I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free."---Michelangelo
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Day 11
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Florence |
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First thing in the morning we arrived at the Uffizi, met up with our guide, and prepared to be wow'd again. But first, a museum workers strike. Just as the museum doors opened for the day they were immediately shut again and we were told to come back in two hours. A two hour strike? Apparently in Italy this is very common. Caterina set us free for a couple hours and when we met up again we were first in line and got right inside. During our unexpected hiatus we took a walk along the Arno, crossed the Ponte Vecchio, peaked inside the Palazzo Vecchio, and relaxed amongst the many
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sculptures in the Loggia dei Lanzi, including David's personal favorite a rather gruesome bronze by Cellini. Maybe it's a guy thing. And if I remember correctly we found a gelateria we hadn't visited yet and indulged in some chocolate and pistachio heaven. We spied a few really unique cars, did a little window shopping, and took a couple dozen more photos. Maybe David and I should figure out how we can go on strike ourselves now and then.
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"Art is never finished, only abandoned."--Leonardo Da Vinci
The Uffizi
Once inside the Uffizi our guide directed us toward the Italian Renaissance section bypassing room after room of priceless art. You might need a lifetime to see and appreciate the entire collection so we hurried along to glimpse just the highlights. Quite businesslike on the outside, the Uffizi was quite beautiful inside. The ceilings and floors were lavishly decorated. The walls were covered in tapestries and frescoes. The hallways were lined with huge windows affording great views of the Arno. We reached our destination and were shown the Renaissance headliners, Botticelli, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphel, and others. And to think, I wrote term papers on these guys. Amazing!
Did you know? In northern Italy last names tend to end with an "i", while those in the south tend to end with an "o". The most common surname in Italy is Russo.
On our own in Florence
By the time we left the Uffizi the sky was getting darker by the minute. David and I went back to the hotel to grab our raincoats, but before we could leave and continue our adventure the sky fell in. The rain began pounding, the wind was howling, and finally the hail came down. Buckets and buckets of hail were being blown sideways pounding against the windows and almost instantly filling the curbs with cannellini bean sized ice. It cracked the window in our hotel room, flooded the low lying shops and cafes, and provided plenty of ammunition for the school kids that had just gotten out of class. In the streets we saw downed trees, collapsed rain gutters, and fallen brick. At our farewell dinner we each shared our hail storm experiences and the funniest story was about a group of tourists on Segways that were stuck in the middle of the street with their wheels spinning aimlessly on the ice. Apparently this was quite an unusual occurrence in Florence and caused a lot of damage city wide. You can YouTube "Hail storm in Florence, September 2014" and see dozens of videos.
The skies cleared quickly after the storm so off we went, gingerly navigating our way over the icy streets. This was our last day in Florence, the last day of our Rick Steves tour, and we still had a few places to see.
Farewell Dinner
So here we are at our final group dinner, looking back on all we had experienced, all the fun we had, and all the friends we made. We exchanged email addresses, set up a photo bucket account, and said "Arrividerchi". Most of us were not going home just yet. We were headed to other Italian destinations like Venice, Siena, Assisi, or back to Lucca and Rome. We were all a little tired, but truly inspired by all the beauty, history, culture, food, and fun these past few days threw at us. We took our group photo in front of the Florence Cathedral and once again broke into song. This time a tipsy rendition of "Happy Trails". We couldn't have done it without Caterina, but ironically we all agreed that in the end she had taught us the necessary skills to become independent travelers after all. A truly remarkable accomplishment.
"Happy Trails to you, until we meet again. Happy trails to you, keep smilin' until then."---Roy Rogers and Dale Evans
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Holly & David: San Diego, California
Brian & Josie: Ann Arbor, Michigan The six pack: Diane & Mike, Barb & Joe, Cindy & Leon: Roseburg, Oregon Lowell, Joan, & Frank: Honolulu, Hawaii Andy & Michelle: Hattisburg, Mississippi Jackie & Chris, Tony & Janet: Houston, Texas area Kathy, Glenn & Rosemary: Mariposa, California Felix & Verna: Garden Grove, California Garnet & Margaret: Victoria, Canada Kathy & Leon, (sorry I can't remember) Caterina: Oregon and Italy |
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Andiamo Italia
With gasoline at $9.00 per gallon, these funky little electric cars just might be the way to go, if you can fit inside.
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Along the Way:
After the storm we stopped for lunch and ordered a CocaCola Light. We got the biggest glass of soda we've ever seen. There must have been at least a half gallon in that huge goblet. And it cost more than a bottle of wine. |
In Hindsight: It's okay to take a nap now and then. We were so worried that we'd miss something that we continued to push ourselves to do and see everything on our "must see" list. It's important to stop and recharge the human batteries now and then. After all, we did log in nearly 57 miles of walking and we had several early mornings and late nights. Catching a few ZZZ's would have helped keep us alert and shake out the cobwebs. Besides, you know you're going back to Italy someday. You can visit those other "must see" sights on the next trip.
