Florence to Venice!

Sunday morning we were up, cleaned up the apartment and headed to the train station for Florence. The train journey was about 3 hours long. We all snoozed, had snacks and entertained ourselves with colouring or games. 

The view from our balcony in the apartment. 

Once we arrived in Florence, our only option was to get a taxi to the apartment. It was about a 25 minute walk from the main action of the city, but we would figure out a way to deal with it. 

We were greeted by the owner but we didn't know it. When the hostess opened the house a young boy was sitting on the sofa. When the confusion had settled, we discovered that the young boy was waiting for his father who was taking pictures of the apartment. The main we met was the owner of the apartment. He was so friendly. Stuart asked him questions about getting into town and where we could get some milk. In the end, the owner took my mom and me to the grocery store. It was about to close, so his son came in with us and helped us get the food we needed. He was such a good kid. This was a service above the call of duty for sure. 

Once Mom and I were back at the apartment, we decided to play games and get settled in. Around 5 pm we decided to walk down to the town center. It was a long walk, but we weren't sure how to use the bus system that first day. 

We had dinner after seeing the outside of the Cathedral Santa Maria del Fiore, the main Duomo. We decided on a cafe in a square that had a carousel. Of course that meant that the kids would have to ride the carousel after dinner. They loved it. 

We walked back to the apartment, showered the kids, and put them to bed. The adults played Pitch. My dad and I are always on the same team, mainly because we are sore winners, but also because we would rather not fight with our spouses. I do believe we won. 

On Monday morning, we all commented about how great we slept. The beds were memory foam beds. This was by far the best place we had stayed. We didn't get up until 8:30. We had washed laundry and so had to hang it out. We had a coffee and then I went down to buy bus tickets. When I came back we walked down to the bus stop and got on. 

A latte was first thing of business for the day. 

We got off at Plaza San Marco and walked back to the Cathedral Santa Maria del Fiore. We stood in line to go inside. As we were entering I was forced to buy a cheap scarf because I had worn a sleeveless top. So now Millie is the proud owner of a scarf with symbols from Pisa on it. The cathedral wasn't as spectacular as I remembered. Sometimes the larger the cathedral, the less beautiful and ornate it is. 

We walked down to the Ponte Vecchio, a gold and silver shopping experience placed on this famous bridge. We hopped on the site seeing bus and rode the red line the entire way around. Once we were off the site seeing bus we went to have lunch at Hard Rock Cafe, as you do when you are in Italy. Jack bought a t-shirt that I convinced him was a better idea than the panda stuffed toy he wanted. The panda did have a Hard Rock Florence shirt on, but really wasn't the best choice. 

Then we went on a journey to find the hand bag alley we had gone through on Sunday. Oh Lord, what a mess that was. We did finally find the street, but then didn't like the bag we wanted as much as we thought we originally did. My mom ended up buying a different bag, and I ended up with nothing! My dad bought a new wallet at this same store. 

Millie and Stuart also got a bag after some bargaining. Stuart also bought a mob hat. I did buy a dress, as did my mom. We bought the same dress but in different colours. It was a successful day! Hello, Italy shopping!

We settled on coming back to the apartment and just having a hodgepodge of food. We ate a relatively late lunch so a big dinner wasn't necessary. Of course we played a couple of rounds of Uno, and then the kids were off to bed. We decided to give pitch a miss on Monday night. We had to be up early for our visit to the David at the Accademia. 

I hit my snooze button twice on Tuesday morning. Once I did finally roll out of bed I only had about 35 minutes to get the kids out of bed, dressed, hair brushed, breakfast, teeth brushed, shoes and out the door. I managed, thank goodness. 

We had a booked time to go into the Accademia Gallery to view the original David. He is quite spectacular. The gallery was built specifically to house Michael Angelo's, David. We walked around for a bit and then headed out to the streets again. 

We got on the big bus and then rode the blue line all the way around. The blue route was a longer route that took us to the top of the other side of the city before taking us to the place where we could get a good view of the city from the top, and a view of the bronze David replica. It did rain for part of our trip, and wouldn't you know that the roll top was broken on our bus. We withstood the rain and it eventually passed. 

Once we got off the bus we went to find Santa Croce, another spectacular cathedral. We didn't go inside, but did get pictures out front. I'm sure no matter how many times I visit Italy, I will always discover new piazzas and basilicas, all beautiful in their own right. 

We had a bite to eat and it started raining again. We ducked in and out of stores until I finally decided to see if we could go into the Uffizzi Gallery earlier than our booked time, which was 6 pm. We were able to go in just after 4 pm, and walked through the gallery as if we knew anything about art. 

This was another time that 'count the wieners' came in handy. It had stopped raining by the time we exited the Uffizzi. We walked to Piazza San Marco where we caught the city bus and rode it back to the apartment. Stuart and I got off a few stops before the rest of the family to buy something for dinner. 

We purchased ingredients for burgers and chips, a very American meal. It was delicious. The kids were bathed, had played their rousing games of UNO while we were at the supermarket, so then went to bed. As you would guess, bedtime has been a bit difficult. They don't want the fun to end. 

Wednesday Stuart got up to go get the rental car. We headed out for our day of adventure around 9:30 am. 

We started our fun in Lucca, a fortified city where you can ride bikes up on the city walls, essentially. We had a coffee, used the toilets and then rented bikes for an hour. This was probably the highlight of the trip for the kids. Millie couldn't settle on a bike, and quite frankly just irritated me until she finally agreed to riding on a tandem bike with Stuart. It was a lot of fun for sure.

Grammie and Pop rented a surrey and had Millie on the front part of the time. When we finished in Lucca we headed to Pisa. 

Pisa was as touristy as you can get. We took the typical pictures of Jack and Millie holding up the tower. We walked around the basilica and took a bunch of pictures. It was a must see, but super typical of a tourist trap. 

Our last adventure of the day was to attempt to see Cinque Terra, a string of 5 villages on the coast. We ended up only visiting one of the villages because the idea of this area is that it's difficult to get to, hoping to minimise the tourists. We visited Manarola. It was quant, but we were only allowed to meter park for one hour at a time. The hill we climbed down and up to get to the car park was not putting in more money. It was steep and exhausting. 

We tried to hit a beach city so the kids could swim, but when we arrived in the city of Viareggio, we discovered that we parked at the private beach end of the city.

So, we opted for dinner instead. Pizza and mussels were on the menu, and Millie even ate some mussels. We arrived home at 10:30 pm and the kids went straight to bed, only getting a scrub of their feet, which you all know absolutely killed me. 

I got up to find some eggs on Thursday morning. When I got the the bottom of the hill, I discovered there were no eggs at the little shop, so I messaged Stuart to come and get me in the car so we could go to the Coop. When we got home we all had ham and eggs. 

We left the house around 11 am so we could try to hit a winery and visit some of the Tuscany hill towns. 

Siena was our first stop. We loved it so much, we stayed most of the day, leaving around 4 pm after a delightful meal, some shopping, gelato and a cafe latte. 

The winery didn't happen, but instead we hit another little small village on the way back to Florence. It was a fortified village by the name of Monteriggioni. It was fantastic! This might have been my favourite day so far. However, we still had 4 days left. 

Friday morning Stuart and I got up and returned the car. 

We walked back to the bus stop, stopping first for a latte of course, and then sneaking into a church we had seen but didn't ever go in. 

It was gorgeous and I really hated that my mom missed it. 

We caught the bus and arrived about a half hour before we had to get the bus to the train station. This particular route seemed longer than normal. Once we had the bags out by the bus stop, we anticipated a quiet ride. Unfortunately we were wrong and the bus was crammed. Fortunately, I met someone on the bus who told us where to go to catch the train once we had gotten off the bus. 

We waited for the platform to be announced for our train. In the meantime a coffee was needed. The kids ate some of the snacks we had until finally we were able to get on our train. We rode for 2 hours to Venice and when we disembarked, the site was gorgeous. I had been to Venice twice, and it still amazes me how they maintain this little island. 

We decided to buy a water bus card for the time we were on the island. It was a bit pricey, but for the amount of times we would use it we decided it was a better value than single tickets. We took the water bus to the area close to the apartment. We made our way to the apartment. Might I add, I am pretty sure before Google Maps arrived in my life I spent many a days lost in a place like Venice. We were greeted by Micheala, who gave us the information about the apartment and some details about the city. 

We went to a little grocery store to buy some provisions. We also stopped at a fruit and veg boat and bought some fruit and veg for our stay. 

Basilica San Marco

Doge's Palace

We then decided to take the water taxi to St Mark's Square and check out the beauty. 

We had the most expensive glass of wine and latte of the entire trip, the kids chased the pigeons (which later we discovered is a big no-no), and we went to see the Doge's Palace, a palace previously used by the government of Venice. It was delightful!

We then came back to the apartment, stopping at the pizza place below our 'home' for pizza and kebabs. Of course we ordered to much, but we did our best to eat every morsel. After dinner, it was showers, cards and then a good night's sleep. 

Dinner at the apartment. 

Saturday morning saw us at the San Marco Basilica in Piazza San Marco (St Mark's Square). We were not allowed to take photos, but simply walk through the basilica. It was spectacular, but I suppose to believe me, you will have to come and see it. 

After the basilica we were going to go to the glass factory on Murano island, and then the lace factory in Burano, but in the end we decided to save that for Sunday, and instead spend our day walking around shops and purchasing some more treasures. I bought two dresses and a gorgeous bag. 

Jack got a man bag just like Stuart's but smaller, and my mom bought a dress and another handbag. The day was good but a little hotter than the previous day. We ended up looking at the kiosks along the Grand Canal and my mom bought some art from a local artist. 

We then took a trip up the Bell Tower and viewed the city from a bird's eye view, as you would in New York or Paris, but not nearly as high up. 

St Mark's Square from the top of the Bell Tower. 

It was a wonderful experience, but when we were finished, everyone was ready to head back to the apartment for a bit of rest and relaxation. We stayed at the apartment until just after 6 pm, then decided to head out for a meal. 

We started with a gondola ride, which was wonderful. 

Ah, the love birds!

This was a street performer Jack had to give money to. He's always loved the idea of playing crystal glasses. It's a bit odd, I think, but he loves it. 

We wanted to stay out until dark, but not everyone was keen. So once we had dinner, we went back to the apartment, showered the kids, put them in bed and then my mom and I headed back out into the streets to view the city at night. 

While we were gone there was a power cut at the apartment. Apparently this caused Millie to go a little nuts and when we returned, a little over an hour after we left, she and Jack were still awake. Lovely! They finally did settle down and go to sleep. Then the rest of us followed. 

What a fantastic holiday we have had. Just a few more days and then we will sadly have to bid Grammie and Pop a farewell. This trip has been unforgettable. 

Italy, here we come!

Sunday we got up and started preparing for the roast dinner for the family. Granny and Aunty Cheryl arrived just after noon. The preparation of the meal was part of the pleasure of the day. We ate just before 2 pm. We ate outdoors, which was such a delight for these desert dwellers. 

We spent the day in the garden. Wimbledon finals were on, so Grandpa snuck in to watch the rest of the men's finals. Lou invited me to go to London and spend the evening with her, so I decided to do just that. I would then meet Stuart and the kids at the hotel at Gatwick on Monday afternoon. Zoe, Louise and myself left for London at 5 pm. 

We arrived just after 7 pm and walked the high street, finding an Italian restaurant where we ate dinner. We walked some more after dinner, walking through Kensington park where Kate Middleton and William live. We didn't see them, unfortunately. We ended up having tea in the lobby of the hotel next to ours, then got back to the hotel just before midnight. 

We woke up Monday morning and got ready for the day. We went for breakfast and then shopped for the morning. I got a fabulous bag that would serve me well on our adventures through Italy.

After a bit of shopping, we took a cab to Harrod's to wander the food stalls. We lunch by Harrod's and then I headed to the Underground. I caught a train to the Victoria line and then the Gatwick express to meet up with Stuart and the kids. Our flight was early Tuesday morning to Rome so we decided to stay the night at the Premier Inn connected to airport. 

We had dinner in the hotel and planned to drop our bags at the twilight bad drop. However, once we got to the airport we were told there had been a tire blow out on an Easy Jet flight earlier in the day so we would have to wait until the morning. The airport was a mad house. So we headed back to the room for showers and an short night's sleep. 

We were up at 4 am and through customs by 5 am. Considering the chaos we observed the night before, we felt we went through rather quickly. We waited around for our flight by having breakfast and looking in the duty free shops. Once we were on the flight the kids slept as did Stuart and myself. 

We arrived in Italy and were through customs in about 5 minutes. I had received a message from my mom that they were waiting for us in baggage claim. They had been there about 2 hours and were anxious to see all is us, especially Jack and Millie. 

We were offered a transfer to apartment from the woman who owns the Airbnb we rented. It was perfect. Fortunately, all our bags fit in the vehicle. Once we arrived at the apartment, the owner showed us around and then left us to unpack and get ready for our adventures. 

We went exploring, got on the Metro and went to see the Spanish Steps of which there are actually 135 steps to the top.

We took pictures and threw coins into Trevi fountain. 

We had lunch on the street at a really quaint restaurant, then got on the Big Bus and headed to the Colosseum. While we waited for our time to go in the Colosseum, we decided to get some gelato and use the bathroom in the cafe. 

The Colosseum was spectacular, but it was very hot. The wheels started falling off of Millie's bus, which is always a good time. However, for the most part both kids hung in there for the entire day. We walked a lot, and were ready for the comforts of the apartment by the time the Colosseum visit was complete. 

We headed back to the apartment and the kids had a shower. Stuart and I went grocery shopping for some needed items. Having a kitchen is very convenient and cuts on the food cost for sure. While we were gone the kids played cards with Grammie and Pop. Once we had a bite to eat we all called it a night. Grammie and Pop hadn't slept for almost 36 hours. They needed the sleep and so did we. 

Wednesday morning we got up and headed to the Vatican. We didn't have to wait in line, which made it more pleasant. It was still roasting outside, but the museum was rather pleasant. We took a lot of pictures, but none were allowed in the Sistine Chapel. It's amazing how many people disregard the rules and take pictures any way. I was a rule follower. 

Once we were out of the Vatican Museum we headed to St Peter's Square, where the Pope makes his address to the people. On the way we purchased some sun glasses for the kids and a new pair for Pop. Somewhere along the way he lost his. 

St Peter's Square was busy, and the line to St Peter's Basilica was literally a mile long. Unfortunately, we passed on that experience. We rode the Big Bus back to the Spanish Steps for lunch. Because it was my birthday, I stepped into a leather shop and eyed a wallet that Stuart went and bought after lunch. So sweet. 

After lunch we walked to find the Waldensian Evangelical Church. This church was where my mom's dad and his family attended when they lived in Italy.

On our way we passed the Parthenon, which was a spectacular site. All of these places you see and read about in books are so much more surreal when you are right in front of them. 

Once we had seen the church, we thought about walking to the Borghese Gallery, which we had prebooked tickets for. Then we decided against it and got a cab instead. Our dogs were barking and the kids were getting a bit cranky. We had to take two different cabs. Unfortunately they didn't follow each other, so we were dropped in two different places. We finally connected in front of the gallery, but then Stuart and I vowed that we would each ride in cab from then one. Because we both have phones we can contact each other. Fortunately it wasn't a big deal, but we learned for the next time. 

The kids just enjoyed laying on the grass. 

The gallery wasn't quite what we expected. Rick Steves had led us astray. It was more hype than it was worth. The kids were not impressed at all, so we started playing 'count the wieners'. That seemed to be way more fun than walking through the gallery. 

We walked back to the metro to go back to our apartment. Once off the metro, we made a quick trip to the store and dinner was cooked. We had one final birthday celebration, a few games of Old Maid, which always makes me laugh because Millie is hilarious to play with, and then it was time for bed. 

She does make us laugh. 

Thursday morning we were up at 7 am and out the door by 9 am. We had to catch the 10:12 am train to Naples. Our plan was to catch the metro to the main train station. However, when we got to the metro, the police standing outside told us they were on strike until noon. So we headed back upstairs and down to a taxi stand. It was a bit nerve racking just because Stuart, my dad and the kids caught the taxi immediately, but my mom and I waited behind and followed about 15 minutes later. Taxis were hard to come by since the metro was on strike. Everyone needed a taxi. We ended up getting to the train station in plenty of time, and to add to it, our train to Naples was late. We were sweating for no reason.....oh, except that it was hot and humid outside. 

Once we arrived in Naples we contemplated getting a taxi to the apartment. But in the end it seemed a good idea to drag our bags through the streets.....NOT! We kind of forgot that the streets would be narrow, with cobblestones, making it difficult to drag the bags, but once we committed to it we had to complete the trek. By the time we got to the apartment and met our hostess, we were wiped out. 

We rested for a while, and while the kids played cards with Grammie and Pop, Stuart and I went to get groceries, or maybe we had a sneaky lunch out on our own. 

Wine on tap!

Once we were back from our cheeky meal out, we played some more cards and then decided to walk to the most recommended pizza place that served gluten free pizza. It was really good pizza, but it was a bit of a walk. The kids were troopers. They have an uncanny way of making their walks fun, which is fine by me. It beats whining every day of the week. Once we were home, showers and cards were in order, then it was bedtime. 

Friday morning we were up and to the train station for the 10:12 am train to Pompeii. As much as we would have loved to hike Mt Vesuvius, it just wasn't possible. There just wasn't enough time to do everything we wanted to do. Pompeii was exciting, and since Jack had studied it at school he was especially jazzed, taking pictures everywhere. It was hot, but we still ended up spending 3 hours at the ruins. 

The train was standing room only. 

We had lunch outside the ruins at a lovely cafe. 

The food has been amazing. We caught the train back to Naples at 3:30 pm, and were able to sit on this train, unlike the one we took that morning.

 Once we were back at the apartment we decided to stay in for the evening. We were originally going to go to the seaside and have dinner, but opted to eat some food we had in the fridge instead and do the seaside on Saturday evening, once we had returned from our Amalfi Coast Day tour. 

Stuart cooked risotto and sausages, then we played more games. My mom and I had limoncello once the kids had gone to bed, and then the adults played Pitch. We all hit the hay just after 11 pm. It was a great, but exhausting, day.  

I had confirmed, on Friday, that our driver would pick us up in front of our apartment, even though the street was narrow and didn't seem suitable for vehicles. So we waited outside the apartment at 9:15 am and he collected us right on time. We then headed to the train station to pick up our guide. She had traveled from Sorrento that morning. 

We started our tour by stopping in Sorrento to walk around the town square. We had a gelato and then headed on to Positano. Once we were in Positano, we walked down the alley ways and looked in some of the shops. There was some beautiful linen clothing that I might need to purchase before leaving here. However, my bags are pretty full, so we will see. 

We walked almost down to the water, but then ran out of time and remembered that the walk up would take more time. So Positano was a short stay. The villages just out of Naples are beautiful and keep nice and clean for tourists. I can't say the say for Rome and Naples. These two cities are quite dirty. Our tour guide said that although the cities are making efforts to be cleaner, the government is less likely to enforce things because they are not terribly concerned about tourism. She indicated that the northern part of Italy is more progressive and concerned about maintaining tourism, therefore is much tidier than the southern part. 

From Positano we headed to a restaurant on the side of the Amalfi Coast Drive and had lunch. I ended up just eating off of everyone else's plates. Some of the food we had was not pleasing to my eyes. I am usually pretty adventurous, but not as much when it comes to food. If it can look at me then I would rather not eat it. As you can see in the pictures, some of the food could look at us. However, the setting was breath taking. 

Once lunch had finished, we headed to the  village of Amalfi. Here we went on a boat to see the Emerald Cave. Although the cave was small and the actual boat ride in it was relatively hokey and short, the ride out to the cave was stunning. Seeing the Amalfi Coast from the sea was marvellous. 

When we disembarked from the boat, our time with our tour guide was almost over. By the time we drove back to Naples, everyone was exhausted and ready for bed. However, we had the driver drop us off at the marina and we walked on the boardwalk.

We decided to stop for a bite to eat. Millie had pasta with olive oil, her staple. Stuart had mussels, which Jack ate as well. My mom and I share gluten free ravioli stuffed with cheese and spinach, which was heavenly. My dad just ate some of the bread dipped in olive oil. 

Once the meal was complete we got taxis to the apartment. That particular ride might have been the scariest of my life. At one point we pulled up next to the taxi with the other half of the family in it. We also nearly hit several other cars and people. I believe the most risky drivers live in southern Italy. 

We were back at the apartment, showered, and playing cards by about 7:45 pm. The kids went to bed st 8:30 pm, and the adults, after playing Pitch (and Pop and I losing again!), also went to bed. It would be an early start and clean up of the apartment. Our first few days in Italy were definitely a success, and we knew this because we were exhausted! It's the markings of an excellent holiday.