Ahhh, how cool that first class serves espresso and a snack! We traveled from Rome today to Florence, on the Eurostar, after saying goodbye to our friends there who we exchanged emails and facebook contacts.
We traveled from Baggini to the Termini and upgraded to the fast train (express) which was recommended by a chap in our hotel. Good call! The trip is now 45 minutes instead of 3 hours. How immaculate and beautiful it is, comfortable for the traveler, and a plug in every row for computers. Trasitioning from the Metro to Termini was 1 Euro each, easy and quick. People we have encountered have been friendly and helpful, a nice tribute to a city inundated by tourists during the year.
Beautiful countryside! We made our way easily to the Hotel Silla, a vintage European hotel at the edge of the Arno River, central to the Ponte Vecchio and central Florence, just a walking distance to everywhere we wanted to see, even the Uffizi. The welcoming staff helped us get our footing and also with booking tours of the gallery and bus routes. Our room is lovely. It is a simple room, clean and comfortable, and we find great joy in overlooking the patio that overlooks the river. After settling, we headed into town, along the Arno and along the Ponte Vecchio with all its gold and silversmith shops to piazzas and restaurants and life.
Open air cafes are all the rage. The environment wraps around you as you dine, light turning to dusk and then to night as you linger over dinner and the mosquitos dine on you as you notice only the great coffee and dessert! It is a country of leisurely play, a comfortable pace of work and rest with the backdrop of incredible music and art. 
We found such a cafe in town, a salad and vegeterian fare and then a city tour which took us to the mountainous town of Fiestole just outside as the bus made the loop of Florence proper. Fiestole had magnificent views of Florence and it is one of the oldest cities in the region. And then we meandered along the narrow and hilly streets, back down into the beauty that is waiting, and walked until evening with all the new smells and sounds and warm friendly faces around every curve. Florence is completely different than Rome, with its own spirit and core. How great it will be to walk to the streets in the next three days and learn what we can. Tomorrow is Lucca and Pisa, a full length day, which we are greatly looking forward to seeing. Arrividerci!
No comments:
Post a Comment