Firenze, Day 6 (29 Aug)

I have made it! The blog is back on track!

Having finally internalised that James doesn't really do art galleries, I decided to go to the Bargello museum this morning, after James left for the conference.



That's it in the distance, with the bell tower.

It tends to be way calmer than the Accademia and Uffizi. No lines to get in. No fighting your way through to see a David statue. In fact, I got to see 2 different David statues done by Donatello.

I enjoyed it. It was calm, had some great renaissance sculpture, and a variety of other bits and bobs. Also found the two videos they had running on some of the restoration work they've done fascinating. And the building it is housed in is beautiful.



Met up with James at 15:30 and we took the bus to Piazza Michelangelo which has an amazing view of the city.



There's a rose garden next to the Piazza which was very relaxing to meander through. Saw two cats slinking around there. Missing my fluffies...

On our walk back we tracked down a geocache in which to leave the travel bug I had on me. And just after we had returned it to its hidey hole, a heavy rain shower broke loose.

We got pretty soaked and only just managed to keep the camera bag dry with the poncho. Every photographer should tuck a poncho into their camera bag. They don't take much space, they're light, they cover yoir camera bag, and have you ever tried taking photos while holding an umbrella?

The sun came out just as we crossed the bridge.



Home, nap, shower. Then James had to meet up with the business chap again. I waited next to the river watching the sun set.



And we got taken out to dinner again. He's good company so very pleasant on the whole.

Firenze, Day 5 (28 Aug)

Slept late because we got back so late. Decided to skip breakfast since lunch was so close. James attended talks, while I boiled eggs, and packed a slightly more substantial lunch. Then walked over to meet him before having another leisurely meal in the park.

Afterwards, he went back to the conference, and I spent the afternoon looking up train schedules, reading, and resting my toe.

James had to do some unexpected business in Florence. So he and John met up with the business chap in the afternoon, and I joined them later at 19:00. Then we all got treated to dinner out at a larny restaurant. EXTRA big treat for Europe!

Firenze, Day 4 (27 Aug)

James took the day off from the conference, and we set out to be tourists. I fear I was grumpy and snappish when we started - the ache in my little toe is starting to wear on me - but the muscles warmed up and my mood improved.

We walked past the Accademia gallery, the home of Michelangelo's David. The building was nothing special on the outside and the queues were insane.



Further down the street was the Medici-Riccardi palace, the bastion of the Medici family. It really comes across as a fortified town house, with its thick walls, and heavy gates.

Even further along is the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, or the Dome as it seems to be known. Very impressive building! Enormous, and beautifully decorated. It's a pity that one can't actually stand far away enough from the building to get a good picture. Apparently they built the cathedral, leaving a hole for the dome, before they actually had the technology or knowledge to build the dome!





We managed to stray heavily off our route at this point, enjoying some of the really old buildings of the city, the narrow alleyways, and the lack of crowds. Think James and I still have a preference for the medieval architecture, rather than the late Renaissance stuff.

We got back on track just in time to see the Ponte Vecchio, the covered bridge over the Arno, which is lined by shops on either side of the walkway.

Then we moved East to the Piazza della Signoria, with its beautiful sculptures, and very tall tower. Passed the Uffizi on our way, a striking building, with, yes, its own throng of tourists.

Moving down the via de Neri, we managed to locate the gelato shop our host auggested. A tiny little place, with easily 50 different flavours! Italy definitely has the best ice-cream I've ever tasted. I might have to have a go at making my own when I get back!

We decide to head even further East to the market that is popular amongst the locals, at Piazza Lorenzo Ghiberti. Visually good fun, with the fresh vegetable and fruit stalls on the outside and the rest inside. Cheese, meats, rabbit, and the most impressive selection of seafood I've ever seen.

From there, it was a long walk back to base. I had to be there to sort things. Francesca had to go away for a few days, and she offered me a day's free accommodation in return for preparing a room for guests, and keeping a general eye on things until her parents arrived to take over.

Her parents arrived a bit after, they don't speak English and I don't speak Italian so it's interesting. Then the guests arrived and I did my bit, welcoming them and showing them the ropes.

James and I did takeaway pizza for dinner. I ended up having a long conversation with Francesca's mom over the large Italian/English dictionary. Then James and I went to a heavy rock bar he had tracked down.

Nice cozy place, busy, decorated as an Irish pub, complete with Guiness, Harp, and Kilkenny beer, and everybody spoke Italian. The manager seemed to like us and he sorted us with wi-fi, and gave us free shooters twice!

Firenze, Day 3 (26 Aug)

This is the problem with not blogging regularly. I can only remember bits of the 26th.

We had three-egg-omelettes for breakfast. James went off to the conference. I organised with Francesca - she's going away for a few days, and I will cover for her in return for a free nights accommodation. Met up with James for lunch in the park next to the fortress. And then later I returned to the fortress and got smuggled in for the poster session where James was babysitting Tola's poster. Oh, there was free beer and wine and really good olives.

Firenze, Day 2 (25 Aug)

Woke up with my toe swollen and distinctly blue.



The main thing we did was go to the Stibbert museum. It's a collection of arms, armour and art that was collected by an English man who was fasinated with medieval and renaissance history. It's a bit of a mix, with armour that doesn't match, and even some fakes, but it's a very fun collection to look at.

James and I had a good time studying the western armours. There was also a completely unexpected small sword collection; something we're very interested in at the moment. At the end of the tour they had some of the Japanese armour collection on exhibit. This was great because you usually have to pay extra to see any of it. Unfortunately, I wasn't allowed to take photos inside, but the gardens were lovely.







Afterwards I left James at the fortress for the Goldschmidt conference ice-breaker.







Spent a relaxed afternoon with Francesca. We both had washing and some shopping to do, so we went to the laundromat down the road. Nipped out to do the shopping Dropped shopping at home. Ran into James, Roger, and John on our way back to our washing.

Had bought spaghetti bolognaise ingredients. So after clearing it with our host, told Roger and John they could join us for dinner if they bought extra mince. Which they did.

So I finished the washing, James went home to start cooking. John and Roger brought in wine and beer, so we had a very social supper. After which we retreated to another microbrewery pub James had located.

Firenze, Day 1 (24 Aug)

Calm day on the whole, or merely lazy depending on your view point. Definitely finding that when doing a 5 week holiday one occasionally requires a holiday from one's holiday.

Francesca and I had managed to stay up far too late the night before. She asked my opinion on which hair colour to apply first, and before we knew it, I was helping out. This is all between drinking lots of tea.

I oriented myself somewhat by wandering around the neighbourhood. Found the St. Lorenzo market with its variety of leather goods. You walk down the narrow streets with all its stalls and you just get that warm smell of leather, with the slightly chemical tang of the dye. In and amongst the leather, there are masks, and Assassin's Creed t-shirts.



Just off the street into a side building is the indoor market. Fresh veggie stalls with 5 different types of tomato. Cheese counters with the pale yellow hard cheeses, and the white balls of mozzarella in their bowls of whey. Enormous cured hams, salami, and other strongly flavoured meats hanging from the roof.



Went and fetched James at the fortress, about 18:00. Good to have him around again! But while introducing him to the other guests I managed to snag my little toe on a piece of furniture. Appear to have strained it badly, and it's sore!

So later the evening, James walked, and I hobbled down to a craft beer pub on the other side of the Arno river. Really liked their Archea Pils, and Hydra.

Pisa to Firenze (23 Aug)

Up early to make the most of my time in Pisa. Checked out, left my luggage in the luggage locker. Made my way to the train station. Not only is close to the hostel, it's also where Rick Steves' self-guided Pisa walk starts.



Went north to Piazza Vittorio Emanuelle II. On a wall just off the piazza there is a murel painted by Keith Haring in 1989. This was pretty cool to see since I've enjoyed this artist's work ever since I was introduced to it by Mr. Kruger, my grade 8 history teacher.



Something amusing I've noticed about Italy, is the condom vending machines you see everywhere. Considering you barely even find these in public toilets in South Africa it's very different. And they're not at all subtle!



Lots of statues around.



An interesting contrast is made by the very geometrical building, and the gently curving streets. Apparently this came about as the streets followed the riverbanks.



Crossed the river Arno on the Ponte di Mezzo. Lovely view of the mansions that line the river.



After crossing the bridge I detoured to the side onto Piazza della Vettovaglie which is Pisa's historic market square. I browsed the stalls, and picked up some tomatoes and peaches for lunch.

The next piazza was Piazza dei Cavalieri which has a beautifully decorated clock and palace, with lots of painted frescos. There's also a statue of Cosimo I de Medici who had conquered Pisa in the 16th century.



From there I made my way down the last stretch. Slowly the streets became busier and the souvenir shops start appearing. Badly crafted leaning towers in miniture. Leaning tower keyrings. Leaning tower pasta (and other landmarks).



And finally the Field of Miracles came into view.



The first thing that really made an impression on me. The leaning tower of Pisa...REALLY leans! It's even more mind-boggling if you remember that they've actually improved the lean in 1990.

The Duomo and Baptistery are also the white colour of the tower, making the three buildings very striking in the strong sunlight and set-off by the rich green lawn. I didn't want to see the insides badly enough to pay, so mainly strolled around. There was a decent chunk of old city wall to admire as well.

After making such an effort to be up early, I found myself finished embarrassing early at 10:30, and only expected on Florence at 16:00. So I grabbed a nap in a quiet corner of the complex. Lunched early, and set off on my way back to the hostel.
Took a slightly different route with the intention of seeing more of the old coty walls, and stumbled across the remains of an old Roman bath.

Having promised myself, I stopped on Piazza Garibaldi to have gelato at La Bottego del Gelato which is apparently Pisa's favourite gelato place.

Then back to the backpackers for my bag, caught the train to Firenze (what the Italians call Florence), and made my way to the accommodation.

I had booked through AirBnB with an Italian woman, Francesca. She invited me into her home very warmly, and made me feel very much at home. Having the big airy bedroom all to myself after the hostel dormitories was luxurious.

In fact, I managed to fall asleep and nap so long, that I had to splurge a bit and get some take away pizza for dinner! Not too bad at €8, and very yummy. And I got to watch the chef toss the dough!

London to Pisa (22 Aug)

Had an absolutely horrible night in the hostel dormitory. I don't mind cramped, but to have 18 people in about 18 square metres, no window (thank heavens for the two fans), and a humid night is bad. Then add in some idiots that think dormitories are great places for long whispered conversations after 12:00 at night. Think it's the closest I've ever been to a claustrophobic panic attack. Actually stopped myself sticking my head out the door for some fresh air, because I was certain that I wouldn't have been able to go back inside. Would probably rather have curled up in a ball on the common room floor.

So up early and out, with luggage. And it would be drizzling. Took the train to Trafalgar square, got some tea for Cecil, a book on the history of London's mad people for my dad, and then stopped at the brass rubbing centre. Again.

I still needed a good gift for my tireless house-sitter, she-who-my-cats-sleep-on, the one and only Dina. She said she liked the idea of a rubbing, and the brass rubbing centre is a great place to time out with luggage. Suspect the chap that works there is assured of my insanity - oh well. Did two in the end, because there was a second one that tempted me. Dina, which ever one you pick, your rubbing involves sweat and blood. It was humid from the rain, and I finally lost some skin off one finger from too much brass rubbing!



Made my way through the drizzle and caught a bus to the Victoria Coach station, where I was just in time for the next coach to Luton airport. The good, no waiting around. The bad, £15 for the ticket. Ouch. Bus was very comfortable I must say.

Hung around the airport reading, and having lunch, till check-in opened. Went through to departures where I splurged my last few quid on a BIG Starbucks coffee.

It still amazes me that aeroplanes actually work. Couldn't believe how tiny this one looked when contrasted with the people getting into it!



Napped, read, enjoyed the view of what I assume were the alps.



After landing found the Tourist Information booth, snagged a free map, and got directions to my hostel. It was only about a km and a half away so it seemed easier to walk, than to figure out which bus to take. My back protested, and despite it being night, it was hot.

Found the hostel easily enough, very friendly, and there was not only space, but WINDOWS! Lots of them! The surge of relief I felt made me wonder if I've been permanently traumatised. ;-)

Couldn't seem to stop sweating after my enthusiastic walk, so grabbed a shower. Went and found a supermarket, and a beer. Earlyish night on the whole.

Apologies again.

Realised that last one decided to triple post! Ah, the joys of blogging...

Apologies. ..

...for lagging behind. Will try to catch up by tomorrow evening!

London Continued, Day 8 (21 Aug)

Slept late enough to miss breakfast, but I think I needed it. Sasha appears to have gotten away okay. My only firm plans for the day was to find an art shop and do my washing. After running through my list I decided on Atlantis Art shop in Shoreditch which seemed to be enormous.

It was a good chance to see a slightly different part of London. Herman, when you get to London one day, you'll have to make some time to pass through Shoreditch. There's some amazing modern buildings here, the new, next to the old.





Walked the market. It's mainly clothes, but it did have some special bits. There was a guy selling the most incredible pop-up cards, ships, London attractions, all sorts! And so tempting because of how easy it would be to get home...except for the price.



There's also some amazing street art dotted about.



Did track down the art shop and had a good look around. Art supplies are much cheaper in England! I could only justify picking up three brushes, for minitures painting, but I calculate that I've saved almost R100 buying them here.



Spotted this interesting address as I headed back to the bus stop.



Managed a walk past the Imperial War museum on my way back to the hostel.



Talking about the hostel, here's a picture for you.



The rest of the afternoon was pretty mundane. Found a laundromat, did some washing. The lady running it was really friendly and helpful. Then nipped off to get some food for the evening.

London Continued, Day 7 (20 Aug)

Sasha and I got away fairly early. We hopped off the bus just before the Horse Guard so I had a chance to see some of the big attractions up close. You wouldn't believe the queue of people at the abby!







We took a circular route up past St. James' park, enjoying the squirrels, swans and even a little moor hen, that posed for us quite tamely. Sasha has decided the old duck-keeper's cottage is her new home:



We took a peek through the Horse Guard shop, but didn't do the museum because it had an £8 entry fee. It was great seeing the Guard in their spiffy shiny breast plates, and their patient horses. We were rather disgusted by the behaviour of the tourists though; putting their arms around the poor guys, and trying to pet the horses. Damn, just realised I didn't get you a picture of them!



We cut across St. James' park to get to Buckingham Palace.



I was quite happy to admire it from afar. The crowds were insane. I did at least get a glimpse of the Horse Guard as they passed us on their way back home.





Also got to admire these chaps just down the road from Buckingham, as we made our way to Trafalgar Square.



At St. Martin's I then completed Elizabeth Bellingham's husband, Roger. Sasha tackled an equally challenging project, and had a good laugh at my expense since I had to constantly stop and shake out my hand. But I think the pair of Bellinghams were well worth it. They're going to look stunning once framed and hanging on my wall at home!



It's actually quite funny how Sasha and I attracted attention from visitors, because we were not only doing large rubbings, they were also coming out rather well.



Went round to the British museum, my third time and Sasha's first. Helped here breeze through some pf the best stuff, and enjoyed seeing the ancient Greek art which I haven't seen yet.



We then meandered north, checked where Sasha had to be early the next morning for the start of her Contiki tour, then went looking for North Gowler street, since Sasha is a fan of the Sherlock Holmes series that's currently running. This is apparently the street they use for his house.

After that we went hunting for the British Library which was just up the road. They have a Treasures of the British Library exhibition which was amazing. I got to drool over an original copy of Beowulf, diaries by Jane Austen, and extremely beautifully illustrated manuscripts. It was an incredible treat, and I wish I was allowed to take photos to share with you.





After I had exercised severe restraint in the book shop, we headed over to a pub to have a very British meal.





Our next and last stop was Kings Cross station, where we went looking for platform 9 3/4. Here we found a ridiculously overpriced Harry Potter shop, and the opportunity to be photographed pushing a baggage trolley through a wall.







After that, it was a long bus ride back to the hostel.