After we left Sorrento we traveled by bus to Tuscany.  On our way, in the neary mountains we could see a large monastery.   It was founded in 529 by St Benedict.  Through the ages, the abey was looked upon as a place o holiness, culture and art for which it became renowed on a worldwide level.  It has been destroyed and rebuilt 3 times, most recently it was bombed in 1944, when over 1000 Polish soldiers lost their lives.  It was rebuilt in 1953 and is amazing.  Here are a few images of the inside and outside of Montecassino and a few images of our ride to Tuscany.

  Doreen Kline Photography wishes you and your family a Very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year for 2009!

                              Our Turkish gulet also sailed to Ekincik Cove, where a small riverboat met us for a side trip upriver on the Dalyan River.  The small boat worked its way thru a maze of small channels lined with bamboo and cattails.  The area is famous for their Loggerhead Sea Turtles, although they did not come to see us on our visit.  The riverboat delivered us to the city of Dalya, which is the location of amazing temple tombs hugging a rock face.  To see it in person was amazing, much better than in the tourist brochures.  We had a delightful lunch in Dalaya, shopped on the main street and then returned to the gulet for our final dinner aboard.