Amateur Traveler: Sept. 19, 2008

Friday, September 19

Leaving Siena. Got out of bed at 4:00am! We had to catch a 4:30am cab for a 5:00am train. The doorman made me a quick espresso and we were off.

We arrived in Florence a little after 6:30am. We went to the train station bar. I had a caffe. Becky had tea. We both order a pastry. We kind of lingered at the train station for awhile as we got our bearings. Then we found our hotel and left our luggage. I started to worry that we had lingered too long, for our appointment was at 8:15am at the Uffizzi and we were supposed to be there 10 minutes early.

We rushed and we arrived right on time, but they did not open the cashiers until probably 8:25am. Anyway we did the Rick Steves’ audioguide. Becky and I shared. I liked the audioguide, it is quick and moves you through the highlights. Becky thinks they are corny. Actually they are, but I don’t mind. What is great about the Ufizzi Art Museum is that the exhibit is in chronological order, for each era it explains the importance of the art. There are some very famous pieces there. The famous Women in a Clamshell, actually a piece of soft porn for the time. You would recognize it if you saw it. It was the age of Realism!

We walked around trying to find lunch. A place recommended by Rick Steves did not seem to be open so we went to find another place back across the Ponte Vecchio, the famous bridge in Florence. The place was mobbed by tour groups. There was a Princess Cruise tour with many Americans who seemed to be rather out of touch with their surroundings. In particular I remember one American lady asking for a double cappuccino like she was at Starbucks. The cashier could simply not comprehend what she wanted. I don't think the lady was happy with the result. Generally Becky and I do not attempt to Americanize what we get. We find something close to what we like and learn to appreciate it.

After lunch we took the Renaissance walk on audio tour. It was great, except for the pouring down rain. However, the rain did not seem to reduce the number of tour groups or the massive crowds with umbrellas. The rain did not dampen our spirits, but the tour groups can take a toll.

We finally went back to the hotel. Becky took a very short nap and I did some work. Then it was off to the Accedemia Museum. We listened to another audio tour, saw Michelangelo's “The David” and went back to the hotel. We dressed for dinner and stopped at an Osteria, which is a Italian dinner cafe. What a lively place! The guy who runs the place was all over, quipping with customers who obviously enjoyed him. I had tomato creamed ravioli and sausage. We had a hard time getting dessert (they were too busy) so we left and went for Gelato. We walked around this lively but dirty city. There were lots of people out on the streets, especially at this particular bar near the Mercado. The music was just blasting. Finally the lengthy day was over and we crashed.

Impressions

Florence is a bit intense. The combination of crowds on rainy narrow streets and the filth was a bit much. It was not a cozy atmosphere. But certainly you want to see Florence for its historical importance. There were more things we could do, such as go to the top of the Duomo or the tower. But frankly we were burned-out on the Duomo/museum thing by then.

Replica of "The David" outside City Hall