Archive for the 'General' Category

I have just spent two tiring days in Florence and am not really ready to leave to go to Pisa tomorrow.  Yesterday I began with a wander around the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore.  I had been here before but this time decided to take my time with the audio tour so I actually knew what I was looking at!  Not the nicest of the churches I have visited, but interesting none the less.  I decided to climb to the top of the bell tower beside the Cathedral and continued my unintentional but pleasant habit of being near or at the top of a bell tower at midday and getting to hear the bell toll from close up!  This particular bell tower does not have that lovely invention, a lift, so I got my workout from climbing the 414 steps.  The view, and even more so, the breeze, made the effort worth while.

I walked down towards the Arno, passing the Uffizi gallery and taking a wander along the Ponte Vecchio to admire all the jewellry stores.  Frankly all a bit bling for my taste… although perhaps if I could afford something…  I had yet another icecream (so far I have tried melon, strawberry, pannacotta and chocolate chip… lots to go yet!!) and then made my way to what is probably my favourite church of all the ones I have seen in Europe, Santa Croce.  I love it because of its design, its history and its features.  Again I did the audio tour and learned ever so much.  I can’t always be bothered with the audio tour, but occasionally it is worth it.  This church was built by the Franciscans and has a lovely simplicity about it: terracotta tiles on the floors and a simple gothic structure.  The frescos were planned to teach the illiterate people of the community the Bible stories, and Florentines chose to be buried under the floor so their tombs could be trampled on, a symbol of humility.  Several notable Italians are buried here, including Machiavelli, Galileo and Michelangelo, and there is a memorial to Dante, who is not buried here. There is a lovely relief by Donatello called the Annunciation.  Its all a bit overwhelming really!

Today I decided to tackle the Uffizi Gallery, and the rumours of three hour waits are no exaggeration, I can assure you.  I was thankful for my novel and a few text messages from my dad (thanks for the brief respite Dad!).  However the wait is well worth it. I was able to see ‘The Birth of Venus’ by Botticelli, ‘Annunciation’ by Da Vinci and paintings by Raphael and Caravaggio.  I think that means I have done the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, with a few hangers on!  Its all a bit overwhelming really, seeing these paintings ‘in the flesh’ that you are sure are only in books. I had forgotten to mention in my earlier posting that in Venice I went to see the Peggy Guggenheim collection, so got to see works by Jackson Pollock, Francis Bacon and Picasso, although I think I needed someone to explain their significance to me to better appreciate what I was looking at.

So I have run out of time. I would liked to have explored a little beyond the city centre, but nevermind. Perhaps another time. So tomorrow, its off to see that dreadful architectual bungle, the leaning tower of Pisa!    

Venice had a festival last night. This is one of the cool things about travelling in the summer: you are far more likely to stumble across such things, especially on the weekends.  This festival was held on the harbour near St Mark’s Square.  The idea (I think) was that a temporary bridge was built between two of the islands, and anyone who had a boat (or other floating device – I saw everything from ridiculously large expensive yachts to transport barges fancied up with strings of paper lanterns and flowers to kayaks) loaded it up with friends and party supplies and headed for the harbour.  It was one big water-based party!  The rest of us had to admire from the shore, where there was not a great vantage point really!  At 11.30pm the fireoworks began, and lasted for no less than 45 minutes.  A very impressive display that included the tolling of the bell in the bell tower at midnight.  While I think not much can top my experience of New Year’s Eve on the Sydney Harbour in 2000, this came a solid second!

This morning all of Venice had something of a hangover, and I pity the fool who had to clean up the mess; I personally saw at least three glass bottles smash on the pavement… 

So today I am in Florence and feeling a little sleepy.  Time for a rest day anyway!  Off to see the sights  tomorrow! 

I am in Venice, and I have to say, I am in love! Shabby and worn this city may be, but it is fabulous. Now if all those other tourists would just disappear and leave me to it! I am staying here for three nights; not long enough, but Florence awaits. I am staying in a lovely B&B called San Giacomo and my hostess, Itala, is lovely. The place has three bedrooms and the guests share breakfast at the same table.

I haven’t been able to “do” everything, but have loved what I have done (have to save something for next time… yes, there will be a next time). I have wandered the laneways, not quite getting lost (I am amazed how easy it is to remember land marks and routes). I have travelled almost the whole length of the grand canal by vaporetto. I have taken the lift to the top of the bell tower and stood amazed at St Mark’s Basilica. I have visited the islands of Murano and Burano (Burano was my favourite; I loved the candy-coloured houses and the bell tower on a decided lean). I have eaten in tiny trattorias and stood enjoying the sensory overload at the fish market. I have had a random conversation with an old man on a vaporetta about the architectural history of the houses along the grand canal, and talked at length with an American nurse stationed at a US Army hospital in Germany whose job it is to treat the wounded from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Tonight there is a festival on the harbour and fireworks. The water is already filling with yachts of all sizes and it promises to be quite a party. Not sure if I can handle the crowds. We will see how the mood takes me! In the meantime I am off to Florence tomorrow. Wonder if George Emmerson will make an appearance this time? He didn’t get the memo that I was in town in 2005…

Ah, sweet Verona.  What a lovely little town!  So yes, Verona is a real place.  Shakespeare didn’t make it up.  Didn’t really have an original bone in his body, the Bard.  Liked to take tiny threads of truth and weave marvellous tales about them, never letting that truth get in the way of a great story!

You can visit the house that the real Juliet lived in, stand on “that” balcony, wander through the house (beautiful it is too, well worth a visit for its architectural and historical interest alone), and grope the right breast of a statue of Juliet, which is supposed to bring your lover running.  I resisted the temptation, mainly because it involved standing in line with about 100 other tourists.  My future lover will have to find me another way!!  I also visited the tomb of the real Juliet, which frankly was a little cold and damp and miserable.  Don’t suppose tombs are supposed to be cheerful, cosy places though!

There are a number of sites of Roman interest also, including an arena smaller than the Colosseum but still impressive.  They were holding operas there in the evenings which would have been fun had I thought to get myself organised!  Ah well, off to Venice tomorrow.

So on Monday I transfered back to the train station at Avignon TGV to await my train to Nice and then Milan.  I had 15 minutes between these trains, so you can imagine my concern when I discovered the train was 15 minutes late!  I asked about it at the ticket counter, and the woman made a call and told me that I should show my ticket to a conductor who would try to hold the Milan train for the minute or so it should take me to board.  What I didn’t count on was the fact that there were forest fires near Marseilles that caused the train to be further delayed by two and a half hours! Needless to say the Milan train left without me and probably a dozen other tired and disgruntled passengers.  It was the last train of the night so I had no choice but to find somewhere to say, not an easy task at 9pm in the summer on the French Riviera!  I found the last bed in a youth hostel in a shared room with David from Seattle – a pleasant squeaky clean American lad with an obsession with killing mosquitos.  Didn’t sleep much because I was anxious about getting the train at 7am the next morning, but I was safe and comfortable.  So I got the train to Ventimiglia at 7am, then a train to Milan at 9am.  Thankfully I had accidently booked at extra day’s travel on my rail pass, so it only cost me an extra 5 euro reservation fee.

Betcha Brad and Angelina never have this trouble…  They and the twins send their love, by the way!

I finally got some washing done today and spent the afternoon wandering around the duomo in Milan – spectacular.  Am off to Verona tomorrow to hob nob with the Capulets and Montagues!