Thanks for all the congrats and well wishes.
Of course we are vaccinated. We have N95 masks for the planes and trains. I am a little worried but there really is no end in site for this virus and life must go on.
August wasn't my
choice. It is when the kids decided they would get married. I suspect the crowds will be smaller than usual due to COVID. I am not sure cruises are running at all now.
Normally, our trips to Europe have been about seeing as much as possible in the time available. This trip (and for all future trips) we intend a leisurely pace. In all four cities, we have centrally located hotels, walking distance to most of the sites.
Our time in Bologna will mostly be spent with my daughter and her fiance and
his family. Rose and I spent one day in Bologna before. It is a very nice city, much more about food and education than tourism. I have already identified a few sites, the best coffee shops, and a few restaurants (mostly lunch places). We may take a day trip to
Ravenna.
I have been to
Venice four times before and I know it pretty well. We are not going to be stuck in lines or rush around. Depending on lines, we may not go inside any of the sites. If the line for the cathedral is short we might go in. Mostly we just plan to enjoy walking and riding the water buses. It is a short stay there this time.
I have never been to
Verona, so I am looking forward seeing the
arena and other sites. We are going to take a bike tour the second day. I have already identified all the sites we plan to see, and a bunch of restaurants, and all are less than a 15 minute walk from the hotel.
In
Milan our hotel is right by the Duomo, and again, mostly the plan is just walk around leisurely. I haven't been to
Milan for more than 30 years, but I remember it fondly. We will go in the Duomo and take the elevator up to the roof. We might go see the last supper, but I am not going to pay hundreds of dollars for a skip the line tour (crazy prices online for this).
They have an on-off bus in
Milan. I find these useful for the first day or two in most cities. But for
Milan, opinions online vary greatly. If anyone has used it in
Milan and thinks it is either worthwhile or not, please let me know.
My phone, text, and email will be working while I am in
Italy.