What the F@#K were we thinking?

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Friday, April 15, 2022

Port of Civitavecchia, Rome

We HATE travel days. Neither of us sleeps the night before; afraid we’ll miss the alarm. The seas were calm, my back is getting better (with medicine) daily. Nevertheless – we awoke EXHAUSTED which is never a good thing. Everything is packed, our luggage is off the ship and we have a “few” bags to carry out…. meaning we have a TON of stuff! Does it multiply when we sleep? Why is nothing fitting into the suitcase? UGH…I’m SO OVER IT.

Christopher arranged with Black Lane to pick us up at 9:30am at the port. We were off the ship at 8:15am. Oh well, better to wait than to be late, right? Well, that’s how WE feel. Time, Christopher, and I wait for no-one; and we don’t expect people to wait for us. Just plain rude.

ANYWAY. Guess What? It happened once again! NO driver can get access to the Port UNLESS they have proper documentation. The first time we left from Rome, we had the problem that the driver couldn’t deposit us at our ship; this time – he couldn’t pick us up with our BULGING suitcases. Somehow, Black Lane DIDN’T HAVE THE PROPER CREDENTIALS. We shall NEVER let that happen again. We “assumed” the companies know the rules in their country – or perhaps the driver thinks they can sweet talk the port authorities. NOPE. Impossible. They are immovable Brick Walls. SO, we schlep our luggage (remember…my back is still in spasm) plop it onto the bus and take the shuttle bus to the “infopoint” outside the gates of the port to meet our driver. All of that took 45 minutes, I KID YOU NOT! The back and forth with our driver was actually comical (in hindsight) I wasn’t laughing then.

The drive took exactly two hours door to door. Billel – everyone calls him Bill. Is from Tunisia and speaks Arabic, Italian, & Sardinian (along with some English). We didn’t have a lot of conversation – but every once and a while we chatted. Neither Christopher nor I had any coffee to start the day … so our brains were stuck in neutral for a while. A LONG while.

We entered Florence through the Porta Romana – and passed Mary’s apartment – we looked for her but no luck. Florence is FLOODED with people (I realize suing this word is loaded when it comes to Florence but….). I mean people are shoulder to shoulder and walking anywhere and everywhere. It’s crazy with people. Some wearing masks, other not. OK.

We arrive at The Continentale, our preferred hotel here in town. The hotel is SOLD OUT – big surprise (not). No upgrades available. DANG. Our room is itsy bitsy – but that’s OK. I think the luggage takes up most of the space. Seriously.

We “unpack” what little we need for the next few days and decide to grab something to eat and get our “Italian” phones ready. Our Verizon phones are no longer valid. Off to TIM, and our phones are now operable (however they’re having issues this week – wonder why?). It’s because there’s construction on almost every street AND the THRONGS OF PEOPLE. What were we ever thinking about making Firenze our home? NO WAY. We have lived in “tourist” locations in the past. Just too much, too many people and too expensive. Never Again!!

It's Good Friday. So the city is bursting with the devoted – and two atheists. Whatever we need to get done has to be done today and Saturday – because Sunday is Easter, and Monday is Pasquetta (little Easter, and a holiday). Not a problem. Today for business, tomorrow perhaps a little shopping. Staying at The Continentale has it’s perks!!

It’s a gorgeous day. Not too hot, but ever so crowded. We split a slice of Pizza from Eataly (it was HUGE) to slake our hunger. It felt good to eat a crusty slice of pizza with ham, cheese and olives. We still have NOT notified any of the Italian relatives as to our life changes – so we’re trying our best to stick to the western part of town. When we DO go out, our masks are on. Just way, WAY too many people. I don’t know how the locals do it.

We had made a reservation for a cocktail on the Rooftop Terrace at our Hotel (yes…one now needs a reservation – it’s no longer Florence’s best kept secret. The secret is OUT! The view is spectacular. The cocktails unique, the company is perfection, and we are just savoring every glorious moment. As one should. We’ll head down to dinner shortly after a brief walk (to schedule a haircut for me) and we’ll “dine” at Fusion Bar.

The Fusion Bar has been remodeled. It’s located at the Galleria Art Hotel (also part of the Lungarno Group as are: The Lungarno (traditional); Contintale (50-60’s vibe) Portrait Hotel is modern Elegance – with a price tag to match!! We’ve stayed at three of the properties (not the Portrait cuz…$$$).

We shared a selection of sushi platters which was quite good. Christopher’s drink was served in a beaker – both refreshing and tasty. I had a Negroni – unlike ANY I’ve ever “experienced”. It arrived in a bell jar of smoke. Truly one of the best cocktails of my life. So good. The Maître D came over to “thank us” for visiting BOTH of their cocktail bars. What does that say about us? NEVER MIND!

It’s now 9pm. We are completely and totally exhausted and hoping for a decent night’s sleep.

And thus ends our travels from Miami to Florence. We shall see what awaits us in Arezzo.

Ciao.

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