Elba, A Gem of an Island

With Jim finding a lull in his work, we decided to take a last-minute trip to the Dolomites, but an offer from a friend to house- and dog-sit and a crummy mountain forecast made us re-evaluate our plans. We pulled out the list of "100,000 Things We Want To Do Before We Leave Italy" and found a suitable destination for early September: a circumnavigation by kayak of Elba Island.

You, like my Mom, probably remember that Elba Island was where Napoleon was exiled when he first got into trouble, pre-Waterloo. This was a pretty nice exile and Napoleon kept busy in 1814 by instituting social and economic reforms for the residents of Elba. The lives of the islanders today seems pretty good if you like a tourist-based economy. Over 2-million tourists visit the island each year. Most of that happens in August and most of them are German. Arrive anytime outside of August and you find a laid back island with a nice mix of Italian dolce vita, German order, and a plethora of outdoor activities, including boating, mountain biking, cycling, sailing, kayaking, and diving.

Here's a slide show that Jim put together of our 3 day, 60 mile circumnavigation...