Croatia

Waterfront Promenade 

Split Croatia

Well I finally made it to Split Croatia.  
But before I detail that trip I do offer a bit of an apology for the way the last posting displayed the photos.  Can't for the life of me figure out what happened when I said publish.  Everything looked ok to me but it came out differently on the web.  Oh well, it happens. All looks good with a scotch or two under the belt...right?

So, Ava and I headed out early morning on January 15th to start our sojourn to Split.
Our travel route took us from Firenze, Santa Maria Novella train station -> Bologna -> Ancona where we boarded the Jadrolinija ferry for a 12 hour crossing to Split.  Arriving in Split at 0700 am on Saturday.  We were met by the owner of our apartment whom took us straight there.  Even though it is less than 1km to the apartment, It was all uphill and one way streets.  Add the language barrier and we would have been screwed if left on our own.

The night before:
The night before our departure the owner of our apartment in Firenze came to do a final inspection, read the metres and return our 500euro deposit.  Or so we thought.  
Although the accommodation did have its faults such as poor heating, mold on the walls, leaking radiators and a new oven replacement we did not mind it at all.When the gas metre was read the amount came to 600 cubic metres for the two months.  Now the rate for the gas is 1euro/cubic metre.  Yup!! Kiss the deposit good-by.  Well almost, we split the difference with the owner.  We were all in disbelief as to the amount.  And I was asking long before our arrival for the estimates on the utilities.  Now, I go all inclusive for utilites.  

The journey to Split:
We had too much frickin baggage.  It made the trip totally stressful, lugging it across platforms, up stairs and escalators, cramming it into small staterooms on the boat and it was bloody heavy.  never again after this trip is over.
Thank goodness we planned with long layovers in all of our stops.  The trains were delayed from the very first departure at Firenze SMN, then Bologna.  But the ship left on time.  It was not too crowded, comfortable and the breakfast was absolutely disgusting. 

Split accommodation:

I booked our current place on booking com.  It looked ok in the photos.  The location is excellent, close to the water, main beaches, shopping, Diocletian's Palace and transport hubs.  The only thing is that the place really sucks.  There is no place to sit other than the kitchen table or on your bed.  Sorry, but the old country ways just don't cut it with me.  Hot water is pretty rare and I hate baths.  The shower head comes to my hips.  Hmmmm.
Hopefully the next place is better...it is a block from the ocean with a view and proper seating area.
Grocery shopping here is an experience.  Thank god for google translate on my iphone.

Excursions:
Planning trips to Mostar and Sarajevo (Boznia & Herzegovina).  Zadar and Dubrovnik.
Possibly take the train to Zagreb, but have to do more research on that as it is heading into the snow belt.

Well, that's about it for now.  Enjoy the photos below and drop an email or two to my hotmail account if you have the time.

Cheers from Croatia, Bruce

Festive Season, San Gimignano & Santo Spirito

Festive Season
I managed to make it through the holiday season with sanity relatively in tact.
The downtown core of Florence was absolutely packed with tourists during this time.
Massive trees were erected and decorated in the major Piazzas and an armed presences was noticed.
One thing about the holidays here is that the decoration is pretty low key.  Shop keepers do most of the decorating and that is only a few days before the 25th and then they are down on the 6th January.
As I mentioned before the streets are decorated with lights and ornaments which gives the city a really nice vibe.

Ava and I did nothing special for Christmas.  Exchanged a few gifts we put under our 10" tree.
We went out for dinner on Christmas Eve for some really great steak.  It only comes one way and that is rare.  Don't even think of asking for it any other way.  Place was called Mamma Gina and just around the corner from Ponte Vecchio on the Oltrarno side of the river.

New Years Eve was spent outside the Pitti Palace where they had live entertainment and some fireworks provided by the locals.  Afterwards we went to Piazza Santo Spirito and had many drinks with some locals we met there.  Rachel and her husband (I can't recall his name) were kind enough to check up on me as one too many cocktails entered my system that night.  Can't imagine how that happened.

San Gimignano - Town of Fine Towers
On the 30 December we took a 1.5 hour bus ride to the beautiful hilltop town of San Gimignano.
The trip went through some impressive country side and small towns.  That is until we came to this really ugly town called Poggibonsi.  Even the tourist info describe it as a necessary stop over to change buses and nothing else.  They nailed that one on the head

San Gimignano is a small walled medieval hill town in the Province of Siena, Tuscany.  it has 14 medieval towers still standing and featured prominently in the 1999 movie 'Tea with Mussolini'.

The Duomo di San Gimignano - The walls of the basilica-plan church are entirely lined with frescoes that tell stories of the New and Old Testaments.  The Chapel of Santa Fina is dedicated to a young girl who suffered a serious illness and chose to spend the rest of her days lying on a wooden board, which they say sprouted yellow violas at the time of her death. Even the ancient towers blossom with violas amongst their stonework.  

The narrow streets lend a sense of timeless whimsy.

The small hamlet outside of the walls.




Basilica di Santo Spirito 

The Basilica di Santo Spirito is just around the corner from my apartment.  I go past it almost everyday and on Thursday there is a farmers market in the Piazza that sells antiques, veg, clothes and all assortments of items.  The outside of the church does not look like much as it was left in its rough 

Basilica di Santo Spirito

stage for many years and only has a plaster coat over the stonework.
One day we decided to enter and have a look see.  Well..I was totally blown away.  It is one of the most beautiful basilicas I have ever seen.  Unfortunately there is a strict no photo policy, to protect the artwork.  But if you go on line you can get some images.
The Basilica was built by Brunelleschi in the 15th century.
The interior is one of the finest examples of Renaissance architecture.   The colonnade arches are supported by 35 columns and there are 45 semi-circular chapels that repeat the rhythm of the arches.

The Basilica houses a 1493 wooden crucifix of christ sculpted by Michelangelo at the age of 18.
The crucifix was sculpted especially for Santo Spirito and is the first work he created for a church and is probably the first notably large figure of his that has survived to the present day.


Next Stop - Split Croatia 

On January 15 we will be travelling to Split for a two month stay in the city.  Busy planning side trips and I am really looking forward to being by the ocean again.
The trip starts out by train to Bologna with a connection to Ancona Italy for the overnight Jadrolinija ferry to Split.

I will keep you posted when I am settled in.

Buon Natale 2015

Buon Natale da Firenze - 2015

First of all I wish all my friends and family around the world a very joyous holiday season in whichever manner you celebrate.  Take the moment to reflect on the past year and see how we can make it better in 2016 for ourselves, our loved ones and others that we intersect with us.

I am in Firenze (Florence) with Ava for this holiday season and we are planning on heading out for a good Christmas Eve Florentine bistecca.  For the uninitiated that is a huge slab of specialty beef cooked (barely) to the chefs instructions and shared amongst the table.  The going price this week is approx. euro 45/kg and add that all the extras plus wine and dessert. Ouchamagoucha!!  Oh well, it is a special day.

It has been 20 days since my last post.  I do apologise for the delay but I really do have some good excuses...I mean reasons.  Internet connection here at Pza. Torquato Tasso 17 has been very poor since our arrival and only got that sorted out on the 18th Dec.  So now I have really good connection and can watch Netflix, listen to BBC and catch up on my Canadian shows thanks to Hola VPN.

What have I been up to since the last post?  Well here is a break down with some snaps of the destinations.

LUCCA - Weather was incredible.

Day trip.  It meant a train ride to Pisa and then the local train for the half hour ride to Lucca.

Wall circling Lucca

The first train was great as it was one of the newer double deck cars with comfortable seats and a quiet ride.  The local train was a bone rattler.  
Lucca is an incredible city.  The old city is enclosed by ancient walls that have a huge promenade on top that is used as a park, jogging space and overall recreation.

I was told that during WWII this city was not bombed by either sides of the conflict. The city is preserved with very limited vehicle traffic allowed in and therefore it is a great pedestrian venue.  Well worth the trip.

Top of Lucca wall

Now I know that some people are wondering why I am not including tons of photos of the places where I have been and giving historical  background as well.  To put it simply it is easier for the reader to google the interested sites and look at the web descriptions as well as the images.  The images will be far better than I can provide. 
Besides, I don't want to have a lawsuit from someone claiming copyright infringement.  









VENEZIA / Venice

Arrived in Venezia via fast train from Florence.  Only a two hour trip on the FrecciArgento treno.  Super crowded going there but lots of empty seats to move about on the return.
When you arrive by train in Venezia and walk out onto the Grand Canal to catch your water bus it is just a bloody incredible first impression.  I was hooked on the city from that moment.

View from tower in St. Marks Square

We stayed at the Hotel Marconi, which is about 50 meters from the Rialto Bridge, and right on the water.  We scored a deal on booking.com for only 49 euro/night with breakfast included.  So central to everything.

We only had two days to see Venice and therefore a whole lot of walking was involved.  But for those who have been to Venice there is the added luxury of no car traffic.  Such a nice change from Florence where you have to dodge the drivers while keeping an eye out for sidewalk dog bombs. on the 1.5 feet usually allotted to pedestrians on the side streets.
We got into Venice before lunch, checked in and hit the pavement.  As Ava had been here before I relied on her to be my guide.  Probably not my wisest decision as her main goal was to stop in almost every souvenir shop and look.  I am not kidding, I would be walking along, turn around to see where she is and then have to backtrack and look in the shop windows.  Sometimes I was lucky and only had to go about 50 feet or so.  I am now going to adopt a policy of a safe place to meet in case we get separated.  That safe place will have a bartender to be sure.

Our first night ended with a nice dinner beside the Grand Canal, and even better is that the canal did not smell that bad.  Can't say that about the subsequent days.

Second day was a trip to Murano, a 40 minute water bus ride to the island that is famous for their glass making.  Again Ava was on a mission for something and I wandered about with the occasional look back.  She asked me to be kind to her when I blog about this, but for those who have travelled with me (Liane) you know how much I really love (not) going shopping.  Unless it is for shoes and then I have found this wonderful Italian leather shoe store right near the Pitti Palace and Ponte Vecchio.  I have been called a shoe whore on more than one occassion.
I bought a wonderful wine cork with a glass blown top, only to have it fall off when I got it back home.  Oh well, easy to fix.

Glass Sculpture on Murano

Peggy Guggenheim Museum in Venezia.

A must see for anyone who is into great artwork.  This museum is housed in Peggy's private residence on the Grand Canal and has works from Jackson Pollock, Man Ray, Picasso and mobiles by Calder 

Calder Mobile in the main foyer

FLORENCE - Pitti Palace / Boboli and Bardini Gardens / Florence Holiday Lights.

Via Tournaboni

I will write more on these subjects in the next blog, but please enjoy the photos.

Ciao from Italy

Bruce

Tree outside Duomo in Florence

View from Pitti Palace garden

Lemoncello, Marathon, Cathedrals and Michelangelo

It has been a few days since the last post and I have been settling quite well into the city since than.
Really beginning to feel like a local, well as far as really bad Italian can do that.  The shopkeepers are recognising me now, as well as the resident street vendors.  May be hope for assimilation within the next year or so.
Ava and I have just really started hitting the museums and tourist attractions.  For being this late in the year Florence is still really busy with tourists.  We were in a trattoria last week and this party of 21 Americans came in.  They were all here to celebrate the matriarch's 80th birthday.  And then there are the regular tour groups which are shuttled around from site to site with barely a moment to relax.
As for the museums, we tried to get a Friends of the Uffizi pass; but that is finished for the season so it is individual tickets.  We are going to splurge and do the Corridor atop the Ponte Vecchio as it houses impressive art collected by the Midici's and is only open to a few people in organised groups.

The Academia.
Incredible place, it houses Michelangelo's original David statue as well as lots of his other work and paintings.  Unfortunately the 2nd floor that houses the tapestries was closed.

The Duomo.
Hugely impressive cathedral.  The paintings and frescos are beyond any description I can do justice with.

Piazzale Michelangelo.
The best place to catch a great view of Florence and the Arno river spread out below you.  The beautiful tiled roofs with the cathedrals and Duomo rising above them with the hills in the background are really quite something to see.

Leonardo Da Vinci Museum.
It took us quite a walk to find this elusive museum.  Just a round the corner from the Duomo, as is everything really.  When we finally did find it we paid our 7 euro each and wandered through two rooms looking at what I thought were really bad scale models of some of his inventions.  Yesterday when we were looking for a place to eat we came across the real Da Vinci Museum.  Oh well!

Sunday the 29th was the Firenze Marathon.  It was a beautiful day for the runners and as well for the residents/tourist as the streets in the city centre were closed to traffic which meant one can walk pretty well unscathed, except for cyclist and taxis.

Places to eat.
I try to stay away from the eateries around major piazzas because they tend to be very pricey.  For what a coffee costs in one of those places I can get a really good sandwich and cappuccino at my favourite place called Bar 16 on Proconsolo.  I had the best pasta carbonera yesterday at Osteria del Proconsolo, it is a small place with great english speaking staff and very good prices about 2 blocks form the Duomo.  Other than that any pasticceria has the best coffees (1 euro for espresso) as well as sandwiches and cakes.
I eat at home quite a bit in the evenings as individually the prices are not too bad but everything adds up and it is not unusual to come out with a bill of about 40euro.  With exchange rate of 1.5 it can hit the wallet.
Groceries are very reasonable here, the produce is great as I have said before.  BUT...a few things I miss that I cannot get here.  Those are, ziploc bags, instant oatmeal, soda water (for the scotch) and twist ties.  So if you come over make sure you have those in your luggage.

Next stop for me is Venice (Venezia) Dec.9-11.  Taking the express train out next Wednesday and the last train to Florence on the Friday.   Only a 2 hour ride from Firenze to Venezia, so just like a Vancouver commute to work.
I have booked our transportation to Split Croatia for the 15th January.  Train from Firenze to Ancona via Bologna.  That only cost 38euro and then it is an overnight ferry across the Adriatic to Split.  Secured a 2 bed cabin on the Jardorlinija ferry.

As the internet connection here has been up and down until today, Ava and I have been passing our time playing cards and having the occasional beverage.  I do have to warn you to Beware the Lemoncello.  It is the best tasting stuff ever, and has a 30% alcohol content that comes and smacks you upside the head when you least expect it.

I was asked if I had been on any wine tours, only the ones in the aisles of the supermarkets.

Pisa and Musings

What have I done lately?
Well on 24 Nov.  I took the Pisa train to check out the sites everyone has been going to for centuries.  The train was about an hour with minimal stops and not too expensive.  Met a really nice elderly man who who was off to visit his sister in Signa.  He was telling me, in Italian how beautiful the weather was that day and what he was going to do.  I, in still broken Italian said had no clue what he was talking about.  He switched into perfect english and he was off.  
Got off in Pisa, wandered (20 minutes by foot) toward the Piazza del Duomo, which houses the Bell Tower (leaning tower of Pisa), Duomo Di Santa Maria Assunta (cathedral), The Baptistry of John the Baptist and the Historical Cemetry.  Really interesting and not too many tourists. I think the guys trying to sell selfie sticks and crap to the tourists were almost as plentiful as we the masses.  Lunch was incredible cheeses and salamis with a good chianti of course.  Got the super deluxe train back to Firenze Santa Maria Novella (FSMN) to us locals then went neighbourhood wandering to see what is happening in the area.  I will write more on that in another post.

Nov. 25/26/27
Wandered through the streets and stayed pretty close to home.  
I did laundry (washer in house) then bagged it up and headed out to find a laundromat to dry it.  Only cost 3 euro for 30 minutes.  
Ava and I have been seeing lots of great stuff from outside but so far have not ventured in, unless of course it was offering food and alcoholic beverages.
Have been trying to get oriented to the city, but it is not easy.  Everything heads off into who knows where and for why.  Streets are so narrow that it is a lesson in survival just walking. Ava got hit today by a car mirror; and she was pressed up to the building on the sidewalk. They did stop to see how she was, thankfully ok and for breakaway mirrors.  I suspect minor bruising on the beer glass arm is imminent.

MUSINGS
Apartment - The apartment is pretty good.  On the ground floor, quite spacious with two bedrooms, bathrooms and good outdoor space that includes a small garden and roof deck. 
If I were to live in a city as this then it is a good contender.  The heating has been sketchy as it is hot water and I think they forgot to move it from summer to winter settings.  Looking into google translate before I tamper with the gas boiler.  Kidding!
Internet - North America it is not.  We complain of the $$ we pay for service but it does have its benefits.  The modem is great, size of an iPhone and you can take it room to room. Not sure how they do it.  The kitchen is typical euro style but does not hamper any meals.
Groceries - Love the grocery shops here.  Packaging is what it is about.  And the booze prices are incredible, almost half price for scotch and then wine is , well wine.  Had some really bad shit made in Sicily, so hopefully when I visit there it was the stuff they wanted to get back at the rest of the country with.  HAHA
Today I saw whole Turkeys for sale in the Esselunga supermarket and they even had pumpkin pie.  Never underestimate the Americans wherever they are.  Thanksgiving will be had.  I guess I was wrong when I laughed at the two young American girls yesterday discussing which foil roasting pan to get.  Who knew?
Weather - has been incredible to date.  Some good rain storms, not quite of Vancouver magnitude but pretty good none the less.  Coldest during day to date is around 9 deg.  At night it went to zero only once.  Today (27 Nov) was extremely windy and will be so tomorrow.
NOTE:  Mosquitos never die in Firenze.  They are still out and about and looking for blood. Thankfully they prefer Ava over me.  Must buy the girl a thank you beverage.

Firenze -  The city is growing on me.  It has been almost 2 weeks and I am finally getting the hang of it.  By the end of the two months I am sure I will have grown to really like it as well as knowing where the hell I am about 70% of the time.  Firenze has it quirks such as shops closing for a few hours in the afternoon.
Don't even think of using the crosswalk of which you clearly have the priority if you are timid, lame, elderly or have bad reflexes.  I figured out the secret today and that is to proceed like you own the crosswalk, don't flinch when they cut in front or behind of you, stare the buggers down and acknowledge them when they do stop.  Reward for good behaviour is an incentive to some of these people.  Also, watch for the crazy Vespa crowd.  Think of cyclists in Vancouver and you pretty well can double their attitude and it may come close to the Vespa crowd.  Hell, you can even buy shirts and stuff with Vespa's on it.  

Florence Italy, Day 7...Where have I been?

So...it has been 7 days since Ava and I have landed in Florence.
My sincere apologies for not writing sooner but the internet in our rental was not up to snuff (as most of Europe) and we finally got it sorted out so we can connect to the rest of the world.
It was quite a journey getting here. Ava came from the west coast of Canada and I from central (for the purists).  I got to Amsterdam first and had a 6 hour layover.  Of all the airports to have such a layover I am so thankful for AMS., it has to be the best for shopping and relaxing while in a controlled area.
We boarded this teeny tiny plane to Florence,  I had to do deep breathing during boarding and take off just to counteract my phobia.  But I survived and the 1.5 hour flight above the clouds with little hints of land below passed by uneventfully.  PHEWWW.
Since I have been in Florence I have spent the first week getting acclimatised and oriented to this place.  As with most (99%) of Europe the streets are narrow (1 moped and a granny wide) and you really have to watch your ass as you go about your business.  I have yet to hit any museums or other tourist oriented facilities.  After all I am here for 2 month so no sense rushing these things.
I have seen from the outside most of the famous landmark buildings such as the Duomo, Basillica Santa Croce, Pitti Palace, Boboli Gardens, Ponte Vecchio (daily crossing) and so many other landmarks that it just blows ones mind as to how much this city has to offer and has contributed to the development of our world history.

The neighbourhood we are staying in is on the Oltrarno side of Florence and it is a really family oriented place.   I am on Piazza Torquato Tasso and it has a playground, trattorias, shops and very close to all and just a 15 minute walk into the centre of Florence for all the really great stuff to do.  I am really looking forward to the Christmas festivities as the city is already getting hyped and from what I have seen in the couple of evenings I have been out it will be spectacular.

My first big outing was today and I headed out to Ikea.  Ya, Ya Ya.. relax.  I needed some stuff to make my stay here better and on the weekends Ikea has a free shuttle from Santa Maria Novella (SMN) station.. that is the massive train and bus terminal in town.  So I crammed onto this bus with the new students, old babushkas and crying little snotty nosed children ( I thought Italians believed in corporal punishment lol) and was in and out in one hour.  YAHOO!!

I am planning trips from my base in Florence for this week and the criteria is that the destination be no further than 1.5 hours by train.  That actually leaves a lot of destinations in the running.
One of my first stops will be Pisa and then Fiesole which was an exclusive domain of the Etruscans and just a short bus ride away.

Now that I have a good internet connection and am totally settled in here in Florence, been to my first Scottish Pub, I will be more diligent in my musings on this site.
I think this has gone well considering my good meal of lamb, veggies, copious amounts of good affordable wine and grappa.

Until my next posting I hope everyone is well and having as much fun as I.

Ciao.

To Italy and beyond

I everyone.  Apologies for the delay in posting anything new for quite a while, 3 years or more is a long time.
Since my last post I had left Europe at end of October 2012 and made my way to Merida Mexico, where my intention was to stay for 6 months, learn some spanish and to just bathe in the culture the city has to offer.
Well, that turned out to be a disaster in every way imaginable.  The house I rented was in a beautiful historic part of the old city.  The house itself was nice, great layout and private back yard with roof top deck.  That is where it ended.  There was no water in the tanks (tinaco) and the electricity shorted every time the switch was used.  The final straw was when the fridge caught fire in the middle of the night.  Unfortunately that has left a bitter taste with me and I am told to give Mexico another chance. Maybe one day it will happen.
I baled the next day back to Vancouver.  I thought it would be good for me to go back as I knew I could get centred.  It worked, at least for 2.5 years.
While in Vancouver I reconnected with old friends from school, work and childhood.  As well I met many wonderful people whom helped me get fit (Mr. C), have a fit and made my stay in Vancouver really enjoyable.
In July of 2015 I returned to Ontario and have been staying with my sister in the country.  While it has been relaxing, just a little too much so for me, the pull to travel is overwhelming.  I thank Cindy and Rick for putting up with me.  And I hope they reciprocate that thanks.
I am now starting another journey with my good friend Ava.  We have known each other for over 30 years, have lived together and travel well.
I leave today for another 6 month adventure through Italy, Croatia and area, Istanbul, Cyprus and back to Italy for the end.
My intention is to post on a regular basis so please keep checking in on what we are up to.

Thanks for reading and enjoy your life.