Our Fourth Day In Florence

No mercato today, oh well.... But we will be there tomorrow.

Today was our day for the Uffizi Gallery. I was curious if I was going to finally succumb to Stendhal syndrome, but I did not.

Remembering the long lines we had viewed yesterday, and the dire warnings that the Uffizi is at times booked a month in advance, we were happy to have tickets in hand for 11 am.

We were not sure if there might be a line up, so we arrived early and strolled about a bit. Entering the queue, we managed to enter 30 minutes before our appointed time. We picked up an audioguide, then climbed the long steps up to the exhibit, stopping at times to admire the Roman busts that adorned the staircase.

The Uffizi Gallery does hold an impressive collection of artwork. It traces art's medievel roots, into the flowering of the Renaissance that started in Florence, and then moved on to the rest of Europe.

Universally familiar paintings like Boticelli's Birth of Venus and Allegory of Spring are held here, as well as Da Vinci's Annunciation and his unfinished Adoration of the Magi. Michelangelo, Raphael and Titian also can be found here. Even so, I felt a bit let down.

So close to home, we walked back for a quick luncheon before heading out again.


We headed to the Medici Chapels, the final resting place of most of the Medici's. The new sacristy was designed and executed by Michelangelo. The Medici's were more than his patrons, they were his adopted family. They basically adopted the young Michelangelo, and he grew up in their household. The new sacristy holds the earthly remains of four Medici's, three of whom Michelangelo knew personally.

Again, I felt a bit let down, as I expected more from Michelangelo. His Pieta at the Vatican felt real, with flowing gowns, emotions permeate the work, and one can not but resonate with it. While the four sculptures representing Dawn and Dusk, Night and Day, seemed brutish.

The Medici chapels is part of the Church of San Lorenzo. As our custom, we entered the church, and lit a candle. While we spent much less time here, I appreciated the church more than the Medici Chapels.




After a brief rest on the steps ot the Church, we headed towards via del Tornabuoni. A street that holds the houses of Gucci, Armani, Dior, Prada, et al. Would I spend 130 Euro for a simple key chain? Probably not. But it still was fun to window shop.




A bit tired, we found an outdoor restaurant at Piazza della Signoria. We each ordered a beer, but with such a lovely view of the Palazzo Vecchio, we ordered a simple Margherita Pizzea and another glass of beer.




On a few occaissions, I commented how Florence was reminiscent of Prague. Surprisingly more so than of Rome. Probably because of the small winding streets.


Cheers,

Anthony & Hera

Our Third Night In Florence

Supper tonight was a fresh Tonnarelli pasta in a porcini cream sauce with a fresh mixed salad dressed with the delightful olive oil I previously wrote about, accentuated with some balsamic vinegar and spices.

Well fed, and well rested, we headed back out for a Florentine walk.


Florence at night is quite different. The hectic crowded bustle of tour groups are no where to be seen at night. The streets, though relatively quiet, is still alive with strollers, diners, and street musicians.




We walked our now familiar walk towards the Palazzo Vecchio, through the Uffizi Galery, onto the banks of the Arno river gazing at the iconic Ponte Vecchio. The bridge itself is quiet at night, but we were amazed at how the gold shops are closed up. Wooden panels cover the windows, the top half by day is hoisted up as an awning, while the lower half falls forwards, and convers the front in a decorative manner.

Gelatos are everywhere, and we decided to have another. We could not help resist a chuckle when we came across a place announcing Gelato Festival, reminding us of the Quebec film, "Le Grand Seduction."


Walking along the streets aimlessly, we came across a church offering a free organ recital. We entered, and sat. Hera again felt a sudden wave of Stendhal syndrome, as we listened to the moving music of Bach and gazed at the artwork of the church.


Back home, we had a late night snack of cheese, bread and the delicious olive oil.

Contented, we will sleep well.

Photographer's note: All the night shots here were shot hand held on manual mode, between 400 ISO nd 1600 ISO.

Cheers,

Anthony & Hera

Our Third Day (Florence)

We again started our day at the Mercato Centrale. Tastings are part of the experience at the market, and we sampled some cold cuts, picking up three, along with some cheeses (Piquante Provolone, Pecorino Rustica and a Tuscan Pecorino), as well as a black ruffle. Our most expensive food acquisition so far at 25 Euros. This year, apparently they had a bumper crop, and the prices are depressed. Apparently the one we bought would normally sell for 50 Euros.


The variety of meats and produce at the market is amazing. The colorful chickens, while smaller, looked delicious, the quail eggs were tempting, while other organ meats, brain and testes and ...... were not high on our must try list.


We had heard that one should reserve sometimes a month in advance for the Uffizi Gallery. Getting there, we were greeting by a sign map stating that gate 3 was for reservations and information. We soon found out that the long line at gate 3 was for those who made reservations to pick up their tickets, before going to another long line at gate 2 to enter.


Asking directions, we were instructed to go to gate 1, were we easily bought tickets for the next day, and it seemed we could even get in later this same day. Perhaps it was good we did not make reservations in advance.

One reason we wanted to go in person, was to try to get a photo permit. Most museums allow photgraphy, some require a permit for a nominal charge. Here in Florence, most museums do not allow any photography. A pity.


With our tickets arranged, we once again walked along the Arno river admiring the Ponte Vecchio with the throng of tourists. Florence is a city of tourists.


Crossing the Arno River, we once again strolled the quaint small streets of the Oltrarno. The area here has a more authentic Florentine feel, with the small winding streets, and the occaissional remaining family tower. Romeao and Juliette were not from Florence, but these family towers and feuding families surely had their own stories of star crossed lovers.




Gelatos are always an enjoyable treat, and we each had ours as we sat in a small park, resting, and simply enjoy the sense of place.

We headed back towards the river, and was amazed how still it was. The reflections and sky was spectacular, and once again, Hera seemed to briefly exhibit some symptoms of Stendhal syndrome. Thus far, I seem to have not been affected, but we will have to see tomorrow at the Uffizi galleries.


Wine, food, pastry is everywhere in Florence. As we past a chic looking cafe, Hera spied some awesome looking Cannolo Mignon. We each had one of these bite sized deserts. They were wonderful. Deliciously sweet, with a long pleasant after taste. All too often such deserts are overly sweet, but these were just perfect.


We meandered back home, and entered our now familiar neighborhood. Passing Santa Croce church, we crossed some streets that reminded us of both Prague and Rome.

As I write, the apartment is parfumed with the Porcini cream sauce Hera is preparing for our pasta. We sip our Lagioiosa et Amorosa Verduzzo Frizzante wine, a delightful slightly effervescent white wine, refreshing and crisp. At 2.60 Euro, it was cheaper than our gelato. (Back home, the SAQ charges us $9)


One of the shops we had crossed earlier today, had handwritten bookmarks with various quotes. One of them had said... "If you keep thinking of all the things you do not have, think of the things you do not want to have, and be thankful for not having them..."

Photographer's notes: So far I have so many amazing images. I am saveing them all for my audio-visuals. All you see here are tiny teasers. I hope you are enjoing them so far. Don't be shy, contact us in private or in comments section here.

Cheers,

Anthony & Hera

Our Second Day

I awoke wide and awake at 4:30 am local time. A bit too early, so I stayed in bed and day dreamed for about an hour, before once again falling deep asleep.

We awoke late, startled that it was already 10 am. I made an espresso coffee for us, and then we headed off to the Mercato Centrale for some real food shopping.

We crossed the Duomo, and past some of the leather stalls we had seen the day before. Again Hera seemed to briefly be showing signs of Stendhal syndrome as another wave of emotion over came her.

I was about to take out my map, to be sure we were headed in the right direction, when we spied what looked like the Mercato Centrale. An enclosed market full of stalls selling fresh vegetables, meats and various cheeses.

We bought bread, parmagiano cheese, olive oil, prosciutto and Milanese salami, along with other vegetables and fresh porcini mushrooms. We looked at each other, and exclaimed to each other that porcini mushrooms are bolettes. (A type of mushroom)









We headed back home for our bruch. We dipped our bread into the olive oil. We decided not to add any balsamic vinegar, as the floral flavour of the olive oil was exceptional on its own. (Santoliva extra virgin olive oil, www.sordigiuseppe.it) Along with the parmagiano cheese, and cold cuts, we had a satisfying brunch.


The day before, we had walked past several leather shops, but Hera felt that one of the first shops had the purse she wanted. So we headed towards Santa Croce, and found the leather shop we saw the day before, to pick up a small purse.

We crossed the Arno river and gazed at the famous Ponte Vecchio bridge. The small streets and shops south of the Arno river are reminiscent of the West bank of Paris or Trastevere of Rome. We spent some time on the famous bridge filled with shops selling gold jewelry, then again walked back South of the Arno river. We walked across Pitti Palace, saving it for another day, and later bought some delightful oval cherry tomattos to eat as we strolled. So sweet and tasty, Hera saved some to seed and dry them, hoping to grow them when back home. (Winks to Elaine)





Heading back, we again sauntered over the Ponte Vecchio bridge filled with toursists, and again wandered the beautiful streets of Florence. Today was a day for unguided meandering walks. To get a feel for the city. After all, we are in no rush.




Back home, Hera fried the Porcini mushrooms in some butter and olive oil, while the Porcinin filled ravioli we bought earlier was served in a butter and olive oil sauce, along with some garlic, sun dried tomatoes, and a spice mixture we bought at the market. To accompany our meal, we had a 2008 Poggio Stella Rosso Di Montepulciano. A full bodied red, with mild tannins and a lovely lingering delicious after taste.


Talk about being spoiled. Exceptional wines, delicious cheese, and olive oil that alone makes the trip worthwhile. Settled into our comfotable apartment, we are now at home in Florence, and looking forwards to the days ahead.



Cheers,

Anthony & Hera

Travelling to Florence

It was a gorgeous warm sunny morning, when my sister picked us up, and drove us to the airport. With time to spare, we had brunch at Houston's, bought some parfume at the duty free, and roamed among the shops, and then waited some more.

The plane left on time, and headed West, giving a spectacular view of Lake St. Louis reminiscent of the Carribean.


We connected in Philadelphia, and flew back up the coast, over Cape Cod, then over the Bay of Fundy on our left, and Nova Scotia on our right, before heading off across the Atlantic.


After supper and movie, I tried unsuccessfully to sleep, while Hera watched a second movie. The idea is to try and nap heading East, then forcefully stay awake the next day to quickly get our bodies habituated to the time change.

We had a brief stop over in Frankfurt, enough to watch the sun rise, then a quick flight to Florence. The Alps were a sight to see, which soon gave wave to the hills of Tuscany.


Hopping into a taxi, with broken Italian, we arrived to our apartment. The real richness of life, are the contacts we make in our journey, and one such person had given me the name of the owner of this apartment. While the original apartment was no longer available, this apartment was a wonder to behold. Thank you Francesco & Umberto.


A charming historic building, the apartment has lovely artwork on the walls, a comfortable bedroom, and an additional loft with two separate twin beds. A family of four would live very comfortably here.

Tired, exhausted, but resolute to acclimate to the new time zone, we left the apartment for a quick stroll of our new neighborhood. We soon found out that our street is a major tourist walkway between Santa Croce Church and the Duomo, with the Palazzo e Casino Burghezie across our street.




An essential early visit to any new city, is the tourist information place. Getting a map of the city, and any helpful hints, is always appreciated. The next essential, is to find some local markets. We found a wine shop across the street, but had to walk a bit to find a super market. We picked up coffee and sugar, along with some wine. The bare essentials, as we planned to go to the Mercato Centrale the next day for some real shopping.

Although tired, we still managed to cover a significant portion of the tourist areas of Florence. We past the Duomo, and meandered about, coming across several street stalls selling various items of leather. At every turn, art afronts the eyes. At one point, Hera seemed to be suffering a bit from Stendhal syndrome, as she felt a wave of emotions over take her.





Our feet tired, we spied a charming restaurant called Mangiafuoco at 24/R Via Guelfa. We started our meal with a mixed salad. Hera had their truffle ravioli, a delicate mushroom filling with a simple buttered and sage sauce, while I had their creamed porcinini pasta plate, more robust in its earthy flavours. The half liter house wine we ordered had a full nose of scents, with soft peppery flavours that complemented our meals wonderfully.


Getting back home, we settled into our new home. Opened the chilled bottle of Villa Rasina Soave Classico. A refreshing, clear white aromatic white wine with subtle fruity notes. We ensured our WiFi internet connection, enjoyed our glass of wine, and though still relatively early, we were glad we manged to stay awake until 7 pm.

Snuggling in bed, we closed our eyes. Our home for the next few weeks...

Photographer's note: Throughout this trip I will use my Panasonic Lumic G1. Mostly with it's kit lens (14mm-45mm). I like to travel light. I will shoot hand held on manual mode or sometimes on Custom mode (exept night shots). So far all my shots are done in Vibrant film mode. All my images are only slightly edited. To shoot my architectural shots I use Live View to get my compositioal lines right in the camera.

Cheers,

Anthony & Hera