Hangin' with Big Dave...

Florence, Italy

October 5 & 6, 2007
N43°46.653
E011°15.603

The Euro being at an all time high against the US Greenback isn’t keeping the Americans out of Italy! Every seat on the train from Venice to Florence was full, luggage everywhere and almost everyone was speaking English.

In fact, there was one pompous gasbag, who by Randy’s estimation didn’t shut up for more than 16 seconds the entire trip. The buffoon spoke incessantly, an expert on everything from world politics to bouillabaisse. When not babbling he hummed loud enough for everyone to enjoy, attempting to fill the void throughout the entire three hour train ride.

When the train stopped in Florence, the station was teeming with tourists. Pat, Randy, Marc and I briefly walked around the station to get our bearings and decided to grab a bus to our accommodation. We jumped on the 14C, a local bus, with our gear and headed in the opposite direction of our hotel, towards the suburbs of Florence, before we realized our mistake.

After a 25 minute tour of the Florence ‘burbs we got off the bus, crossed the street, and jumped on the 14A; now headed back towards the train station and the center of the city. After riding the bus for another 35 minutes we realized we went beyond our destination and jumped back off at the next stop. After asking for directions from a nice Italian gentleman, who obviously felt sorry for us, we realized we were about half a mile from our hotel. We opted to walk for it instead of enduring another bus. Needless to say, we were all exhausted, in need of some water and a glass of wine.

After we decompressed for a couple hours and polished off a bottle of fine Chianti, we headed out to explore the city of Florence. We decided to grab dinner at the recommended Osteria de Benci where I ordered the famous Bistecca alla Fiorentina. The tasty porterhouse steak was cooked perfectly, topped with arugula and shaved parmigiano cheese. Even though the cut of beef was succulent and tender, Argentina beef still holds the honor as best beef in the world.

Although it was a Friday night and the city was electric, we headed back to our room early to prepare ourselves for a day of exploring the streets of Florence and the Galleria dell’Accademia, where Michelangelo’s David is housed.

We didn’t really know what to expect from David, but as soon as we turned the corner in the museum we were instantly in awe over the size and artistic quality of Michelangelo’s masterpiece. The 17 ft. sculpture is the centerpiece of the museum and can be seen at almost any angle. The dome above the statue, combined with the strategically placed lighting, illuminates every curve, vein and muscle in the perfectly chiseled single piece of white marble.

It’s rumored that 30 people a day, supposedly Americans, pass out from the feelings that overwhelm them when they see the awesome sculpture. This is probably some type of urban legend, or an Italian superiority complex, who knows, but it gave us a good laugh at the end of the incredible experience. No, we didn’t see anyone pass out.

After we hung out with the Big Dave for a few hours we were all a little famished and headed to the local market. I loved the market, with all of the oils, proscuitto, olives, bread and mushrooms—it was like fifty Molinaris all under the same roof-- a food mecca.

As the market closed down for siesta, we took our goodies and headed back to our apartment after an accomplished day of sightseeing in Florence.

By the way… did you know Bouillabaisse is a traditional Provencal fish stew originating from the port city of Marseille? The French and English form bouillabaisse comes from the Provencal Occitan word bolhabaissa, a compound that consists of the two verbs bolhir (to boil) and abaissar (to reduce).

Venetian Daze...

Venice, Italy

October 4, 2007
N45°25.964
E012°19.076

The mystical city of Venice has put all of us in a daze for a few reasons. First, seeing family, Pat and Dad, for the first time in six months was exciting. We stayed up late, talked about home, drank lots of wine, and caught up on everything. Secondly, the city of Venice, with its canals, islands and beautiful buildings had an almost surreal feeling; almost like Disneyland, or maybe Disneyland for adults. It was like stimulation overload!

After exploring the Italian ghetto in Venice we jumped on a vaporetto; the local Venetians primary mode of public transportation (a poor man’s gondola ride), to see some of the outer islands. The experience was definitely more real, with a mix of locals and tourists, coasting from one pier to the next and island to island. Little old Italian ladies climbed aboard with their groceries, mothers and children ran to catch the boat, and everyone just squeezed aboard always making room. It was snapshot of local culture. It would be the equivalent of riding the 30 Stockton MUNI circuit through San Francisco.

Against better judgment from some of our friends, we stopped at the island of Murano which is known for its glass blowing. The beautiful necklaces, bracelets, earrings, plates, glasses and other souvenirs sucked me in—I had to splurge on a new piece of jewelry. Again we got lost on the island, strolling along the canals, across the bridges and occasionally stopping in the plazas for a break before we jumped back on another vaporetto back towards the main train station.

The majority of our time in Venice was spent walking aimlessly through the allies of San Marco, catching up with Dad and Pat and, overall, enjoying each other’s company; a good thing since we are with each other for a few weeks! It was really a great feeling being back in the arms of family. Also, it gives Marc and me a slight break from each other and the requirements of trying to make conversation.

Tomorrow we’ll break out of our Venice trance and depart for Florence.

How Nice... Back With Family Again!

Venice, Italy

October 2, 2007
N45°25.964
E012°19.076

The train pulled into the Santa Lucia train station in Venice right around 1:00 PM. A warm sun shined brightly as we exited the station; we spotted the Grand Canal and it was immediately obvious we where we were. The gondolas gliding down the canal, the colorful buildings in the background and crowds of people ambling over footbridges were exactly what we anticipated. Just as there would be no doubt where you were if you were looking across the bay at the Golden Gate Bridge, peering up at the Eiffel Tower or at The Statue of Liberty… there was no doubt this is Venice.

As we roamed the streets, next to the canals, over the bridges, through the tunnels and into many of San Marco’s courtyards we got happily lost. We finally found ourselves in Piazza de San Marco. The vast plaza itself was stunning. We stood in the middle of the square taking in the 360 degree views with the other tourists; also clearly impressed. The one disappointment was the white marble columns surrounding the square that were covered in a black sheath of dirt and in dire need of a thorough cleaning. We tried not to let this deter from the overall beauty of the plaza which was very striking.

The highlight of Piazza San Marco is the San Marco Basilica and the gorgeous mosaics that ascent the arches. It took a several minutes to absorb the complexity of the artistry. However, due to the sheer density of people in the crowded plaza and to get away from the pigeons that had a 3:1 advantage over the humans we made a strategic exit to less crowded alleyways. I was personally appalled and disgusted by the people feeding the pigeons, allowing them to land on their heads, arms and shoulders—they are really nothing more than rats with wings… disgusting!

After we left San Marco plaza we meandered through the fish and vegetable markets. The purveyors were closed for the day, and there were only a few workers scrubbing the cement floors in a futile attempt to remove the perfume de fish in the area. We continued aimlessly for over four hours across bridges, along canals, through alleys and courtyards until we stumbled upon a local wine shop. We figured after a hard day walking the Venetian streets we deserved a treat and purchased 1.5 liters of the local merchant’s store specialty. The gentlemen grabbed an empty plastic 1.5 liter water-bottle and filled it straight from the cask. Best of all it only cost 3.10 Euro… Ah, it’s a good thing when wine is cheaper than water!

Even though we haven’t ventured outside the island of San Marco we’re elated to be in Venice, a city I’ve dreamed about for years. Marc has been very busy snapping pictures of the canals, buildings and gondola drivers. However, after four months of being away from family, we are with family again as Dad and Pat joined us in Venice—making our visit even more sentimental.

It’s really great to be with family again!

The Bus to Strong Espresso...

Trieste, Italy

October 1, 2007
N45°38.948
E013°45.935

There was a wet chill in the air at 7:30 AM as we wandered out of the Trieste bus station. After a ten hour journey we knew our day was still far from over.

Our "day" started by catching the 1:00 PM ferry from Hvar Island to Split. We spent our final hours in Split enjoying the coastline, reading in the sun, spending our remaining Croatian Kuna, grabbing a light dinner, and basically wasting time since our overnight bus for Trieste didn’t leave Split until 9:30 PM.

I should mention the reason we opted for a bus instead of a train to Trieste is because the train system in Croatia pretty much sucks! The majority of the locals also use buses and those were our fellow passengers on the journey with us.
The ride started out uneventful. Most of our fellow travelers decided catch some ZZZ’s as soon as we pulled out of the station. Others, however, had a different idea of what they were going to do on the long bus ride—they wanted to party!

The ten hour journey was riddled with pit-stops every 30-40 minutes. At each stop a group of 3-4 young men jumped off the bus, took a piss, had a smoke, and bought another "tall boy" beer that would almost last until the next stop. After each stop they got drunker and louder; making it difficult for the civilized people on the bus to sleep. Even with headphones or earplugs jammed in our ears, we could still hear the raucous crew falling around at the back of the bus.

After each stop, when the crew rumbled back, they would pass me in my half conscious state. As their drunkenness grew, so did their stench. Beer now permeated their skin mixed with the lovely smell of sweat and cigarettes. By 3:00 AM they absolutely reeked and the smell was intolerable. I had to hold my breath as they stumbled by me. Luckily, the drunks got off of the bus around 5:00 AM when we arrived in the Croatian port town of Rijeka.

I think everyone slept a little better after the crew departed; however, we only had two hours left before we hit Trieste and there was no way to recapture our lost sleep. Needless to say, we stumbled off the bus, found our hotel, dropped our gear, and immediately started our hunt for a strong Italian espresso.