Day 22 - In Florence

I discovered the REAL use of slippers and carpet this morning. Tile floor is cold. Stinking cold… and quite a shock early in the morning. It’s just not nice. LOL! We opted for breakfast and a morning out. Back on the bus (I’ll really be glad to get back to the US and my own VEHICLE) and we’re debating where to get off when the nice man (who clearly spoke English b/c he giggled at a few things the kids said) told us that the bus would go past the Piazza de San Marco. MIL said, “That’s in Venice” and he laughed and said, “We have our own” ROFLOL!!!

We got off there, walked over to the Duomo again, past the Accademie after checking on the price (and knowing that the only things the kids would recognize were duplicated and standing outside in the Piazza Della Signoria … around to the Piazza… took a few photos, and there we were at the Uffizi where a small miracle occurred.

We had forgotten to make online reservations in advance and if you’ve ever been there you know that this means we were not getting in. Oh sure, you can wait in line, but it usually goes down the street and around to the bridge. Call it three to five hours wait regardless of season and then the galleries are so packed that anyone under six feet tall (read “all of us”) would see little of the masterpieces… but we were determined to at least walk around the area.


We were walking down the street and DH says… “wait a minute. Isn’t that where the line should be?” I don’t know where everyone else in Florence was today, but it wasn’t at the Uffizi… so we jumped in line just before it grew again. 20-40 minutes later we were allowed in. If that weren’t good enough, they’re really controlling crowd sizes now, so none of the galleries were at all crowded and the kids could get right up next to some of the world’s greatest art.

90 minutes later and we were getting ready to exit the Uffizi and the boys had done well. They actually recognized quite a few things, and sending them off to find things helped them pay attention and take interest in a few things they wouldn’t have normally recognized. I told the IL’s that the boys (and I – LOL) had earned a gelato, so we walked down a few short streets and found a shop that served gelato in nearly 30 flavors. I chose a coffee chocolate chip… the best gelato I’ve had so far, I think (but I'm still open to other contenders before the trip is over)… and we came home. It’s nice to be home for a calm dinner, though obviously we miss the 3-5 course meal from the ship. I guess we’ll be in mourning for creatively folded napkins and elegant service for some time to come.

I should note that the kids did very well with formal dining. We were determined to have all four order off of the “adult” menu each night and we were largely successful. It would be silly to order mango soup, thai chicken, filet of sole, and a crème caramel for Doodle Bug in some restaurant when the kid’s chicken is $4.99 and we know she’ll eat it… but when it’s included it’s a great opportunity for the kids to stretch their culinary horizons.

Our vacation is coming to a close. Tomorrow afternoon we head to the train station to take us to Rome, and then early Friday morning we board a plane for New Jersey. Whew. Months and Months in the planning… and we’re nearly “done”. Still, if you never go home, you can’t ever leave again, right?? :D

It has been an exhausting attempt to consume Italy in a short time. I need a vacation.