Heading home today on Air France via Paris.
Paris Airport
Ken in Florence
www.ontape.ca/americade
Friday, June 3, 2011
June 3 - Homeward Bound
Friday, June 3 - Homeward Bound
Starting on Monday - June 6th, you can follow my Americade Motorcycle trip on the blog site:
www.ontape.ca/americade
www.ontape.ca/americade
Thursday, June 2, 2011
June 2 - Florence, Italy
Thursday, June 2 - Florence, Italy
Well our 10 days in Italy is just about at the end, we fly home on Friday, so today is some last minute shopping and packing.
Charles and I are shopping at Florence by Bike, which is a very well appointed (lots of stuff) bike store. [http://www.florencebybike.it/index.php?lang=en]
Karen and Sherry are looking for shoes, so that assignment is better left to them, I can report that Sherry did find some, I think Karen is shopped out.
In the evening we have reservations at what has become one of our favourite restaurants called, Baldovino [http://www.baldovino.com/] and we have an outdoor table right on the street, behind the Santa Croce. The photo below says it all, Karen and I had a great time in Italy and especially in Florence and Siena, we are already planning a return visit, which I think will be sooner than the last one which was 2002, I can't believe it was 9 years ago that we were here, it did seam at times it was only yesterday.
Tomorrow we will head back to Canada on Air France via Paris.
Well our 10 days in Italy is just about at the end, we fly home on Friday, so today is some last minute shopping and packing.
Charles and I are shopping at Florence by Bike, which is a very well appointed (lots of stuff) bike store. [http://www.florencebybike.it/index.php?lang=en]
Karen and Sherry are looking for shoes, so that assignment is better left to them, I can report that Sherry did find some, I think Karen is shopped out.
In the evening we have reservations at what has become one of our favourite restaurants called, Baldovino [http://www.baldovino.com/] and we have an outdoor table right on the street, behind the Santa Croce. The photo below says it all, Karen and I had a great time in Italy and especially in Florence and Siena, we are already planning a return visit, which I think will be sooner than the last one which was 2002, I can't believe it was 9 years ago that we were here, it did seam at times it was only yesterday.
All of us at Baldovino
June 1 - Florence, Italy
Wednesday, June 1 - Florence, Italy
There is rain forecast for today, and right on que at 12:30 it rained for 5 minutes, and then the sun came out.
Today Karen and I are exploring the Monte alle Croce (Viale Michalangeo), with a commanding view of the city from a very high vantage point. It does take over 1 1/2 hours of walking (uphill most of the way) to reach this area. It might not have been the most direct, and we may have been off by one street to the West, but worth it, as we saw some fantastic hillside homes and villas of the more prosperous Florenctino's.
Of course there is a church which is the centre point on the hilltop, and this might not be considered a “primary” church of Florence, but it was totally marble, and no expense was spared in its construction back in the 1600's.
The walk down was a bit easier, and Karen now remembers the route she took last Sunday to reach the Monte alle Croce was not the one we took to reach the top, oh well as I said it was worth the hike.
In the evening we found another outstanding restaurant, just about 3 blocks from the apartment called, Ristorante Mamma Gina [http://www.mammagina.it/], thus another 2 liter wine night. We highly recommend adding this to your list of places to eat in Florence.
There is rain forecast for today, and right on que at 12:30 it rained for 5 minutes, and then the sun came out.
Today Karen and I are exploring the Monte alle Croce (Viale Michalangeo), with a commanding view of the city from a very high vantage point. It does take over 1 1/2 hours of walking (uphill most of the way) to reach this area. It might not have been the most direct, and we may have been off by one street to the West, but worth it, as we saw some fantastic hillside homes and villas of the more prosperous Florenctino's.
Of course there is a church which is the centre point on the hilltop, and this might not be considered a “primary” church of Florence, but it was totally marble, and no expense was spared in its construction back in the 1600's.
The walk down was a bit easier, and Karen now remembers the route she took last Sunday to reach the Monte alle Croce was not the one we took to reach the top, oh well as I said it was worth the hike.
In the evening we found another outstanding restaurant, just about 3 blocks from the apartment called, Ristorante Mamma Gina [http://www.mammagina.it/], thus another 2 liter wine night. We highly recommend adding this to your list of places to eat in Florence.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
May 31 - Siena, Italy
Tuesday, May 31 – Siena
Today we explored the medieval town of Siene, nestled in the hills of Tuscany. The town's narrow streets and high walls were built to withstand the armies of Florence in 1260. One of the main attractions was the shell-shaped Piazzo del Campo crowded with an intermingling of tourists and locals. The Torre del Mangia with its 290 ft. height drew large groups of tourist due the views of the city when you got to the top. We chose instead to tour the Museo Civico or City Museum full of frescoes depicting early Italian history. From its rooftop, we had a great viewpoint of the reddish orange brick buildings spread out over the hills.
Ken and Karen
Sherry and Charles
Web site: http://www.comune.siena.it/
At the end of one of its winding streets, we caught our first sight of the exquisite Duomo di Sante Maria dell Assunte with the white and pink sculpted inlaid marble with bands of green and white circling the bottom. Inside we were fascinated with the intricate red, black and white marble designs covering large sections of the floor. Paintings of figures from the Old Testament graced the walls and the many separate alcoves. The library included a collection of frescoes and statues which continued in the attached Museu dell 'Opera Metropolitanna.
Front of the Duomo
Ceiling of the Duomo
Satisfied and exhausted, we finished the day in Caffe Pontevecchio over Campari and Gin and Tonic with coni con mousse al zafferano cakes before returning to the train for our return trip to Florence.
May 30 - Florence, Italy
Monday, May 30 - Florence
Today was a late start, we didn't get out to shop until way after lunch time. On Monday, a number of stores did not open until after 1pm anyway, but Karen had some shops to visit and a few purchases to be made, plus I wanted a leather bracelet, so we spent the afternoon shopping in Florence.
We had dinner in one of the best restaurants in Florence, called Baldovino.
Today was a late start, we didn't get out to shop until way after lunch time. On Monday, a number of stores did not open until after 1pm anyway, but Karen had some shops to visit and a few purchases to be made, plus I wanted a leather bracelet, so we spent the afternoon shopping in Florence.
We had dinner in one of the best restaurants in Florence, called Baldovino.
Location is: Via San Giuseppe 22/r, Florence, Italy; phone: 055-241773
well worth it, we are going back again for our last nights dinner in Florence.
May 29 - San Marino (RSM)
Sunday, May 29 - San Marino (RSM)
Feeling more like a day for a train trip, and Karen showing no interesting in spending a few hours on TranItallia it was time for another great adventure to one of the worlds smallest country, San Marino. So lets be very clear, this is a country, not a provence of Italy, (San Marino makes this very clear, I sense a tension between RSM and Italy, which must be over the "tax free" status RSM has), there is no boarder formality either, but for Euro 5, they will stamp your passport with a very ornate stamp.
Feeling more like a day for a train trip, and Karen showing no interesting in spending a few hours on TranItallia it was time for another great adventure to one of the worlds smallest country, San Marino. So lets be very clear, this is a country, not a provence of Italy, (San Marino makes this very clear, I sense a tension between RSM and Italy, which must be over the "tax free" status RSM has), there is no boarder formality either, but for Euro 5, they will stamp your passport with a very ornate stamp.
Getting here evolved two trains and a change in Bologna. I departed from Florence on the high speed Eurostar (TVG) for the 40 min trip at 254kmh, most of which is spent in some very long tunnels, I would say that 90% is underground, now a new revelation - WITH COMPLETE AND FULL CELL SERVICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.
Eurostar HST/TVG 300kmh+ Train
A 20 minute stop and change of trains in Bologna and now I am Southeast bound on the Regional Express train (did get up to 160kmh), lots of stops, very attractive country side, but a dry area, they could use some rain. This train is heading for the costal town of Rimini on the Adriatic Sea, arriving just in time to NOT catch the 10:38 bus to San Marino, which I would not have caught anyway, as they seem to depart early anyway, this gives me about an 1hour and a half to get lunch and hang out at the train station, saw a number of passengers trains, but this is the East Coast line with no high speed equipment, there are a few diesel lines from here as well.
Now purchasing a bus ticket for San Marino, is another adventure, as all the shops have signs saying “NO Information on San Marino”, and the “NO” part is in big letters. There of course is a reason for the big “NO”, the locals in Rimini, don't want you to go to San Marino, as they are losing business to this TAX FREE country, which has 3 million visitors per year and get most of its revenue from tourists. Anyway about 30 minutes before the bus departs a woman arrives to sell tickets and she works for the local bus line providing this service.
Web Sites: http://www.sanmarinosite.com/eng/index.php
Of note check out the citizenship requirements for naturalization (hint it is not 5 years)
Arriving in San Marino, ones first impression is this place is very high up, it is over 3,800ft, above the land below and the bus trip is a series of switchbacks for the 30km trip in 50 minutes. But everything is well organized, large and efficient bus and car parking (all for a fee of course), elevators cut into the rock takes you up to the main terrace and the shopping area, which is full of souvenir shops, watch shops, restaurants, and gun shops. Because San Marino has the most unrestricted gun laws in Europe, one can obtain your sub machine guns and any other light duty weapon which might be required for a daily outing in the Italian country side. Most of the walkways are 15% up and some are steep, but there is a steady stream of people interested in buying stuff, this reminded me of Clifton Hill area in Niagara Falls, ON, on a Sunday.
There were a number of motorcycle groups in on BMW's lead by a couple on a Gold Wing with Italian flags flying, (whole group over 50 on sport bikes, wearing the latest in bike clothing in ballistic fabric). Handout my Route 66 business cards, some spoke very good english, one had done 66 back in 2004, these folks had come up from Perugia area and do a ride just about every Sunday, sounds like my group SCRC 238.
After touring the area I found a car park with about 40 cars, all vintage MGB's and FIATs, all part of the San Marino International Automobile race, maybe this was the advanced party for the Gumball 3000 race up in Venice that day, [http://www.gumball3000.com/] but no celebrities in sight nor any fashionable women handing out Red Bull wearing bikinis, disappointed it was time to depart this mountain top country, with it's own cell service company (ie. Roaming inside of Italy), and head back to the bus, but with one important stop for a Campari with red orange and a twist of lemon, just in case the bus wiped out on turn #8 or something like that.
Train connections are better on the return again via Bologna, but what I realized is even if you have an assigned seat on the train there is always someone in your seat, but they will move out if asked, however, this is vital intelligence which plays into the next train segment.
Upon arrival in Bologna, my Eurostar TVG back to Florence is delayed by 20minutes, OK, that is not much. A bit surprising as this is the first train so far that has not been on time, and as a traveller any delay of over 30minutes, results in a free trip, so they take on-time performance very seriously (sure which GO Transit felt the same way). The display changed from 20min to 30min to 40min, in the space of 10min. So plan B is now in play, there is another Eurostar due in 5 minutes to Florence, I noticed that a number of people also took the plan B option. Now this is how it works, just take any seat as so far seat assignments are only a suggestion, kind of like stop signs in Italy are only a suggestion. Anyway after the mad push to get on, the other options is to site in the passageway between cars, it is only 40minutes in a dark tunnel anyway. No one ever checked my ticket on the return, I guess the conductor could not get through the train.
Arrived back in Florence, having visited a country that caught my attention back in grade 9 geography class, and completed all of the three European micro countries, another check mark on the bucket list!
PS: Visit San Marino, you will not be disappointed, plus it snows there in Winter, I saw photos of snow, not a lot, a cold wave from them is -3c and the record cold is -6c, we can beat that in Niagara for sure.
Web Sites: http://www.sanmarinosite.com/eng/index.php
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