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Our time in Rome was up, and we decided not to take the train but to go by car service. The train meant schlepping our bags half a mile to the train station, boarding, and then finding a way to the port. It was definitely cheaper—maybe $40 Euros total. But there was a notice that the trains might go on strike, so we opted for the car service. Of course, this was $185 Euros.

But our driver took our luggage from the lobby, put it in his car, and drove a scenic route. Easy peasy.

The car was a new BMW and the driver looked like a chauffeur.

He dropped us right in front of our ship, a young man came and took our luggage, and we began the boarding process.

Unfortunately, there was a delay because the police took a lunch break and they needed to stamp our passports. No worries. We had seats in the terminal and finally boarded.

Our cabin is lovely with a nice balcony.

That’s the view from our balcony.

We attended a meet and greet and met a woman who used to live in my neighborhood.

We watched the sunset.

I had free play at the casino and managed to double it.

Today we are in Corsica. We slept late and had coffee and tea brought to our cabin.

It looked a little cloudy out so we weren’t in a great rush to get off the ship.

Bruce watched a sailboat race from our balcony.

It was Saturday and a farmer’s market was taking place by the port. They were selling meats, vegetables, and cheese. A lot of locals were out and about shopping. I never saw such huge peppers.

We decided to take a bus around the island. It was a 55-minute ride for 10 Euros.

Our tour took us through the town passing the Ajaccio Cathedral, officially the Cathedral of Our Lady of The Assumption.

With the sea on one side, a beautiful cemetery with hundreds of crosses peaked out above the mausoleums.

In the distance, we could see some snow-covered mountains.

We drove to the Sanguinary Islands and its Genovese Tower. Unfortunately, this was not a hop-on-hop-off so we couldn’t hike the mountain.

There were some pretty views along the journey including Napoleon’s statue.

When we returned to town we stopped at a bakery for pastry and coffee. I had a Napoleon befitting the location.

There were two churches we stopped at. The oldest church in Ajaccio was built in 1580 which is the church of St. John the Baptist.

The San Ruchello church, built in the late 17th century, needs some renovations.

In the square was a beautiful statue of Napoleon. It is a fountain but not in operation.

As we walked back to the Island Princess, we visited a few shops. The people of Corsica were very friendly and it was an inviting town.

Back on the ship we met up with some new friends for coffee, then ate with a group of people for dinner. It’s so much fun meeting new people.

#corsica#rome#church#colliseum#italy#france#islandprincess#cruising#ports#napoleon#sanguinaryislands#genivesetower#vacation

We’ve been to Rome several times and have seen all the highlights. So today, while still recuperating, we decided to wake up late for breakfast.

It was a fairly extensive buffet with fruit, eggs, and pastries.

I’d like to say we started our walk about, but instead we went back to bed until noon. Blackout curtains really do the trick if you want to sleep.

Once we woke again we headed to the church on the corner.

St. Paul’s Within the Walls Anglican Episcopal Church was built in 1873 and was the first non-Roman Catholic church within the city walls.

Our next stop was Basilica St. Maria degli Angeli E Dei Martiri which was built in the 16th century in the ruins of the Roman baths. Michelangelo was instrumental in the design of this Basilica and it was his last work.

The meridian solar line on the floor was built by the astronomer and philosopher Francesco Bianchini in 1703.  Bianchini’s meridian would tell when noon was throughout the year, the arrival of the solstices and equinox, as well as a calendar. It also predicts the day of Easter.

After two churches it was time for pastry. So a little cannoli and cappuccino.

It was interesting to note that at many crosswalks there weren’t any lights. We saw a man cross and traffic just stopped for him. When he reached us. He said, “Be brave and just walk. They will stop. “ So we did. And we are alive to tell about it!

Inside a cinema. We didn’t go to watch a movie. Just wanted to check out the theater.

Some architecture!

We stopped at a bakery so I could rest my foot!

We took a stroll to Trevi Fountain passing the National Art Museum on the way.

Some interesting frescoes on the way.

As I get older I find it difficult to be in huge crowds. At the Trevi Fountain, it was a mob scene. Because of Bruce’s height, he was able to get a photo without us waiting in a long line.

We had planned to eat near there, but everything was so crowded. We took a cab back to our hotel and then found a little place in the neighborhood. We shared a margarita pizza.

We had already eaten half when I remembered to take a photo. After dinner we had ice cream at another little restaurant.

And now back to the Hotel Artemide for sleep.

#italy#pizza#trevifountain#stpaulswithinthewalls#basilicastmariadegliangeliedeimartiri#cannoli#hotelartemide#travel

The Zurich HB train station was directly across the street from the Hotel Schweitzehof Zurich. We woke late because checkout wasn’t until noon, and our train was at 1:33 p.m.

We ate pastries at a cafe in the train depot. I had almond croissant and Bruce had a custard pastry.

It was comfortable seating as we waited for our train’s arrival.

Time to go to our gate!

It was a beautiful ride traveling through Switzerland.

The train made several stops before we had to change in Milan.

The next part of the journey, Milan to Rome was not as scenic.

They served us coffee and snacks for free in the first class.

But the train had a lot more people on it so not as much fun. It was a fast train though and we made it to Rome by 8:30. Exhausted. And we were going to take a cab to the hotel but the line was very long. So we hoofed it. I needed the steps.

Finally, we arrived at the Hotel Artemide. We were spoiled by our last hotel but this will do.

No baskets of fruit but the drinks in the mini bar are free!

#train#zurich#lakezurich#milan#depor#travel#pastry#hotelartemide

After a few hours of sleep, we started wandering the streets of Zurich. The Hotel Schweizerhof Zurich is centrally located to many attractions as well as coffee shops.

Our first stop was for a much-needed cup of coffee. I had a cappuccino and Bruce had black tea.

We walked along the waterfront taking in the old-world charm.

I don’t know where the idea of locks on bridges started, but it’s here in Zurich.

We visited the Grossmunster, a Romanesque-style Protestant church first built around 1100 AD and originally commissioned by Charlemagne.

Across the bridge was the Fraumunster which was a former convent founded in 853 AD.

Some of the stained glass particularly the 5 piece series in the choir were the work of Marc Chagall.

The crypt under the choir details an exhibition on the history of the reformation in Zurich, on the architecture as well as rocks that were part of the original structure.

There is a $5 chf fee to enter this church.

We didn’t go in St. Peter’s but that is the oldest parish church in Zurich with the original walls dating to the ninth century. It is known for the largest tower clockface in Europe measuring 28.5’ in diameter.

Bruce stopped at one of the many available water closets. He said he pulled the seat down to sit on it and he was suspended over a large stainless steel funnel. When he flushed the water flooded down through the funnel. He said it was strange.

They have some very beautiful and interesting trees in Zurich. They do what they call pollarded, which is a way of pruning to ensure safety and also visual effect.

For dinner we ate at a little cafe. We ordered quiche with salad. It was a veggie quiche which had carrots in it. A little strange. I liked it – Bruce not so much. We were charged $13 CHF for water which wasn’t even bottled water. It’s very expensive in Zurich – total bill with tip was $75 US.

There are many chocolate shops around – the smell of chocolate enticed us into each establishment. However, we will be traveling for so long and don’t have any place to keep it from melting.

We went to bed early since we are both still recuperating. And we woke at 10. It was a slow start, sipping coffee in our suite.

We bought water taxi passes and decided to travel down the river to Lake Zurich.

It was a beautiful day and a relaxing way to see the area.

We disembarked at the beginning of the lake.

People were out and about enjoying the fine spring weather although for Bruce and I it was a bit nippy. Some interesting statues along the way.

And a Ferris wheel!

We stopped for coffee and pastry and more breathtaking views of the Swiss Alps.

It was such a lovely day just to walk and take in this stunning place.

For dinner we ate at this cute little Swiss place. They did have fondue in the menu but we had schnitzel and cordon blu.

All in all, we had a very nice time in Switzerland. Tomorrow we take the train to Rome.

#switzerland#zurich#hotelschweizerhofzurich#watertaxi#st.petersclockface#fraumunster#marcchagall#grossmunster#crypt#stainedglass#pollardedtrees#travel#swissalps#cho olate

thefouramigos.blog/2025/04/07/on-the-road-again/

It was a rough start but we finally began our journey. Between my heart procedure and Bruce’s hospitalization, we weren’t sure we’d be traveling ever again.

We missed our sailing to Europe on March 24th when Bruce was in the hospital with bleeding ulcers. He was really sick.

But after getting the OK from our doctors, I booked flights to Zurich on April 6th hoping to at least catch the second half of our trip. Our adventure began when our neighbor picked us up at 4:45 to take us to Miami for a 7:45 flight. I hate those early morning flights.

We made it to the airport with some time to kill so we spent a little bit of time in the AV TAP/VIP lounge. It was quiet so we had comfy seats. This is through my Priority Pass from American Express Platinum personal card. One of the many benefits.

We flew economy to Toronto. I booked the flight through Air Canada using points. It was 70k points each and our next lag, Toronto to Zurich was in Business class. We also qualified for the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge for their elite flyers.

We had a five hour layover so we availed ourselves of the food.

They had taco making ingredients as well as pasta dishes and even a tofu dish for vegetarians. They also had plenty of brownies and cookies. I ate too much food. Grazing is not always the best way to go if you are dieting.

We finally boarded and have our nice lay down beds!

Getting ready for takeoff!

There are bleak winter skies in Toronto even though it’s April!

I watched the Brutalist for my onboard entertainment. I actually found it quite riveting. I had heard mixed reviews about it but it was a complex theme and I didn’t fall asleep. Actually I generally like to read books of this genre.

As we glided into Zurich, the beginning of dawn and the orange and red hues of sun could be viewed peering up above the horizon.

The mountain range was so close I could almost feel the brisk freezing temperatures of snow.

After a rather long walk and train ride to get our baggage, we went through passport control. It was all relatively easy but we could definitely feel our age.

We arrived at our hotel, the Hotel Schweizerhof Zürich at 8:30. It was located directly across from the train station.

Our room was ready by 9 and we were upgraded to a suite. It also has two bathrooms.

We are going to rest for a couple of hours and then go out and explore Zurich.

#HotelSchweizerhofZürich#aircanada#anericanexpress#train#vacation#businessclass#points#switzerland#lounges#