Video Throwback Thursday

Check out our other travel videos at www.youtube.com/jepainter.

Time to rally

Italy: So many museums, so little time. Ditto for delicious eats. With just a few hours left we had to choose wisely. Our hotel was across the street from the Palazzo Pitti that tempted us with some illustrious garden behind its walls, but we went with the Uffizi Gallery. And there went half a day . . .
We are not art smart but it was still a worthwhile stop. With two full stories and four main corridors, there is a lot to see and all for 11 Euros per person. We could spend a day just staring at the magnificent ceiling art. Of course, our weird sense of humor drew us to the paintings with things like sea monster attacks.

http://www.sciencemusings.com/blog/uploaded_images/perseus-773234.jpg

For lunch, we struggled between the popular Nebone in the central market or I Trippaio di San Frediano. We ate at both earlier in the week. It was Trippaio for the win - there was still a weird cut of meat Jason had his eye on. The lampredotto alla cacciatora (3 Euros). We also grabbed a final gelato (of course!).

We walked the city for some last views of the river (which was packed with rowers), the bridges and the markets, where for once we did not blow our final coins on trinkets. In four weeks, we bought almost zero souvenirs. I bought a scarf and Jason bought a t-shirt from the Archea bar. The bar had beer from the Northwest, their own brew was good and the shirt has a minotaur on it - how can you not like that.

For our last meal, we took advice from Twitter (Thanks @writewayaround!) and went to I Tarocchi, a restaurant with rave reviews about its pear ravioli and gorgonzola gnocchi. We got the gnocchi and roasted pork and potatoes. It was an excellent meal to close out our month-long menu. Walking home, we also hit a convenient store to stock up on European candy.  Jason has a serious thing for Kinder Buenos and foreign Kit Kat bars. We always look like candy smugglers when traveling abroad.

We ended the night, and our European shenanigans, at the Palazzo Pitti. And probably just in time, as there is another austerity rally scheduled for April 12^th and we have seen our share of marches on this trip. It has been an adventure-filled four weeks, and we are grateful for all the support from our family, friends and readers, not to mention our employers and coworkers who let us take this trip.

Next up, 18+ hours of travel to the Tri-Cities. But we are not done yet – stay tuned for behind the scenes, lessons learned and many more photos! 

To the Duomo!

Two things we learned this week: 1)  get up early to visit the dome and tower in Florence and 2) get tickets first. The line was long at 8, although the exhibit doesn't open until 8:30. We also watched numerous people get in line without knowing tickets are only sold at certain exhibits or a machine down the street.

For 10 Euros per person, you get into all the exhibits; however, some are under construction. The whole museum includes the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, Brunelleschi's Dome, Giotto's Bell Tower, the Baptistry of San Giovanni, the Crypt of Santa Reparata and the Historical Museum.

 

We climbed the duomo first. It is 463 steps to the top. We recently watched the PBS special which was helpful to better understand how Brunelleschi built it. It is a slow climb with a few stops to see the interior of the dome. The stairs are steep and the ceilings low. At the top, you can see all of Florence and an early climb means you can see the sun flooding over the city as well.

Next, we went to the tower, which has a 414-step climb with wider, easier passages (best for those who do not like confined spaces). At the top, you get a beautiful view of the duomo. As often happens when we travel, Jason got stopped by a family who thought he looked like Zach Galifianakis. The son was wearing a Hangover t-shirt and, per his mom's request, Jason was kind enough to take a photo with him.

Next we visited the inside of the cathedral.  It was easily the least impressive of the three - the architecture is neat but probably best viewed from the outside and the coolest thing about the inside is the painting inside the dome and tourists aren't allowed to go up to the front where the dome is.  There was also a small museum about the excavation of early churches/crypts under the cathedral in the lower level, where Jason was excited we got to see some saints' bones.

We had been looking forward to the duomo all month and it did not disappoint. But it did tire us out. We spent the afternoon wandering lazily and hanging out by the river.  Although the maps show parks, it was hard to find one available to the public! In the evening, we found a pub with Rogue beer and a Seahawks sign - a little taste of home!

Next up, a few more museums and the central market.

Benvenuti in Italia

We took the "bus" (turned out to be a passenger van) to "Venice (turned out to be Mestre). Our first steps onto Italian soil were into a fist fight breaking out at the bus stop. We found wifi for advice about Venice/Mestre, which was "Whatever you do, do not get off at Mestre." So, we boarded a 10-minute train to actual Venice. (Trains are easy here; just learn the Italian name for your city and validate your ticket in the little machine before you board.)

 

We spent a few hours in Venice. It was packed and stuff was expensive. The canals were riddled with gondolas. While sitting at a cafe, a group of Hash House Harriers (a self-declared drinking club with a running problem) paraded through, singing and apparently ready to start/continue drinking.  For 7 Euros a person we could have ridden a boat taxi back to the train but we opted to walk and see more of the city.

 

 

 

 

On Monday, lines for the cathedral were exhausting so instead we explored the city, including a pit stop at a well reviewed gelato place, La Carraia. The line was nearly as long. The day's menu also included Jason getting a lampredotto panino at Trippaio di San Frediano. He spotted one when we first arrived. That is cow stomach, in case you are curious and eww is right. (ok, it isn't that bad. Just tasted like a sandwich to me.) 

 

 

 

 

 

On Tuesday, we took a train to Cinque Terre, a collection of five coastal villages built on steep cliffs. Unfortunately, the main coastal trail was closed so we could only hike to the second city before catching the train to the rest. It was 2.4 Euro per ticket per person or you can buy one ticket to all the cities. It was the best hike and the best view yet. I wish we had more time to hike between all of the cities. (More trails are open but took 3+ hours.) Below are several shots from the afternoon (before the rain set in).

 

Next up, climbing the duomo!

  

 

 

 

alternative transportation!