idonthaveacoolname

The train ride was quite nice from Florence. We came into S.Maria station and I quickly disembarked and waded into the teeming sea of tourists. I made my way to my hotel and was disappointed that the room that I requested was unavailable due to some recent construction. The upside was that they upgraded me to a double executive suite. And boy is it suite! I will take some photos later but suffice to say that it is mahogany floor to ceiling with a marble bathroom. Quite decadent!

My friend Stefan came to meet me at St. Marks and we went for a pizza and a beer. It’s his birthday tomorrow so we are going to hang out and eat a good meal. We chatted for a while and then took a walk. The Aqua Alta was already beginning and, with a full moon and the rain, the prediction is for a few feet of water over night!

Wow! This segment of the trip was really nice! It is raining and grey in northern Italy and all of the small mountains in this region are shrouded in fog. I dozed for a bit and awoke to fellow passengers speaking Japanese. For a split second I was transported back to my younger days, traveling to the small town of Ushimado on the Seto inland sea.

Next stop, Osaka.. Er… Venice Mestre then onto Venice itself!

So I went back to the Scuolo del Cuoio and bought another bag today. The craftsmanship is very impressive. Here is Francesco embossing my bag with my initials. The craft work is impressive!

I woke up this morning after a rather lousy sleep. More than likely due to the 1 kilo plus steak I ate last night. Always a trooper, got my gear and headed out into a rainy Florence. Even rainy Florence is beautiful!

I went to the Accademia for 8:15. By 8:14 it was me and another guy, who is a librarian in Bologna and incredibly knowledgeable about art and art history. I got a short course on the entire collection! I was really happy. We parted ways inside but I did bump into him at the statue of David. I asked him to take a photo of me but, evidently, he had never taken a photo before. I don’t think I was even in the frame 🙂

I then went to San Marco Church where I fell in love with Fra Angelico’s Annunciation. What a great spot, wonderful art and very peaceful.

After that it was noon so I went for a fantastic lunch at San Lorenzo Market (best location for the freshest everything) where I met and chatted with Kellie (sp?) from Chicago who, among other things, was taking a cooking class at San Lorenzo Cooking School. She has been here in Florence for several months and, like me, loves the food and everything else about this city. I was totally jealous! And FYI, the second level of the Market was transformed several years ago with only high end take away eateries and a cooking school. I had a really good soup with a amazing Sienese Ham sandwich… And a great conversation! When in Florence, this is a great place to shop and eat.

After all that and with the rain falling and the thunder still rolling in the sky, I went to the Medici Chapel to see the Michelangelo.sculptures. Wow!!!

Here are a few from my day;

And my lunch:

I’m sitting here in my room uploading photos and I turned on the TV to find episode 1 of Masterchef Italy 🙂

Wow! 2.5 hours of the best art I have seen in a long time!

I was first in line this morning for the Uffizi this morning and it was worth it hanging out for about 30 minutes or so. By the time it opened at 8:15 the line stretched for quite some time. I put my ear plugs in and absorbed the art for several hours.

I then climbed the Duomo, taking lots of photos of the interior construction of the done by Brunalesschi. I braved my fear of heights with the help of three Americans from California who were in Florence for just a few days. A great bunch, we chatted about the history of the done including the work by Vasari on the interior of the dome.

I then went to the Baptistry that is under construction outside but wow! What an interior!!!

I also found the spot, market with a circular piece of marble, where the huge ball from the top of the Duomo landed in January, 1600 after being hit in an electrical storm. People looked at me really weird as I smiled and took pictures of, to them, just the pavement!

After an amazing Steak Florentine, I found some great street art as I ambled my way back to the Hotel Duomo! I will sleep well tonight! Great resto: Trattoria Antico Fattore –

http://www.anticofattore.it/antico_fattore/public/index.php

Being nice certainly pays off! The really nice concierge at my hotel moved me to a suite with a view of the Duomo, see below. As I type this, I am looking up at the architectural detail of the Dome, remembering Ross King”s historical work on its construction.

I decided to hike up to Michelangelo”s Square to catch the morning sun. The light in the few places that I have been in Italy, Florence included, is beautiful. A photographers dream! When I arrived I noticed someone had sent up their camera to do a time-lapse. What a great idea! I spoke with the videographer who, it turned out, spoke English! Not normal English though, the British variant 🙂

KH lives in Florence and works for The Florentine newspaper as a videographer. I am sure that I talked her ear off (who me?) especially since I haven’t had a spoken conversation without the aid of Google Translate and its accompanying time lag for 7 days. It has been a trying week for me. Oh, the horror!

I made my way to the Lorenzo Medici museum and viewed his collection of sacred artifacts. Wow! Afterwards I saw his library including his original copies of Aristotle and Dante. I was in book heaven! I did wonder, though, if these copies were originally bound and published here or in Venice. I have some research to do!

I then went to San Lorenzo Market and followed the sage advice of KH and had the fried fish platter for lunch. Two words: mmmm mmmmmm! I then bought a silk scarf and made my way to the Scuolo del Cuoio, the leather working school in Florence. I spent too much but the craftsmanship is well worth it. The quality is exceptional.

A shout out to my sister and my niece! I look forward to seeing both of them upon my return. 168 Sushi for dinner?

And, for those interested, I am well over 4000 images for this week. I hope at least a few turn out.

My feet are, however, killing me. I think I have almost worn a hole through my new shoes. I am going to try to stay off of them for at least tonight.

I have some cinghial (boar) and pecorino left over from Tuscany but, as I type, I realize that when I bought the wine this afternoon that I should have gotten some honey!

I grudgingly left Siena this afternoon after an incredible visit to the Basilica di San Dominico to see the severed head of Saint Catherine. She died while in Rome but the Sienese wanted her back so they smuggled out her head in a bag. When stopped by the authorities, the legend goes, all they saw was rose petals.

There is an awful lot of that in the history of the various (now) Italian cities, including the theft of St. Mark”s body by the Venetians, smuggled out in a vat of pig fat to avoid the prying eyes of the Muslim authorities.

I digress.

I left Siena by bus around 2. The bus is definitely the preferred mode of transport in Tuscany. An hour later I spied the beautiful dome of Brunelleschi in the distance! I can only image what people thought when they first saw it in the 15th century!

Here are a few pictures. I settled in to my hotel across from the Duomo and went out for some quick photos.