Final Comments
The following posts were previously sent out to friends and family via email. The email included only a few pictures. Here we have finally been able to organize them in one place, add more pictures, and make a few changes. Note the posts are in reverse chronological order, and cover the period Sep 8 - Nov 15, 2006. Enjoy!
Pick Pocket Tries Again! (Karen's turn)
While we were in Florence we heard about the “fake baby” ploy. Apparently, young women will carry a doll in a snuggly and then use this to conceal one hand. Then they try to get close to you in a crowded situation and while you think they are attending to the baby, they use the concealed hand to rifle through your pockets or purse.
In Rome, all of my (Karen) warning antenna came to life when I was on a very crowded bus and a young woman got on with a baby (a real, very young baby) in a carrier strapped to her front. She was very close to me and I was watching her. When I looked down, sure enough her hand that had been concealed under the baby’s blanket was opening the zipper of my purse! Naturally, she didn’t get anything - and in fact there was nothing in the purse to take. Another lesson, and reminder to keep your wits about you when in crowded places.
In Rome, all of my (Karen) warning antenna came to life when I was on a very crowded bus and a young woman got on with a baby (a real, very young baby) in a carrier strapped to her front. She was very close to me and I was watching her. When I looked down, sure enough her hand that had been concealed under the baby’s blanket was opening the zipper of my purse! Naturally, she didn’t get anything - and in fact there was nothing in the purse to take. Another lesson, and reminder to keep your wits about you when in crowded places.
Rome (7 nights)
What a great city! While we expected to be overwhelmed with the traffic and the frantic pace, this was not so. Yes, it is a big city, but it was very manageable. Perhaps we picked the right time to be there.
Our B&B was also wonderful. It had a full kitchen which was available to us any time, and it was only a 10 minute walk to the Vatican and an easy walk to many of the other sites we wanted to see. With the exception of a half day rain, the weather was also perfect so we walked our feet off and learned to use the buses and metro to get around. Very easy.
We saw most of the major sights: Colosseum, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Roman Forum, St Peter’s, Sistine Chapel and the Vatican Museums, Michelangelo’s Pieta, the Pantheon and a few churches. Lance might say otherwise, but we did NOT visit ALL of Rome’s 900 churches. Some are more interesting than others, but all are free and at the very least provide a quiet place to sit and have a rest. Then there are the gems where you find a little know work of art such as a Michelangelo sculpture or modern bronze sculpted doors that are a storey and a half in height.
A simple holy water fountain in St Peter's Bascilica!
Our B&B was also wonderful. It had a full kitchen which was available to us any time, and it was only a 10 minute walk to the Vatican and an easy walk to many of the other sites we wanted to see. With the exception of a half day rain, the weather was also perfect so we walked our feet off and learned to use the buses and metro to get around. Very easy.
We saw most of the major sights: Colosseum, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Roman Forum, St Peter’s, Sistine Chapel and the Vatican Museums, Michelangelo’s Pieta, the Pantheon and a few churches. Lance might say otherwise, but we did NOT visit ALL of Rome’s 900 churches. Some are more interesting than others, but all are free and at the very least provide a quiet place to sit and have a rest. Then there are the gems where you find a little know work of art such as a Michelangelo sculpture or modern bronze sculpted doors that are a storey and a half in height.
St Peter's Square, Vatican
Colosseum
Venice (3 nights)
On Nov 5, we entered the watery world of Venice on the train - entering across a causeway that connects Venice to the mainland. Imagine a small, compact city where the main streets are water and the rest are small winding alleys where you are sure to get lost. In fact getting lost is half the fun. It is strangely quiet since there are no cars and no bicycles, only water taxis and water buses. But once you have taken the water bus from one end to the other, the best way to explore Venice is on foot. Every couple of blocks there is either a church or a grand palace to admire.
Today, the fate of Venice is focused on rising waters not rising wealth, sinking buildings and a shrinking population. The latter may be the most serious issue in the near term. Today the population is 60,000 while only ten years ago it was 80,000. If the "real" people leave Venice, it will become a theme park with tourist trinket shops rather than a thriving little city with a wide variety of services. If this period of history and architecture is of interest, plan a visit sooner rather than later!
As a city, Venice began in the 9th century and became a major seafaring and trading centre from then until the fall of Constantinople in 1453. Wealthy merchants built grand palaces and fabulous churches that are still standing today.
The great wealth and prominence of Venice is obvious. Holders of this wealth included merchants, noblemen, and clergy. They built grand palaces and churches that remain to this day including the fantastic St Marco's rebuilt in the 11th century. Although some of buildings are falling into disrepair, it is still easy to imagine what it would have been like during the time of Marco Polo or the intriguing characters from the Merchant of Venice.
Today, the fate of Venice is focused on rising waters not rising wealth, sinking buildings and a shrinking population. The latter may be the most serious issue in the near term. Today the population is 60,000 while only ten years ago it was 80,000. If the "real" people leave Venice, it will become a theme park with tourist trinket shops rather than a thriving little city with a wide variety of services. If this period of history and architecture is of interest, plan a visit sooner rather than later!
Tourists as Targets
With all of those wide-eyed tourists with money in their pocket, it's not surprising that there are a few pick pockets - well actually several! There are warning signs posted in many languages around some of the major attractions - but the signs don't stop the pick pockets! As Lance was leaving the Uffizi gallery, three people, 2 men and women, came up to him to ask him to take their picture. They posed, but the camera wouldn't work.
All 3 came to assist Lance. The woman stood in front of Lance, one of the men at the side giving instructions, and the other man who had an umbrella stood on his other side. For some reason, Lance looked away from the man giving the instructions at the man with the umbrella, and just as he did he saw the man taking money from the side pocket of his pants. You can imagine what happened next ... Lance started shouting obscenities and grabbed at the money. Good news ... no money was lost. But interestingly, the 3 just looked at him like he was a bit mad. They showed no indication that they had done anything wrong. There actions implied that Lance was simply a deranged tourist who had visited one too many galleries. Naturally, Lance was very pleased that no money was taken, but since then he has been wandering the plazas with the camera hoping to get a picture of the quilt trio. No luck so far!
All 3 came to assist Lance. The woman stood in front of Lance, one of the men at the side giving instructions, and the other man who had an umbrella stood on his other side. For some reason, Lance looked away from the man giving the instructions at the man with the umbrella, and just as he did he saw the man taking money from the side pocket of his pants. You can imagine what happened next ... Lance started shouting obscenities and grabbed at the money. Good news ... no money was lost. But interestingly, the 3 just looked at him like he was a bit mad. They showed no indication that they had done anything wrong. There actions implied that Lance was simply a deranged tourist who had visited one too many galleries. Naturally, Lance was very pleased that no money was taken, but since then he has been wandering the plazas with the camera hoping to get a picture of the quilt trio. No luck so far!
Phenomenal Florence (21 nights plus day trips)
Florence, a city of 370,000, is the place to be if you are a student of the Renaissance. There are churches, museums, frescos and monuments on every corner. The entire old section of the city has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site. Even for those with limited knowledge of the era (like us!), it is hard not to be impressed. Where else can you actually see famous sculptures like Michelangelo's 14ft David?
But it can be overwhelming as well. On average, 20,000 tourists come to Florence every day! Apparently, we are here during the fringe season, and the line-ups are still significant. I could not imagine what it would be like at other times. People line up to enter museums and churches, tour guides lead their little groups from one monument to another, and there is something to buy at every turn. But we have had a wonderful place to stay - an apartment that is only a 10 minute walk to the Duomo (the main cathedral in the centre of the old city). And we a wonderful market, wine shop and bakery nearby. So we have been able to walk everywhere, and do most of our own cooking.
With Florence as our base, we took a few side trips into the countryside, and visited Pisa, Siena, as well as the Chianti wine country.
But it can be overwhelming as well. On average, 20,000 tourists come to Florence every day! Apparently, we are here during the fringe season, and the line-ups are still significant. I could not imagine what it would be like at other times. People line up to enter museums and churches, tour guides lead their little groups from one monument to another, and there is something to buy at every turn. But we have had a wonderful place to stay - an apartment that is only a 10 minute walk to the Duomo (the main cathedral in the centre of the old city). And we a wonderful market, wine shop and bakery nearby. So we have been able to walk everywhere, and do most of our own cooking.
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| Ponte Veccehio, Florence |
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| Duomo, Florence |
With Florence as our base, we took a few side trips into the countryside, and visited Pisa, Siena, as well as the Chianti wine country.
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| Lance leaning with the leaning tower |
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| Karen at the main square, Siena |
Italy: 4.5 weeks
Arriving in Florence
On Oct 16, we traveled by air, bus, train and taxi. We flew from Lesvos to Milan, took a bus from the airport to the train station, a train to Florence, and a taxi to our apartment. Or at least we thought the taxi driver had dropped us at the door of our apartment. Only after we were dropped off and after Lance had tipped him did we discover that we could not find the right address.
At this point, we were fairly tired, had no idea where we were, and of course, spoke no Italian! Finally, after mulling a bit, I approached some women sitting in a park. No, no one spoke English, but one of them spoke Spanish. Amazingly, I was able to call up enough vocabulary to communicate our problem. Two of the women walked with us, looked at my email and helped us to discover that we couldn’t find our apartment because we were on the wrong street. Good news, they helped us read the street signs, and find our apartment on the next street, one block from where we had been dropped off.
Once found, the apartment was perfect. It was spacious and well equipped, and the owners were helpful. We had access to everything we needed within a few blocks: market, laundry, bakery, wine store, café and restaurants. It was a perfect home for the 3 weeks we were there.
On Oct 16, we traveled by air, bus, train and taxi. We flew from Lesvos to Milan, took a bus from the airport to the train station, a train to Florence, and a taxi to our apartment. Or at least we thought the taxi driver had dropped us at the door of our apartment. Only after we were dropped off and after Lance had tipped him did we discover that we could not find the right address.
At this point, we were fairly tired, had no idea where we were, and of course, spoke no Italian! Finally, after mulling a bit, I approached some women sitting in a park. No, no one spoke English, but one of them spoke Spanish. Amazingly, I was able to call up enough vocabulary to communicate our problem. Two of the women walked with us, looked at my email and helped us to discover that we couldn’t find our apartment because we were on the wrong street. Good news, they helped us read the street signs, and find our apartment on the next street, one block from where we had been dropped off.
Once found, the apartment was perfect. It was spacious and well equipped, and the owners were helpful. We had access to everything we needed within a few blocks: market, laundry, bakery, wine store, café and restaurants. It was a perfect home for the 3 weeks we were there.
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| Our apartment, Florence |
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