Arrivederci Italy

We are sitting in the Marco Polo Lounge at Venice Airport waiting for our flight to England. For something different, we will be flying into London City Airport instead of the more usual Heathrow or Gatwick. Also for something different, we traveled out to the airport by shared water taxi. It was very quick and very comfortable...it was just a bit unfortunate that we had to be up just as early as if we were using the public boats.

Our time in Italy has been great...and rather exhausting. We are rather looking forward to London as a chance to have a bit of a rest. 

Getting around Italy by train worked out OK but it wasn't as easy as in France. Italian trains are not as "wheelchair friendly" and so they are not as luggage friendly. 

Although Milan isn't big as a tourist destination, it is certainly worth a stopover if you are passing through. Vareena on Lake Como was a really great place to have a bit of a relaxing time...not that we really did. Florence and Venice were both fantastic places to visit even though they were rather crazy with tourists...they are both big enough to cope. 

The only disappointment was Cinque Terre...spoiled but its reputation as a group of quiet, sleepy little villages hidden away from the world. With cruise ships now dumping thousands of people a day into the region, it is no longer quiet and sleepy and certainly not hidden away any more.