|
|
Rapid Creek Goes Global
|
|
|
| 
sunset
view from Manarola
in the Cinque Terre, Italy
|
floating down the canals of Amsterdam at
dusk
|
|
During Winter and Springtime of 2003, Rapid Creek spent a few
months in Europe, roaming stone-carved streets in some really
beautiful cities. Our base was Florence, Italy, and from
there we traveled through northern and southern Italy, Chamonix
and Paris in France, Amsterdam in Holland, and London. |
|
In Italy we visited the Cinque Terre, Venice, Siena, Pisa,
Lucca, Rapallo, Santa Margherita, San Michele, Rome, Naples,
Sorrento, and the island of Capri. And of course Florence, where
we lived.
Among
our favorites of Italy are the Cinque Terre, 5 tiny towns along
the Ligurian Sea that has been preserved and protected with
national park status, with hiking trails connecting each town.
A great place to go in the off-season for exploring well-marked
trails and especially for discovering the well-hidden ones.
right:
the "put in" at Monterossa
Cinque Terre, Italy |
 |
| 
|
We spent time wandering around the arrondissements of Paris
surrounded by sunshine and breezes. We hit the outdoor markets,
with fresh produce, cheeses, bread, seafood, wine, clothes...
the Eiffel Tower, the Champs Elysees and L’Arc de Triomphe,
the Moulin Rouge neighborhood, and walked along the Seine every
day and night.
left:
Montparnasse park, next to the Sacre Coeur, Paris |
In Amsterdamwe found art everywhere, in the countless museums,
the architecture, the gardens everywhere, the canals and their
bridges, the houseboats all parked along the side, and in
the people who live there too. The locals are beautiful, they
dress really creatively, live creatively, and are so friendly,
we often found ourselves in spontaneous conversation. It’s
a very open and relaxed atmosphere. There are more bikes than
cars going through the city, we rented a bike to test the
theory out, and had a great time riding around over bridges,
through squares & parks.
|
our
ship's captain led us through Amsterdam neighborhoods via local
canal routes, in a boat preserved by their non-profit organization |
|
|
