I get off the train and head up to the main terminal where Kendyl is waving and calling my name - thank god I got the right train! I follow her to where Claire is waiting with the bags. Its dinner time and Im starving so I grab a quick slice of pizza to eat on the way. Well, I grabbed what was called a slice - but their slices are about the size of one of our pizzas, so my quick bite to eat became a quick sit down dinner. After my feast we locate the taxi rank and line up for our ride to our b&b.
The ride through Florence is beautiful! Stunning old architecture, shops like Gucci, Prada and there is a Guess store for kids! Because the children must be up to date with their designers of course. We pull up at a beautiful old building. Big old trees sway lightly in the breeze as we make our way over the courtyard made up of stones. We buzz the b&b and the large front door opens to reveal . . . more stairs! Fantastic. I pick up my bag and struggle to the top, but surprise surprise - this isn't the top. There are three more sets before the top, and once again I am drenched in sweat. Got to love making these stunning first impressions everywhere that I go.
We are greeted by a very helpful little Asian man. He shows us to our lovely room and points out the great view from our window. He then takes us through everything we could possibly need to know in fine detail - even how to open the door using the key, and how to click the light switch on - who would have thought that was how its done? He then goes into detail on how to use the cappuccino machine (only 1 of us actually drinks coffee) and after the lengthy, but very helpful intro we finally escape back to our room and let out a sigh as our heads finally hit the pillow.
The next day Kendyl and I get up, put on our gym gear and set out to find a local park to do some exercise. We find a hill that we think the park is at the top of and begin running. The hill is deceptively steeper and longer than first anticipated, so to avoid dual heart attacks we slow down to walking pace. We duck out of the way of trucks, cars and bikes and finally reach the top. No park. So we continue running and walking down the other side as it must be there! Still no park, so we head back the way we came to a small area of grass and a few park benches to do some resistance training. Its amazing the things you can make do with when you need to be resourceful! We do step ups and a small cross fit style session ending in sprints - where we find a young couple under a blanket sleeping under a nearby tree. Good way to save a few dollars lol. After a good stretching session we head back to the b&b to get ready for the day.
We eat, shower and get ready, then realize we all have different agendas for the day. We agree on a meeting point at 6:30 pm and head out on our separate adventures. I download a tour app of Florence and, armed with my map, head out to explore the city. Strangely for me I find my way around very easily. I explore the Bargello, an interesting old building which dates back to 1255 and has been used as a fortress, a palace, a prison and is now a museum. I make an attempt to interpret the information panel below each of the old sculptures and artefacts. After the Bargello I find my way to the beautiful old Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, a huge, beautiful old church in the heart of Florence. I join the line, and purchase a sarong from a passing merchant. As I enter, a free English speaking tour has just began, so I tag along and learn the meaning behind the paintings and the history of the church. Every area of the amazing architectural design has meaning, and the placement of the paintings inside the church all have a certain purpose and representation. The inside of the huge 40mtre diameter dome is painted with a fresco depicting the rise of Christ. The tour guide goes into detail and explains the meaning of the pictures. Its beautiful. The dome sits 90 metres above the ground and there are a few visible holes in various points of the dome. We are informed that the structures that the artists who worked on this would use were just planks from one side of the dome to the other. They would dangerously balance on these unstable structures to complete the work. Needless to say, many would fall to their death. Nice positive piece of info
After the church I wander through the local market. As I pass each stall I am harassed by each merchant selling Prada, and Louis Vuitton (yeh right), the man selling belts, jewelery, food and local trinkets. I practice my bartering skills amongst the jewelry salesmen. One guy tries to sell me a painting for 25 euro, by the end of our conversation I have him down to 10 euro and he wants to take me to dinner! I tell him Il be back soon and make my escape. After a long day of wandering I decide to head home and relax before meeting the girls. I find my way back very easily - again, much to my amazement. Begin the excruciating journey up the steep stairwell, unlock the door and flop down on my bed. It is like heaven lying down. About five minutes later the girls arrive, great minds think alike!
We spend half an hour relaxing, and then Kendyl and I decide to try out the cappuccino machine that our host is so incredibly proud of. We froth the milk, find what we can only assume is sugar (or salt) and sit down to enjoy our drinks. Ten minutes later, bubbling with our new found energy we all but bounce back to our room to get ready. After quick showers, hair and make-up we head down the street to the terrace, which is a popular spot for the locals to enjoy Appiritivo. We go to the bar and purchase our Mojitos. Only 7 euros each and we get a plate that we can fill with food as many times as we like! God I love Italy. We pile our plates with pastas, salad and bread and find a nice little area to sit down, on an old stone wall overlooking the river. We are surrounded by big old trees billowing in the wind, gorgeous old buildings line the street across the river and as we enjoy our food we watch the sun slowly setting. In the warm breeze surrounded by the locals and listening to funky lounge music it is the perfect way to end the day.
The next morning we wake early and get ready for another day of site seeing. We have a booking to see Accademia di Belle Arti Firenze, which houses beautiful works from Michealangelo and the famous statue of David. We head downstairs and walk across the bridge to find the local bike hire place. 5 euro each for the 5 hours - perfect. We get cute purple bikes with baskets on the front, and after a few wobbly attempts to mount the bike, I get the hang of it and we are off! We bike through the city, dodging wandering tourists and doing our best to keep to the right side of the road. It is so much fun and nice to give our feet a rest from all the walking - however our butt bones are not impressed! Cobblestone streets and hard bike seats are not the most comfortable combination.
We park our bikes and lock them up alongside hundreds of other bikes and line up to explore the gallery. It is amazing. The artworks throughout the ages are gorgeous. I enter one room and am struck by the beauty of the particular style from this era. Portraits painted in various shades of dreary dark colours line the walls. Musicians captured in dark old rooms, dressed in Medi-evil style clothing, standing with their instruments. They stare out at me from the paintings with a look of pain, sadness and boredom in their eyes. Their expressions are solomn, with the occasional hint of a slight smile. Was the time really that unbearable? I attempt a photo but am immediatley stopped by 'security'. I then find an area out of her site and capture the picture. I am that committed to sharing all the experiences with you all through my blog haha.
We continue to wander through the rooms filled with beautiful sculptures, paintings and old artifacts. The next room opens up to reveal at the end of the hall - the statue of David. He is glorious. The precise lines of his hands and body are incredible. It is like looking at a real person, of giant proportions, covered in grey paint. The statue is much larger than I had imagined and to think it was created out of a formless block is amazing. Michelangelo is a true master in his art. Again, no pictures are allowed, but being the rebel that I am, I sneak one so I can share here with you all on my blog. You are welcome.
After the gallery we bike to a nice little restaurant and indulge in some more pasta for lunch. We then head back to the Church I was at yesterday to walk to the top of the dome. We wait in line for half an hour. We pass the time by enjoying a delicious Gelati. We finally get to the front, pay our 8 euro and start the ascent up the 463 steps to the top of the dome. The passage ways are made of stone and concrete and get increasingly narrow as we reach the top. We pop out at the base f the dome and walk around up close and personal with the paintings. I look down and shudder - we are very high up and the ground is made of marble - just keep going, you have come this far! We go back through a small door and continue the climb. The passage ways are now very tight and almost claustrophobic. The stairs also become a lot steeper and we are almost climbing. Finally the last set of stairs with daylight pouring through the top loom before us. We are so close, but have to squish ourselves against the walls to make way for people who are coming back down. Definately a great activity for the claustrophobic.We make the final climb and arrive out in the fresh, windy air on top of the cathedral. We have 360 degree views of Florence. It was worth the climb! We take in the view, pose for a few pics and then decide to make our way back down. The day is getting on and I have to catch a train soon!
We finally reach the bottom and realize we need to get the bikes back to the hire place in five minutes! We walk around the outside of the huge church trying to find our bikes. We finally locate them, unlock them and zoom through the city to return them. We arrive a few minutes late but she doesn't mind. We head back through the city in the direction of the b&b. When we get to the other side of the bridge we say our goodbyes and depart ways. Thank goodness we meet up again in 2 weeks for a weekend in Ibiza otherwise this would be a very sad moment. I hurry to to pick up my luggage and jump in a nearby cab to get to the train station. I locate my train and wait for the platform number to come up on the screen. With 5 minutes to spare it finally comes up, so I race to my train, find my cabin and seat. That was relatively painless and now that I am on the train I sit back to read my book on Greek Mythology and Look forward to my adventures in Milan!
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