Venice to Florence

We started the day with breakfast at the Hotel Riva, and noticed that five of the eight tables had people who were referring to Rick Steves’ books before starting their day of sightseeing in Venice! We paid our bill and checked out, but the owners were most gracious to allow us to leave our backpacks there until we were ready to leave the area, which was a big help.


Our first stop was at St. Mark’s Basilica, which opened at 9:45, but the lines formed much earlier than that. No photos were allowed inside the basilica. We also went upstairs to the museum, which included a step out on the balcony that afforded a wonderful view of the square, and a close-up view of the four large bronze horses on the balcony. The horses on the balcony are only copies of the (4th century B.C.) originals, which we saw inside in the museum.

We went to the Venetian glass factory and asked to take a tour, but were told “tours only for groups”. We were hungry, and found an off-the-street small restaurant that offered delicious-looking sandwiches. We purchased what we wanted to eat, and I pointed to one of the very small tables in front of the restaurant. “Eat at table?” I asked.

“More costa,” he replied. Obviously the purchase of food was only that…no seating included...that would be an extra charge! So, we took our sandwiches and ate them while we strolled along a canal. It was a better view, anyway…just not as restful. (Mental note to send this guy a book about southern hospitality.)

After lunch we picked up our bags at the Hotel Riva. The owners gave us the traditional two-cheek kisses and reminded us, “Return to Venice. Stay here.”. I would love to say “yes” to both of those requests!

We took the vaporetto from St. Mark’s Square to the Jewish area where we had seen such lovely fresh fruit the previous day. (On the way we passed the Rialto Bridge one more time.) While waiting for the vaporetto we visited with a nice young couple from North Carolina. We have met many people from the U.S., and several of those from the south. Interesting.

Once in the Jewish area we bought a large cup of delicious fresh fruit to share. The fruit and vegetables looked so very good that we had to purchase four apples and a plum, in spite of the fact that they would add weight to our packs. Our next stop in this area was for gelato (ice cream) , and our lunch was complete. While in the Jewish area we stopped by to thank the Venetian computer geek for the help he gave us yesterday. He remembered us.

We walked to the train station and boarded our train for Florence. We were seated across from a couple from England part of the way, and two businessmen from Florence sat across from us the last part of the trip. We had nice visits with all of them.

It was late afternoon by the time we got to Florence and located our hotel. We are staying in a second-floor room in a separate building from the main part of the hotel, which is common here. We have our own bathroom in our room tonight, but like the other places we have stayed, no air conditioning. We will leave the windows open until bedtime and the room will cool nicely. Right now we are enjoying hearing the accordian music coming up from the street below us.

We walked around some...went to the Piazza del Duomo and took some photos, but it was late in the day so I hope to get better ones tomorrow. We walked to the Piazza del Signoria to see a copy of Michaelangelo's David and other statues that mark the city's history.On our walk we passed a local artist who had done the artwork in the photo with chalk on the sidewalk. All that work, and what patience! Such talent, and one small rain shower could wipe it away in a heartbeat!

We walked down to the river and walked across the Pointe Vecchio Bridge, which is pedestrain-only and lined with jewelry shops. This bridge was built in 1345 and is the oldest surviving bridge in the city.

We made our way back to our hotel room, stopping to eat dinner on the way, and visiting a small grocery store for some essential items...and guess what I found??? Oreo cookies, and a small backpack-size package was on sale for 90 cents (Euros). What a delightful surprise.

Here's hoping your day was full of delightful surprises and special moments with the ones you love.