Scenes from Italy

In Italy, we docked in Civitavecchia, about an hour train ride from Rome. During our first day, a number of us RD types took a trip to the big city and saw the Colisseum (sp?) and some of those other old buildings.

And that was enough of Rome for me. After half a day, I decided I needed a break from the museums and admission fees and so forth of the big cities. I headed north for the Cinque Terre region, where five small villages along the Mediterranean are connected by a walkway.

Within five minutes of stepping off the train there, I was approached by a woman in search of the Via Dellamore, so of course I acted like I knew where I was and showed her the way. Dominique and I spent a few hours wandering the path of the Cinque Terre before stopping at a small trattoria for dinner. Yes, my Thanksgiving meal consisted of pizza and wine.

The next day we wandered around Riomaggiore a bit before heading out to another little town on the water...

...this time Sestri Levante. Not much to do in some of these small towns, but plenty to see, hear, smell, and experience.

My last day in Italy was spent with Rachelle checking out Pisa. I think we enjoyed the pizzeria and the gelati a little more than the tower, but here's the obligatory photo of the world's most famous lean.

During transit from Italy to Morocco, we held a semi-formal dance, the Ambassador's Ball. I decided to forgo the traditional dress shirt and tie, and instead opted for the batik shirt I bought in Malaysia. That's what I call style...