Verona

Our Italian Dream Tour began with a BEAUTIFUL drive through the Australian Alps. Everywhere you looked was breathtaking. I put on some great music and worshipped God for His amazing creation!! Our first stop was in Verona, the setting of Romeo and Juliet! An example of a Roman road~

Another view of the arena~

Verona's Coliseum~

This is much more complete than Rome's but not as well known. They still use it for popular events, and that weekend Andrea Bocelli was coming!

A street view in Verona~

" Romeo, oh Romeo, where for out thou, Romeo?"

Unfortunately we could not get a closer look at the famous balcony because they had it blocked off for a movie set! (Thus the white sheet above it.) We had to sneak through a store next door and get a picture from the window!

"BIG BLUE BERTHA!"

Isn't our bus pretty? It's also HUGE!

Here are our fearless leaders- Bill the tour guide and Rudy the bus driver!

Our room in Verona~

Poor Rudy, our bus driver, had the hardest time getting to our hotel- Park Hotel Villa Marcello Giustinian. The first road had a bridge that wouldn't support a bus and he had to back up down about half a mile down a tiny street in the dark. It was a little alarming! This awesome old Italian man (who was probably thinking WHAT IN THE WORLD!) wearing a wife-beater held up traffic so we could back onto the cross street. He pointed us in a different direction, but there...the road was closed! Another road was too small and FINALLY on the fourth attempt we made it to our hotel. Thank you, Rudy!!!

Outside our hotel~