New travels

Hi - I've been absent for a really long time. Those of you following my blog back in early 2008 might remember I had a boating accident in the Cook Islands at the beginning of our family vacation. We (my husband, daughter and 2 grand-daughters) managed to carry on for the next 7 weeks, and overall had a wonderful time visiting family and friends in New Zealand and Australia.
After our return to Vancouver, I was in quite rough shape - I spent much of the following 18 months having several surgeries to mend the various bits and pieces - and the rehab continues even today. I really didn't feel much like writing for a long time.
However, by last Fall I was feeling a lot more mobile, so Garry and I decided to risk a trip - to Italy! Oh Italy! Armed with walking canes, a clever walking stick which converted to an instant seat, and a lot of painkillers and enthusiasm, we set off in mid-September - and had almost a whole glorious month touring Italy.
Starting in Tarquinia, a 12th century medieval hill town near the coast west of Rome, we wandered our way through Rome, Siena, Florence, Lucca and finally Venice. To say I fell in love with Venice would be an understatement. I LOVED Venice!
What miraculously happened along the way, partly due to the warmth and all that happiness, I was able to throw away my walking cane! Everything really worth seeing in Italy, or so it seemed, is either up the top of a very steep hill accessible only by foot - or at the top of 300 steep steps! Muscles strengthened again, and I felt a whole lot better.
We finished our trip with a quick visit to Paris, and then on to England to visit my mother - who turned 90 earlier in the year - returning to Vancouver feeling much refreshed.
More soon - we have another trip planned!