Camping in beautiful Firenze (with day trips to Pisa and Siena)

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Thursday, April 5
We had an afternoon of travel to our campsite in Florence, Italy.

At Rome's Termini train station this afternoon, we discovered that we needed to make a reservation for our train to Florence -- despite our Eurail passes! This upset us, especially when we realized most trains in Italy require this. Having no choice, we forked over €15 to get our seats. Then, Betsy and I didn't see "Firenze" on the list of departures, and were getting worried at the departure time approached, but Mary helped us figure out that our city was a stop on a train going to Milan, so that's what we should be looking for on the departure board. Once on the train, we found a seat... only to be kicked out by people whose tickets had our seat numbers on them. Little did we know that our reservations, too, had assigned seats! We felt a little stupid having to figure all this out, but it WAS our first trip by train!

The train ride itself was pretty uneventful. Some cute Australian guys sat near us, but we didn't get a chance to speak with them. And the view was very pretty -- rolling hills, grape orchards, quaint houses... I love Italy!

Florence was the first stop, 1 1/2 hours later, so we disembarked to more confusion. We found a bathroom (€0.70 to use it -- the last time I use one in a train station!) and got directions for the bus to take us to Camping Michelangelo, our accomodation for the next four nights. Yes... we're going camping! I still can't believe it.

The bus zig-zagged through the city, giving us a preview for tomorrow. We chatted with an American couple who were traveling with their daughter, a recent grad who was teaching in Spain. They were very friendly, even giving us tips about the city and a map.

Our stop is right near Piazza Michelangelo, a highpoint landmark that overlooks the whole city. That's why our bus was so crowded: everyone wanted to be up there at sunset! That meant our campsite is IN the city and has a prime view of Florence. Gorgeous! (As I write this in my diary, in fact, I'm looking down at the houses and taller landmarks of the city all spread out before me in the dusk light, with rolling blue mountains in the distance.)

We checked in and were given sheets and the key to our 3-person tent, #32, though we're the only two in it. We felt more than a little ridiculous tramping over the gravel and grass paths of a campground with our rolling suitcases! The little housetent simply holds a set of bunkbeds and one single bed, all with a pillow, blanket and hard mattress, and no electricity. Well, we're paying just €10/night... But Camping Michelangelo has a wide variety of amenities: a shop/bar, market, Internet access, nice public bathrooms with showers, a game room, phones, and hook-ups for RVs, of which there are plenty. The reception people are very friendly and accomodating, as well.

We were starving, so took our site passes/discount cards to Michelangelo's restaurant just across the street. It was very Italian, and I enjoyed fettucini with a great, flavorful mushroom sauce and mineral water. The bread was bland, and Betsy just ordered a salad, but it was a great meal, nontheless. The waitresses were very harried and we don't tip -- there is a service charge added on. I only paid €9 for the dinner, since our card gave us 10%!o(MISSING)ff.

We borrowed a flashlight from reception so we could see in our tent and grabbed chocolate bars for dessert. We burrowed into our beds right away because of the cold night air, thankful for our iPods to block out the noisy boys next door. A cold, Cold, COLD night!! I kept waking up shivering, even with my Eau Claire blanket and two from the campground.

Friday, April 6
Agenda: See the sights in Florence and attend church (somwhere) for Good Friday.

After that cold, uncomfortable night, I woke up sore from the mattress at 10 a.m. and showered in the communal bathroom. These showers and facilities are nicer than the hotels and hostels we've had so far! I dressed in capris and short sleeves because it was the beginning of a clear, sunny and beautiful day.

We waited in line at reception to find out what churches might have a Good Friday service, then walked down to the city to explore. Along the river, the buildings positively glowed in the noon sun and I was immediately charmed by the city. We walked across the famous Ponte Vecchio bridge, which has mostly upscale jewelry stores and some street stands along it. Then, to the Uffizi Gallery, which I decided was the only museum I was really interested in seeing; I think museums are the biggest draw to this city. The only thing in the Academia worth seeing is Michelangelo's David sculpture, but seeing the Piazza Signoria reproduction is enough for me. We waited in the queue for a half hour -- during which I bought mint chocoloate gelato for a ridiculous €4.50 -- and then opted to see it another day, since it was a 3-4 hour wait and too pretty a day to waste waiting.

We took in the statues at Signoria and eventually found our way to Santa Maria del Fiore (Saint Mary of the Flower), or simply, the Duomo. I had a toasted panini-like sandwich with tomato, ham, cheese, and lots of mayo, which the charming guy at the cafe told me was a Florentine special. Special or not, it was delish. We walked around the huge cathedral and took in its elaborate colors and tremendous detail, taking note of the 10:30 Easter Sunday service time.

Next, to a colorful market near another church, with mostly jewelry, leather, purses, clothing and scarves. I bought presents here for various family members. We also stopped for the Internet. Heading back, we saw the pretty river in the afternoon sun. Getting around Florence turned out to be relatively easy, no map needed, because of the river and major sights -- plus, Michelangelo is just up the hill and easy to get to with the steps and obviously slanting roads. We recuperated, I bought strawberries and muffins from the market and Betsy some bread, changed, and headed up for 6 p.m. mass.

We were early, which was good, because we discovered by talking to a non-English speaking guy that mass was moved to a bigger church up the hill: San Miniato al Monte. We walked in late, but the whole service had visitors wandering respectfully in and out, with wrshippers sticking to the pews. We found a seat and listened to the droning yet beautiful Italian chants. I don't know anything about Catholic mass, so couldn't tell if these were prayers or readings. There was also a little speaking, but mostly singing. Looking around the rather severe, yet beautiful interior of the church, I could see old wall paintings and elaborate colors covering the surfaces of the wall, floor, pillars and ceiling. Some of the wall paintings were conspicuously scratched out in the faces of the figures. The altar was also very ornate, in golds, and the half-dozen priests made a perfect picture in their white robes. At one point, the priests and then the entire congregation formed a queue and knelt/bowed at the crucifix and kissed Jesus' feet or side. Flanked by candles, this crucifix was brought solemnly down the aisle just before, to the serious singing of the otherwise haphazard-looking choir. We left soon after this, since it was getting a little long. But I'm really glad we attended church today, even if I had no idea what was going on, because it gave me a chance to remember and reflect on what today signifies: Christ's ultimate sacrifice on the cross.

Not hungary for dinner, I used the remaining daylight to catch up in my journal. Now, I'm standing in the bathroom near the only outlets, charging my iPod and camera batteries, writing in my diary. I hope tonight isn't as painfully cold!

Saturday, April 7
Another beautiful day! We spent it in Pisa, admiring the famous tower.

I was better prepared for the bitter cold last night, dressing in a ridiculous number of layers. But I wasn't prepared for the obnoxious teens pounding and rattling at our tent door, waking me up! I just turned my iPod up, trying to pretend they weren't there. What a lifesaver my music is!

We got up around 9 a.m., showered, and walked to the train station, intending to go to Siena for the day. But the times worked out better to go to Pisa, our other planned day trip, so we hopped on that train, instead. By 1 p.m., we were in the town with one of the "Seven Wonders of the World." The famous tower is all the way through town from the train station, a 20-minute walk, but easy to get to even without our map. We turned a corner and... there is was. I couldn't help but just laugh when I saw it! It... leans! So random and unreal to actually be seeing it. We were starving, so headed straight for some food at a take-away cafe. I had a panini-like round sandwich with tomato, mozzerella and lettuce, with a splurge for some multi-vitamin juice. We ate facing the tower, on the steps of the Duomo in the piazza.

Betsy and I then took a bunch of pictures from different angles, including the obligatory shot of each of us "pushing up" the tower. Bought some postcard to send, and then took advantage of the sunshine, perfect breeze and thick, bug-free grass to lay out in the sun in front of the tower of Pisa with many other visitors. We had no desire to spend €12 just to climb a little ways up, so just enjoyed the free view and beautiful weather.

What else is there to see in Pisa? A few museums, I think, but nothing for us. Instead, we got gelato (a given, by now) and wandered the streets. We came across many little tourist stands, but then stumbled on a really cool flea market that turned into more of an arty, out-there type collection of merchandise by local craftspeople and artists. I bought an adorable pair of gold, dangly heart earrings for only €3, putting them on right away.

Getting tired, we headed back to the train station and finally found our platform. I zoned out to my music, trying to ignore the loud open window. We opted to take the bus up the hill, and were packed in as the ride progressed -- good thing we had seats! Everyone wants to check out the breaktaking view up at the top of "our" hill -- which is understandable. The buildings are side-lit by the golden setting sun, with the central Duomo out-doing them all. And the unevenly rolling mountains the distance just complete the picture. I'm so lucky to be here!

We had supper from the market and chilled on the patio as the sun went down. I wrote postcards to friends back home and just relaxed.

Tonight I did a lot of thinking about tomorrow being Easter... I'm missing out on sunrise service, beautiful Easter hymns, praising God in a familiar setting, Easter dinner, Easter candy, and of COURSE spending time with my family and celebrating our risen Lord. I miss my family! I'm not overly homesick, because I'm experiencing so many great things, but can't help feeling melancholy tonight. Today at Pisa, I saw two Dachshunds (mini, short-haired) romping with their owner and had a painful ache of longing for my precious dogs back home.

To balance out some of these feelings, I decided to call home. For only €0.15/minute, I had a great half-hour talk with my mom. It was so great to hear her voice! She also had big news to share: she'd just booked her ticket (and changed my flight so we'd come home together) to England!!! I can't believe it's finally official. I have all these half-formed plans in my head and am excited to sit down back in Winchester and plan out our itinerary. For now, my mood has been lifted and I am now happy and content -- even fell into bed with a smile on my face.

Sunday, April 8
Today being Easter Sunday, we attended a beautiful mass service and then spent the day in Siena. Neither was quite what I expected!

He is risen! He is risen indeed!

Perhaps that's what the priest(s) said this morning at Easter mass... then again, possibly not. I'll never know, because: a) I don't speak Italian; and b) I have no idea how a Catholic Easter mass works! But the message is in my heart, and nothing can diminish that.

We rose early to walk down the hill to Santa Maria del Fiore (the Duomo) and discovered crowds at the entrance. There was some kind of spectacle going on, with costumes and streamers, trumpets and drums.

We slipped around to a side door of the cathedral and found the sanctuary almost as full. Gates kept people from the aisle or the pews up front. We stood there for awhile, then spotted a gate being opened for a few dressed-up Italians (possibly, members?) to let them to the pews, which were near the multiple altars and directly under the dome. Without a second thought, Betsy and I walked confidently after them -- me, trying to look pious and Italian! -- until a guy seated us in the FRONT PEW in a space just big enough for two girls with slim tushes. Wow! We couldn't believe our good fortune. To our left, reserved pews filled up with alaborately dressed, dignified Catholic men (in white), some with equally well-robed wives (in black). I tried not to stare. Another English-speaking couple directly behind us seemed to be trying to stay as hushed as we felt we needed to, since we were pretty out-of-place. A stern-looking man in uniform with an earpiece kept patrolling the pews, and I half-feared he'd kick us out. But no: we held our unbelieveable seats and stared -- trying not to gape -- around us.

Since I wouldn't have dreamed of whipping out my camera and snapping pictures of my surroundings like the tourists below, blowing our "cover" and being just plain disrespectful as we waited for the service to begin, I settled for trying to memorize every detail:

Above is a brightly lit, colorful dome covered in religious figures. The height is dizzying! In front and slightly to the right of me is a gorgeously decorated altar, complete with gold touches and masses of tastefully placed white, pink and purple flowers. (No lilies that I can spot... but I'll let it go, even though it's not Easter for me without Easter lilies!) In front of that is a plainer altar with a huge, ceremonial Bible, and in front of that is a lecturn with an eagle shape on top, reminiscent of the one at St. John's in Jefferson.

Besides the dignitaries on my left (including a fashionably dressed, rich-looking couple with their 9/10-year-old daughter, groomed within an inch of her life) are dozens and dozens of priests. They filed in just before the service began, each group in a specific set of robes, designating their rank or function in the service, I suppose. Coming in, they bowed to or kissed the altar with the Bible, in different ways and vicinities to it depending on the colors they wore. Some robes are a bright magenta with a floral pattern, others are plain and white, and a select few priests wear an antique-looking floral Easter cloak draped around them, including who I assumed was the head guy, who also got a headress (taken on and off by lesser priests during the course of the service.) One of the magenta-clad priests took cell phone pictures and appeared to be texting during the service! He wasn't even trying to hide it, either. Too funny!

On the far right corner, opposite me, is a color guard, dressed in smart, navy uniforms. Most of them are women, and they figeted through most of the service. Other than that, the front pews are filled with Italians that look like they belong there. Behind the altars is a back chapel, covered in even more Easter flowers, which took my breath away.

And behind the seated people (our backs are to the main entrance), is a huge crowd of people, which only grew as the beginning time approached and the festivities outside wound down. At least, I thought they were winding down...

After one of the dozen or so participating priests began, there were some responsive lines (we had Italian programs with the readings translated into English, but were never quite sure if it was being followed correctly or if we were just lost) and then, all of a sudden, fireworks and explosions began from the front entrance. Even a dove on a string was sent down toward the door and then back up, giving off sparks as it went. Such a spectacle! It didn't really seem fitting DURING the Easter service... but what do I know. The 15-minutes of booms and sparks came out of this decorated, box-like contraption just outside the church door. A fire hazard??

Finally, it was over, and "real" mass began. The choir parts were beautiful and the readings cool to listen to in Italian, but the message/sermon got long, because we had no translation. When the people stood up at its completion, we tried to make a graceful departure to catch our train to Siena, but ended up getting stuck at one end and sent back behind all the altars to get out of the cathedral! It was kind of embarrassing to walk out of our prime-spot seats in front of so many people jam-packed into the sanctuary. Finally reaching the street, we took off quickly to the train station and ran the last bit to catch our 12:15 to Siena.

Siena... was aweful. I don't even want to write about it. I've heard such wonderful things about the charming little Tuscan town, and there were definitely some beautiful views... but that just doesn't erase my bad afternoon there.

After we got off at the train into a mostly deserted station, we headed off into what we thought was the right direction... and ended up wandering through a business/industrial distract for an hour. Hot, hungry and increasingly frustrated (and not running into anybody who spoke English) we went back to the station and got snacks and rested our feet, restarting the the proper direction with someone's help. The woman had said it was 15 minutes to the town center, but that turned into at least 45 minutes of following the signs up and down the winding roads -- mostly, uphill -- toward the center. We ran into two Canadian girls with the biggest backpacks I've seen, and they had regular-sized bags, as well!

We never did find the town center. We found some nice views of the surrounding hills and countryside, sat by a pretty fountain,a nd saw smoe churches and old walls from a distance... but it was SO not worth the trip. We didn't have time to go into anything historical, not that we had much of a desire to, by that point. We retraced our steps back to the train station, where took the long ride "home" to Florence. We opted to walk back up to the camp, since the buses probably weren't running on Easter, anyway, took some breath-taking sunset pictures at the piazza, and used our remaining minutes of daylight to pack.

We treated ourselves to an Easter dinner at the Michelangelo restaurant. I had sausage-and-peppers on a pizza that was as big as my plate. Delicious, though the sausage was undercooked and I was glad we were sitting outside in the dim, romantic lighting so I didn't have to think about it too hard while eating. Then, long hot showers, which actually made falling asleep much more bearable in the cold! I feel asleep warm and cozy, for once.

Monday, April 9
Tour of the Uffizi Gallery and travel to Venezia (Venice) -- a good day!

We intended to be out by 7 a.m., but instead woke up at that time. We finished packing, checked out and paid 2 euro for lockers... only to discover that our suitcases were too big. I charmed the guy at reception to let us keep our bags in a back room. Then, down the hill (for the last time! Sad, but pretty in the rising sun) to the Uffizi Gallery and joined the line. The wait went quickly, and before we knew it, we were inside. I tried talking them into giving us the EU student discount, but they wouldn't have it, so we paid the 6.50 euro entrance fee, plus I shelled out 5.50 for the audioguide, since I've heard it's worth it.

The audioguide was well worth the cost!! I did not regret having it at all. It made me take longer than usual, but since things weren't well-marked in most places, I got a lot more out of the art then I otherwise would have. The audioguide skipped around a bit, but still gave me a better idea of what I was seeing. Though people can't take pictures inside the museum, I really enjoyed it and got a lot out of seeing the art (even though I'm not familiar with art history) and famous artists: Rembrandt, da Vinci, Botticelli, etc. and works that even I have heard of or recognize when I see them. The museum is set up very well, leading through a progression of the centuries -- making the art better as we went, in my opinion.

We left over four hours after entering -- I was overwhelmed and ready to finish! We ate on a curb near some cafes. I bought a ham panini at one (it was gross) and a huge bowl of fresh fruit at another (it was the best thing I've eaten in ages.) Then we just walked around to kill time until our 6:15 train to Padova, where Mary's cousin would pick us up; it was the only train out of the Florence station that didn't require a 15-euro reservation! Betsy bought herself some earrings at a market, and we rested near a church with some obligatory gelato (coconut and cookie flavors, for me -- my faves).

Time to say goodbye to our beautiful city! We trekked back up to the camp to collect our things, then headed down on the bus, which took us to the station. I love Florence, and can't imagine the next city to be any more splendid!

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Photos

Ponte Vecchio
Old, really cool bridge in Florence.

David
I didn't see Michelangelo's REAL David, but this replica is in the place the original used to stand: Piazza della Signoria, at the entrance to Palazzo Vecchio.

Santa Maria del Fiore
Florence's Duomo, which is where I went to Easter mass.

Leaning Tower of Pisa
It's falling!?!??!

Betsy at the Leaning Tower of Pisa
She didn't know I took this one.
(Yes, we took naps here!!)

Pretty view in Siena
And this is the only thing I liked about Siena. Taking a handful of nice pictures.

More statues at Piazza della Signoria
David is on the left.