Last day in Italia and my birthday

Today is a big day...MY BIRTHDAY!!! In Italy...hardly can believe it! Started the day with packing extra things to ship since the airlines in Europa are very stingy with there weight limits! Then coffee, exercise video and a beautiful breakfast on the veranda by our personal chef...high styling! Then we all put on our Italian sundresses we bought yesterday in Porto Venere and Lerici and headed into the walled city of Lucca to use internet...not much luck with getting work done but did get pictures uploaded to FB of yesterday's trip...which was amazing! Oh, I forgot, that before we came down the mountain we went to the estate of the Barroness which our farmhouse is located on to buy olive oil to have shipped back to the states...yummy! Then we mailed our stuff and went for a local lunch outside the walled city...the waiter thought that Martha was a movie star :)...now I am again in yet another internet cafe writing this and finishing work I could not get down earlier.

Driving in Italy is so very tricky but we have managed pretty well so far...they are crazy over here for sure! We were quite proud of ourselves for getting all the way to Porto Venere yesterday...and what a beautiful drive!!! Porto Venere is what Porto Fina used to be prior to American tourists finding it...so quaint....lots of European tourists, swimming and sunbathing (women without tops) playing in the water. From 2 to 4 each day most shops shut down and everyone takes a rest...because it is so hot and there is not very many places that have air conditioning.

The toilettes that are public are very interesting...see FB for pics...glad to get back to England to sit down while relieving myself! The people have been very nice on a whole here and it has been fun for me to try to speak their language in my limited way...and they appreciate the effort. And even with few words one can navigate and get what you need...including map reading...however, it has taken all 4 of us in the car to figure it all out!!!

Lucca is the birth place of Puccini...might go to a concert tonight, but knowing us, we will just go swimming for awhile...ok, to go as time is over for the internet.

Ciao