Fortezza da Basso
Triumphal Arch
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I left my apartment at 10:30 this morning to go in search of the Russian Orthodox Church as I had read it was a good example of art nouveau architecture. let me say here in a semi-public forum: Google Maps leave a lot to be desired! even though I wander the streets daily, I am not familiar with Florence outside my regular areas and I tend to not use a map but to go by landmarks; hence I don't know the names of a lot of streets but know to turn at a particular store or building or other landmark. but even I now know of 2 or 3 routes which are much more direct than the one Google mapped, however I didn't know that before I started. so I began my trek. Google said about 35 minutes, not reckoning with the interesting stops one constantly encounters on any given day in Florence. first thing on the Ponte Vecchio I spot this cute little boy - all little kids are cute, but this one was adorable! what really caught my eye were his fashionably slim pants, just like his dad's. children here dress as fashionably as the adults; there are "Jr's" of a lot of the designer stores, but it's another story about how to spend thousands on an outfit your child will outgrow in 6 months ... did I say, that's another story! if you come to Italy, bring the skinniest pants you have, even if your body isn't! onward: there is a place on Via Calimala where street painters known as "Madonnaro", or "Madonnara" for women artists, work every day on reproductions of famous paintings - usually famous reproductions but one day I saw them drawing Mick Jagger! the drawing area is 10' x 8' and the artists work kneeling or sitting, really backbreaking work. tourists stop and watch and take pictures and leave a euro or so, which is the right thing to do as this is their work. most nights the street sweepers wash away the picture though some times the artists don't finish and leave boxes around their work to ask the sweepers not to destroy the picture. technically one pays a license to occupy the space on certain days. the last picture was taken at night. more info: http://www.turismo.intoscana.it/allthingstuscany/tuscanyarts/street-painting-in-florence-kelly-borsheim/ to the Piazza delle Repubblica on the route outlined by Google and there's a street market with wines, honey, locally made sweaters, produce and plants, another stop which Google hadn't mentioned and extends the 35 minutes. these markets are very common, I ran into one yesterday just off Borgo Ognissanti, but even if they are common, I must stop and look. I bought a scarf yesterday from a very nice lady, who I'm proud to say I could understand, telling me she worked at home to keep the price "basso", low. Google says to go down Borgo San Lorenzo, this was my neighborhood when I lived here last spring so I'm confident I can negotiate this part but here's where Google gets tricky. I know the church is near the Fortezza da Basso so wouldn't you think a planned route would be the quickest, best route? Fortezza da Basso no it isn't! after a circutius route, I reach the Piazza della Liberta and that's when I know I could have made the trip much shorter and more direct - enough about Google's direction giving, just remember not to trust 'em! Triumphal Arch well maybe not quite enough about Google's directions, from the Piazza I'm to go on Via Bon Lupi to Via Leone X. neither street is to be found nor do the 3 people I ask know where either is. finally I ask a lady for the "Chiesa Ortodossa Russa" and she points me in the right direction. NOW I'm through with Google! all the missteps and asking directions a number of times are worth it because the church is beautiful! it is under renovation, which I read was a dire necessity, so most of the front is obstructed by scaffolding but it is plain to see the building is wonderful. it is officially called the Orthodox Russian church of the Nativity of Christ and Saint Nicholas and was built between 1899 and 1903 by Russian architect Michail Préobraženskij. pictures were not allowed inside the church and as Mary Kerchner will attest, I always follow the rules ... maybe not always but I did not take any photos inside. interestingly I haven't been able to find any online except this one from the church's website: the website also had this photo of the church without the scaffolding, as you can see definitely worth a visit. I decided to return by a route I knew because I was tired and wanted to take a city bus home. as I made my way to where I could see the Fortezza, which is quite near the train station and bus terminal, I saw awnings, a sure sign of a market! I didn't know until I returned home and looked online (how did we ever know anything before Al Gore invented the internet??) that the Fortezza Antiquaria happens every 3rd Sunday of the month, and lucky me this is the 3rd Sunday. there were items of every description: antique furniture, used furniture, antique jewelry, new jewelry, cameras old and new, dishes and flatware of every description but the one thing that caught my eye was a finely wrought porcelain of a horse amputation ... have you digested that? horse amputation in lovely porcelain! why, you ask? and I ask, too ... here for my friend John Young, the veterinarian. (can you see the man on the left is holding up the horse's leg? maybe the "click to enlarge" feature is working! wouldn't want to miss this, folks!) by this time I am really tired and I have to walk 10 more minutes to catch a bus; however, the fates have not deemed it time for me to ride any stinkin' bus! as I round the front of the Fortezza, another interesting event appears: Fiera di Firenze, Florence Fair. the Fortezza was built in 1534 and was one of the first Italian villages to be fortified but was never attacked and is still intact today. it is now used as a convention center and congress for large events. of course I went in as there was "ingresso libero", free entry. it appeared to be the equivalent of a home show with furniture, a cooking class, food - everything to while away a Sunday afternoon. now fates or not I'm going home and rest my weary body, it's about 2:30and I left at 10:30, 4 hours walking with only about 15 minutes to sit and eat a sandwich. at the station, I can't find a bus that goes directly near my apartment without having to change so I think I'll just walk, only about 20 more minutes. 20 minutes IF you walk directly there, it seems I can't go anywhere today in a direct line. I plod on in the very familiar path from Santa Maria Novella station to my home sweet home. at the Piazza del Duomo there is a huge crowd, there's always a huge crowd around the Duomo but today it's HUGE and there's smoke and singing and a band! am I destined to spend the night en route to my bed?? it's a parade of Peruvians honoring El Senor de Los Milagros, the participants wear purple robes, there are even babies wearing purple, and so much incense it looked as if something was on fire. to learn more about this Peruvian celebration see: http://thingstodo.viator.com/peru/el-senor-de-los-milagros-in-lima-peru/. what a wonderful day! started out on a mission which in itself would have been enough of a treat but on the road encountered so much to make the day even better! at last the Ponte Vecchio is in sight, but navigating through the hoards of people can be a feat ... the bridge is nearly empty, guess the fates are feeling sorry for me. WHEW my Piazza de Santa Felicita - it's 4:00, 5 1/2 hours since I last passed this way. one thing you can rarely say in Florence, "there's nothing to do"!
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Livorno is the next and last stop before the cruise ends at Barcelona and is the port to visit Pisa, Florence, or Cinque Terre for a few hours. Mary had not been to Pisa or Cinque Terra but since we had no hiking shoes we chose Pisa. Cinque Terra is a bit like the Amalfi Coast without the chic sophistication and luxury and the hoards of tourists but with paths to walk from village to village; in other words, nothing like the Amalfi Coast! Cinque Terre is/are 5 lovely villages along the rugged coast of the Italian Rivera and must be reached by footpath, boat or train which runs near but not directly to the villages. at any rate, from this brief description, you can see why the lovely Maria and I were not eager to traverse the foot paths even though it is said unless you've been to the Cinque Terre you haven't really been to Italy. (BTW I was there 20 odd years ago in another life with another husband). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinque_Terrehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinque_Terre so Pisa it is: we decided to take the "transfer" provided through Holland America cruises for a mere 39,99 € = to $1.30 odd American $ to the €, not a trifle for a 30 minute bus ride! ah well it's vacation and € or $ we're feeling expansive and throw caution to the winds - should have considered that "caution" a bit more cautiously! arrival time in Pisa is 10:30, departure to be at 12:15. according to wikipedia: on February 27, 1964, the government of Italy requested aid in preventing the tower from toppling. it was, however, considered important to retain the current tilt, due to the role that this element played in promoting the tourism industry of Pisa. Italians aren't stupid. how could Pisa visitors take classy cheesy photos holding up the tower if it didn't lean? it actually used to lean the other way! I am starting to think this tower has a problem with grappa! at the present time the barriers are gone from around the bottom of the tower and visitors are once again climbing to the top. we tourists have a fascination with going "to the top" of anything; this tower, the Duomo in Florence, the revolving restaurant at the Marriott Hotel in Manhattan - whatever, we just want to be able to be at the top and usually at a price; can't climb all those steps for free! 1 hour and 3 phone calls to the tour people later, made on phones borrowed from strangers on the street, we are assured we will be picked up. after waiting for an hour and no comfy 39,99 € bus we take a 2,40 € public train back to Livorno - could have spent 4,80 € to begin with and taken the train both ways! fools are born every day .... a fool and his money etc, etc! we will contest this charge on our credit cards. I know it was our own fault for missing the bus but why tell us to stay rooted to the spot from which we called and then not pick us up? oy vey ... if it's Saturday this must be the Ligurian Sea/Mediterranean Sea ... a day at sea ... who could ask for more than to sit ... and sit ... and sit ... right ........... relaxing after all the stress of all that sight-seeing and ... stop me if you've heard this before! not quite as relaxing as the previous 2 sea days as all our stuff has to be stuffed into bags for disembarkation early on Sunday in Barcelona. we disembark, board a taxi, and off to the hotel, then sight-see for a few hours in Barcelona; say BarTHelona, "c" pronounced as "th" in the Catalan language. I can't get the gist of Catalan as it seems a mixture of Spanish and French but it's the official language of Barcelona where it is written and spoken exclusively.
Sagrada Famalia by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi (1852-1926). if only Filippo Brunellechi could have seen the Sagrada Famalia he could have designed the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore (il Duomo, in Florence) to be as splendid - not!! you tell me, Sagrada Famalia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagrada_Fam%C3%ADlia one of Barcelona's main attractions is La Rambla, a pedestrian street which begins at the statue of Christopher Columbus pointing west and runs for about a mile with shops and cafes. the Columbus Monument was build in 1888 for an exhibition and is located where Columbus returned to Spain after his first voyage to America. do you sense I'm not enamored of Barcelona? to be fair I've been to Spain only a few times, Barcelona twice, Madrid to see Museo del Prado, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museo_del_Prado, Savilla and the island of Majorca. once on a train someone told me "go to France for the food, to Italy for the clothes but don't go to Spain". many, in fact perhaps most tourists, especially Brits, love Spain; it's more inexpensive than the rest of Europe, warm, good beaches, art ... but, and I apologize to the Spaniards, Spain always seems to be trying to be Italy or France and missing. I'm sure it's my fascination with Italy that gets in my way. 2 days in Barcelona then an hour and a half Vueling flight takes us to la bella Firenze ... home again! I raise a glass to her ... PS a toast also to my traveling partner and dear friend Mary Kerchner; we endured each other's foibles and came out of it friends to the end! thank you, Mary, for the cruise, the adventure, the bed and board in Corrales and for being just plain Mary. (as you can see by her picture, anything but plain!)
now that we're all calm again after erotic Pompeii, it's on to Rome, which is exciting in its own right but of a different type: traffic, noise, people, horns honking, people, people, people. a large city out of control as only the Italiani can be with no regard to rules - the lanes marked on the pavement are only a suggestion, cars run along with as many abreast as can fit, traffic lights are another suggestion, and all the while everyone is honking and jostling for position in the non-existent lanes! crossing the wide streets around Il Vittoriano, a monument dedicated to King Vittorio Emanuele II, the first king of unified Italy, and Piazza Venezia is a real test of how much you value your mortality. Italy is the most ... most and best of everything! there is archaeological evidence of human occupation of the Rome area from at least 14,000 years ago, or maybe the legend of Romulus and Remus is more plausible: they decided to build a city, but after an argument, Romulus killed his brother. according to the Roman analysts, this happened on 21 April 753 BC. either way, Rome is here to stay! Capitoline Hill is the smallest but highest of the Seven Hills of Rome. it was where life happened in ancient times: elections, criminal trials, center of commercial business, everyday life. the Imperial Forum is a group of monumental public squares, constructed over 150 years from 46 B.C. to 113 A.D. this is my favorite view ...
Pantheon: we had only 8 hours in Rome so Mary and I were really running around. luckily the Pantheon and Forum are within easy walking distance of each other. that is all we had time to see but they are a major part of Rome's tourist sights. we chose these 2 because Mary had been to the Vatican and seen the Sistine Chapel ... I'll go next time ... because it's been 7 years since I've seen Michelangelo's ceiling paintings. Pisa and Barcelona to go and then home to Florence ...
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