Now this is a sunrise that was worth getting up for! Can you just imagine standing on the deck and being a part of sailing in this amazing fjord? We were so excited, that we scurried to get dressed and head out for the deck. Haha, we barely made it outside when we had to dash back to put warmer clothes on! Oh, was it cold and windy, but worth every minute shivering!
We stayed out on deck for a couple of hours watching enormous whales breach, icebergs float by, and dozens of areas where ice was cutting through mountains reaching for the sea. The seas had 8-10 foot swells making the natural beauty remind you of how harsh the environment really was. Prince Christian Sound (named after the Danish Prince) is between Iceland and Greenland and took us most of a day to navigate as we headed toward Nanortalik, Greenland. Check out these photos.
These massive ice flows are indescribable. It seemed like you could reach out and touch them.
ing horses, chickens, and a dozen or so sheep. Since it was raining quite hard we didn’t wander about the farm too long, but the guide did stop to show us some of the animals
. When was the last time you saw a barn/shed with a grass roof? Take that a step further and ask yourself if you had that barn and some sheep would they have kept it neatly trimmed by eating it regularly? These sheep did! I watched them climb the rooftops and nibble away. Amazing.
ed into traditional Norweigan clothing, along with the gals that worked the tours. They came out and did a traditional dance of us and the farmer played the piano. It was a charming morning despite the rain.
And yes, later in the day as we were hiking, an elk wandered up to a public drinking fountain to have a sip of water. A park visitor was happy to give this big animal a slurp before moving on.
Final stop on the “Best of Italy Tour” with Trafalger (and a bit of Rick Steves’ thrown in) was Siena. We knew nothing about this city except that St. Catherine of Siena was my Patron Saint. It brought back childhood memories at the parochial school I attended and all the kids talked about who they were named after. I had no idea where Italy was or why my parents chose that particular saint. It is too bad that as an adult I never thought to ask, because it would have added meaning to this stop.
Once in Siena the four of us broke off from the group and headed down three terraced streets to the site where Catherine had a room and worshiped. Pretty much all I knew about her was that she played a role in moving the Popes Palace from Avignon, France back to Rome.
Today the church, named for St. Catherine, serves as a local parish. There was a statue of her inside the courtyard and I couldn’t resist posing for a picture. I managed to buy a thimble with her name and picture on it to add to my thimble collection.
rly as we had several places to see. Our first stop was Pisa. It was not what we expected; it was better! It really was leaning at a pretty steep pitch and neither of us wanted to hike up (or pay the Euro’s). The tower has 7 tiers. The first 3 floors began to sink shortly after being built because they were so heavy. In the early days Pisa was an important port city, so the surrounding soil tended to be soft and not the best for supporting a marble structure such as a tall tower. Building stopped for a while until another architect came along and added 3 more marble stories. You can imagine that it began to tilt even more! By the time the bell tower was added a total of 300 years had gone by since the original building began. We could not believe the detail and ornateness of the tower. You needed to see it up close to appreciate its true beauty. They say it is structurally safe now, but we figured we’d pass despite the amazing views there must have been from the top. Walking the perimeter was fine for us!
tists, poets, and of course, Pinocchio! 
During the Renaissance it was the wealthiest and most politically influential city of the region.
We also went to Santa Croce, the church where Michelangelo, da Vinci, Marconi, and dozens other famous men were buried. It was almost like an indoor cemetery. What a beautiful church. Sim
ple compared with other Duomo’s we’d seen, and almost like another museum. The marble carvings and tributes to the deceased were tasteful and very elegant.
We ended the evening with a magnificent prime rib dinner at a local restaurant. We had some great wine and champagne along with a brief tour of the underground wine seller of years gone by. We brought some wine home so we can continue to enjoy Tuscan wines. 
Exhausted by yet another long day of walking and overloading of the senses, we fell asleep the minute we hit the pillows. According to my Fitbit, we managed to put in exactly 19,000 steps that day! It felt like it too!!
that was spectacular. We ate a quick dinner and headed to bed after an exhausting day.
abela where the Borromeo family have their home or rather, Palace. The 18-year-old princess still lives here. Most impressive were the terraced gardens. Besides incredible topiaries, flowers, and
fountains, there were a dozen or more white peacocks roaming around!
