whole place, then went to Torino and explored the city for hours! What a beautiful place. Riding the Metro was fun, too. Very modern and fast.

(Wonder if I’ll manage to hit 20,000 steps on this journey? 😜)

ea/