We arrived at Gare du Lyon at 9:30 am local time, and took a taxi clear across town on La Peripherique (the bypass that encircles Paris.)
We were able to check in to our home for the next week http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/parbb-courtyard-paris-boulogne/
While we snatched sleep on the train, it was not restful, and I began feeling dizzy, so we took a nap watching the French Open tennis tournament happening live about a half mile from our hotel.
We walked around Boulogne-Billancourt in the afternoon, checking out the self-service laundry, the pharmacy, the food stores...and walking by the Roland Garros tennis park where we will be on Monday, June 4. Be sure to watch and record ESPN or the Tennis Channel that day, because I believe our seats in Suzanne Lenglen stadium will be right above where the players sit during the breaks (he said with hope in his heart.) Unfortunately, it is doubtful we will get to see either of our heros play: Roger Federe or Rafael Nadal.
Furthermore, while I cannot verify this, I think I walked with Rafael Nadal's coach (Andrea's personal heart throb, Uncle Toni Nadal.) I chickened out on asking him if he was (Vous resemblez-vous, Uncle Toni) because if it was, I don't want to be considered a stalker, and if it was not, I would have really felt foolish. But this gent was in blue shorts, white tennis shirt and exited an exclusive gate of the tennis grounds, and a young woman was "kvelling" after having spoken with him! It sure looked like him, but it is also hard to believe it could be him walking on the street with regular people when I saw the huarded spot where the players get dropped off to enter the grounds.
Anyway, I am not sure I will be able to upload photos from this hotel without incurring fees, so don't be surprised if all you get over the next few days is text!
Heading out to do some laundry in our cute little suburb and to eat dinner...
A demain!
Thursday, May 31, 2012
SUR LA FRONTIERE
It is 4:00 am. Do not let anyone persuade you that train travel is romantic. It is cramped, smelly and dirty. This is the second time I have attempted first-class overnight train travel (the first being with Alexi in July 2006), and while the concept is great on paper, the reality falls short of our royal Maggie Smith images gleaned from books, film and television. I must admit having grabbed 4 hours of mostly uninterrupted sleep so far, about what I expected, and there is a faint hope of 1-2 more hours. On the other hand, Andrea detests flying, it is better than trying to sleep in a train chair next to strangers, and we will reach our destination in just as much time and without losing daylight as if we had taken a day train. Andrea is sleeping unsoundly in the bunk below me, and it is weird that as unappealing as I have described our train trip, how quickly one adjusts and finds comfort and rewards after the initial shock wears off.
Wednesday, May 30 was our final day in Venice, and we came up with at least several reasons to return: gondola ride, return to the Accademia to see Veronese's "Christ in the House of Levi" (it is undergoing restoration and was only partially viewable), the Peggy Gugenheim collection, the museum of textiles and costumes, the Gritti Palace museum, the Jewish ghetto, more shopping...
While we may have come up slightly short on attractions visited, we certainly accomplished a key goal; to rest, relax and recuperate from our attacks on Rome and Florence. Andrea again expressed her delight in Venice and newfound love for a city she questioned visiting. Of course, Hotel Palazzo Stern helped with its beautiful large room overlooking the Grand Canal and its charming interior spaces; staircases, study/book nooks, mosaic tile floors, lamps, typical Venetian furniture...They even had Venetian blinds on the windows!
No surprise, but we got a very late start to our day. While Andrea got ready and packed, I returned to the fish market and floating produce stand to snap some photos. I continue to be amazed at how everyday chores we think nothing of on land are done differently (and in a very "every day way") in Venice by the Venetians. On land, a truck delivers boxes of merchandise to the back of a shop directly into a store room. In Venice, that same chore has a few added steps of labor dictated by the transfer onto and off of relatively small delivery boats. Trash? Specialized trash boats ply the water to pick up rubbish bins thst must be wheeled to the waterway.
I also visited Ca Rezzonico, a palace next door to Palazzo Stern. It demonstrates how a noble Venetian family lived in the 1500-1800s period of the Venetian Republic. Tiepolo and Colonna painted four of the frescoed ceiling vaults, and the examples of furniture, painting, flooring...were exquisite examples of the Baroque period. I zipped through very quickly, not even making it to the second piano (floor) so that I might collect Andrea and mush on with our day.
We rushed through the Doge's Palace, and I personally could have spent at least another hour there, which is how Andrea felt about St. Mark's basilica. It was 5:00 pm by the time we arrived at the Accademia, primarily to see the above mentioned Veronese, but also to see the Titians, Tiepolos, Giorgiones and Bellinis, several about which Andrea teaches.
At 6:15, we left to pick up some sandwiches and drinks to take on the train. We retrieved our bags at the hotel, hopped on another vaporetto and arrived at Santa Lucia train station with 30 minutes to spare.
Looking forward, we expect our first day in Paris to be a little weird; lack of sound sleep will inevitably color the day. Alors, toute a l'heure!
PS-Andrea submitted a correction to my Burano blog; the snippet of lace she purchased is not from the 1800s, but the 1600s! How can something so delicate be so durable?
Wednesday, May 30 was our final day in Venice, and we came up with at least several reasons to return: gondola ride, return to the Accademia to see Veronese's "Christ in the House of Levi" (it is undergoing restoration and was only partially viewable), the Peggy Gugenheim collection, the museum of textiles and costumes, the Gritti Palace museum, the Jewish ghetto, more shopping...
While we may have come up slightly short on attractions visited, we certainly accomplished a key goal; to rest, relax and recuperate from our attacks on Rome and Florence. Andrea again expressed her delight in Venice and newfound love for a city she questioned visiting. Of course, Hotel Palazzo Stern helped with its beautiful large room overlooking the Grand Canal and its charming interior spaces; staircases, study/book nooks, mosaic tile floors, lamps, typical Venetian furniture...They even had Venetian blinds on the windows!
No surprise, but we got a very late start to our day. While Andrea got ready and packed, I returned to the fish market and floating produce stand to snap some photos. I continue to be amazed at how everyday chores we think nothing of on land are done differently (and in a very "every day way") in Venice by the Venetians. On land, a truck delivers boxes of merchandise to the back of a shop directly into a store room. In Venice, that same chore has a few added steps of labor dictated by the transfer onto and off of relatively small delivery boats. Trash? Specialized trash boats ply the water to pick up rubbish bins thst must be wheeled to the waterway.
I also visited Ca Rezzonico, a palace next door to Palazzo Stern. It demonstrates how a noble Venetian family lived in the 1500-1800s period of the Venetian Republic. Tiepolo and Colonna painted four of the frescoed ceiling vaults, and the examples of furniture, painting, flooring...were exquisite examples of the Baroque period. I zipped through very quickly, not even making it to the second piano (floor) so that I might collect Andrea and mush on with our day.
We rushed through the Doge's Palace, and I personally could have spent at least another hour there, which is how Andrea felt about St. Mark's basilica. It was 5:00 pm by the time we arrived at the Accademia, primarily to see the above mentioned Veronese, but also to see the Titians, Tiepolos, Giorgiones and Bellinis, several about which Andrea teaches.
At 6:15, we left to pick up some sandwiches and drinks to take on the train. We retrieved our bags at the hotel, hopped on another vaporetto and arrived at Santa Lucia train station with 30 minutes to spare.
Looking forward, we expect our first day in Paris to be a little weird; lack of sound sleep will inevitably color the day. Alors, toute a l'heure!
PS-Andrea submitted a correction to my Burano blog; the snippet of lace she purchased is not from the 1800s, but the 1600s! How can something so delicate be so durable?
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
BURANO - VENICE DAY 2
We slept in this morning, catching up on some much needed rest. Around 9:20 am, we experienced an earthquake (5.8 on the Richter scale), the second significant one in Italy in two weeks. The crystal chandelier in our room contined to sway for five minutes. An aftershock was felt some 60 minutes later. We were told by the comcierge at 1:00 pm that 10 people were killed in Modense, a town about 90 minutes west and north of Venice.
Our day was spent travelling by vaporetto to the island of Burano, out i the northern part of the Venetian lagoon. Burano is famed as a fishing village and its lace, which is the reason we came. Andrea loved the lace museum! About 8 elderly woman were making lace work in the museum, which is no longer an industry as it once was, but a craft still practiced by many women on the island. After the museum, Andrea spent a lot of time shopping, and in Lydia's, she bought a piece of antique lace from the early 1800s. We also bought a handmade lace tablecloth, which I hope will become a family heirloom.
The purchase was in lieu of a gondola ride, which while far less expensive than the gondodla ride, is tactile and will last much longer.
We strolled the picturesque island of some 3,000 inhabitants and settled on a restaurant on Via Gallupi, the main street. I had mussels steamed in garlic and lemon and fried calamari. Andrea had a cheese plate (the parmesan and some kind of blue cheese were great) and a lasagne. Some house red wine with dinner was followed by lemon ciello before we caught the boat-bus back to Venice (which is where I am writing this on the stern of the boat, watching the foamy wake behind me.
Below are some more photos from today (maybe, this darned computer...)
PS - Andrea wins! She beat me back to the hotel, which is a good thing, because by the time we both returned at 10:00 p.m., a huge thunder, lightning and rain storm hit. It is beautiful looking out at it on the Grand Canal.
PPS - This may be the last blog posting for several days, because we check out tomorrow and take the overnight train to Paris, arriving there Thursday morning.
Our day was spent travelling by vaporetto to the island of Burano, out i the northern part of the Venetian lagoon. Burano is famed as a fishing village and its lace, which is the reason we came. Andrea loved the lace museum! About 8 elderly woman were making lace work in the museum, which is no longer an industry as it once was, but a craft still practiced by many women on the island. After the museum, Andrea spent a lot of time shopping, and in Lydia's, she bought a piece of antique lace from the early 1800s. We also bought a handmade lace tablecloth, which I hope will become a family heirloom.
The purchase was in lieu of a gondola ride, which while far less expensive than the gondodla ride, is tactile and will last much longer.
We strolled the picturesque island of some 3,000 inhabitants and settled on a restaurant on Via Gallupi, the main street. I had mussels steamed in garlic and lemon and fried calamari. Andrea had a cheese plate (the parmesan and some kind of blue cheese were great) and a lasagne. Some house red wine with dinner was followed by lemon ciello before we caught the boat-bus back to Venice (which is where I am writing this on the stern of the boat, watching the foamy wake behind me.
Below are some more photos from today (maybe, this darned computer...)
PS - Andrea wins! She beat me back to the hotel, which is a good thing, because by the time we both returned at 10:00 p.m., a huge thunder, lightning and rain storm hit. It is beautiful looking out at it on the Grand Canal.
PPS - This may be the last blog posting for several days, because we check out tomorrow and take the overnight train to Paris, arriving there Thursday morning.
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| On the vaporetto to Burano |
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| One of Andrea's favorites at the lace museum |
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| Lace work ladies at the museum |
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| She is 96 years young and still stitching |
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| Merletto means lace |
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| Beautiful Burano |
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| Very picturesque |
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| Typical house. Andrea loved the color. |
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| For Vixen, per Andrea |
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| Mean ol' Mr. Wilson |
DAY ONE VENICE PHOTOS
While Palazzo Stern is a beautiful old building, the staff are somewhat surly and the computers are maddeningly slow while the Internet service is intermittent and unreliable. I had 12 more photos to upload, but it continues to stop half way through the upload. Ciao!
Monday, May 28, 2012
ANDREA LOVES VENICE!
When we began planning this trip, Andrea indicated no interest in visting Venice. I insisted, as I remember this as the most romantic city I had ever visited.
After we arrived this afternoon and saw it, she is now extremely glad that we came here! Every where you look is a natural post card photo.
Our hotel, Palazzo Stern, is very nice with two windows that overlook the terrazza below and the Grand Canal. It is located next to the Ca Rezzonico vaporetto stop.
We plan to go easy on ourselves the next two days and enjoy the weather and the beauty of this city while working in some cultural attractions.
I had planned to upload photos tonight of our ramblings today, but either my SD card reader is broken or the hotel computer is not reading the USB drive. Hopefully, I will be able to post a Venetian Vaporetto load of photos tomorrow!
After we arrived this afternoon and saw it, she is now extremely glad that we came here! Every where you look is a natural post card photo.
Our hotel, Palazzo Stern, is very nice with two windows that overlook the terrazza below and the Grand Canal. It is located next to the Ca Rezzonico vaporetto stop.
We plan to go easy on ourselves the next two days and enjoy the weather and the beauty of this city while working in some cultural attractions.
I had planned to upload photos tonight of our ramblings today, but either my SD card reader is broken or the hotel computer is not reading the USB drive. Hopefully, I will be able to post a Venetian Vaporetto load of photos tomorrow!
LESSONS GLEANED. LESSONS LEARNED?
I woke up ealy this morning, fretting about mailing the big box of items we are sending back to the States. Around 7:45, I went downstairs to address it and tape it up, expecting the post office to open at 8:00 am. Massimo at the reception desk helped me, and I headed out about 8:05. By 8:10, I was at the post office, only to find it opens at 8:30. So I whiled away the time, thinking about on all my previous trips to Europe, I would be amazed at the little differences that define Western Europe to me. The USA and Western Europe have roads, buildings, signs... But here in Italy (like in France and Germany) the streets and sidewalks are smaller, narrower, and constructed on the star basis developed centuries ago, as opposed to the grid basis in the States developed within the past 250 years, where the pavement is asphalt or concrete, wider and just plain larger to accommodate our larger vehicles operating in a vaster landscape.
The signs, too, communicate similar messages, but their designs and coloring give them a distinction from their American counter parts. There are sounds on the street that are uniquely European, such as the vroom of the motor scooters zipping through traffic, the ringing of bicycle bells and of course the shouts in Italian. When people greet one another on the street, they embrace and kiss both cheeks. Me personally, I am often reluctant to shake hands in these days of contagion! And the smells are different. There is, to me, something definingly European about the odors one detects on the street, from the much more widely used scent of diesel mixing with omnipresent cigarette smoke, wafts emanating from restaurants and bakeries to the strange, disorienting mix of perfumed men and women with the malodorous stench of sewerage.
The lesson learned is that this time abroad, all those differences I would be enlargening in mind as an outsider, I am not feeling. Sure, IQ have now been to Europe many times now, but even in 2006 before I met up with Lex and we travelled, I felt an excitement or anxiety about these things. This time, I do not, and I attribute this sense of ease and security to Andrea, of being part of a couple rather than a lone outsider.
While I was the first person outside the door of the small, neighborhood post office, I let the others who arrived after me go in first; partly because I knew my business would take longer than simply buying stamps, but also so I could observe the routine inside.
With some help from an older gentleman, I realized everyone goes first to an automated machine that dispatches a number based on the service being requested. For instance, I ended up getting #1 because I was shipping a package. I ad it to being confused about this, and again the gent had to push me up to the window. Had an Italian with as much English as I have Italian language skills gone to the Chippewa USPS branch in South Bend, thw transaction would have never been completed. However, the cute woman behind the counter not only understood my butchered Italian, she was able to respond in English far superior to my Italian. The box weighed almost 13 Kg, slightly more than 28 pounds, and cost 73€ (about what I would have estimated for the package to arrive in about 20 days). I then ordered 40 gli francobigli (stamps) for Andrea's postcards, and they cost 64€!
Per usual, we were running behind schedule and ordered a taxi to the train station. Because we are getting low on Euros, I wantedto stop by the ATM on Via El Prato. But, there was ridiculous, abnormal traffic (probably due to an accident) that had traffic backed up like I have never seen on this continent. That, along with my mistimed request to go by the ATM, jeopardized our making the train. As Andrea often says of me, "penny wise, pound foolish." The cab ride ended up costing 22€ and taking 25 minutes. In that period of time, even with our bags, we could have walked it! All because I wanted to save the ATM service fee of $5-10 by going to the BNL D'Italia bancomat!
We are on the train to Venice as I write this. We just pulled away from Bologna and are in the flat farmlands of north cental Italy.
The signs, too, communicate similar messages, but their designs and coloring give them a distinction from their American counter parts. There are sounds on the street that are uniquely European, such as the vroom of the motor scooters zipping through traffic, the ringing of bicycle bells and of course the shouts in Italian. When people greet one another on the street, they embrace and kiss both cheeks. Me personally, I am often reluctant to shake hands in these days of contagion! And the smells are different. There is, to me, something definingly European about the odors one detects on the street, from the much more widely used scent of diesel mixing with omnipresent cigarette smoke, wafts emanating from restaurants and bakeries to the strange, disorienting mix of perfumed men and women with the malodorous stench of sewerage.
The lesson learned is that this time abroad, all those differences I would be enlargening in mind as an outsider, I am not feeling. Sure, IQ have now been to Europe many times now, but even in 2006 before I met up with Lex and we travelled, I felt an excitement or anxiety about these things. This time, I do not, and I attribute this sense of ease and security to Andrea, of being part of a couple rather than a lone outsider.
While I was the first person outside the door of the small, neighborhood post office, I let the others who arrived after me go in first; partly because I knew my business would take longer than simply buying stamps, but also so I could observe the routine inside.
With some help from an older gentleman, I realized everyone goes first to an automated machine that dispatches a number based on the service being requested. For instance, I ended up getting #1 because I was shipping a package. I ad it to being confused about this, and again the gent had to push me up to the window. Had an Italian with as much English as I have Italian language skills gone to the Chippewa USPS branch in South Bend, thw transaction would have never been completed. However, the cute woman behind the counter not only understood my butchered Italian, she was able to respond in English far superior to my Italian. The box weighed almost 13 Kg, slightly more than 28 pounds, and cost 73€ (about what I would have estimated for the package to arrive in about 20 days). I then ordered 40 gli francobigli (stamps) for Andrea's postcards, and they cost 64€!
Per usual, we were running behind schedule and ordered a taxi to the train station. Because we are getting low on Euros, I wantedto stop by the ATM on Via El Prato. But, there was ridiculous, abnormal traffic (probably due to an accident) that had traffic backed up like I have never seen on this continent. That, along with my mistimed request to go by the ATM, jeopardized our making the train. As Andrea often says of me, "penny wise, pound foolish." The cab ride ended up costing 22€ and taking 25 minutes. In that period of time, even with our bags, we could have walked it! All because I wanted to save the ATM service fee of $5-10 by going to the BNL D'Italia bancomat!
We are on the train to Venice as I write this. We just pulled away from Bologna and are in the flat farmlands of north cental Italy.
Sunday, May 27, 2012
OGGI I FIRENZE
Andrea may be approaching the museum saturation point, and Will is already there.
Our legs and feet are tired despite always being surprised at the great things we are seeing every day.
Today, we slept in a little and were the last ones out of the breakfast parlor. On the bus, Andrea helped a Russian couple who spoke no Italian and "po Inglesi" figure out how to get where they wanted to go. She has had several occassions to use her Russian, such as yesterday at lunch when she commented to a young family on how pretty and sweet their little girl was.
We headed up to Galleria della Accademia, a national museum where Michaelangelo's David is housed. We have experienced no lines to date, and our Firenze Card has expedited our entrances to the attractions. Not today. There was a substantial line waiting to enter la Accademia. We chatted with fellow Americans as we stood in line for about 30 minutes. For once, our guidebooks were correct when they stated there would be a line, and that it would be worth the wait.
Andrea had goose pimples when she entered the specially-constructed hall for the behemoth statue. We slowly approached, taking in its size and importance to the world of art history. Andrea expounded on the facts of the statue, pointing out interesting details, as we circled David twice. We quickly trekked through the rest of the museum, viewing works on display by Giotto (Giovanni del Biondi) and by the works of members of his school, including Gaddi and Daddi. There were some nice videos of how the works were originally created and how the works have been restored. I was pleased to see some more work by Bronzoni, one of my own newfound artists.
In the sculpture room, I learned of the work by sculptor Lorenzo Bartolini and Luigi Pampaloni. Andrea may have found her next area of academic pursuit; Russians who came to Italy in the early to mid 1800s and who were influenced by the art they saw first hand.
Cognizant of the time and our museum fatigue, we circled back to say goodbye to David before journeying across the River Arno. We first hit the Brancacci Chapel at Santa Maria del Carmine. Again, Andrea had goose bumps when she entered the small space reserved for the wall frescoes in this working church. She teaches about Masaccio in class and had a smile on her face the entire time.
From there, we grabbed a quick bite to eat: a Coke Zero for me (all my expanding tummy can take after our big breakfasts) and Andrea had her usual cheese and salami sandwich with a coffee. From there, it was a short walk to Chiesa Santo Spirito to see this church designed by Brunelleschi. I was fascinated by the family chapels which display paintings and sculptures by famous artists commissioned by the families to memorialize their progenitors, including a work by Pampaloni.
From there, it was a short walk to the Palazzo Pitti, a huge structure built by the Pittis, rivals of the Medicis until the Medicis pushed them out and took over the palazzo. The room decorations and ceiling art rival the works by the famous artists on the walls. The Boboli Gardens are part of the palace grounds, but while we tried to hurry through the rooms, the gardens were closed by the time we exited the vast halls.
We strolled down toward the Ponte Vecchio, window shopping along the way. On the other side of the river, we entered the Salvatore Ferragamo store, the brand's flagship store, and once again Andrea tried on several pairs of shoes to no avail. They were all too wide for Cinderella's narrow feet.
We walked up to La Maida, a restaurant recommended by the Ojai couple a few days ago. While not terrible, it was not the culinary fete they had described, and after some questionable service (that's Will's opinion), we walked home to pack up books no longer needed and some items acquired over the past 12 days to ship back to the States. We'll carry the 50+ pound box to post office in the morning before getting on the train to Venezia.
Hope everyone is having a good, long Memorial Day weekend! Below are random photos from today. Ciao!
Our legs and feet are tired despite always being surprised at the great things we are seeing every day.
Today, we slept in a little and were the last ones out of the breakfast parlor. On the bus, Andrea helped a Russian couple who spoke no Italian and "po Inglesi" figure out how to get where they wanted to go. She has had several occassions to use her Russian, such as yesterday at lunch when she commented to a young family on how pretty and sweet their little girl was.
We headed up to Galleria della Accademia, a national museum where Michaelangelo's David is housed. We have experienced no lines to date, and our Firenze Card has expedited our entrances to the attractions. Not today. There was a substantial line waiting to enter la Accademia. We chatted with fellow Americans as we stood in line for about 30 minutes. For once, our guidebooks were correct when they stated there would be a line, and that it would be worth the wait.
Andrea had goose pimples when she entered the specially-constructed hall for the behemoth statue. We slowly approached, taking in its size and importance to the world of art history. Andrea expounded on the facts of the statue, pointing out interesting details, as we circled David twice. We quickly trekked through the rest of the museum, viewing works on display by Giotto (Giovanni del Biondi) and by the works of members of his school, including Gaddi and Daddi. There were some nice videos of how the works were originally created and how the works have been restored. I was pleased to see some more work by Bronzoni, one of my own newfound artists.
In the sculpture room, I learned of the work by sculptor Lorenzo Bartolini and Luigi Pampaloni. Andrea may have found her next area of academic pursuit; Russians who came to Italy in the early to mid 1800s and who were influenced by the art they saw first hand.
Cognizant of the time and our museum fatigue, we circled back to say goodbye to David before journeying across the River Arno. We first hit the Brancacci Chapel at Santa Maria del Carmine. Again, Andrea had goose bumps when she entered the small space reserved for the wall frescoes in this working church. She teaches about Masaccio in class and had a smile on her face the entire time.
From there, we grabbed a quick bite to eat: a Coke Zero for me (all my expanding tummy can take after our big breakfasts) and Andrea had her usual cheese and salami sandwich with a coffee. From there, it was a short walk to Chiesa Santo Spirito to see this church designed by Brunelleschi. I was fascinated by the family chapels which display paintings and sculptures by famous artists commissioned by the families to memorialize their progenitors, including a work by Pampaloni.
From there, it was a short walk to the Palazzo Pitti, a huge structure built by the Pittis, rivals of the Medicis until the Medicis pushed them out and took over the palazzo. The room decorations and ceiling art rival the works by the famous artists on the walls. The Boboli Gardens are part of the palace grounds, but while we tried to hurry through the rooms, the gardens were closed by the time we exited the vast halls.
We strolled down toward the Ponte Vecchio, window shopping along the way. On the other side of the river, we entered the Salvatore Ferragamo store, the brand's flagship store, and once again Andrea tried on several pairs of shoes to no avail. They were all too wide for Cinderella's narrow feet.
We walked up to La Maida, a restaurant recommended by the Ojai couple a few days ago. While not terrible, it was not the culinary fete they had described, and after some questionable service (that's Will's opinion), we walked home to pack up books no longer needed and some items acquired over the past 12 days to ship back to the States. We'll carry the 50+ pound box to post office in the morning before getting on the train to Venezia.
Hope everyone is having a good, long Memorial Day weekend! Below are random photos from today. Ciao!
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| Maccagio's Brancacci Chapel frescoes |
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| Piazza in front of Santo Spirito |
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| Andrea about to enter the Palazzo Pitti |
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| Courtyard inside the Pitti Palace |
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| View of Boboli Gardens through the closed gate |
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| A poser on Ponte Vecchio |
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| Ponte Vecchio late Sunday afternoon |
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| "I came all the way to Italy to shop at Ferragamo's, and all I got was a pair of try-on hose!" |
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| C3 bus just barely fits the street (fuzzy because I had to move before the bus ran me over) |
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| Santa Maria del Carmine, home of the Brancacci Chapel (the good stuff is inside) |
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| Peering into the Boboli Gardens |
Saturday, May 26, 2012
MORE THAN SATISFACTORY SATURDAY
Without going into a lot of verbiage today, I will attempt to capture today's busy and satisfying day mostly in photos. So here goes...
But first, we started at the Bargello, once a prison and court rolled into one, now the home of Donatello's David (s) and some Michaelangelos. It was here that I thought Andrea may come to blows with a woman leading a small group and whose telling of stories definitely out of school got Andrea's goat. The "facts" this woman related were so off base that it was well after lunch until Andrea could settle down. And it was not until dinner with Dr. Roger Crum who confirmed Andrea's facts that our dear Dr. Rusnock could finally be at ease.
But first, we started at the Bargello, once a prison and court rolled into one, now the home of Donatello's David (s) and some Michaelangelos. It was here that I thought Andrea may come to blows with a woman leading a small group and whose telling of stories definitely out of school got Andrea's goat. The "facts" this woman related were so off base that it was well after lunch until Andrea could settle down. And it was not until dinner with Dr. Roger Crum who confirmed Andrea's facts that our dear Dr. Rusnock could finally be at ease.
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| On top of Duomo, Thursday, May 24, 2012 |
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| Florence performing arts center outside our hotel window |
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| Bargello courtyard where Donatello's first and second David's are presented |
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| Andrea in the Bargello courtyard. Potentates' coat of arms on the walls. |
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| Ponte Vecchio over the River Arno from a distance |
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| San Lorenzo. We visited the sacristy in the back where the Medicis are entombed and where there Michaelangelo sculpted the statuary for their resting places. |
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| Santa Croce church, a virtual treasure trove of art history finds and final resting place for quite a few famous Italians throughout history. |
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| Gallileo's tomb at Santa Croce. |
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| The romanesque arches inside Santa Croce. |
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| Giotto frescoes near the altar. Relics of St. Francis d'Assis are also in this church. |
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| Pazzi Chapel unfinished by Brunelleschi on the grounds of Santa Croce. |
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| Inside the Pazzi Chapel. |
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| The tomb of Michaelangelo at Santa Croce. His house is just a few blocks away. |
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| C3 mini bus we take to get around Florence. Small to navigate the narrow streets of old Florence. |
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| Santa Maria Novella church and plaza on Saturday night, May 26. |
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| Dr. Crum and Guiseppe, owner of La Spada Ristorante near Piazza Santa Maria Novella. |
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| Gelato Festival in Florence May 26, 2012. |
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| The PhDs! Drs. Roger Crum and Andrea Rusnock, May 26, 2012. |
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