I’ve been thinking about the highlights of my time in Tuscany and have concluded that it would be impossible to pick a singular favorite thing.  The places and experiences that were amazing, magical, awe-inspiring, and memorable are just too numerous.  If I was forced to pick one, though, our excursion to shop at a flea market in the walled city of Lucca would have to be a contender. First of all, the city itself was impressive.  It is similar to Barga, with its narrow streets, richly colored buildings, light-filled piazzas, but the scale is so much larger.  While Barga is quaint and slow, Lucca is energetic and lively.  And the intact Rennaisance-era wall, that is so thick it now accommodates a walking/bike path on top, is a magnificent to see. Permits are required for cars to enter the city (to control the traffic on the slender, pedestrian-dominated streets), so our bus

I already know, before I even set foot off the plane, that all of the offerings in France and Italy will be overwhelming.  There will be so many yummy, tempting European goods to buy that I feel like I need to have some sort of a plan, so my head and suitcase don’t explode.  I’ve learned that it helps to go into intensely exciting shopping situations with a list, even if it’s just a rough one, so that I can focus.  I still might feel all over the place, but I have a piece of paper I can reference to help me take a deep breath and reign in the exhilaration. These are the things that are on my list… copper & kitchen gear I do have a lot of beautiful copper and great kitchen gear and some of it is even from France (and that big copper bunt pan