Frankfurt

Well we are not quite finished with our holiday apparently. We get up at 5:00 am and take a cab to the airport. We arrive in lots of time as the streets are empty this early in the morning.

We wait for our flight & we hear Italian Air talking about a flight delay to Frankfurt. Eventually we have someone come to our gate and we find out that there is fog in Frankfurt and we are going nowhere for a while.
After 30 mins. we are allowed to board but we are sitting on the tarmac and not going anywhere. They serve juice and tell us not to ask them about connecting flights. Okay. People from all over the world seem to make Frankfurt the hub to their destination. There are people going to Bahrain, Washington DC, South America.

Ostia Antica

Day 15
Our final day. We decide we need to go out of the city today and after some research we decide on Ostia Antica. This ancient city that is about 2400 years old. It was at one time the major port for Rome, until the river silted in and coast line moved out.

Vatican & St. Peter's Basilica

Day 14
We are off to the Vatican today. Lyn made reservations from home for us to take the Vatican Garden tour. We can now vouch for this being a very wise thing to do. We decide to throw caution to the wind and actually use a cab rather than chancing the bus schedule which seems to know no rules. We arrive in plenty of time at the Vatican Museum and as we have reservations we walk right in. There is a very long line up outside for the Vatican Museum. It goes waaaaaaay down the block.

Jewish Ghetto & Piazza Navona

Day 13

We take our time getting on the road today and make it an exploring day. We find a bus and head off in the direction of the Jewish Ghetto which is north of us. This is a lovely area beside the Tiber River and very ancient.

In 1556 Pope Paul ordered all the Jewish people to move here and live behind walls. They had a curfew and were not allowed to travel outside the area after sunset until sunrise the next day. This area still suffers attacks and is under guard every day. There are very ancient diggings here. Temples from 23 BC have been found and the remains of a fish market from the same period. There are perfectly preserved remains of 2 and 3rd century Roman houses can still be seen.

Shopping for our dinner

Day 13

My thoughts on our dining experiences in Italy. - We eat our breakfast in the apartment which consists of yogurt, fresh fruit & for Chris peanut butter on toast & our morning tea & coffee. We fit lunch in between visiting different sites. This can range from a quick panni from a food cart or a sit down restaurant. We keep trying to find that perfect restaurant that everyone raves about. So far very expensive & poor quality.

Borghese Musuem & Pantheon

Day 12

Today we have a date at 10:30 at the Borghese Museum. We have been really looking forward to seeing this with personal recommendations from Sharon and Grant and others. We phoned from Canada to make reservations as they are hard to come by and if you are going to see one museum in Rome pick this one.  We try to guess how long it will take for us to make our way across town and then double it. Good thing we did. It took us an hour and a half to get there and we were right on the button and that was after rush hour.
When we got off the bus we walked up a lovely avenue through a large park of 3 ¼ miles in circumference. More in this later.
This beautiful building was closed for 13 years while going through restoration and opened in 1997. It was a residence but was designed as a museum by Scipione Borghese to house fantastic works of art from the Roman period and Renaissance. The family continued to add to this collection as it was written in his will that the collection must never be sold from the residence. Some works were commissioned and others attained through political sleight of hand.

Coliseum, Palatine Hill & Trevi Fountain

Day 11

Big plans today. We have planned to go to the Coliseum and the Palatine Hill. Bet you hadn’t heard of that before. Well we found out all about it today. We decide to forgo the Coliseum until after lunch because the crowds are just silly. We walk past the arch beside the Coliseum and look for the Palatine. There is a large park like area to the right and we have our Roma Passes ready. Not such a long line but with the Roma pass we walk right in.

We have the Rick Steves tour but have completely lost the thread and just start to wander following the paths. This is a huge area in the center of Rome and it is an archeological site that goes back to ancient times. It is the home of the emperors of Rome and the temples and towns that accompanied them. Absolutely wonderful. To walk where these people had carried on their daily responsibilities and lived in such “interesting times” was like walking back in time. The ancient streets are there, although you really want to watch your step. Can’t think it would be much fun riding these streets in a chariot and keeping your teeth from rattling loose. Many palaces and temples are being uncovered and we must have walked hours and not seen it all.

Bus Tour of Rome

Day 10

We decide today to go downtown and get a 24 hour pass on the Jump On, Jump Off Green bus. We walk out to the main street to the bus stop but our bus never comes. Hmmm….the Pope is announcing new saints today, maybe the bus has been redirected. Off we go to the Metro station and take the subway downtown. We go looking for the Tourist Information as we want to buy a Rome Pass which will give us entrance to many different venues (two free entries and then discounts on further venues) and we can use it as a bus pass for three days. We finally find it and then we go looking for the bus company to by a 24 hour pass on the Green bus. This costs us 20 Euros. Boy was that worth it. There are 12 stops on the route and the bus comes by every 20 minutes. It stops at major attractions and is a double decker so you can sit inside or out. The whole route takes 2 hours and we decide that we will do the whole route once and then pick something to visit.
The view is great from the top deck of the bus! You see way more than you would from inside.

Leaving Florence on to Rome

Day 9, Oct. 16

We were up at 7:30 to have a quick shower & tidy up the apt. Lucy is coming at 9:30 to pick up the keys & return our deposit. We are catching a train to Rome at 10:40. We hop in the taxi & arrive in lots of time. Our luggage is getting heavier don’t know where we have pick up the extra lbs. We are taking the fast train 1&1/2 hrs. Arrive in Rome & go to the taxi stand. Pile into one cab & ask how much, he tells us 45 Euros & Lyn starts arguing. It costs 30 to go from the airport to town! Tells him she will pay 20. He kicks us out & we get in another, we make a deal for 25 because we have 4 pieces of luggage. You have to be on your toes here or you can turn into easy prey. Know your prices before you open your wallet.

Our apartment is in the Testaccio district south of Rome. We will be using the bus or metro.  Not as fancy as Florence but still very comfortable. We overlook the  Testaccio Market which is open every day. Should be some good bargains. This is a blue collar area so the prices are a lot cheaper. There is a grocery store just around the corner so we stock up with supplies & decide to eat in tonight. Lyn bought 2 cans of beer for 1 euro what a bargain.

Pitti Palace & Michelangelo Piazzle

A slow start again today as we have no set destination. We both need to do a bit of shopping and want to go down to the Via Guicciardini which is the street that comes off the Pont Vecchio. There are many high end tourist shops and different types of stores and vendors that we are sure we will find what we want. The Pitti Palace is also on this street.
Lyn has her heart set on a wine jug and a ceramic Christmas ornament with something to represent Florence. We have seen some lovely ones, they are hand painted and in many different styles. We spot a shop down a lovely looking alley and follow the signs to a wonderful shop. The artist runs this store and does most of the work herself. On top of that her prices are as nice as her patterns and Lyn find a jug for wine with the Florence emblem. She will also ship home for you.

Sienna

Day 7, Oct 14

Today we go to Siena! We are out the door and on the bus to the station that we think houses the bus we want. Hmmmm….wrong bus station. Had a nice tour of the station but no bus. A nice police man gives us directions. Out of the station, across the street, turn left, turn right and there it is. We buy our ticket with moments to spare. Make sure you get a return ticket or buy your return as soon as you get to your destination. We were not sure when the bus left but the traveling gods are with us and we are off in moments.
The country side is beautiful when we leave Florence. We climb for the whole trip and enjoy the views. As we enter the city we are impressed with what we see. Siena had a financial crash in the 13th century and never regained their place of eminence financially in Italy and as a result they could not afford to tear down buildings and build new so the city is frozen in time.

Museum Opificio delle Pietr Dure & Santa Croce

Day 6, Oct 13

Slower start today. We hadn’t planned any destinations and sort of decided over breakfast that maybe we would explore with a bus. So first thing is to the nearby shop to buy a ticket loaded with 10 passes. The little electric minibus comes right down our street so we hopped on and had a tour along the Arno River and when the bus turned around we got off and caught a line going north to Piazza St Marco. We wanted to check out the lineup to the Accademia to see David. David was having much too much company today (the line went around the corner, around the block and down the road). Next time maybe.
So off to see the Museo dell'Opificio delle Pietre Dure. That means the workshop of hard stone. Sounds better in Italian. The Medicis set this up in their palace in the 1500s to produce fine furniture with semi precious stones. It was moved in the 1800s and now has its own home. We visited the museum and were awed by the fine work and beauty of the workmanship. They have over 600 different varieties of stone and for a rock hound it was amazing to see the wonderful things they could do. Eventually the art reached such a high level of skill that no one could afford it anymore and they priced themselves out of the market.

Uffizi Museum, Duoma & Mercado

Well up bright and early for our date at the Uffizi Museum. We booked our reservation time before we left Canada so this morning we just had to turn up and pay for our tickets. We walked right in which was a great delight when you saw the length of the other lineups. We had to time ourselves when viewing the different rooms as there are hoards of tours racing through and they can sweep you along if you are not careful. Only 600 people are allowed in at one time. We downloaded Rick Steve’s pod casts for the Uffizi and were able to get a good understanding of the finer points of the many masterpieces we were able to view. The palace is a very interesting and if you visit don’t forget to look up. Many of the ceilings are works of art in their own right.

Santa Maria Novella & Palazzo Medici-Riccardi

Day 4, Monday

Okay folks you have Lyn, Chris is sitting on her bum dictating. I just poured myself a large glass of wine & I am now hen pecking (2 finger typing). This morning Lucy our landlady who goes beyond the call of duty arrived with her brother- in-law, (yesterday was her boy friend) to try to fix Chris’s computer. Sorry still won’t work. So down the street to an internet café were there is students reading & studying. We fit right in probably thought their grandmas were invading. Yeah finally got on our blog. Alice is the internet provider for Italy & it is very expensive. The password for any internet connection is in excess of 20 digits & letters.God help you if you screw up typing it in!

Boboli & Bardini Gardens

Oct 10, Day 3

We have our land legs again! After a visit by our landlady to try to get our internet working (Lucy is so kind) we head out to visit Pitti Palace. We walk through Piazza Santo Spirito and there is a street market and it looks like a neighbourhood garage sale. Love looking through other peoples stuff. We decide we have better junk than them. People is great.
Next stop the Palace. Oh dear, look at the lineup. Plan B says because it is a glorious day we will start by visiting the Boboli and Bardini Gardens at the rear of the Palace. Should have planned a picnic. The garden took us up the side of a hillside to enjoy spectacular views of the city.

Lovely pools and statuary to enjoy. The gardens are very simple and restrained. Very peaceful compared to the streets not far away. Very few flowers and smaller plants like the lemon trees are all potted to move indoors for winter.
When we left the Palace we were looking for somewhere to eat but found that most places close their kitchens between 2:30 and 3:00. Came all the way home to finish off the last of our cheese and etc. Food is so yummy when you are hungry.

Duomo & Bargello Museum

Day two

This morning Chris slept in and Lyn went exploring. Around 11:00 we headed out to see what there was to see. Just to get our bearing we start to walk along the Arno River which is just a block away from us. Down the Via Santa Maria to the Duomo Church. We paused at the Uffizi to watch the tourists and marvel at the lineups.

Next stop was Bargello Museum. This is an old early Florence police station and it has been converted to house many beautiful statues by famous Donatello, Michelangelo, etc. and relics.
There was a large market in the Piazza Della Signoria where what ever you might want was available in triplicate. This is the place to buy shoes, purses and coats. Lyn says “Sorry Rick. Not going to buy you anything this time. You have to wait till we go to Mexico.”
Then back across the Ponte Vecchio looking at all the gold shops. It is wall to wall jewelers on both sides of the bridge. We slowly made our way back home stopping in small shops to pick salad, lasagna, eggplant pasta dish and grape pie dessert. As usual we bought more than we could eat. Oh well we will have it for lunch. Saturday was really busy with so many tourists. Can’t imagine what it would be like in high season.
Off to bed early again. Still catching up on the time change.

Travel Tip:
Museum Bargello
Duomo of Florence
This is the official website for Florence's Museums - http://193.42.139.9/english/

Settling in

Oct 8, day one

Hi everyone, sorry for the delay in getting this up but we have been internet challenged and no one seems to be able to hook us up. So plan B is to find internet coffee shops to use their WIFI.
We arrived in Florence to a lovely sunny afternoon (24 degrees) and called our landlady, Lucy, to let her know we had arrived. A cab ride soon had us at our destination. Our apartment is in the Oltrarno district. It is a rustic area and next to the old city wall. Our apartment is in a building that over 500 years old and you can still see many of the original features. We are very comfortable and have a 2 bedroom apartment. We have all the Mod Cons. Dishwasher, washing machine, 3 yes I said 3 flat screen tvs. Too bad we can’t speak Italian.
Lucy, our landlady is very helpful and quickly got us oriented. First night we wandered the neighborhood and shopped in Santo Spirito (wine, cheese, bread, salami, olives, etc) for an indoor picnic and off to bed early. Lyn found a small store selling beer across the street so everyday we try a new type. Italian beer isn’t bad! The neighbour's cat arrived at the kitchen window with a welcome and request for dinner. Too cute. Off to bed, we are pooped.

this is our apartment

We are off again!

Hello everyone,

Once again the Two Grannys are heading off to explore. This time we are going further than ever before and will be enjoying Italy. First time for Chris and a return trip for Lyn. We hope you will enjoy seeing where we go and what we do. We try to do an entry everyday but sometimes travel interfers. We are departing on Oct 7th from Vancouver and arriving in Florence on Friday Oct 8th. On the 16 of Oct we will travel to Rome and then home again on Oct 23th. Please feel free to leave comments and take a look at past posts. All you need to do is click on the link at the bottom of each posting.

Ciao all!