Day 45 started out slow, as vacation days should. We woke up in time for the complementary breakfast, then made our way back to bed to catch up on some blogging and rest. We finally made it out of the B&B a little after 2 in time for some lunch. We were still a bit tired of Italian food, and we had seen a sushi restaurant nearby. We made our way there, but we were disappointed to discover it was a buffet. We usually avoid Asian buffets, but at this point we had come too far. Everything was going to close at 3, and wouldn't open again until 7. So, we were stuck. The food wasn't horrible, but it was definitely the worst food we've had on the trip. On a scale from Panda Express to Geisha Steak and Sushi, it was a little below Pei Wei. (Kaylea thinks it was worse than Panda Express)
All that nasty food was apparently pretty exhausting, because we went straight back to the B&B for another nap. Not sure what time we woke up, but the only thing that got us out of our room was the knowledge that it was our last day in Florence. We quickly made a stop to do all of our laundry, then set out for some last minute exploring. It turned out to be one of the greatest nights of the trip.
The first major landmark we wanted to see was a bridge called Ponte Vecchio. It's a midieval bridge filled with art galleries and shops. On the way there, we stumbled on a some really nice plazas with artists and street vendors all over the place. We found one woman who was drawing Da Vinci paintings in chalk on the street. It was pretty impressive. We made it to our bridge after about 30 minutes of walking. It was kind of hard to tell we were even on a bridge until we were in the middle of it. Once there, we got a nice view of the city along the Fiume Arno river.
Our next stop was a famous square called Piazzale Michelangelo. It's a giant square on top of a large hill with the best view of the city. It was about a 20 minute walk plus a small hike. On the way there we ran into a group of American students. We recognized a southern accent in the group that turned out to be from Alabama, but there were some Texans in there as well. The view from the top of the hill made Aaron want to retire to Florence. There were a few guitarists who were setting the mood despite the fact that they were clashing with each other. We'll definitely be visiting that place again... someday.
It was about this time that it started to get dark. We decided to head back to look for a place called Zaza to eat. Our host had pointed it out on a map when we had first arrived, and it looked like it was going to be in a less expensive area. Aaron mapped it on his phone, and we were on our way. The walk across the city at night was even more beautiful than it was in the day time. After about 30 minutes Google announced we had arrived at our destination, but we were in the middle of an alleyway. Once again, Google had led us astray.
We walked around a corner and discovered a place called Saras. We decided this place was close enough, and grabbed a table. After a close inspection of the map our host had given us, it turned out this was the place we were looking for the whole time. (Nice job Google) The meal was fantastic, and the atmosphere was excellent. It was a perfect ending to our last night in Florence.
We actually managed to wake up early on day 46. We made it to our train with plenty of time to spare. Other than the standard oblivious passengers, there was nothing really noteworthy about the train ride. Getting off the train in Venice, however, was definitely noteworthy. It's as if you've stepped out of a travel nightmare and into a James Bond movie. As soon as you exit the station, you're on the Grand Canal. Right accross the water was the San Simeone Piccolo. It's was very surreal.
It was about a 15 minute walk to our B&B. We made it there with no trouble. Our host showed us our room and checked us in. After an hour long nap, we decided to head back to the train station to get our tickets to Genoa. We were pleasantly surprised that there wasn't a huge line at the station, but were quickly disappointed that it was going to be a 6 hour ride to Genoa. Oh well.
After we got the tickets out of the way, we decided to do some exploring / restaurant hunting. Google found a place that was nearby and had some great reviews. When we arrived, the waiter said they were booked for the night, so we had to go next-door. The kids we met in Florence had warned us against the prices in Venice, but it wasn't that bad. We had a great meal next to the water while watching gondolas and boats float by. There was a kid (maybe 15) who pulled his boat next to a wall, used a wench to lift his boat out of the water, and pulled it into a building. All while, gondolas are trying to squeeze past him. It was exciting to watch.
After dinner, we just sort of wandered around the city. We walked across lots of bridges, and found a cool square. We got lost, but we weren't worried. While we were trying to work our way back home a man tried to "give" Kaylea a flower. "No price. Free. Take it." We refused, but he persisted. We told him we didn't have any cash to give him. "No price. It's for you. Take it." We thanked him, and after maybe 5 seconds of small talk he asked "You don't have any money? Not even 1 Euro?" We answered no, and he took back the flower and walked away. It was kind of amazing, but not surprising. Next time that happens. we're not giving the flower back.
We finally made our way back to the B&B to write this blog and get some sleep. Midway through writing the blog, the A/C went out. It may be a hot night. We'll keep you up to date.
P.S. It turns out the A/C is on some sort of a timer. It turned on randomly in the middle of the night.
All that nasty food was apparently pretty exhausting, because we went straight back to the B&B for another nap. Not sure what time we woke up, but the only thing that got us out of our room was the knowledge that it was our last day in Florence. We quickly made a stop to do all of our laundry, then set out for some last minute exploring. It turned out to be one of the greatest nights of the trip.
The first major landmark we wanted to see was a bridge called Ponte Vecchio. It's a midieval bridge filled with art galleries and shops. On the way there, we stumbled on a some really nice plazas with artists and street vendors all over the place. We found one woman who was drawing Da Vinci paintings in chalk on the street. It was pretty impressive. We made it to our bridge after about 30 minutes of walking. It was kind of hard to tell we were even on a bridge until we were in the middle of it. Once there, we got a nice view of the city along the Fiume Arno river.
Our next stop was a famous square called Piazzale Michelangelo. It's a giant square on top of a large hill with the best view of the city. It was about a 20 minute walk plus a small hike. On the way there we ran into a group of American students. We recognized a southern accent in the group that turned out to be from Alabama, but there were some Texans in there as well. The view from the top of the hill made Aaron want to retire to Florence. There were a few guitarists who were setting the mood despite the fact that they were clashing with each other. We'll definitely be visiting that place again... someday.
It was about this time that it started to get dark. We decided to head back to look for a place called Zaza to eat. Our host had pointed it out on a map when we had first arrived, and it looked like it was going to be in a less expensive area. Aaron mapped it on his phone, and we were on our way. The walk across the city at night was even more beautiful than it was in the day time. After about 30 minutes Google announced we had arrived at our destination, but we were in the middle of an alleyway. Once again, Google had led us astray.
We walked around a corner and discovered a place called Saras. We decided this place was close enough, and grabbed a table. After a close inspection of the map our host had given us, it turned out this was the place we were looking for the whole time. (Nice job Google) The meal was fantastic, and the atmosphere was excellent. It was a perfect ending to our last night in Florence.
We actually managed to wake up early on day 46. We made it to our train with plenty of time to spare. Other than the standard oblivious passengers, there was nothing really noteworthy about the train ride. Getting off the train in Venice, however, was definitely noteworthy. It's as if you've stepped out of a travel nightmare and into a James Bond movie. As soon as you exit the station, you're on the Grand Canal. Right accross the water was the San Simeone Piccolo. It's was very surreal.
It was about a 15 minute walk to our B&B. We made it there with no trouble. Our host showed us our room and checked us in. After an hour long nap, we decided to head back to the train station to get our tickets to Genoa. We were pleasantly surprised that there wasn't a huge line at the station, but were quickly disappointed that it was going to be a 6 hour ride to Genoa. Oh well.
After we got the tickets out of the way, we decided to do some exploring / restaurant hunting. Google found a place that was nearby and had some great reviews. When we arrived, the waiter said they were booked for the night, so we had to go next-door. The kids we met in Florence had warned us against the prices in Venice, but it wasn't that bad. We had a great meal next to the water while watching gondolas and boats float by. There was a kid (maybe 15) who pulled his boat next to a wall, used a wench to lift his boat out of the water, and pulled it into a building. All while, gondolas are trying to squeeze past him. It was exciting to watch.
After dinner, we just sort of wandered around the city. We walked across lots of bridges, and found a cool square. We got lost, but we weren't worried. While we were trying to work our way back home a man tried to "give" Kaylea a flower. "No price. Free. Take it." We refused, but he persisted. We told him we didn't have any cash to give him. "No price. It's for you. Take it." We thanked him, and after maybe 5 seconds of small talk he asked "You don't have any money? Not even 1 Euro?" We answered no, and he took back the flower and walked away. It was kind of amazing, but not surprising. Next time that happens. we're not giving the flower back.
We finally made our way back to the B&B to write this blog and get some sleep. Midway through writing the blog, the A/C went out. It may be a hot night. We'll keep you up to date.
P.S. It turns out the A/C is on some sort of a timer. It turned on randomly in the middle of the night.
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