So this is another in a long line of blogs about our trip to Europe last year. It might be worth reading the others before diving into this! We had just arrived in the heart of Florence for our day there.
Our very first stop was a gold store. The owner gave us a brief history, but nothing that stuck with me, and then they let us browse the gold. There was a divide, for sure. Some of us had a quick look and knew we weren't buying. Others looked at less expensive pieces, and some looked at the top shit. The one thing that did catch my eyes was stretchy gold. You want to make a mint bring this to Canada, I only want 15% as a finders fee. It is genuine gold, but it pulls apart and comes back together tightly. Think of a woman's scrunchy, but made of gold and in bracelet form. I can see it taking off, so there you have it. I only want 15%, and if you have the funds, you can be a millionaire. In all seriousness, though, it was a lovely shop, and they do want you to buy something. We didn't, but I know a couple of people did or came back when we had free time and purchased stuff. I assume this place was a tour-approved gold shop; there are a few gold shops in Florence. It is the city of gold and leather.
The day had a hiccup, as I said, be prepared for those. We were supposed to get in and see Michelangelo's David. I don't know what happened, maybe double booking, not enough time to get our tour in, but they denied us. It was interesting to hear this because the night before, I had overheard our tour guide talking rather angrily to someone in Italian. In the villa, our room was beside Scott, the tour guide. When we went to explore the villa before supper, I heard rather loud Italian coming from his room. Of course, I had no idea what he had been saying, but the tone did not sound happy, and it made more sense the next day when he said there would be no David. No naked dude statute doesn't sound like the end of the world, but as I said, I am starting to appreciate old art a lot more. We recently saw a banana taped to a wall as art, so maybe missing a statue that is considered a masterpiece was a real loss.
We began our tour in Piazza Santa Croce, where the gold store is located. The piazza features the Basilica di Santa Croce, which I would have really loved to visit. It is a beautiful Renaissance-style building at the head of the square. Michelangelo and Machiavelli are buried there, along with several other Italians whose identities I am not familiar with. This is the problem with tours: we see this amazing building that I am sure would be extremely interesting on the inside as well, but we don't have time to go inside. I don't know the route our tour went, but we did go by what I would call an alley with statues of various famous Italians. Yes, mostly Renaissance guys like the Medicis, Machiavelli, and Michelangelo, but there were others as well. Florence constantly reminds you that it was the heart of the Renaissance that helped us emerge from the Dark Ages. It was overcast most of the walk, but the rain let up, so that was good. I didn't want to be completely soaked. We ended up in the Piazza del Duomo, which is a sight to see. It doesn't even look like a church; it is so large. Again, it screamed, to me at least, Renaissance. Its construction started before the Renaissance, but the statues set into it are a continuation of the city's art. You have to crane your head back to see the top when you are close, and if you get any view of the city skyline, this place dominates it. It is a series of straight, up-and-down lines, except for the great dome on top. It strikes me now, how did they build these wonders back in the day? I know how things go up now with all our modern marvels, but this was started in 1296; we have come a long way in building since then. Again, though, the trouble with tours is that we didn't get to go in. I later googled the interior; it would have been a beauty to see, but our walking tour continued, and we didn't see the inside. The Baptistery of St. John is also located in this piazza. It is a fascinating building to me. It is a substantial size, but beside the Duomo, it seems small. Also, it is an octagon; you don't see a ton of octagonal buildings out there. The last thing they brought our attention to was the bell tower in the piazza. This thing is massive, too. Maybe it is because they are all in the same piazza, but they all complement each other very well. It isn't hard to see this place as being filled on religious occasions. It is also easy to picture the Pazzi plot happening here, a murder and an attempted murder. I said it wasn't bad being overcast, and it wasn't, but I would have loved the hot sun beating down while we stood here, which would have been perfect for imagining all the history that has gone down in this square.
From there, we saw the Ponte Vecchio; if it doesn't ring a bell, I am sure you have seen it in some movie at some point. It spans the Arno River and is one of the more famous bridges. It was the only bridge to survive the Nazi retreat in WWII, supposedly because Hitler liked it. It has always been a bridge full of stores. Many years ago, it was home to useful stores, such as butchers. However, over time, it became more prominent among goldsmiths and other makers of fanciful items for the wealthy. Not naturally, but an order from the mayor made it so that only goldsmiths and jewelers were allowed on it. It stands out, though, because it is yellow. For the most part, it is fully enclosed, and you can't see through it
However, the stores hang off the sides, giving it an almost precarious appearance. Nevertheless, since it has stood for so long and withstood the test of time, I would say it is safe. There are passages above the streets to access the Ponte Vecchio and to cross the bridge to the Florence town hall, built by the Medici, so they would not have to mingle with the common folk. I suppose that would be the original skywalks. We didn't really have time to shop, but I do believe some people came back and looked around. Then we wandered back towards where we started and ended in a leather shop on the Piazza Santa Croce.
Peruzzi is quite the store, more like a leather mini mall. We came in through the side door and got a look at the store's actual sewing area. A demonstration on applying a gold monogram to leather, and then, to conclude the tour, we were set loose to shop. First, use the bathroom here, which is much nicer than other public toilets. Next, Italians know fashion, oh, and they are salesmen. My wife saw a leather jacket that interested her, and the salesman, who had also given us the demonstration, noticed. Pro tip for clothing salespeople in North America: know sizes. This guy knew exactly the right size to get her to try on. You do this for a woman, too big you make her self-conscious, or too small to make them upset about their size. Do it right, and as a fisherman would say, the hook is set. Then he offers a couple of color options and a couple of close styles to reel her in. Now, the fact is, it is a beautiful leather jacket. It looks great on her, even the feel of good leather is nice, and I am not a leather guy. She had to have it, and it was sold. I won't say a price, but I have never bought any piece of clothing that cost even half of what it was. It would have covered a monthly truck payment for me, and when I bought my truck, it was brand new. Actually, on the show floor with 6KMS, that's all. As a nice touch, they also included a monogram for her inside. The service was exceptional; the fact that he was so good at sizing stunned me. If you are going leather shopping, this is the place, but be sure to bring cash. Honestly, I wish I had waited. While I like the wallet I bought in the store in Rome, the leather wallets here, wow. Rome had that nice couple, though, that led to a great supper, so it all evens out. Back to one of my earlier rules, bring more than you planned…… This jacket never left my wife's side for the rest of the trip. It was in her carry-on bag on the tour bus and on the planes. Everyone said I "won" shopping after that because my wife was so happy. I was honest then, and I will be honest now. It wasn't me. Her parents offered to buy her something nice, and that is what she chose. So, for a bit, I looked like a super husband, but in the end, I had to be honest. After Peruzzi, we had a couple of hours to kill. Again, the problem with a tour is that the "free" time isn't really enough to do much, except perhaps spend money or eat. By this time, the line-ups to get in anywhere are an hour or more, so even if you do get in, it would be a rush to get out and to the bus. No one wants that, so we headed to the piazza, looked around, got my nephews a small gift, and had lunch.
I should have realized it from the name, but Pinocchio is Italian. Fun fact: the original writer, Carlo Collodi, was from Florence. Every booth was selling marionettes of him, so guess what my nephews got. Then we sat on a patio at a restaurant on the piazza. A glass of wine and Cacio E pepe. Committed two errors here. Should have went a few blocks away from a main tourist piazza to get better food, and Cacio is a Roman dish. It wasn't bad, but it sure as hell wasn't as good as Trastevre. Again, part of it might have been the atmosphere. Sitting on an overcast patio is not the same as a sunny day in Rome. I will say it right now. I have seen Cacio a few times here in Canada, and I just can't bring myself to do it. It is a Roman dish. Jacob and his mother came back to the piazza with gelato that made me jealous. I did not eat enough of that when we were there. Soon, we all loaded on the bus and were headed to Venice.
Goodbye to Florence. I really wish we had more time there. On the flip side, we already have plans to be back for a couple of days this year. The tour advertises a day and a night in Florence, which is not entirely accurate. We arrived late and had a fantastic dinner at the Castello, but that isn't really in the city of Florence. We had our walking tour and a little time to eat. The reality is that there isn't enough time to see a city like this. Paris or Rome, you could easily spend a week and still barely scratch the surface. Florence, you would not need as much time. If you gave yourself 3 full day's maybe you could see everything worth seeing. However, the few actual hours we had weren't enough. As for the city overall, as I said, it seems less touristy. Not saying it isn't touristy; it just seemed less packed with tour groups, their flags in the air, following the guide, and people moving in packs. It could be more of a city where people just go to see themselves and enjoy at a slower pace. Rome feels ancient, but when you are out, it is full of people moving, hustle and bustle. It seems like a teenager with ADHD. Florence is a middle-aged or even elderly person. Moving at a slow and casual pace, stopping for that afternoon cappuccino. Florence is the city of art and history; if you are headed here, that is what you are going to get. Or at least that is what we were shown, and I would love to see more of it.
Personal check in here. This was 7 nights into our trip. 3 with the tour, 4 on our own. My back was still sore-ish from the Paris hotel incident. I had been doing stretches and shit in the AM, but I could still feel it. First, you are walking a lot, and second, as nice as the bus was, the seats are not ideal for comfort. The body is half ass running on adrenaline by this point. Meaning was never "tired," but at night, when the head hits the pillow, I was out. The beds in Europe are not made for comfort, or most we had really weren't. Florence, up to this point, had the best bed. Tours are go, go, go. Then there is the quiet time on the bus. Scott would talk about something for a bit, then he would just be quiet. Might talk to a couple of people around you and, of course, my wife, but then get some quiet time. I was mostly reading. Had a new mystery book that I finished, and Watership Down. My wife and I had made "friends" by this point; the two groups I thought might not be amazing travel companions had become the people we were almost always around. Our idea of ignoring people and doing things on our own was clearly gone. I was enjoying the trip; it was all new to me, though. On any trip I had ever been on, we had some downtime; this one, we really didn't! Not that I minded at all, but as I said, make sure you know the trip you are going on; this wasn't a Mexican beach vacation. Food and water are key, honestly. I rarely eat breakfast when I get up. I am up at 530 and eat at 10ish on a weekday, here you couldn't. You would be Hangry by lunch, without a doubt, and that would take away from the enjoyment. So every day I was eating. Plus water, I fail at getting enough here, and I doubt I was getting enough there, but when coffee and wine are all a guy is drinking, it is vital to hammer that water in. Bus rides are great for this.
We stopped at another one of Italy's magnificent gas stations. No one really wanted to eat; either they had used their free time to eat, or the wonder of eating at a gas station, no matter how nice, had worn off. However, I bought a raincoat, or something that passes for a gas-station raincoat. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't great. It was more like a garbage bag with arms and a hood. It fit well and blocked rain, but if you zipped it up in a hot room, I am sure it would have been like those jackets designed to make a person sweat out toxins. Truthfully, I will likely pack it next time we go as well. It packs up very small and light, and as this day proved helpful. The drive to Venice was mainly quiet; I got more reading done, and, if you want the truth, got sold on socialism. Well, not really, and I am not getting into politics or not much, but Scott, our driver, spoke about the EU. About its size, which blew my mind. I was thinking it was a couple of countries. Also, about how much tourism actually comes through, and that is insane. I am not 100% sure about the borders and stuff, but in reality, you have to go through standard security to get in, so once you are in, it shouldn't matter. I strongly believe in capitalism; it drives progress, but I understand why we need socialist policies. Human greed means capitalism won't work the way it is supposed to on paper. Scott, however, did a much better job explaining it and how socialism works over in Europe. Much better than I would do, and I am not attempting to here. If you're Canadian and have used a hospital, you should already know this. Did he convert Americans? I doubt it, but it is always nice to learn. I do have to giggle, though. The two groups that hate socialism the most are those who have enough money to not need policies like that & those who only survive because of it. The poor who think they would be better off in pure capitalism. Not understanding that they are failing in normal capitalism, let alone having pure capitalism.
When you go somewhere, it would be smart to look it up beforehand. I never once realized that Rome wasn't right on the ocean; I assumed it would be. Isn't every world power on the ocean? Venice, I knew, was on the ocean, but I had no idea where. When I looked at a map later on, it shocked me to see where Venice was actually located. It was later in the afternoon when we rolled in, and again I learned something. Venice isn't just an island; it has a mainland and many small islands. We have all seen pictures of the main island, the canals, and the water taxis, but there is a whole mainland city as well. We were headed to the harbour, and of course, on the way there, there is a massive shipyard where they were building massive ships. There is something about the skeleton of a boat that is impressive. I have been in harbours before and seen ships at the dock. They are intense, massive, impressive floating cities. What is even crazier is the skeleton of one. Maybe it's because you can try and imagine the beast it will become, but to me, the skeleton of a ship being built seemed huge. Maybe it is the way it is built, massive cranes holding it in the air so it seems like it is floating, but it is big!! We got to a harbour later in the afternoon, and I got to wear my fancy new rain jacket. It was still grey, but it wasn't pouring, so that was nice. We broke off into groups; ours was strange. The couple from my hometown, along with the Americans, we didn't really like. Our water taxi took us from the harbour to the island. It isn't too long a ride; a nicer day would have been better. Anytime on a boat can be cool, even if it's not nice. The water taxi took us to the Grand Canal. Where we would have a gondola tour.
Before we get to the island, I will talk about my thoughts on what Venice was. To me, Venice is a high-class city. If Rome is the ancient city and Florence is the centre of art, then Venice is the royal city. I am not sure, maybe it is the Venetian masks or something, but hearing the city's name, I think of high-class balls. Royal galas that rival the French court, and I don't know why. Again, assuming it is the masks and them always being associated with balls in pop culture. Reality is, I don't know that Venice is really a royal city. It was a naval power and a major port for Italy over the centuries, but I think I am wrong to call it a city of royalty. I also always think of nightlife, but again, I think that is my mind associating it with masked balls.
The Grand Canal runs in an S shape through the island of Venice. I believe we toured most of it. The canal is interesting because of the buildings on its sides. Beautiful hotels, government buildings, what I assume are luxury homes, and a couple of old buildings worn down that look out of place. The actual canal is like a road, a main drag somewhere, but instead of cars lined up on the sides, we have boats. This was a grey day, but there were still open patios and cafes with tables overlooking the canal. Probably a fantastic view on a nice day for a glass of wine and a snack. What struck me was the smell, or lack of. I have been to enough places with boat engines going when it smells like gas or exhaust. Another familiar smell by the ocean is that sea stink. A mix of fish and salt water, I had thought maybe Venice might be like that. It wasn't. Now, it wasn't fresh mountain air by any means, but it was clean, or at least without stink. The Rialto is another impressive bridge. I can only imagine the foot traffic through there in a day. Again, it seems strange to me to say what a nice bridge, but the fact is, it is, not like our metal bridges here to cross a river, but something actually pleasing to the eye. I guess it shouldn't be too strange; I have also always liked old bridges. When you drive through the country and see an old wooden bridge, barely enough for a single truck to pass on. I have always liked the look of them as well, not a work of art, but also not the ugly metal ones in the city. So the water taxi was neat for taking in some sights, but it's still a taxi. The driver didn't tell us about anything; it is not a tour, at least not guided, I mean. They dropped us off not far from Piazza San Marco. We didn't get there that night, but we did go to a dock for a gondola tour. That's where I am going to leave off.
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