Days 9 - Florence Markets and Paintings

I love Florence.  I love Florence so much more than I expected.  I love Florence so much, that this is the other city that I really want to go back to.

Day 9 - We leave Bologna (no tears here), and arrive in Florence.  We sat with a nice, older Italian couple who couldn't speak much English, but they were amused by our chattering.  At least we didn't annoy them.

Anyway, we disembark in Firenze, and take a very short cab ride (really, we could've walked, but didn't realize it) to our hotel.  This was probably my favorite hotel - and I wish I had the name near me. We rang the bell, and the owner came down, and carried my heavy suitcases up a very large staircase to his small hotel on the second floor.  This establishment had perhaps 5-7 rooms and was run by a man and his parents.  Very quaint, very little air-conditioning, and a fantastic location.  One thing I learned about Florence - literally, everything is within walking distance.   Even for two very tired American girls.

After we leave our luggage, we go out to find food.  Oh, we found food.  We found food in the market straight from heaven.  We first stumbled upon the leather market - blocks of wonderful-smelling purses, jackets, belts, journals, vests, etc. in every color imaginable.  Truly, this is the leather of Italy.  I was amazed (but not so much that I didn't partake in haggling).  2 purses and 2 wallets later, we then found the food market attached to the leather stall.  Oh, the wonders of this Aladdin's cave of food!  Balsamic vinegars, mushrooms, olive oils, pastas, fresh meats (some with the heads still on), cheeses, breads.  This was the market I was hoping for in Bologna.   And I was hungry. We found a stall with a man making fresh sandwiches to order.  I had a prosciutto and cheese sandwich on ciabatta bread, with artichokes, onions, tomatoes, and lettuce.  It was huge and it was heaven.  He sliced the meat and cheese, and there was nothing "unfresh" about this one.

We bid a sad farewell after getting our sandwiches - we had some art to see.   Museums in Italy take reservations, and we reserved for the Accademia and the Uffizi.  Day 9 was the Uffizi.

I love art - especially Renaissance Art (and Flemish, but I wasn't expecting to see many Flemish paintings here).  I was amazed at the Caravaggios and the Botacellis, to name a few - to see "The Birth of Venus," "Primavera," "Portrait of Lucrezia," portraits of Medicis, AH!  Such beautiful masterpieces that give us a great insight to Italian history and culture.  My favorite was the room with "Primavera" and "The Birth of Venus."  Botacelli has such passion in his color and topics, and we sat, staring at the beauty these paintings possess.

Saddened to leave, but deeming it necessary, we left with a greater knowledge and appreciation for Italian art.  This, so far, was the best art museum we had been to (only to be challenged by the Borghese Gallery in Rome).   We bought some prints, and now my classroom has several on display, and I will use them when teaching Shakespeare/the Renaissance.

On our way back to the hotel, we stopped to stare at the splendor of the Duomo.  I had seen churches all over England, Paris, and now Italy, but was surprised at the beauty of this one.  Michealangelo's dome looms over the city, and the colors of the mosaics create peaceful lines and eye-popping wonder.  In the evenings, shadows cast upon the buildings create almost a mythical and mysterious feel.  The buildings, shut tight, held secrets - I was sure.  Secrets of Catholicism, secrets of the artists and masons who spent their blood creating this gift to God and royalty.   We ended up not going in - visitors were not allowed that day, and my one regret about this trip was that I never got to go inside.  Perhaps next time.


Next entry: Day 10 - Florence - Bike Rides and a Naked Man

Day 8: Bologna

Wow.  Sorry for never finishing my entries on Europe!  I'm about to embark upon another foreign adventure, but I figured I'd go back and continue writing about the last one before I begin the new one.

Day 8 - Bologna
I was really excited about this branch of our trip.  Cuisine from Bologna is world-renowned, and after watching "Around the World in 80 Plates," I was really hoping to try some really good pasta.

So we left Verona early in the morning for another train ride.  This one was rather brief, and we arrived in Bologna in enough time to go to a market and eat lunch before resting.

We arrived at our hotel, dropped off our belongings, and hit up a local market.  Jamie and I LOVE markets, and I was really hoping for some good eating.  Alas, this very large market was more like a flea market, and it was quite disappointing - full of garage sale clothes, cheap bags, and perfume.  We searched carefully, hoping to find that something special.  It wasn't meant to be.

Leaving the market, we walked to the center of town - and what a pleasant sight!  We found a large square, surrounded by restaurants.  The neatest thing is that in the middle of the square was a large movie screen and hundreds of fold-out seats.  We stumbled upon a film festival, and the night before was a Hitchcock film.  We stumbled upon a small cafe near there, where I ate a yummy cheese ravioli with leeks.  Superb.

After an enjoyable meal (complete with white wine, of course), we decided to take a long-needed rest.  We had been doing a great deal of walking, traveling, stair-climbing, etc. and we needed a nap.  We got lost on our way back to our hotel, but found a grocery store.  Intrigued, we entered this wonderland of Italian food.  This grocery was nothing like your typical American monstrosity.  This one, typical of Italian groceries, was tucked in a street and was about 1/4 the size of a Kroger.  That said, we were amazed by the little, unexpected delights: mozzarella balls for 1 euro, 6 huge figs for 2 euro.  Wine in little boxes (think Hi-C or Caprisun).  An amazing array of local wines decently priced.

Loaded down with goodies, we stumbled back, exhausted, to our hotel.  Finally allowed in our room, we fell upon our beds - and then I went "ouch" - not a soft place to land.  :-)  But the bathroom worked fine, and the room was rather large for European standards.  We flipped on the television and attempted to watch an Italian soap opera - and had great fun making up the lines because we couldn't figure out what they were saying!

4 hours of sleep and rest, and it was time to go back to the square - we had a food market to find.  Remember, my expectations were pretty high - this was Bologna, after all.  We found the market after passing high-end designer stores, but were disappointed in the smallness of this market.

Overall, Bologna is pretty to look at.  It does have a large tower, Europe's oldest university.  But I must say that it was my least favorite city.  Perhaps that's one city in which we need a tour guide.

Days 9-11, Florence, proved to be MUCH better than expected.

Cheers!

The Wandering Texan

Day 7 - Verona

** Sorry that I didn't continue to post as I went, but internet was sometimes difficult to get and by the end of most nights, I was exhausted!  I'm home now, but will continue to share my trip (in a series of blog posts).  One perk is that the iPad wouldn't let me separate my paragraphs, and here I can.

Today was a full day in Verona - and it has to be one of the prettiest cities/towns in Italy.  Yes, there were tourists, but it was the least touristy place we went (except for Juliet's balcony).  I'll explain more in my recap post.

Our bed-and-breakfast was reasonably comfortable, and I'd stay there again.  The only issue we had (besides poor wifi availability) was the door - it was a door with a really old, old-fashioned lock and key and we struggled to lock it and unlock it.  Sometimes we'd get "home" and just leave it unlocked because it was such a hassle!  Our first morning's breakfast was presided over by the owner's "Zia" - a very adorable old aunt who couldn't speak a lick of English.  I was willing to try Italian, so we chatted - with lots of arm gesture and pointing at maps.  She told me of the best places to see, which was nice to hear from a local.

After we left, we hopped on a Hop-on/Hop-Off bus tour, which was thoroughly enjoyable.  Verona has an amazing mountainous skyline, and this bus tour took us into the mountains for a memorable site at the Sanctuary.  We stopped off there for a while for lunch (with local Verona wine, some of which I brought back with me) and photographs.  The view allowed us to see the medieval city walls, which are very well-preserved.  Back on the bus, we stopped at the Teatro, where we got to climb the usable ruins (the stage was set up for a show that night) and then the Arena, which is known for their amazing operas.  The arena is the best-preserved Roman amphitheater and is still in use today.  That night's performance was "Carmen," which we didn't see because of time and money, but they had the set pieces for the other operas outside.  We saw Juliet's balcony, Aida's Egypt, etc., which was quite nice to see.

We continued all around the city, culminating in a trip to Castlevecchhio, a beautiful castle, and  massive sunburn, but it was totally worth it.   Dinner was in the Plaza d'Erbe, where I tried spaghetti carbonara - and it was one of the best things I ate on the trip - I have to learn how to make it!

In retrospect, Verona is one of the two cities that I wouldn't mind coming back to.  It's peaceful, historical, and manage-able (whereas Rome can be very overwhelming).  I could even see myself owning a small house in the area.

Next post: Bologna.

Ciao!

Days 5 and 6 - Venice and Verona

Day 5 was our last full day in Venice, and I think we accidentally saved the best for last. After waking up early, we wandered to a nearby cafe for a cappuccino and brioche (we call the croissants) and wandered aimlessly to St. Mark's square again for a tour of the Basillica and it's treasures. I tempted fate and wore capri jeans, which was a good bet because the weather calmed down a bit (or maybe I was just getting used to it). At first glance, the ceilings are filled with paintings; further examination discovers them to not be paintings at all, but intricate mosaics, some even filled with gold leaf. The effect is awe-inspiring. It's the largest church in Venice and is attached to the Doge's Palace since the government and state became basically one (more on that later). One interesting thing about Venice, which I mentioned earlier, is that their is a lot of uneven-ness in the flooring/sreets due to the stilts. The floors of St. Mark's follow that concept and can be tricky to manuever at times - don't wear high heels! After St Mark's, Jamie and I had time to get some more photos and just wander around (with the omnipresent gelato in our hands). After a short trip to the Royal Gardens, we took a tour of the Doge's palace. I've been to Versailles and Hampton Court Palace, but this palace outshines them all in human innovation. The largest room, where the Doge held court with his Council of Ten, is the widest palatial room in the world at the time without supporting beams. The grandeur of the building is astonishing, considering when it was built. We learned a great deat about Venetian history and realized why Venetians were so proud - theirs is a country without a riot (ever), their Doge never had complete power (he ruled with a council), the Doges were elected late in life to prohibit take-overs (and were viciously killed when attempted to do so) and remained independent from their split with Constantinople all the way up to Napoleon's conquest. They ruled the sea and showered the city with symbols of lions, St. Mark, Jupiter, Mars, and Neptune to remind them of that. Last bit of random info: Venetian Renaissance painters mostly painted blonde women because they focused on painting light. Really, I am so filled with information and I cannot wait to come home and make powerpoints/presentations for my students. After a much-needed nap, we finally ventured out to see what the city looked like a night. Grabbing some fresh fruit (abundant here!), we discovered a little wine bar on on the other side of the Rialto Bridge - people ordered wine and wandered away with it in the piazza and drank it at the leisure. Very Italian. We then found a farmer's market that was closing, and vowed to return. This morning, Day 6, started at the Farmer's Market. We saw such an abundant array of fresh fruits, veggies, and fish! Octopus, squid, huge scampi, cuttlefish, and a variety of fish both familiar and strange. And the meat! Jamie didn't enjoy looking at it, but it was so fresh that heads and tails and feet were still on some of them (like the rabbit and goose). Next time I come to Italy, I'm renting and apartment so I can shop at the market and cook. We then took a short train ride to Verona. Honestly, all I knew of Verona was what Shakespeare wrote and that it has the best preserved Roman ruins north of Rome. I didn't realize the beauty of the scenery - bustling piazzas surrounded by towers and churches, with the Italian mountains in the background filled with palazzos and city walls. We went to Juliet's House, which is a big tourist attraction. We weren't expecting much, just a cheesy balcony that is touristy and fiction. But we didn't realize that it is also a museum inside of a 15th century house. It held pieces of 15th and 16th century furniture and move memorbilia (costumes and the bed from Zepherelli's version), but the layout of the house was the intriging part. Small rooms built more upward than out, small fireplaces in most rooms, wooden stairs and windows overlooking the vista. The outside, however, is a sharp contrast. Lovers for years have scribbled their names all over the walls and bricks, locks meant to secure lovers' fates adorn a chain-length fence and tree, and a statue of Juliette sits proudly in the courtyard holding court. Unfortunately, she gets molested every 10 seconds because apparently rubbing her breast for luck is tradition (hence her breasts are the shiniest parts of her statue)) and tourists from all over the world grab her boob and smile for the camera. In fact, we passed by a souvenir shop selling magnets in the shape of her right breat. Odd. For lunch, I finally got risotto - and it was very enjoyable. I haven't decided whether or not to embrace my inner Anthony Bordain and try horsemeat stew, but I'm contemplating it - I am trying to immerse myself in the culture. I don't know. But outside our table area was a nice piece of Roman ruins - the modern streets was torn away to reveal the Roman street underneath. Again, awe-inspiring, just like the church visits that followed. My proudest moment (or maybe not) was climbing the Tower. Jamie took the elevator, but I wanted to prove myself and took the stairs. I didn't realize at the time that it was more than 10 flights of stairs. And exhausting. I was a huffing, puffing mess by the time I finished and was epecting to hear the "Rocky" theme music, but alas it didn't enter. Instead, I was rewarded with a breathtaking view of the area, complete with the Roman Arena and the walls of the city. I want to come back and spend more time here. Ciao!

Days Three and Four - Venice

Yesterday morning we arrived in Venice and realized quickly how different Venice is. First of all, air conditioning and hot showers aren't as important, wifi was difficult to obtain, and my hotel didn't like my calling card (or so I think). But after acknowledging the above, we're having a pretty pleasant time. I realized that I packed incorrectly. I shouldn't have packed pants. I've been rewearing the same dress and skirt (after washing them in the sink) because it's so hot. The next time I come to Italy in the summer I'll bring more dresses (which will make my suitcase lighter anyway). So, what about Venice? It's wonderful, despite the differences and little issues. As soon as Jamie and I disembarked the train, we were thrown into this world of beauty, innovation, and architecture. Very different from Milan and Rome, Venice has quite an Byzantium influence, as we recognized from some of the designs on the houses. I personally am enthralled with the random, small window dressings and statues of the Virgin Mary that pop up, reminding us of the Catholic history in this country. Venice is steeped in tradition, and is an interesting mix of old and new. Gondoliers are everywhere, and yes, I did take one. But gondolas are quite interesting - they are perfectly symmetrical, must be steered carefully so as to not tip over, cost 25,000-40,000 euros a piece, only 5 people in Venice make gondolas, and gondoliers must attend 5 years of training. While they are neat to watch, they are merely for entertaining trips and not for practical travel. We've been using their waterbus system, which is just as good as a canal tour -taking the number 1 is the best way to see the canal and thus both sides of Venice. Some things about Venice are perplexing, such as the number of dogs we see versus the amount of grass we don't see (they have a few parks, but not really near the center). Such as how Italians don't understand the loveliness of airconditioning. Such as how there seem to be little connection to what's going on - we haven't seen newspapers or magazines (hardly) and advertisements are pretty scarce. It's a nice difference from America who thrives on media. If we didn't have internet, we'd have no idea what's going on in the world. It's much more relaxed over here. Yesterday we took a guided walking tour, learning about the layouts and basic history. We learned, for example, that the wood underneath the city (the woood that holds the city up) are piece of pine that the saltwater petrified. Some places of the city are uneven and "leaning," but they balance each other. The city streets are extremely complex and difficult to follow, but we were told that even Venetians are confused easily! Last night we decided to partake in some local cuisine, but found the serve wanting. In fact, many others in the restaurant were complaining as much as we were, but I can't tell if it's just poor service or the Italy-Spain Eurocup game was just too much for the waitstaff. Nevertheless, we won't go again, despite the fact that I loved their gnocchi. Today we took a pretty easy day - we went to the nearby islands of Murano and Burano. Murano (which has the only cemetery nearby, and we did see a motorboat hearse) is known for their glass, and is it every impressive. Many furnaces and artisans enjoy tourists watching them, and they display their goods in stores all over. I wanted to take so much of it home, but feared breakage. I settle for a few pieces of jewelry that will last and remind me of the beautiful work I saw. We then stopped for some more local cuisine - where I had cuttlefish in a black ink sauce and polenta. It was very good - and very strange at the same time. I love trying new and local foods. Burano was an extremely pleasant surprise. We didn't plan on going, but a friend recommended it the other day. We disembarked the water bus to an island that was a cross between Charleston, the Bahamas, Mexico, and Venice. Tightly packed houses were brightly colored (almost neon at times) with colorful curtains covering their doors. Older ladies hand made lace (famous in Burano) in little circles and shops. I did buy some lace there, and the artistry is beautiful. I watched a woman make lace, and was just amazed with her patience and skill. It's such a differences from living in country where technology and newness is important. Burano plays to the tourists, but its charm remains in the past. Next time I come to Italy, I will come back to Burano because it really is that moving. Tomorrow we tour again - St. Mark's Basillica and the Doge's palace. We walked so much and spent so much time in the sun that we're turning in early tonight. I can't wait for tomorrow's tours - more history! Ciao!

Day 1 and 2: The journey over and Milan

Well, I am in Italy. Day 1: The flight. Not too bad. We flew United, which is the first time I've flown United since Continental merged with them, and it hadn't really changed. I miss the free wine that I got on Air France last year, but I survived - and was flying on a plane that let me charge my iphone and use normal ear buds which was nice. I hardly slept though, which didn't bode well for Day 2. Day 2: Milan. We arrived early this morning, and realized that we forgot to Googlemap where our hotel was. We figured out how to get to the city center from the airport via train and then hopped on a taxi to our hotel. Our hotel, Hotel Nesco, pleasantly surprised me. It's very clean, had a working elevator, and really was like a normal American hotel - but Italian. It's relatively modern, has working air conditioning, and is only a few miles from the center. I highly recommend it. After we checked in and showered, we set off on our adventure. First thing we quickly realized, however, was the weather. OMG is it hot. It's probably a couple of degrees cooler than Houston, but we were outside. I wore a dress, which was comfortable, and lamented the fact that I brought jeans. I'm going to wear the jeans tomorrow, and I'm pretty sure the sweating will continue. Lunch today was a simple pasta - a shape I've never had before with a lovely tomato-ricotta sauce. Perfecto. We then hopped aboard a Hop-on-Hop-off Bus at the Sforza Castle, which is amazingly huge. We got off a the Duomo; whatever words I use to describe it won't do it justice at all. It was amazingly beautiful and serene. Gelato #1 came then - across the street from the Duomo. I had a combination of chocolate and tirimisu and relished every bite. We then wandered to the Victor Emmanuel plaza, then the teatro, and finally hopped back on the bus to go to Santa Maria Della Grazia, a 15th century church famous for having Da Vinci's "The Last Supper" on a nearby wall. It was almost a fresco, so it couldn't be moved. It was amazing - large and just full of depth. It's hard to believe that Davinci himself painted that picture upon he wall so long ago - and it's still there. Did I mention gelato #2? It was fruitcake and dang yummy! After a bit of a walk, we grabbed a slice of pizza and headed back. I'm so tired right now that I can barely write a compete sentence. Future blog posts will be much better soon! Ciao!

Ciao!

Well, not really.  Almost.    Italy is looming, and the one thing that I'm focusing on?  Clothing to wear!  I don't want to be targeted as a tourist (and therefore become burglar-bait), but comfort is huge - especially since Rome is so freakin' hot right now.

Italians are very much aware of "la bella figura" and treat people better when they look well put together.  Unfortunately, Italians are also thin and most haven't experienced the (dis)pleasure of plus-sized shopping.

The other problem my PIC and I have is that we'll be gone for quite a while - and we're not sure about visiting laundromats while we're there.  So my solution is to pack clothes that I'd wear three times and use febreeze in between wears.  And if something gets particularly funky, I'll wash it in the sink.

So, my packing list includes: 2 pairs of jeans, 2 pairs of jean capris, 1 pairs of black pants, 1 pair of brown pants, 1 skirt, 8 tops, 1 pair of pjs, 10 pairs of underwear (they will be washed),  2 bras, four pairs of shoes (tevas, Clark thongs, Dansko sandals, brown closed toe shoes).  I vacuum seal my clothes so that they fit better (and then I can seal off my dirty clothes for the trip back).

Miscellaneous materials: camera, maps, books, toiletries, iphone, ipad.

I swear I'm bringing more things on this trip than I did last year, but it doesn't seem all that bad.   My carry-on will be very heavy, though, since I'm bringing my camera in a camera bag.  I plan on taking nice photographs on this trip, so it's needed.

Almost there!

-Ciao!