Easter Sunday in Florence, Italy!

You know it’s meant to be when you are on a waiting list for your first choice tour (Venice, Florence, Rome in 10 days) and two weeks before the trip, the tour company calls to tell you there are openings available. And, since you are already booked on a 7-day Florence city tour around the same time frame, it’s easy to switch. The airfare was also already booked – arriving in Florence just one day before the new tour began. And, we were planning on traveling around after the Florence tour – so our flight out of the country was already scheduled out of Rome – now just two days after our new tour ended. What synchronicity!

April 8, 2007

From LA to Florence…via Denver, via Munich. After not much sleep, three flights and 20-something hours later, we arrived at the tiny Florence airport on Easter Sunday. We wheeled our carry-on suitcases right through the baggage claim area before anyone had even been reunited with their luggage! How convenient! TRAVELING LIGHT IS ALL ITS CRACKED UP TO BE!! We took a shuttle bus to the Florence train station then walked to our hotel, just a few blocks away. The doors to the Hotel Aldobrandini were huge and intimidating, with big lion head door knockers. We buzzed the button on the side and the door opened automatically… as if we were going in to see the Wizard of Oz!

EXPLORING FLORENCE

I had read about “the Explosion of the cart” which takes place on Easter Sunday. We didn’t make it to the Duomo (Santa Maria del Fiore) in time to see it, but we heard the fireworks followed by church bells ringing. There were very few cars, if any, in the city center. Motorcycles were buzzing around dangerously and there were people everywhere including tons and tons of tourists and a lot of English being spoken. We went inside the Duomo and there was a mass going on. It was standing room only so we crowded in to the back of the church. We couldn’t see anything so we admired the architecture, art and the enormity and beauty of the church while listening to the music, singing and a blessing in several languages. At the conclusion of the service there was a procession of the clergy and we got a good glimpse at them. It’s very exciting to say we went to church on Easter Sunday in Florence, Italy!

Easter Sunday in Florence, Italy!

Inside the Duomo

We continued on towards the Ponte Vecchio and had our first gelato in Italy! We carefully strolled along the Arno river, weaving around people and vendors along the sidewalk. It was difficult to keep going, our feet hurt, and if we stopped for too long, we’d get sleepy again. But we decided to keep going and headed to Piazzale Michelangelo, across the river, up on the hillside. It was much more peaceful and a lot less crowded. What fantastic views! We continued up the hill to a church, San Miniato al Monte, for more great views. We could see its white façade from down by the river.

Then we crossed back over the river through a sea of people on the Ponte Vecchio. Just down the street from the hotel, next to the Central Market, we found a cute little eatery with an outside patio, to have our first dinner in Italia! We tried bruschetta, pasta and a really strange (I mean, different) tiramisu. And I had my first real Italian espresso! After dinner, we went to the train station and figured out how to use the automated ticket machine to get our tickets to Venice for the next day.

At last…. to sleep! Or so I thought. It was really noisy outside that night. The windows were very thin. People were walking around and talking loudly at all hours of the night shouting “Ciao Bella” and “Ciao Bello” at each other. Now that I look back on it – it seems more and more like a dream. I kept drifting in and out of sleep. I had heard about the passeggiata (a leisurely stroll, usually pre dinner) but this was disruptive and not so leisurely at 2:30 in the morning. I was amused and exhausted.

A quiet morning

Sheryl on the steps

of San Miniato

Caffe – Jetlagged but still going, thanks to a gelato buzz!

A sea of people

My first gelato!

April 9, 2007

We had our breakfast in the small dining room at the hotel and had time to walk around before catching the train. It was peaceful compared to the day before. It was about 9 a.m. and the vendors were just setting up shop and there weren’t a lot of people out and about.

Then… we were off to Venezia! On the train, we rested, practiced Italian, journaled and caught glimpses of countryside…

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