Pat and I are now well into our almost two-month European trip with a visit from our son Ross. My plan is to get my blog up to date in the next 2-3 posts. We are having a great time but at the same time on a relaxed pace since we have plenty of time to explore.
Trip Recap
Just as a reminder, our plan is to spend a month in Florence, Italy, with a few side trips. Then on to Spain for a week, and then onto a cruise ship to explore more of Spain, then an Atlantic crossing to Florida. Finally, after a few days in FL, we fly back to Virginia.
Travel Day
The trip over was worse than normal although limited experience. All in one long day, a short flight from Roanoke, VA, to Washington DC, lunch at the airport, then long 8.5 hours flight to Frankfort, Germany, then a 1.5-hour flight to Florence. The long overnight flight would normally include a couple of in-flight movies, dinner, and a couple hours of sleep. But we had four very unhappy babies in our section who cried continually. And one behind my seat! Ugh!
On the plus side, all flights were on time, and we had minimal turbulence. We arrived in some light rain in Florence and took a cab from the airport to the apartment. 38 euro. Francesca, the apartment manager, was there to pleasantly greet us and provide a walkthrough and how to operate everything in the 2.5-bedroom, third floor apartment. It has stairs and an elevator. We are trying to avoid the elevator except when carrying a bunch of stuff.
Our first order of business was to eat some lunch at a pizza place called Trattoria Simbiosi, Then back to the place to wait for the arrival of our son Ross, who took a later flight.
Duomo Tour
We are on a tourist sort of pace during the 10 days of our son’s visit. The first up was a walking tour of the old city and then the Duomo and cathedral by a guide who explained everything very well over the 4-hour tour. It was 463 stairs to the top of Duomo!
Pat and I saw both of these last year but only from the outside. We could spend a little more time this year, since we were not on a timetable.
From Wiki: Florence Cathedral, formally the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Flower, is the cathedral of the Catholic Archdiocese of Florence. It was begun in 1296 in the Gothic style to a design of Arnolfo di Cambio and was structurally completed by 1436, with the dome engineered by Filippo Brunelleschi. The exterior of the basilica is faced with polychrome marble panels in various shades of green and pink, bordered by white, and has an elaborate 19th-century Gothic Revival façade by Emilio De Fabris.
Wrap Up
More on my thoughts on the culture, city, and general Italian vibe in the next post and we are on to Cinque Terre for three days. But, before I close, the food has all been phenomenal! I have had some sort of pasta and wine daily and with all the walking, I have somehow lost four pounds! (That info was for Mike). This is a very walkable city, and we are averaging about five miles a day. Thanks for following along and God Bless.
Looks like a great start to a fabulous vacation! I hope you had some headphones for that 4 baby flight! Thanks for the update and looking forward to your future adventures!
Thanks Mike! Yes, we have the Bose noise cancelling headphones, but even they have their limits!