The Adventures of Team H

Our wake-up call was for 6 a.m., but we did not get up. Finally, we got up around 7. Lucky us -- ten minutes more and we would have missed the last train to Florence until 10 p.m. We did not know where the train station was, how we would get there, or whether we needed to validate our Eurail passes before boarding. To say we were winging it would be an understatement. After a little misplaced (thankfully, not stolen) ipod drama, the woman at the hotel front desk called us a taxi.

One look at the departures-arrivals screen revealed we were two minutes away from missing the last train of the morning (or the afternoon or early early evening, for that matter), which was idling on track 5. I vaguely remembered from my last trip to Europe that the rail system is somewhat informal and that we might be fine if we just boarded. I started running toward the track (it was very dramatic), hoping Eric would just trust me on this one.

After the first stop, we got two seats together and were travelling in comfort, despite the fact I was still concerned we might be on a car destined to split off and head for who-knows-where instead of Florence. Everything ended up fine in the end. We discovered that we should have indeed validated the tickets, but the conductor gave us no trouble. Also, the entire train was headed to Florence. The only problem was that the trip took three hours when it was supposed to take an hour and a half. We were starving and thirsty because we had not planned for such a long trip and grew increasingly frustrated with each stop (not to mention the extremely physical teenage couple that sat in front of us halfway through the ride). We still do not know what happened!

Sleeping under frescoes

The hotel was a few blocks walk from the station (again, a lucky break). If you ever stay in Florence, you have to stay at the Hotel Burchianti. It is as comfortable as it is beautiful ... there is an original 15th century fresco on the domed ceiling in our room. The scene is hard to describe ... all I can say is there are cherubs, a family, clouds, and a tiger.

Once we settled in, we headed out for lunch and to get the lay of the land. After pizza, calzone, and chianti from a Tuscan region we had passed not more than two hours prior on the train (Figlene), we were at Santa Maria del Fiore within ten minutes of walking. Pictures do not do justice to the scale of the tower and the Duomo. We wandered all around the piazza, just staring up at the structures. We got in a line we thought might be to climb the dome and were entertained by a truly talented street performer. Eric took video; when we get it up on the blog, you have to watch it. We did not really know what to expect, but we were soon climbing in excess of 460 steps spiraling upward in a narrow column. We got to the top of the dome interior, where we got a closer look at the heaven-hell painting all around. We were surprised to learn that there were more steps to climb after circling the dome. At the top of the stairs was an outdoor balcony. At first it was scary especially since I was dizzy from climbing the spiral steps, but the view was unbelievable (again, I cant do it justice, and neither can our pictures). It was all a wonderful accident.

Leather goods and shiny things

After that, I figured we would just set out in the direction of the river. That took us through the shopping district and straight into some serious crowds. I was annoyed, but could not resist the outdoor markets. For those of you who are counting, I have already bought two purses (I probably will not be buying any more, it just cost me 98€ to ship everything home, but that is a story for another day). We did finally make it down to the Arno and the Ponte Vecchio. I was both disappointed and delighted. The bridge itself was more enclosed than I had envisioned, but the whole thing is filled with jewery shops! Of course the crowds -- and the scornful look on Erics face -- stopped me from going inside any of them.

We are just a little bit north of Rome, but already it is much, much colder. As we were forced back to the hotel by the cold, I stopped off for some leather gloves. I was getting worried because we still have much further north to go, we both bought warmer coats today, so things should be manageable for at least a while (all bets are off in Prague).

Today, we went the the Gallery Accademia (sp. -- this is costing me 4€ an hour at the Internet cafe, you will have to forgive any mistakes) and the Uffizi. We got to the Accademia as it opened. Because we had the place to ourselves for the first ten minutes, we decided to race right to the David. One of the better ideas I have had this trip. I will be honest, I sometimes get bored looking at art (I like what I like and have not yet learned to truly appreciate the rest), but I could have looked at David all day. The space, lighting and treatment (not to mention, ample room to sit) they give the most prominent works probably help. Overall, it was an impressive museum. It is a manageable size and the crowds were small, so we really enjoyed ourselves.

Confessions of a carnivore

I have a confession to make. After we left, we stopped into a McDonalds. We didnt just go in for cappucino. We didnt even use the restroom (as we have done there so many times over the last week -- it is one of the only reliable places to find a restroom). We had a buy-one-get-one-free coupon for the Big Mac. I will leave you to picture what happened next. We are not proud.

Our bellies full of ground beef (or whatever they make those patties out of), delicious secret sauce, and the first onions I have had all week (do Italians not cook with onions?), we headed again to the river to get to the Uffizi. The Uffizi is a test of endurance. We had reservations, but it took some time to find Door 3, where we would exchange those for tickets. There was a line to do this. Then, it took time to find Door 1, where we would supposedly gain entrance. There was a line at Door 1 just to be told to go to Door 2, where, you guessed it, there was a line. Then, there was a line for the metal detector, which comes in second to the airport for screening rigor -- we had to remove our coats and scarves. Then we reached an entrance where we showed our tickets and thought we were in. Then, there were four or five flights of stairs before we had to show our tickets again. But Boticelli made it (and the exceptionally rude employees) all worth it. Having spent some time on Boticelli in UCSD art history classes (Its a fact: Art History was the only subject I ever got an A in in college), I was really looking forward to "Birth of Venus" but was delighted to rediscover "Spring." Needless to say, they sold enough Boticelli schwag to appropriately extend the hapy half hour I spent taking those two works in. Other standouts were Titian and Caravaggio (why do I love the Medusa so?).

There is lots more to say, but my pre-paid hour at the Internet cafe is coming to a close and I am looking forward to some hot bean soup and (a Tuscan specialty, so I read) and more chianti. Tomorrow, we go to Fiesole. Ciao!