We slept much better last night. I was still up a little later than I wanted, but we both felt well rested. Breakfast was good. I suppose I should add more fruit or something healthier, but for some reason, those sweets just call my name…
We gather in the lobby of the Hotel Ala at 8:15 per Sara. We are told we are taking a water taxi instead of the vaparreto; much easier. Apparently the vaparreto that early in the morning would have take over an hour to get to the mainland. The water taxi was supposed to arrive at the hotel, but apparently they got stuck behind a larger boat. So we walked a short distance to meet them on the Grand Canal.
The water taxi is definitely the way to go to see Venice. Not a cost efficient option, but much better views and not as noisy. It was about a 15 minute ride to the transfer station to pick up the bus. Sara had received a call from Sauro who told her the bus wouldn’t start this morning. When we reached the terminal; she went to search out the bus situation. We waited about 30 minutes; upon her return, we learned the bus was running again! Sara handled it all with aplomb; as it if happened every day.
We pile on the bus, say good morning to Sauro and settle into our seats. Sara begins the chat about Florence and the plan for today and tomorrow. The only worry is the Uffize gallery. The workers there may or may not be on strike tomorrow when we are supposed to visit. Mom is disappointed because that’s the main sight she wanted to see in Florence (she has seen most others on her previous visit. We wont know until tomorrow if we get to go in or not. But Sara came round and chatted with us all individually to see what our plans were and offer suggestions if needed.
As we are leaving the terminal, we see some Gondoliers rowing right next to the bridge we upon which we are traveling. As we learned at Franco’s shop yesterday they are probably practicing for the races.
We had a snack and bathroom break at another nice place on the AutoStrada. Mom found a “Coke light” (not as good as Diet Coke she assured me) and a snack bar that looked like it belongs to a squirrel, not a human. I found a protein bar and some cold water. I can’t believe I was hungry again! But Sara assured us we would need fuel for the afternoon ahead. More walking!
We arrived in Florence around 1PM. In typical fashion, we are dropped off about 1/2 mile from the hotel in a scramble in the middle of a side street. We grab our bags and start dragging them down the sidewalk. It takes us about 15 minutes to get to the hotel. The name of the hotel is Hotel California.
When we arrive, not all of our rooms are ready. So we drop our bags and split up. Mom and I walked to a local market about 6 blocks away with Shirley and Margaret from the group. Lots and lots of leather here in Florence. Apparently it’s their thing. Also inventing gelato was another one of their things.
Walking back to the hotel around 2:30 and our rooms are ready. We freshen up and meet Sara and the group back downstairs at 3:30 to commence our 2 hour walking tour. A short walk around the Duomo and a gelato revives our spirits and we are ready to take on David.
The Acedemia Museum is about a block from our hotel. It’s a small museum compared to some of the others, but the show stopper is Michelangelo’s David. 17 feet in height and carved out of one piece of marble. Truly a wonder. And apparently Michelangelo was in his early 20s when he carved it. Quite amazing for sure.
After viewing David, Mom and I went back to the room and I washed a few pieces of clothing for tomorrow. I’ve been wearing the same pair of pants for 3 days now and they can almost stand on their own. My final chore of the evening will be to put a hair dryer to them.
At 7:15 we gather to walk to the restaurant for dinner. It’s about an 8 minute walk, but of course we are slow because there are always stragglers. We get there and are seated at three tables. Sara introduces us to the owner/chef, and his assistant.
Our first course is 3 different kinds of pasta. Penne, ravioli, and gnocchi. I preferred the gnocchi overall, Promised myself I would not eat it all, but it couldn’t be helped. So very good!
The next course was a small salad. Just a little basalmic vinegar was all that was needed. I just keep telling myself…pacing is everything.
As we are finishing our salads, the chef rolls out a cart with a huge piece of beef on it. And he lights it on fire! We didn’t know this would be happening. Fire for dinner…neat!
The chef proceeds to slice up the rack of meat and everyone (except the vegetarians) had a slice. It was pretty rare in the middle, so I just ate around that part. It had excellent flavor. Served with the beef was roasted potatoes.
Finally, a dessert cart is rolled out. We had choice of one (or two) from a cart full of sweets. I opted for the Tiramisu and Profiteroles. Mom had just the Almond Cake. All were delicious!
And of course, to finish up the evening, there was limoncello or grappa. The limoncello was delicious, and quite strong. It was served in tiny frozen glasses.
We followed Sara back to the hotel. I can’t believe how crowded the streets are at night…and it’s a Thursday! I can’t image tomorrow night! Turning in now…another busy day tomorrow!
Buon Notte!
