Day 16 – A long bus ride… the Uffizi… and Boo Boo’s birthday

Staying a hostel has some distinct advantages… however, it’s been a long time since I slept in a bunkbed.  Our room (The Principal, myself, and the boys) consists of 2 sets of bunkbeds, a half bath (sink & toilet), a 2^nd half bath (shower & sink), and a table/stool.  It’s on the 2^nd floor, and we get to utilize the first elevator I’ve seen in 2 weeks.  The other two rooms we rented are on the main floor, just as far from the elevator, but only one set of bunkbeds and only 1 full bath.  We had chosen our particular room b/c the 4 of us have the least trouble with luggage on stairs and didn’t realize that there was an elevator.  It turns out, being on the 2^nd floor meant that we avoided all the teenaged/college age party traffic that went up and down that main hall until after midnight.

Boo Boo woke up singing “Happy Birthday to Me”… and the rest of us woke up and wished him a Happy Birthday.  Yes, I now have TWO 13 y.o.’s for a month.  This promises to be another huge adventure.

A full breakfast (first bacon & eggs I’ve seen in 2 weeks also) and we’re off to the Uffizi.  It’s a bus ride… but, since the buses were purchased by a new company and the Principal can’t download the new app for the schedule we’re a bit stuck.  We make it to the main station… and none of THOSE posters are updated either.  Thankfully, straight across the street is the Informazioni office… and they not only speak English, ,but have an updated schedule.  We would eventually figure out that they really shouldn’t use the same color blue for more than one bus number… but, it’s Italy… they’re known for a lot of things, but organization isn’t one of them.  The Magic Homeschool Bus + FIL make an educated guess.

Our bus ride takes us on a loop that passes by the bus stop we got on… and then loops around again in the other direction and we eventually bail out at the Piazza di Signora and take a look around.  Unlike last time, the Uffizi line isn’t ‘negligible’.  It doesn’t wrap around the block either… but it’s a good 90 minute wait to get in.  They only let in so many people at a time to buy tickets… and everybody else waits outside.  We send a few people off to get a few paninis and some Fanta, eat a late lunch and make it inside around 1pm.

The Principal had downloaded an audio tour from Rick Steves that walked you through much of the main “stuff” through the Uffizi.  Of the 50 rooms, there are about 2 “Pre Renaissance” rooms about 2 “Post Renaissance” rooms… and everything else is from the 16^th century.  A few rooms were closed for renovations, but the kids did a great job of recognizing much of the more famous art and listening to the audio tour helped them appreciate more of what they were seeing.  I highly recommend an audio tour.  All the good museums offer them and you can really get a lot out of them if you have the time and an extra few Euros.  Of course, “Free” with a couple of splitters & extra headphones has the added benefit of being within budget AND keeping everybody tethered together – ROFL!

Spending 2 hours wandering around the Uffizi likely wasn’t how Boo Boo had intended to spend his first day as a teenager, but we make our way through getting a couple of pictures in the only areas available for photos and decide that the view of the Ponte Vecchio from the Uffizi would satisfy that requirement also.  I prefer to see it at sunset… but we’re FAR too early for sunset, and we’re not likely to buy anything from the gold merchants there anyway… we’ll head back to the apartment.

One last load of laundry (YEA for Maytag) and we spend a little time online, start packing, etc.  MIL had purchased a small Nutella cake for Boo Boo’s birthday… and many of us ordered a cheeseburger & fries for dinner.  It was our first American food in 2 weeks… and the birthday boy could order what he wanted.

It’s truly unbelievable how much he’s grown up just in the last year.  He’s really maturing into a young man.  We are so blessed to have him with us as he adds so much to our lives.

Day 15 – Leaving Venice… now to Florence!

Truth be known, this teacher could’ve skipped Venice and spent the whole time in Florence (Editor's note - we still don't understand this - counseling may be necessary).  The Renaissance art, the history of the Medici, the “Bully of Florence” that took over everything before the Renaissance… not to mention the beautiful countryside, all make it one of my absolute favorites.   However, selfishly, a large part of me this trip enjoys the organized layout of the city, the paved streets (at least some of them… the rest are still the cuboidal cobblestone), the “almost 20^th century indoor plumbing – LOL!  Okay, I admit it… I’m an American softie that likes the comparative luxuries of my own home.

Walking down the streets of Florence with your luggage is a bit more awkward than doing it in Venice, but not much.  This time, we’re staying in a hostel… which for those who’ve never seen one. It’s kind of like a dorm for students.  Relatively inexpensive rooms… few, if any amenities… but it should be clean & safe.

THIS hostel is unlike any I’ve seen, though.  They have 700 beds in two buildings, a sauna, indoor pool, cafeteria style dining area… and LAUNDRY!!  I think I started to drool when I walked in and saw the word “Maytag” on the machines.  These are large, American-made, coin-operated machines!  I’m ECSTATIC!  If I’d known about these, I wouldn’t’ve worked so hard in Rome dealing with that hideous monstrosity! 

We can’t check in yet, so we put our luggage into storage and all head down to the cafeteria to see what they’re serving for breakfast (it’s still only 9:30am).  Boo Boo discovers the world of “cappuccino” and the rest of us find croissants & OJ to be more appealing.  Afterward, the Magic Homeschool Bus (plus grandparents) heads out to see the sights.

 

 We find the Santa Maria Novella, in addition to the famous Duomo with Brunelleshi’s Dome.  You can’t see the spina pesce pattern from the outside (b/c of the outer brick covering), nor from the inside (because of the frescoes), but the kids, having seen a movie on it, are still awed by seeing it for real.  I can’t remember that we’ve ever ventured into the Duomo before… but it’s lovely. 

 

Ghiberti’s doors on the baptistery are essentially covered up (as is the rest of the baptistery), but we catch a few snapshots of those… and keep walking.  We’re starting to feel like that fish in Finding Nemo… just keep walking, just keep walking – LOL!

 

 

 

A couple of other things grab our attention about Florence… the trash cans… and the buses.  The cans have the recepticals below ground… with the doors for them above ground. With all the trash issues in the other Italian cities that we've visited (and we haven't gotten to Naples yet!)... this seens to be a brilliant alternative.  The buses are nearly all “short buses”.  They seat no more than 10 people, with hanging straps for another 7-10.  It’s a tight squeeze sometimes, especially when there are no shocks on the bus.  I’m not sure a longer wheel base would help though, b/c the times we venture onto actual asphalt the bouncing completely disappears.  They really should go ahead and pave the streets – LOL!

The street artists are still here.  Though we didn’t catch anybody doing Da Vinici’s Last Supper, we found a couple that were interesting.  Yes, they’re right in the middle of what is a 2 lane road, but they have areas in the street outlined for them… so they don’t get run over.

A visit to the “Pig Market” and our day’s adventure is nearly over.  MIL finds a new leather backpack for a great price… the kids rub the boar’s snout (we have no real idea why this is a thing, but it is) and then we start our journey back.  Our walk to find another bus stop takes us through the Piazza della Signora which is most famous for being the entryway to the Accademie… the Uffizi… and the Loggia… and leads to the Ponte Vecchio, among other things.

 

 

The nice thing about heading to Florence is that the Florentines have taken kindly to tourists and put a “fake David” out in the Piazza (no point in before/after photos here... he appears unchanged - and nobody has come to the poor Sabine Woman's aid).  Don’t get me wrong, the Accademie is still worth seeing, but if the only thing you’ll recognize is Michaelangelo’s David, save your money and take a picture with the fake one.  The real one has a few cracks the fake doesn’t have… but most can’t tell the difference.  The Uffizi is the Renaissance art… we’ll get that tomorrow… along with the Ponte Vecchio.

 

For now, we make a winding way back to the apartment, check in, start a load of laundry… the girls go swimming with BIL/DN… and we all decide to hit the bed early.

Day 14 – Piazza di San Marco… and some shopping

Morning really comes too early sometimes.  To make matters worse, Italy did their version of daylight savings time last night… so I lost an hour the week before we left… then 5 more on the way over… and now another hour.  I’ll get 6 of the 7 back in a couple of weeks… but still.  UGH.

Breakfast was somewhat disappointing.  Nothing was ready (apparently the staff forgot about daylight savings time), and it consisted almost entirely of hot tea or coffee, pre-packaged toast/crackers, and some orange juice.  Definitely not worth the 5 Euro we were charged.

Still, no reason to be down about it now, so we head out and decide our best bet is to venture out to Murano.  Murano is an island off of Venice and is where all the famous glass making factories are.  15 years ago the Principal and I found a Millefiori egg on our last day and it was our one souvenir of the trip.  4 years ago we tried to add to the collection, but had no luck.

Today we find out that the factory that made those kinds went out of business about 5 years ago and the only real way to add to a collection like that is to find the item in somebody ELSE’s collection.  Still, we keep looking, in every shop… and just before we reach the end of the “small canal” in Murano, we find an egg that is lovely.  It’s not millefiori, but it still attracts our attention enough that we make a purchase. J

Back at the apartment and the guys and Sweetie decide to lie down for a while (we’ve had quite the pace these last 2 weeks), but Doodlebug is on a mission.  She’s seen a small cross body pocketbook since early in Rome and would REALLY like to find it for a slightly better price here in Venice.  I, too, have a little shopping to do, so the two of us head out. 

There are MANY leather handbag stores around, and the purse she likes is a Vera Pelle leather purse and nearly all the stores have it hanging in their doorway on hooks.  That’s convenient because we can easily check the price and move on.  We also window shop down to look for some nice (real) Murano glass jewelry for a few people on our list.  I have some good success, but Doodlebug can’t find the purse she’s looking for for less than 20 Euro.  She decides to keep looking.

Another vaparetto back from that island to Venice and we stop at the Piazza di San Marco.  The thing about this church is that EVERYTHING is a gold background mosaic.  Everything is exceedingly old… and misaligned from time… but it still captures the senses as you journey in.  We opt NOT to visit the museum upstairs (we did that last time)… and head over to the Rialto bridge.

Personally, it’s just a big bridge to me, but it is HUGE... and definitely one of the easy boxes to check off.  J

Since lunch had been a VERY large Margherita pizza (meaning, it was too large to even fit in the store’s box), we opt for making our own Panini sandwiches in the room, so Doodlebug & the Principal head out to the local supermarket (about the size of a 7-11… maybe?) and I take the other 3 back to start packing.

We set the alarm early… read 4am early… and head to bed.



Some more from the "then and now" files:






...

 

Day 13 – Arrival in Venice –

Venice hasn’t changed a lot since we were there… except to have become more “touristy”, if that was possible.  4 years ago we were docked with a cruise ship with quick vaporetto service to The Piazza di San Marco… this year we’re near the train station. Some might feel awkward traipsing through town hauling their luggage, but it’s an extremely common sight and we blend in well.  The Principal and I recognize our hotel from 15 years ago (B.C.) but the new one is another block down. 

The looming staircase is somewhat intimidating, so we send the Principal and Doodlebug up the stairs, only to find out that our rooms aren’t even in this building making our decision NOT to heave our luggage up those stairs a good one.  The little walkway (officially an alley) nearby is our actual lead to the other building… and has equally as many stairs, and like everything else, is made of marble.  Decisions on sleeping arrangements are made again and we unload.  This something in between a hostel and a hotel. There are rooms that sleep 4, sinks in every room… but only 2 toilets/shower rooms for what appear to be 17-20 people on a floor.  Oh my… this will be different.

Some of the group decide to get something to eat in a little ristorante across the street, but the rest of us decide to ‘get lost in Venice’.  It’s fun to do, and not hard to “un-lost-ify” yourself as there are signs EVERYWHERE on how to get to San Marco, the Canal, and a few other well-known landmarks.  Still, the pounding “music?” is coming down the street, but isn’t getting closer, so we head off to satisfy our curiousity.

Most are disappointed to find out that it’s a Communist Protest against the EU “austerity agreement”… and the Italians that are there (other than those on the microphone) appear to have shown up out of curiosity and then grown bored at the event and are all just talking amongst themselves… and the 100 street vendors all trying to sell you some of the same “stuff” that was in Rome.  Of course, much of their stuff is Venetian (ish) glass, or Venetian masks (we’re about a month too late for Mardi Gras)… but at least it’s interesting.

Wandering around (gelato in hand) we discover another unfortunate happening in Venice.  Everything is MUCH more expensive.  Instead of 1,50 Euro, or even a 2 Euro ticket on the vaparetto (their version of a water bus)… the passes are 7 Euros for each direction (outside 90 minutes)… or a 24 hr ticket for 20 Euros… or 25 Euros for a 36 hr pass.  To make matters more frustrating, while most cities have children free, or at least at a reduced price… Venice makes no exceptions.  Planning for when we leave will dictate when we buy our “bus” passes… and we continue walking down the narrow streets… over the lovely bridges.  Doodlebug notices that there are a LOT more dogs on leashes here, which is interesting since there are essentially no backyards, and few single family homes/town houses.

San Marco is very busy when we get there, but we’ve journeyed in and already seen a spot or two we hadn’t seen before, so we decide venturing inside will have to wait a day.

 

 

 

 

 

Dinner turns out to be another expensive venture (that part hasn’t changed), but it’s Sweetie’s birthday and we make it into a bit of an event.  She receives a Venetian mask from The Principal and I as a memento of her birthday in Venice… and we all settle in for a well-deserved good night’s sleep.

 

 

 

 

A pleasant addition to the now/then comparison. The maintenance around the Bridge of Sighs is complete (though other areas are still being worked on)

 

Day 13 – Arrivederci Roma… Heading to Venezia… and “Buon Compleano a Sweetie”

After getting up at 1am again and being greeted with warm, damp laundry in the dryer again, I brought it to the room and set it on the radiator.  I will not miss this.  Unfortunately, the radiator wasn’t on, so I opened a window in the hopes that it would chill down our room enough that the radiator would come on and dry the clothes.  I’m not sure it came on for long, but it made enough of a difference that I could pack the last bit of clothes in the suitcase without too much of a problem.

Through all of it, it’s Sweetie’s birthday.  It’s hard to believe she’s really 11 years old, but as I look at her I realize how much she’s really growing up right before our eyes.  She’s excited about getting to Venice… so we have little time to celebrate right now.

Lots of chaos, trying to get cleaned up, breakfast, everything taken down 4 flights of stairs to wait for the taxis (2 large 8 passenger vans).  They arrive at 7:40am, the apartment manager arrives at 8am and “We’re Off”!!

Navigating 12 people plus lots of luggage through a Roman train station is interesting, but we make it up 2 escalators, down another one and we’re on the platform half an hour early!  WOW!  We all decide we wish March were warmer, but we’re happy to be on the next leg of our adventure.  It appears the rain is behind us and Venice is ahead.

The Principal was able to get everybody 1^st class tickets on one of the new high speed trains, so we head northeast across the countryside at speeds of 200-250 kph (about 150 mph) topping out at 300 for some of the trip.  The kids love it, the men seem to love it, too (all railway fans).  The trains ARE very nice… airlines could take a lesson in the seats, aisle space, restrooms, etc… although I guess when you ALSO have to defy gravity it adds another variable into the mix.  Perhaps the airlines are doing pretty well, all things considered.

Once the train gets underway, we pull out our carry-on piece of luggage that Franka had essentially filled for us with various items and have a little ‘mini party’ for our own Sweetie.  Singing ensues in both English and Italian, and the Train Steward even brings her a box of goodies.

The Italian countryside is really pastoral with small clusters of homes amongst the sheep herds, vineyards, and olive groves.  We pause in all the major cities along the way (we’ll only get back to Florence).

Day 12 – The Pasticceria Lady

We are going to be SERIOUSLY OD’d on sweets though.  Right at 4pm the Principal took Doodlebug around the corner to visit the Pasticherria lady.  They were going to deliver the Calla Lilly plant and get a picture.  They returned WITHOUT the picture, but instead, the Principal was heavily laden down with a very large bag FULL of all SORTS of pastries.  He said she kept filling the bag and he kept saying, “No, no, it’s too much”.  She wouldn’t accept any money for it in the end… and even when we unpacked it all he found things in there he hadn’t seen her pack in there.

Franka is a beautiful lady.  She not only was SO sweet to Doodlebug (and all the kids, really), but she, through the little English she had, asked about us, shared about her family, and EVERY time we went in there we’re convinced she not only undercharged us for what we requested, but always gave my youngest a special bag full with a half dozen or more things just for her.  She received everything from extra meringue cookies, to Pizzettas (mini pizzas), to spinach or cheese “things”… she was so generous.  In fact, as I’m remembering, we were in visiting her a few nights before when she greeted another gentleman that entered the shop.  He didn’t say much, but she seemed to recognize him and acknowledged him as she worked on our order.  In the midst of it all, she reached down and took hold of 2 of the 6 large sandwich halves that were carefully wrapped and stacked in the corner of the display case.  It had been a bit odd to see them there (she sells pastries, etc… she’s not a sandwich shop and this wasn’t Panini bread anyway)… and we hadn’t commented on them.  Anyway, she pulled out 2 of them, handed them to the man, he thanked her, and left.  A few minutes later the Principal asked about the gentleman and she explained as best she could, that he had no money to pay because he had no money for food, so she made up sandwiches when she could.  The next day I saw 10 sandwiches set out… and earlier this morning I saw a gentleman eating one of those triangle sandwiches wrapped in the cellophane.  Had the bread not been so unusual for Italy I might not’ve noticed… but her generous heart has gotten around.  What a beautiful lady.

Day 12 – Our last full day in Rome

What to do on our last full day in Rome (we're off to Venice early in the morning)?

The weather promises to turn lovely… eventually… and we decide to get to our last “Would like to see before we leave” item on our list.  A set of catacombs, different from the last set.  Last time we saw the Catacombs of St. Callista… this time it’s the Catacombs of Domitilla… which are 15 MILES of underground tombs. 

 

 

 

BIL opts to head out with us as 3 of the other adults are not up to the travel and FIL has a couple of errands to run.

A train to a bus to a .5 km walk and we’re there.  There’s a nice garden outside, and the entrance to the catacombs is, of course, inside the gift shop.  It’s 20 minutes until the next English speaking tour, so we look around.  THIS is where we find that “special postcard” we’d been searching for, and my refrigerator magnet.  When we travel, I like to collect one of 2 souvenirs.  It helps keep me out of the tourist-trap chatchkey shops… and helps us stay in budget.  One is a Christ-mas ornament, the other is a refrigerator magnet.  Ornaments can be harder to find, but refrigerator magnets abound.  This one is a good memento.

The tour is very nice and very informative.  The kids all paid good attention, asked good questions, and really enjoyed hearing about it all.  They were pleased to find out that the little 1^st Century lamp we purchased last October is the same one as they used after sealing up the tombs.  They’d light them on their way out, and the lamp would burn for about 2 hours after they left.  There were marble dedications on the walls, lots of tiny burial areas… several frescoes all depicting one of several motifs.  Noah, Moses, Lazarus (particularly appropriate), Christ & the disciples, and, of course, Peter & Paul.  This set of catacombs was used from the 2^nd to the 5^th century and the original church (with some modern day benches) is still available for viewing.  No photos allowed inside, though.

We venture back outside and Mr. Sunshine has returned!!  The walk back to the bus stop is a bit more upbeat and there’s a brief discussion about whether or not we want to head back to the apartment or head out to Ostia Antica.  Much as I would love to see Ostia… we ARE headed to Pompeii in 2 weeks… Ostia should really wait.  Besides, we have a few other errands for when we get back.

We decide to pick up gelato… and this is the best caffe’ gelato I’ve had to far.  It even had bits of coffee beans inside.  OH how I wish we’d’ve found this one on our first day and not our last.  We buy a potted Calla Lilly for the Pasticherria lady (Franka) and then get prosciutto e’ formaggio pizza, some calzones… and 4 Suppli’.  I have to say that the Principal’s Suppli’ is better than this shop’s… but this isn’t bad. J

The daughter of the Pasticherria lady says she won’t be in until the evening, so we tell her that we’ll be back.

It turned out to be a lovely afternoon.  We opened the windows, enjoyed the sunshine, a couple of people napped, and a few started packing up.  I fought with the laundry machine and decided that I wouldn’t miss that laundry room one bit after we left.  I’d gotten up at 1am and 5am to move laundry forward… tending to the laundry is like a newborn.  The clothes dry faster on the radiator… but only when it’s on, which appears to be sporadically.  Honestly, had the weather been warmer we wouldn’t’ve needed to do so much, but who’d’ve guessed it would’ve been SO chilly so many days in a row.

The “chef ladies” returned, this time with fewer dishes (per our request) and we set the kids to work on a batch of chocolate biscotti (something or other) cookies that didn’t need baking (which is good since the apartment doesn’t have an oven).  The kids made those cookies, filled some (okay, LOTS) of cannolis that Elisabetta made at home, I learned a new recipe for risotto and the ladies had already made Ribboletta.  I have to say that the kids weren’t all that impressed with the Ribboletta… but ate enough to say that it really did taste better than it looked.  They ALL loved the risotto… but I think they were really looking forward to the chocolate chip (stratcitella) cannolis. 

After dinner we all set to real work of putting the 2 apartments back in order, rearranging furniture, locating “missing” items… sorting through everything… and, in general, trying to pack.  The taxis are coming just before 8am and we have to be ready.