Arrivederci!

Other then the difficult time I spent flying home to Toronto. My Europe winter trip 2015 went very well. The only problem really was with the weather. However I have been so fortunate on past wintertime vacations. I really have no right to complain.

Again I have to thank long time friend Peter V/D W. For making another pleasant trip to visit The Netherlands possible. An enjoyable day trip to Rotterdam was made to visit a "James Bond" Expo being held there. The city of Rotterdam is also an excellent city located in The Netherlands to visit. Visiting and exploring the mining history in the Dutch province of Limburg was enjoyed. Also visiting my old friend. The city of Amsterdam is always a real pleasure. The great atmosphere in this classic European city is very unique. Our visit to the The Dutch Resistance Museum (Verzetsmuseum) was a memorable experience.

The visit to "The Eternal City" of Rome was another a great experience. A forever romantic history enthusiast like myself. I loved being within the living history of ancient Roman Society. The Roman Coliseum, The Pantheon, Palatine Hill, and Piazza Navona and Popolo and The Mouth of Truth have become everlasting great memories! Also have a chance to live within the smallest nation on Earth "Vatican City" was a fantastic experience! The Vatican Museums protect and display some of the rarest art and items in our world!

Sicily was the final part of this adventure. I enjoyed 3 days in Palermo. Despite all of the rain. I enjoyed visiting the largest city on the island of Sicily. Palermo is also full of lots of impressive history. Also the city has some very beautiful and impressive parks. I enjoyed two great meals at the "Cafe' de Paris". The service and food were both great there. Then I traveled to the northeast side of the island. To enjoy the wonderful town of Taormina. Which overlooks the Ionian Sea. While Mt. Etna overlooks Taormina. It is very special part of Italy. Thanks to the ladies who run the Hostel Taormina. Who made sure I had a good time visiting Taormina! I would like to visit again one day. When the weather is nice and I can enjoy swimming in the warm Ionian Sea!

All trips just like real life are not perfect. You have to overcome and survive obstacles along the way. So you can still enjoy life. Yes the weather for a lot of my vacation was rainy and cold. Also I did pick up a virus while I was visiting Rome. But I did overcome these problems and did enjoy a very nice time on my trip. I again enjoyed being given the chance to enjoy living life in Europe. Thanks to all of the friendly people who I met during my travels in Italy! I say grazie and Arrivederci! Hoping we will meet again!