|
| 7:32am |
Wake-up call. Yea! The one day of sleeping in. |
| 8:05am |
I sauntered to the dining area as only a duck can do. I grabbed
a croissant but later found it to be chocolate-filled. The girl ate
it while I nibbled on salami. |
| 8:30am |
Well, the light was definitely better now. So here’s
the front of the hotel. |
| 8:42am |
This is a rare
sight -- people in the larger, traffic-congested cities park their
cars anyway and anywhere. The police rarely bother to write out tickets
because they know the Italians aren’t going to pay it. This
guy’s car broke down. That’s all. |
| 9:00am |
Most of our gang headed down to Santa Croce for a gold and leather
demonstration. We stopped at The
Gold Corner to watch this tall,
pretty girl without a nametag wave gold jewelry about. Although
the girl assured me she was a fan of sterling silver only, she was
salivating once the gold necklaces, etc., were
presented. This
piece was a gold necklace -- capable of being tied in a knot.
It only cost 2100 euro (about $3000 U.S. dollars). That figure made
the girl sigh and become quite downcast. |
| 9:45am |
Now we headed over to Peruzzi, a high-end leather store. This
gentleman (who was also nametag-less) showed us some leather jackets
and a few people in the group got to model them. There was a nice
reversible suede jacket made out of antelope that was going for 725
euro (about $1000 U.S. dollars) -- proving that while leather may
or may not be murder (depending on your beliefs), paying for it certainly
is. Once again, the girl looked depressed. I tried cheering her up
with, “We can get you a coat made from the inside of a cow when
we get home.” Rachel’s pained expression indicated that
perhaps I didn’t help. There were row
of items and some showcased here
and there. |
| 10:00am |
Time to go off and explore. Rachel explained that she had errands
to run and said her good-byes to folks. We trooped over to the Piazza
della Signoria to see the place in daylight. There were many statues
like this
one and this
one out in the square. David was a popular choice although he
is an adult in this
one. |
| 10:17am |
I talked to these two
Carabinieri (well, you just see their backs). They’re the
guys walking to the left of the massed soldiers. The men ignored me
and crowded uncomfortably close to the girl. I flapped my wingers
but they didn’t take the message. They did direct us to the
post office, past the River
Arno. We dropped off postcards for various people and the girl’s
family. |
| 10:40am |
The Italian-version of the flea
market is quite clean and orderly. I stopped at this
vendor's place to get Tubby a t-shirt. I knew he’d cry like
a little bald girl if I didn’t get him anything. And yes, roughly
dead center is a McDonald's t-shirt; go figure. |
| 11:00am |
Rachel grabbed some food item but I was too busy watching the
horses. I saw an Internet
Train cafe and quickly waddled over. My
blog needs an update! |
| 11:50am |
I swear, woman must have smaller bladders than ducks! For bathroom
purposes, we returned to Peruzzi, the leather shop. There we were
allowed to use the bathroom without making a purchase (which is not
common in a country where pay toilets are the norm). I sort of like
these big
push buttons one uses to flush the toilet. |
| 12:05pm |
And into Santa Croce church we go. Don’t know if I’ve
mentioned before, but the churches that do allow photos to be taken,
do not allow flash to be used, so that's why the pictures may be less
than ideal. |
| 12:11pm |
Galileo is buried
here and two muses reflecting his passion for and influence on
astronomy and philosophy are guarding his tomb. The man actually wasn’t
allowed to be buried in the church until some 90 years after he kicked
the bucket. He and the Vatican didn’t exactly see eye to eye.
(Trust me on the plaque, but no, I don't read Italian, either.) |
| 12:18pm |
Michelangelo was also buried
here. The muses on his tomb represent sculpture, architect and
painting. There were many other pieces
of art and statuary.
I thought this
was rather pretty. |
| 1:15pm |
Time to take a rest before heading to Pisa. Rachel briskly walked
back to the Hotel Mediterrano while I nestled in her backpack. |
| 2:04pm |
We boarded our lovely coach driven by Giuseppe. The girl started
reading a Dan Brown book called Angels and Demons. She was off in
her own world as the book pertains to Rome and places we had visited
already. |
| 3:40pm |
The group arrived in Pisa and we took the Tschu
Tschu train also known as the trenino to the Leaning Tower. Our
train driver is a multi-talented
man. Fabio
would have been a FrankPal, if not for his light-sensitivity that
prevented the use of the flash. |
| 3:51pm |
Behold that which is
leaning. Starting from the left of the
map, is the thing that looks like a pie is the
Baptistery, and the huge place in the
center of the cathedral. I made a few new friends, Tiffany
and Neil...
sorry for the blurry, but as noted, we can't use the flash in the
churches. |
| 4:30pm |
I had to do my part to keep the Leaning Tower from
falling. Debra,
after helping me do this, consented to be a FrankPal -- what a nice
tour director! |
| 4:50pm |
The girl managed to get some
shopping before we had to board the train again. Anyone hungry?
If so, check out the
menu. |
| 5:00pm |
Time to head back but I must do the standard checks of the Tschu
Tschu's engine
area and engineer
compartment to ensure the safety of the passengers. |
| 6:50pm |
We’re back at the hotel and it’s time for dinner. I
stuck with the hard-crusted bread but the girl actually made a go
of the pork chop. She’s a bold one, indeed. |
| 10:00pm |
Sweet dreams! |
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