Firenze

Taking vacation 5 days after taking a previous vacation isn't very good for my blog:) I have been so busy trying to catch up on work that I haven't had any time for writing - geez! So sorry! So before I leave for Germany/Austria I am going to get the rest of our Italy vacation on this blog if it kills me! Here goes......

I love Florence! And not just because of the amazing shopping, either:)! I love the easy of the city (being able to walk to everything was a nice change after Rome), the people, and the quaint feeling of a small "big city". No metros or buses to figure out - we even walked to our hotel from the main train station (in less than 5 minutes!) We had a great time just roaming the streets in Firenze!

We stayed at the Hotel Atlantic Palace which was about 1 1/2 blocks from the main train station! We loved the location and the staff was very friendly and helpful! I would definitely recommend it to anyone traveling to Florence! FYI - the breakfast was very nice and even included scrambled eggs and bacom- yum!:)

We arrived in Florence arround 6 pm and asked the front desk to recommend a place to eat. I was a little scared when they suggested Osteria All'antico Mercato - the place "right next store" -as I thought they might have some type of business relationship as opposed to it being really good, but much to our surprise this was the home of Luigi (see my previous post about Luigi here)! This was my favorite meal while in Italy. What can I say - I'm a sucker for good service. Even if Luigi was already hitting on other girls after he gave ME a kiss - I didn't care - I felt special and that's all that counted - (besides I'm sure he liked our table best anyway:))!

I know I already posted this pic but I just love it:)

And it wasn't just about the service - the food was really good too! If you go - you must get the pecornio cheese and proscuitto as an appetizer so goooooood! (This region is known for their pecorino!) We all loved our pasta and Bob's veal at this restaurant was one of my faves (yes we all shared at each meal!) But truthfully - I think a vacation is about the experience and I loved the experience - Luigi knew how to make everyone feel welcome in his restaurant!

That night we just walked around town to see what was going on - our hotel had suggested to visit the Piazza Della Repubblica - so we made our way in that direction. It wasn't very far till we got to the Duomo. Wow! What a beautiful church! The green and pink marble design (as well as the sheer massiveness) is breathtaking!

This picture is from the next day (obviously) but you can see the colors better than at night!

From here it got a little shady.... Bonnie and I were just in awe of all our surroundings and what we could see. There was a door open to a place (that looked like it could be of some meaning) so we walked in. Actually, the two women out front waved us in. But after getting inside it didn't look that impressive so I decided to walk to the back of the room - there was a door there and I thought maybe that was where the good sightseeing stuff was located. But as soon as I crossed the threshold this man came out of nowhere and started yelling! Bonnie was like "Mandy - you better get back here!" At the same time, I noticed that the "back room" was just a TV room and lots of EMTs were sitting around watching TV and playing cards. We had stumbled into an ambulance station! We were rushed out of there and we all started laughing! I will never look at an ambulance the same way again! I guess I should have known... the place didn't look that great from the moment we walked in but those two women did basically tell us to go in AND we had had a lot of wine with dinner - okaaaaaaaaaay!:)

Onwards! From here we went to the Piazza Della Repubblica and saw the street performers. This is where Bob found the 55 Euros (again see other post). Go Bob! This was a fun little square, but I have to see the "illegal" street vendors were a bit annoying - I mean who comes to Italy to buy a fake Louis Vuitton anyway?!!!

We kept walking past the Uffizzi and onto the Ponte Vecchio (had to walk off dessert:))! Everything looked so majestic at night!

Ponte Vecchio at Night

The next morning we woke up and headed out to see the Duomo in daylight. After checking out the inside we split up - Nathan and I climbed Giotto's Bell Tower (another 400+ stairs) to see the view and Bonnie and Bob went to the Duomo Museum. We both took pictures so we could show each other:

Our view from the Top

Bob's favorite picture from the museum - he said it expressed how he felt walking around Rome:)

From here we decided to go to the Pitti Palace and the Boboli Gardens. On the way we had to cross over the Ponte Vecchio and I must say it is REALLY fabulous in the day time! I think every shop on the bridge sold jewelry! I wish I could have gotten a picture of Nathan dragging me off of it!:)

Once getting to the Palace we decided to just vist the Gardens and part of the museums (I think Nathan had had enough culture by then). Bob did climb the first couple stairs/slope to the "bottom" of the gardens, but once he looked up I knew there was no way he was going to visit the rest of the place! However, right from there we did coax Bob into the Costume Museum to see the fabulous clothes they wore back in the day (boy did they have tiny waists!). Not sure what happened (basically we got lost) but we ended up descending many levels of stairs and ended up back at the slope UP to the gardens! At this point we knew it was a lost cause so we left Bob to "cruise chicks" while the rest of us toured the gardens. I wish Bob would have joined us, because I think from the top level of the gardens had the most amazing view of the Tuscan Countryside!

View of Pitti Palace from the "top" of the Gardens

View of Tuscany - so amazing! I felt like we in the movie Under the Tuscan Sun!

Now which museum do we go see - the one without David (Uffizi) or the one with David? Hmmmmm. Let's take a vote... the one with David - of course!!! The one "with David" is the Galleria dell'Accademia. And just so you guys know - it was about 4 pm, we didn't have reservations, and the line only took 15 minutes! We had heard the line was unbearable but again probably just in the morning because everyone is trying to "beat the crowd" and then they "become the crowd". The museum was okay - but I'm pretty sure if they didn't have David no one would even know the place existed - well that might be a little harsh but obviously he's the main attraction. You weren't "allowed" to take pictures but "someone" snuck one for us!:)

Back to the hotel for a nap before dinner - I think all the walking from Rome finally caught up with us! Again we asked the hotel for a suggestion since they did such a great job the night before! This time they sent us to Trattoria Antichi Cancelli off Via Faenza - the food was very good but it was no Luigi!:)

By the next morning I think we were all church, palace, and museumed out, so we decided to just roam the street markets before our train at 4 pm. Before breakfast Nathan had already gone out and wheeled and dealed for a beautiful leather briefcase he had eyed the day before. "Special price for you" - so how could he resist - right?:) It was a lot of fun to walk around to all the street vendors - what a great relaxing day! I ended up getting a kickass leather jacket (thank you Bonnie and Bob for my Christmas/Birthday gift:))! Bonnie and Bob got some stuff for their friends and family and we all got our shopping fix out of our system.:)

The street vendors - shopping bliss!

While shopping we came across this coffee place - love it!

One thing that I had been looking for for two days was the Mercato Centrale - it looked big on our map and it was supposed to be 1 block from our hotel but I couldn't seem to locate it. I even took everyone on a wild goose chase looking for it and finally gave up. But during our leather shopping I saw someone with a bag of fruit and walked in the direction they came from. And AHHHH - there it was! Bob realized this was the building he was looking at from the window of his hotel room the whole time! And I thought I was really good with directions.... But in my defense all the street carts blocked the view of the doors - whatever -don't judge me.

Anyway, I'm so glad we found it - I think we spent the better part of an hour just exploring. The vendors carried wine, balsamic vinegar, all kinds of meat, fish, cheese, and the list goes on! We got some great pics in here! You should definitely check it out if you are in Florence!

One of my favorite pics from the Mercato - do you still see the tail and the hoof still attached to this meat for sale?

We decided to catch an earlier train to Cinque Terre and ended up rushing to the train station! Fantastic 2 days in Firenze! If I could change one thing, I would have loved to stay one extra day to take an excursion into the wine country. We just didn't have time as all the tours were at least 8 hours - but I guess that means we just have to go back:)

Next post the Italian Riviera!

Ciao,

Mandy

Link to all the pics of Florence

Highlights from the Griswald's Trip to Italy

We are finally back in Zurich and I can't believe this is going to be our first post! We were so busy and I was way too tired to write at night - so sorry! But we decided to do a Top 10 List of the Highlights of Italy - so here they are and there will be more to come - promise! (And for the people who don't know Nathan and I have been traveling in Italy with Nathan's mom, Bonnie, and his stepfather, Bob, for the last 7 days)

Top 10 Highlights from Italy:

1. On our first day in Rome we went to see all the ruins including the Coloseum and the Roman Forum. It wasn't long before we found out that Bob was going to avoid ALL stairs or hills at ALL cost. However, when we got to Mussolini's House (and as Bob was complaining about not going "all the way up there") he was passed by an 80 year old woman with a cane! So he "manned up" and walked to the top (just 20 steps) - nothing like being shamed by an OLD Lady with a cane - huh Bob?

I thought I would show a picture so you guys could get a visual -it wasn't like the scene from Rocky or anything.:)

2. On our 2nd night in Rome, we were having a hard time finding a restaurant near the Spanish Stairs so we started walking towards a main street to hail a cab. I glanced over me shoulder to find Nathan when - BAM! -a woman punched me in my stomach - hard! I thought she was trying to steal my purse so I automatically what down to grab that but she just kept on walking like "you shouldn't have been in my way b@#$*!" Of course no one saw what happened b/c they were too busy getting in the cab but I really wanted to go KICK HER ASS! Next time Lady - Next time!

3. We were on a side street in Rome enjoying our Gelatto when a man on a Vespa (going about 50 MPH) came out of nowhere - held down one nostril and blew a booger out the other! It landed within 1 meter (3 feet) of Nathan - how appetizing! Bob took a picture for proof -Thanks Bob for capturing the moment!



4. On our first night in Florence we went to Osteria All'Antico Mercato - the restaurant our hotel suggested. Luigi owned the place (at least we think he did) and he was a TRUE Italian - a lover not a fighter:) Every time he came to our table he held my hand or caressed my arm - but hey - I was taking one for the team - because he brought us free bruschetta, free prosciutto with our pecorino cheese, and when I ordered dessert (almond biscotti dipped in dessert wine) he brought an ENTIRE bottle and shot glasses for the whole table! (At one point he asked Nathan if it was okay and all Nathan said was "you can have her for 5 Euros.... well actually 3 b/c of the conversion" - Thanks Honey:)!

All of us with Luigi - this is one of my favorite pics from the trip:)

The WHOLE bottle of dessert wine!

My good night Kiss - Ciao Luigi!

5. Later that same night we went to the Piazza Della Repubblica to hang out and watch the street performers. After this one "show", Bob looked down and found 55 Euros on the street! (For the record we did wait about 15 minutes for its owner to come back and claim it and - no Bob didn't pick pocket this money - I saw it laying there too:)) But since no one came - this was great -not only because he found free money but because before this he wasn't even allowed to hold 1 Euro! Bob was now living the high life - and he even took us out for lunch! Thanks Bob!

6. Michelangelo's David. I think Bonnie has been talking about seeing this one statue since about May:). I do have to say it is a very fine statue and it is unbelievable that it is carved out of marble! Unfortunately, the museum where David is housed - the Galleria dell' Accademia - does not allow pictures to be taken - so this is the best we could show you:

But the statue looked JUST like this - promise:)!

7. Of course all the tourist crap in Florence had pictures of David on them (usually his nether regions) - magnets, aprons (as seen above), miniature statues, and boxer shorts. Bonnie REALLY wanted Bob to get a pair of the boxers (he said No - well something along those lines) but that he would take a picture of them. As he was pulling out his camera the owner of the "booth" started yelling something at Bob in Italian then finished with F.U.! Does that mean we can't take the picture? Oh - and thanks for the Italian hospitality! Where's Luigi when you need him?!

8. The third leg of our trip was to the Cinque Terre (the Italian Riviera) which was amazingly beautiful! Bonnie, Nathan and I set out on Friday morning to hike the trail through four of the cities from Riomaggiore to Vernazza. (Bonnie tried to convince Bob it would just be a nice "stroll" through the mountain side but after a conversation with a local on the train who told us it was "quite strenuous" in places I knew there was NO WAY Bob would be attending the hike - and of course he didn't.)


The leg of the trip between Carniglia and Vernazza was the most strenuous, it was really hot (it felt about 90 degrees) and there was no shade. Just as we were turning a corner of the trail I saw someone go down about 50 feet in front of me. We ran up to see what happened and found a 65 year old couple from New Zealand - Digby and Janis. Janis had gone into a diabetic coma right there on the trail! Another hiker arrived from the opposite direction at the same time we did and we all tried to keep Janis from rolling off the side of the mountain (the trail was about 3 feet wide in this particular area). Janis had started to throw up and she was completely unresponsive.

This is what the trail looked like near where we found Janis (yes the left side is straight down)

The closest town was about 45 minutes from the direction we hiked from, but the other guy said there was a restaurant about 10 minutes from his direction. Nathan and this hiker were going to try to carry Janis (again on the 3 feet wide trail with a straight down plunge into the sea about 600 feet below). But when they tried to lift her Digby said and I quote "Oh - my Janis is a big girl" - which was true - but coupled with the fact that she was completely dead weight it was going to be an impossible task!

So the other guy ran back to the restaurant to call 911 (or whatever number they call in Italy for an emergency) and Nathan tried to get Janis to drink water. Now this is a VERY busy trail and LOTS of people came upon us - some just tried to pass and others offered help - within about 15 minutes we had a Fanta soda, gum, powerade, a power bar, a nurse from Germany, grape jelly, an EMT from Seattle, and finally a doctor from another country that doesn't speak Italian. Nathan had been trying to feed Janis the Fanta before the EMT arrived then he took over and started feeding her the grape jelly under her tongue. When the doctor arrived the EMT was giving her the stats on Janis' heart rate, her pain level, and other facts about what had happened. Janis said she also felt chest pain. Honestly it was very scary and there were a few times that Janis was completely unresponsive.

Bonnie did her part by translating the drugs Janis was on from Digby's description to the doctor (she knows them b/c Bob is also diabetic). I also helped out by holding ALL the stuff any hiker wanted to offer us - at one point I was holding 2 bottles of water, the opened half finished jelly, 2 sticks of gum, a half can of Fanta, a towel, and our backpack.:)

It took what seemed to be an eternity (it was actually about 1 hour) for the paramedics to arrive. Of course they only spoke Italian and of the 15 hikers representing about 5 countries none of us spoke a lick of Italian! This was a bit of a struggle at first but finally the Italian paramedics took over and had to call in a heli-ambulance! (There was no way they were carrying her off the side of that mountain!)

It was a very intense hour but after we saw that the situation was taken carry of we could find a little humor in the situation. (I know we are sick but it isn't every day that you get to save a life while you are hiking - okay well WE didn't save her life - but I did hold the jelly!). Nathan had realized it might be a little rude to take a picture of Janis during the situation but after the paramedics got there and we continued on our hike we did get a photo of them helicoptering her out of there!

They sent down a basket and 4 additional paramedics for her

Moral of the story: Bonnie isn't go to try to force Bob to come on any more hikes and to keep jelly packets in your purse! You've always got to take a little something away from every situation:)

9. On Saturday morning we left Cinque Terre for Lugano, Switzerland. Unfortunately we had to take 4 trains for this 3 hour trip! We had heard terrible stories about the Italian trains (being late, no air, etc) so I was hoping that everything would work out - but I wasn't expecting our seats to be DOUBLE BOOKED from Genova to Milan! We checked with the ticket guy and he confirmed that both sets of tickets were valid - and since they got to the seats first we had to ride in the aisle with every one's luggage! This was a bummer but didn't fall into the all out SUCKS category until the guy with the "refreshment cart" came barreling down the aisle (and of course we didn't have anywhere else to go). He kept ringing his bell until we moved our luggage and our butts out of his way! HaHa! Let's just say this wasn't a highlight and that Bob WASN'T that happy.:)

10. And finally one of my favorite parts of the trip was reminiscing through all the photos. Especially on Bob's camera! His view of Europe just makes me laugh! Here are some of my favorites - I hope you enjoy them too:

Wow! They have defibrillators in the phone booths in Zurich..... and they have phone booths in Zurich!

Duck's butt in Lake Zurich (this was like Bob's 2nd photo:))

Bob's 3rd photo - a fancy porta potty in Zurichhorn Park! You wash your hands in the same bowl you pee in!

The parking "situation" in Rome.....however I don't think that is any worse than the driving "situation" in Atlanta!

Quote from Bob "We would have a lot more room in our bathroom if they'd just take out that useless second toilet!" (well something like that:)) But it did come in handy....Bonnie washed her feet in it:)

The female Polizei in Florence working hard!

Look out how many Vespa's there are!

Chicken's in the market in Florence with their heads just rung and still attached!

Come and get your Fish - it is fresh - right out of this rusty bucket!

While we were saving Janis' life - Bob was taking naked photos in Vernazza! There were lots of close ups but this was the only one I thought I could post on the blog:) He said he wanted us to know what we had missed ...... thanks again Bob - you are always looking out for us!

So now you know what Bob's trip to Italy was like!:)

I promise the rest of the trip will come soon - I've just got to get some real work done first!

Ciao!