We Are in Venice

Trip to Italy - Journal Entry #13 - September 24, 2009 - 6:50 pm

Well, the water taxi was quite a trip. What a way to make an entrance. But it's a good thing the scenery was so spectacular or the actual oat ride would have had few redeeming qualities. First, it was very crowded - SRO - and when you add to that all the luggage we were dragging behind us -- this was yet another traveling challenge. Second, I was lucky to get a seat and even luckier still when the woman sitting at the window left a few stops into the trip. I was able to move into her window seat and took some GREAT photos along the Grand Canal. Third, it's easy to take too many pictures. Every inch of the trip presents a photo op. Fourth, we got off at the wrong stop. We missed getting off where we should have. We realized our mistake immediately and got off at the next stop, but we had a bit of a hike (with our luggage) to the hotel.

Finally, we made it to the Hotel Wildner. The Hotel is in a great location -- just about 200 yards down from St. Mark's Square. Unfortunately, our rooms were not ready. Also, on the inside, this hotel is the least impressive of the three we've stayed in. On the positive side, the bathroom is surprisingly nice. Our rooms are on the third floor (me and Chris) and fourth floor (Dad) -- and there is NO lift. Let's just say, we got our exercise at the Hotel Wildner.

Because our rooms were not ready, and it was late, it made sense to take a lunch break. Conveniently, the Hotel has a restaurant out front. As Hotel guests, we get a 10% discount! We had a nice simple lunch. Dad and I had salad and Chris had pizza. Do you see a theme here? And when we were done with lunch, our rooms were ready.

Dante's House

Trip to Italy - Journal Entry #12f - September 24, 2009 - 8:42 am

One unusual spot we chanced upon today was Dante's house! We chanced upon it as we were walking back to our hotel after dinner. There is a bust of Dante on a ledge on one side of the outside walls. Otherwise, it is a totally forgetable building! But Dad got a kick out it because he had seen it with his mother and sister when they visited Italy about 60 years ago!

We will soon be in Venice, where we will take a water taxi to our hotel. That should be fun!

The Baptistry - Shimmering in Gold

Trip to Italy - Journal Entry #12e - September 24, 2009 - 8:42 am

Chris and I saw one more site in Florence today. We returned to the central Duomo and went into the next door Baptistry (which has very limited hours and was closed in the morning). The Baptistry is almost empty inside. Once again, the attraction here is the art work on the inside of the dome. But what distinguishes this ceiling is that it is constructed of mosaic, gold leaf tiles. It shimmers! The panels tell several Christian stories including the story of creation, thestory of Mary and Jesus, and the entry

into heaven or hell. These were some of the most beautiful panels we've seen. Interestingly, the individual artists who created these mosaic scenes are unknown.

There is a major attraction on the outside of the Baptistry as well. It is the celebrated doors created by Lorenzo Ghiberti in the 1420's. The doors, called the "Gate of Paradise," were commissioned to mark Florence's

deliverance from the plague. They are quite remarkable. And of course, they are gold. [Actually, the doors we saw are copies. The originals are in the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo.]

Time to Shop!

Trip to Italy - Journal Entry #12d - September 24, 2009 - 8:42 am

I made a few purchases today. I will not describe them all here, because many of them will be Christmas presents. But, this being Florence, I had to buy something (or several things) leather. And I did . I purchase two beautiful pairs of gloves (cashmere lined) and a really spectacular tooled leather handbag. The gloves are beautifully soft, and the bag is two-toned, black on the bottom and brown on the top.

From the Central Market to the Pitti Palace

Trip to Italy - Journal Entry #12c - September 24, 2009 - 8:42 am

Dad next wanted us to see the Central Market, which is only a few blocks north of the Duomo. The building that comprises the Central Market houses butcher shops, cheese shops, vegetable stands, spice shops, florist shops, and much, much more (like the dried fruit stand pictured here). Outside, on the east side of the building, there is a farmers' market where the produce looks almost too good to eat. Around the other sides of the building are street vendors selling leather goods, T-shirts, scarves, and trinkets. We bought a few things, but the street vendors are all very similar one to the other. So while it looks like a lot, there's really not that much to choose from.

After the Central Market, we went to the Chiesa San Lorenzo -- our appointed location to meet up with Dad's friends, Mario and Dottie Camparetto. They are on a 3-week cruise, and their ship had docked about 70 miles southwest of Florence, and they had hired a car and tour guide to drive them to Florence. It was nice to get a break from walking so much, and we all piled

into their van and took a drive across the river to the Piazza di Michaelangelo. This is a well known park and look-out spot. The view of the city from here is spectacular and so, of course, we took a lot of photos. The view looks up the Arno, with the city on the right (north) and the Ponte Vecchio straight ahead (to the west).

After this stop, we separated from Dad and his friends. He had lunch with them while we got dropped off a few blocks from the Pitti Palace.

The Palace was a bit of a disappointment. The ticketing was confusing. I did not realize that the tickets I purchased got into the Palace and the living quarters of the Medici family, but did not allow us to get into the Boboli Gardens. I had really wanted to see the Gardens. Oh well, that just gives us a reason to make another trip to Florence some day!

Inside the Palace, we toured the royal apartments where a series of monied families lived. One of the most significant of those was the Medici's. The apartments where they lived are no longer furnished, but the wall coverings and ceiling frescoes are still intact. Additionally, the rooms are now used to house a massive art collection. We saw many works by Lippi and Raphael and many other Renaissance masters. We were only in one part of the Palace, which is absolutely huge. It's hard to imagine a family living here. It was all so formal. Each bedroom area had a series of attending rooms where visitors (of different social rank) waited for an audience with the family members. There was even a throne room!

We left the Palace and headed north, back towards the city. To get there, we had to cross

the river and we did so by walking over the Ponte

Vecchio. The bridge was packed full of people! The bridge is home to scores of jewelry stores. They fully line each side. There is much gold and silver to be found here. We only looked. We did not buy.

The 463 Step Challenge

Trip to Italy - Journal Entry #12b - September 24, 2009 - 8:42 am

Yesterday in Florence was adifferently paced day. We got up early enough to get to the Duomo (the central church) by 9:00 a.m. Chris and I planned to walk to the top of the dome -- 463 steps! [Dad waited for us in the Piazza below.] We

entered by a special door - just for those making the climb - and started up. The staircase was irregular and circuitous. At times we were walking in squared off sections; at other times we were in a spiral staircase; and at other times we were in short straight flights of stairs. Sometimes the steps were really shallow and steep. Most of the time, there were railings on the walls to help provide leverage and support. Thank you!

Amazingly enough, we made the climb relatively. There was a stopping point about two-third's of the way up where we found ourselves inside the domed ceiling above the altar! What a view. We were on a platform that extended about one-third the distance of the interior dome. We got

a great view of the four, large circular stained glass windows in the dome and the painting of the Last Judgment on the ceiling. It was wonderful. We got some great pictures.

And then we climbed the last leg to the very top. The stairs got steeper and narrower. Finally, we emerged at the outside platform at the very top of the dome. It was a hazy day but the views were still fabulous. We spent about 10 minutes walking the entire circumference and snapping photos. And then we headed down. On the trip down, our stopping point was a catwalk that was even higher up in the interior dome -- more photo op's! We didn't linger too long and kept climbing down. Remarkably,

the walk down felt longer than the walk up!

Chris and I also went into the first floor of the Church and looked up at the dome from below. This Church is relatively empty compared to some. There is a beautiful mosaic tiled floor and a few tombs, but there are no chapels like we have found in so many other churches.

Veteran Train Travelers We Are Not

Trip to Italy - Journal Entry #12a - September 24, 2009 - 8:42 am

We have boarded our second train -- this one heading for Venice. What a project! We arrived early thinking that would allow us plenty of time to comfortably board and stow our bags. That thinking just shows how naive we are. We may are arrived early, but the train

had not. The train was coming from Rome and it did not arrive in the station until 10 minutes before our scheduled departure time. All passengers wait at a lighted tote board to see what platform will be posted. And as soon as a platform # appears on the board, hundreds of people start swarming towards the platform and jockeying for position in the general area where they think their coach will end up. [We were in coach #6.]

Getting on the trains is a pain in the neck -- given the luggage situation. The steps are tall and our bags were heavy. Chris was very helpful this time. We knew more what to expect this time. He got on first and found the luggage racks. Then he took our bags and stowed them for us. Then we proceeded to take our seats -- which took a while because everyone else was struggling with their own bags. It's really rather chaotic. Finally, we fell into our seats. This is another packed train, just like the one from Rome to Florence.

The trains are very comfortable. The seats are roomy -- much more so than on a plane, and there are fold-out tables between opposing facing seats. There are bathrooms in each coach and there is a car with refreshments in the center of the train. There are also overhead storage compartments -- like on a plane -- but these are open to the aisles. All in all, this is a really excellent way to travel several hundred miles very quickly and comfortably.