Five Kinds of Wonderful - the Cinque Terre

"It really is a sight to behold mountains that are not merely steep but are veritable crags over which birds can hardly fly, so stony as to fail to retain any moisture, but yet covered with vines so thirsty and delicate as to resemble ivy rather than vine.  Here they make wine fit to adorn the table of kings."

The weather forecast was not promising, breakfast, from the terrace overlooking Firenze's rooftops, concurred and the guide said the cruise aspect of the tour may be cancelled. We drove through some torrential rain and arrived at the first town under lighter skies and enough drizzle to need a brolly .... but not for long.  We were blest.  Skies cleared, boat happened, above mentioned local wine was sipped waterside with local pesto pasta while hills were admired and terraces amazed at.  Kind Americans welcomed the solo traveller and a delightful day was had by all.  To think these towns were built in the 1300s!  Just incredible.  A simply stunning day.

  Tomorrow to the Tuscan hills. 

Fabulous Firenze

They predicted rain today and I was conscious of it through the night, though it was actually my best sleep in more than a week. I reset the alarm for another hour and got up at 9. It was dry enough by then to eat breakfast on the terrace looking at the dome of the Duomo. Delightful!  Skipped the shower to get to the 10.30 mass.  Thoroughly enjoyed the simple ten voice choir singing Gregorian chant which I knew and could join in.  Amazing organist played before and after.  It was in the small side chapel but was full from what I could see.  Really glad I went.  

Wandering yesterday I was wondering what the barricades were for.  Had thoughts of  Paris last year and that ended up revealing its self as being for the Paris marathon.  As I walked out of mass, the gathering crowd along the barricades indicated that whatever it was for, was going to happen soon.  I found myself next to a very knowledgeable Aussie woman from Melbourne.  The event, the World Cycling Championship. Her husband had ridden in the amateur event last weekend in Torino.  It is the biggest one day cycling event of the year.  Cadel, according to her, was in with a chance. The wait was probably close to an hour in the end.  During that time the clouds darkened and then dumped!   Even though I shared a borrowed umbrella with the Victorian I got VERY wet.  It must have been unpleasant for the cyclists.  Cobble stones must be bad enough, but wet ones in driving rain ... doesn't sound like fun to me!  It was all over in a blurr but it was an education, having learnt lots about cycling in the chat while we waited.

'Home' for shower, hair wash and warm up.  Headed out again.  My quest to make sure I knew where I need to be tomorrow morning for the Cinque Terra tour pick up.  Found it easily and decided to get out of the rain and have a 3 o'clock lunch.  The weather worsened. Decided that crowds, umbrellas and thunder wasn't really fun and went home for an iPad movie.  At 5 had another go and, though the ground was still wet, it wasn't raining.  Had a little more difficulty finding Tuesday's Sienna tour pick up spot but got it in the end.  Doesn't help that buildings have two sets of numbers, one blue and one red. A gentlemen tried to explain why ... some historical reason. Very confusing when you don't know.

Home for more iPad entertainment. The weather prediction is not great for tomorrow, which is sad but it will only be a taste for the future I'm sure.  

Venezia to Firenze

Another part of beautiful Italy!  
The journey was easy.  I was glad I had the training of 14 Paddington Easter ceremonies under my belt to stand in one spot under the departure display waiting for an hour and a half , to find out which platform my train was it leave from.  With Lisa, one would mind the bags while the other went for a wander.  With no seats around I stood in the one spot for 95 minutes.  Was definitely channeling the Easter vigil, but at least I had my bag to lean on!

The first class journey was pleasant and felt short after 20 hours in the air so recently.  Alas as the scenery got more interesting the fast train went through the mountain tunnels rather than let us enjoy the Tuscan Hills.  That will have to come on my day trip to Sienna on Tuesday.

The hotel was easy to find, having asked for instructions during the week. The position is great.  You step onto the footpath, turn left and there is the Duomo.  I don't have the lapping canal outside, or live music but I do have a wonderfully modern, nicely renovated, double, spacious room.  After my piccolo, very simple room, I was so excited  with the 'grande' space, the porter (cute and youngish), who is obviously a touchy, feely kinda guy, gave me a huge hug and a double European kiss in response to my enthusiasm for the room! Was glad I had my tip ready for him!  

 
Unpacked ... Drawers! How exciting! and went for a late afternoon orientation walk.  The cue at the duomo was short so went in.  Very simple really, which I prefer.  My aim was to find the river.  I hate maps.  I'm not great at reading them and have absolutely no hope these days without glasses. So I took a guess and indeed found the Arno.  I walked some blocks along it's bank with Ponte Vecchio coming into view.  Late afternoon reflections magnificent.  

 
 Geography and landmarks came back to me a I returned to the hotel.  It had been a long time since breakfast so decided to have my first evening meal.  I have been having a big lunch and late afternoon gelato and skipped dinner.  But travelling in the middle of the day meant I hadn't eaten.  The 6th floor terrace looks over rooftops, towards the duomo.  Very lovely.  Pasta and a red hit the spot. 

 

Going to take advantage of the lovely big bath before sleep.  10.30 sung mass in the morning if my google search is right.  We'll see.

Venezia Through Different Eyes

Having solved a couple of problems to start my day, nothing worth explaining as all is resolved, I headed off to explore the other side of the canal.  'Aunty Anne' had suggested focusing on one side and then the other, so Tuesday was 'my side', which included San Marco Square and today was the other.

Not long into the exploration I took out my camera and began sizing up another canal shot but stopped myself,  asking how many such photos did I really need.  I then decided to not take any photos today.  Well by magic everything changed.  Instinctively I began to walk more slowly and really take in the experience.  No longer was I looking at everything as a potential photo and I also stopped looking at every shop as a potential purchase. I also stopped caring about where I was and where I was going.  I just walked and walked for hours.  It was fabulous.  I saw some really non touristy parts of Venice, from a hardware shop to the jail!

The lunchtime view today was the lagoon rather than a canal or square.  Very pleasant.  Even lingered over a lemoncello to finish.  My afternoon quest was to find a church in which to sit and listen to Vivaldi's Gloria, on my iPod, which I have loved since singing it with the Waverely Philharmonic choir in the very early nineties. Delightful.


To mark my last Venetian evening I caught a dusk vapporati the length of the Grand Canal, to San Marco Square, walked a few laps listening to the orchestras and then did the night lights ride home.  The plan worked well on the way as I got a front seat outside.  The return was like a commuter train in Sydney, filled to bursting.  Didn't see much, but all part if the Venice experience!

 

The live music from the bar downstairs continues to entertain this evening.  There have been lots of pluses to this accommodation.

Til Florence ........

Lapping Water and Chiming Bells ... Ah Venezia!

To quote Sir Edmund Hillary, "It is an act of worship just to sit and look at high mountains." and boy are the Dolomites high!

Today was perfecto!  Fabulous weather, great guide, very pleasant tour companions and the front seat!  The lakes and mountains girl was in heaven. I could waffle on about the soaring mountains, the windy roads which revealed amazing vistas at every turn, deep blue lakes, quaint alpine towns, beautiful wooden chalets with flourishing vibrantly coloured flowering window boxes ... But I'd never do it justice so I suggest you log on when I return and check out the photos.

Suffice to say, my day was ... Bellissimo!

 

 

A Good Kind of Exhaustion

Ah Venice! In 1995 Lisa, Sue and I spent about 7 hours give or take doing Venice. Having a car didn't lend itself to a lengthy stay. Venezia has to be explored and savoured and I am so lucky to be able to do that.

Today was island day.  First mistake ... I didn't do my homework over breakfast as I did yesterday.  Got to Lido and I had no clue what to do/where to go then!  Decided to walk for 30 minutes and turn back if I'd found no famous beach.  A bus stop map proved very useful, after about 15 minutes, and a 90 degree turn and a few blocks later ... The famous Lido beach!  I now get the lagoon/ ocean thing. Walked along the very fine grey sand until I'd had enough and headed back to the wharf.  

Then to Murano.

Cute little place.  Can imagine it strains many a marriage as there are lots of shops, very similar but different enough to want to see if the right piece if glass is within.  Though not sure what I was looking for, I was convinced as soon as I saw it I'd know.  Yes ... Did my little (very little) bit for the Murano glass industry!  Also decided I need to take 'Food with Views' photos as I had pasta ( you can't eat pizza every day ... well I could, but I'll try and be good and not) and a beer sitting beside a lovely canal.

Well at least at island number three the export is linen and lace which is lighter.  Very cute town.  Bright colours abound.  Yes they were also a little glad I visited.

The journey home felt long as I was vey weary.  The vapporati dumped me somewhere quite unknown and I had to follow my nose.  Lisa will tell you my nose is not always useful in these sorts of situations but with almost 48 Venetian hours under my belt did quite ok.

I did learn three life/travelling lessons today ... 1. Always charge your camera over night. 2. Bringing sunscreen from the other side of the world is quite useless if you don't put it on and have it on you all day. 3 Don't wear brand new walking shoes and leave your band aids in the hotel!  Time will tell did I really learn a lesson?!  None of these were catastrophic, just annoying on an otherwise perfect day.

Really looking forward to tomorrow.  This 'lakes and mountains girl' is getting an Italian alps fix! Bring on the Dolomites!

Have to keep reminding myself it's not summer.  Today was about the top of my Goldilocks Scale.  Year five would tell that means it's "just right" another degree and it would be in the 'not right' section.

Venice Exploration

I have just given up the dodgy WiFi connection down on the terrace bar where I have been sipping my first prosecco (Italian bubbles) as the light begins to show signs of the coming sunset.  Now sitting on my bed, but can hear church bells.  Ah .....

It has been a busy day of orientation.  Slept OK and feel great now so that's good.  I woke pretty early and breakfasted on the hotel terrace reading Aunty Anne's guide to Venice.  'Aunty Anne' is in the choir and shared with me her personal tips for travelling in these parts.  She had been asked so often she put it all down, for people just like me to benefit.  So I sat and re read the pages on Venice in which she talked about the hotel and its terrace!

I spent the next hour or so doing a vapporati loop down the Grand Canal and out to sea ... sort of.  Got a good sense of geography and distances.  Ferries were packed and characters abounded ... Including the singing driver.  Lots of sunshine to add to the summery feel.

I then hit the walkways, bridges and canals.  Some spots were particularly hectic ... Ponte Rialto and San Marco Square in particular.  Can't imagine those places in summer.  A lunch in a pleasant piazza ... Pizza and beer.  Very much my experience of Italian lunches of the past!

There has been lots of browsing too.  Restraining myself til Friday to eliminate impulse buys! Handbags and jewellery will be my downfall I can see!

I returned roughly the same way I had walked but my 'bread crumb dropping' wasn't faultless but as I noted at one point when I decided I was a little lost ... I'm in Venice I can't be lost.  A long as I can find the Grand Canal I'm fine.

Am standing at my window now looking out towards the Bridge of Sighs (not really, just a lovely unnamed bridge) and typing leaning on the very broad window sill.  

Am about to get a vapporati to San Marco Square for a Vivaldi concert (Four Season) in a little church beside the big one. A night vapporati home should be stunning.  It is a short walk from here to the wharf.  Perfect.

Wish I could add pics.  Will have to wait til I return to Sydney.

It's  now 11.40 pm.  Feeling weary but not bad considering the lack of sleep and much walking. 
The concert tonight was delightful.  So too was the being out after dark.  Lisa and I have always had a car in Europe so never stayed in the cities.  Lots of people around so felt very comfortable on my own.  The Grand Canal was 'bella'!

It has been a delightful day.  To the islands tomorrow. 

Venice ... I'm Here!

Greetings one and all.  I am sitting on my bed in my VERY 'piccolo' room listening to the gentle sounds of water vehicles passing on the Grand Canal.  I am a stones throw from the Bridge of Sighs (I now realise this is incorrect.  The Bridge of Sighs is at the other end of the Grand Canal.  A misommunication with my driver from the airport.  But it is a lovely bridge!)... In fact, after checking in about an hour ago, I grabbed my camera and wallet to have a gelato standing on the bridge watching the waning moon as it rose.  My Euro gift from the family was great as it was my only cash! Thanks John and Liz.  It is now 11.20 pm here and 7.20 Tues morning in Sydney.  I have been up 28 hours.  I only got abut 3 hours sleep on Sunday night and had about 2 on the Sydney/Dubai leg. So I'm very tired.  Emirates haven't converted me from Singapore Airlines, but flying into and out of Dubai was fascinating. The  A380, whatever the airline, is vey comfortable. 
Lots of canal exploration tomorrow after, I hope, a very good sleep.