Florence

November 6, 2015

Well today started out early. We got up at 6am to go to catch the train. Our train was at 8:55am. The water taxi would take 40 minutes to get to the station and the taxis come every 12 minutes. I guess it was the bus really. Anyway, we thought we should be early and it was going to take us 15-20 minutes to walk to the bus stop. The streets were quiet when we got outside. The view from the dock was gorgeous. The moon and planets were still in the sky and the sun was rising. We caught the bus, got to the station and had all of our baggage. Not too bad I guess. We didn’t know what platform our train would be on but we knew which train on the departure list was ours. Now to consider breakfast. We were an hour and a half early. There was a cafeteria and after a little people watching we realized you pay the cashier for what you want and then take the receipt and pick up your things, cash only. We got that taken care of and had lattes for breakfast with croissants with peach preserves in them. It was tasty. Mom went to buy a bottle of water. That was when we realized we had foreign money. After, unloading her purse on the counter and dealing with disapproving Italians we got out of the cafeteria. Now we needed to find the bathroom. In France and Italy you have to pay to use the public restrooms. It costs a little over a dollar. It is kind of surprising but we have gotten used to it. You’d think they would be super clean if you have to pay but unfortunately this morning that was not the case. There was paper and that was nice. The platform still wasn’t announced so we did some shopping. About 20 minutes before

departure our train was posted and we wandered over to get our seats. They were very nice and had charging stations. The train had wifi too which was nice. We got on and awaited departure. After it started they checked our ticket. We watched the Italian countryside go by and decided to watch part of a movie. I tried posting pictures but found after a while I couldn’t get them to upload so hopefully later. We arrived in Firenze ( Florence) and made it off. It would be very easy to miss your stop or get on the wrong train, which is exactly what happened to a young main when we were in Bologna Centrale. They spent some time trying to help him he was so distraught. It has been almost miraculous everything has gone like clockwork for us and I feel as if God is watching over us this whole trip. We found the hotel which is conveniently across from the train station. We left our bags and signed up for a sight seeing trip for tomorrow that will go to Pisa, Sienna, and the countryside for some wine tasting and shopping. The countryside has a name like Cima Campagnole but I can’t remember exactly right now. We then left to wander Florence.
We planned lunch first than sight seeing to the Duomo which is suppose to be like a world heritage sight or something. We found the first church and found a restaurant in the courtyard. We had a hard time deciding but finally we chose and Anitpasti plate with salame, prosciutto and bruscetta. The bruscetta had a liver pate and fresh tomatoes on two different pieces of bread. I tried it all, don’t think my mom liked the pate but we ate. We decided to eat Pizza again. We were going to have a bigger lunch. We ordered a bottle of Chianti, bread soup something supposedly from the region and prosciutto and fungi pizza. The pizza wasn’t as good as in Venice but the soup was really good. While we were eating some Ferraris pulled into the plaza. Men were taking their pictures with the cars while the company reps were eating lunch near us. It was for some racing team or something but they were German and Italian and it was good people watching. We then headed to the Duomo which is suppose to be impressive from the outside but not so much on the inside. Again looking for a bathroom we ended up buying the pass to see the whole thing. There are suppose to be terrific views and according to the guidebook you can buy one part of the pass to go to the top, but not so today. We bought it anyway. Found the baptistery then the bathroom. We looked for the stairs to go on top of the dome and began the climb. 463 steps, oh my. We were panting and relieved when we had to wait to let people back down. It lets you up near the interior dome and you can see the frescoes at the top. Then the final climb to the cupoula. We did make and were able to see 360 degrees of Florence. It is really pretty. The hills seem to float just above the city and you can see the nearby countryside. We climbed back down and searched for gelato as our reward.
We headed back to the hotel. I thought we were on our way but ended up getting lost and finding the river where people were rowing. It was picturesque and then I turned on our data roaming and found the hotel. I was desperate for a nap. We ventured out to get another coffee and to exchange money again. Today most places only took cash. We got the cash and the our frilly coffee that the barista was not happy to make for us. We got a cannoli that was divine though. We went to a grocery store to get snacks and wine. Checking out was an adventure but we were able to make our purchases.
Today was not my best traveling day. I forgot to put my luggage key in my money pouch so my suitcase was locked and I forgot my converter in Venice. The hotel sent someone to break into my suitcase and lent me a converter so in the end it wasn’t all bad. I guess I was more tired than I thought. I will have to do better at our last stop. But so far that is the worst to happen and it wasn’t all that bad. The internet is too slow to upload or surf too much. We tried for over an hour to watch a movie but we’re calling it quits for bed. Tuscanny tomorrow!!!