Its probably about 3:30 am back at home, but here we've already woken up just in time for breakfast and crawled back into bed. So about 10:30. The past few days have been packed with adventure and energy expenditure.
Day 43 began with mini homemade muffins and coffee. The breakfast at this B&B tops all inclusive breakfasts we've had so far. Our first goal of the day was to reserve seats for a train to Venice. After waiting 30 minutes for our number to be called, we realized we had missed our turn. We showed the saleswoman our ticket but she told us we'd have to get another number and continue to wait. At this point we we're quickly gaining on lunchtime and the hanger was creeping in. We decided to go ahead and just use a kiosk to pay to reserve tickets. Boom. Done. Let's blow this Popsicle stand.
From there we followed directions to the Accademia Gallery. On the way, we paused a little Indian restaurant. At this point in our Italy tour, we'd grown pretty tired of pizza and pasta. We excitedly walked in and found ourselves a table near the A/C. The food was great, though it made us miss our favorite eateries back home. After a successful lunch we continued on to the gallery.
We had opted to take our chances with a line rather than paying doubled ticket prices online. It worked out in our favor. Having already braved the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel, we're well-adjusted to lines. We only had to wait about 45 minutes to enter the gallery and a nice summer shower cooled us down halfway through. While people we're scrambling to find cover, Kaylea just stood in the street enjoying the reprieve from the heat while Aaron held our place. There was plenty of time to dry off once the sun returned.
Most of the gallery exhibits were christian works and artifacts. We found Marco Polo's bible!
In the center of the gallery stood Michelangelo's David surrounded by a sea of hands and cameras. We, of course, added ourselves to the crowd and it's purpose. After a bit of eavesdropping on informative tours we didn't pay for, we moved on to the remaining exhibits. We managed to find ourselves upstairs in a small gallery that most visitors seemed to overlook. One of the rooms held touch screens and headphones for watching short documentaries covering various topics. Apparently the Statue of David had been commissioned to two different artists before Michelangelo finished it. We watched three of these minisodes before a small crowed gathered behind us and we were pressured to share.
We left Accademia and walked south towards the city center. Purely by accident, we came upon the Plazza Del Dumo, home to Florence's most famed Cathedral. Entry was free, so we had to go in. It was darker than most other Cathedrals we've visited, but the main ceiling fresco was fantastic. We contemplated the skills and artistry required to paint such proportions at such a height and angle. We also visited the Plaza Della Singoria, where a smaller David stood.
For dinner, Kaylea found a highly rated Thai restaurant just out of the city center. We would've stayed closer to our BnB, but Florence is not known for it's Asian food, and this was one of only two Thai restaurants in the whole city. It was quite the walk, but it was worth it. The restaurant, Niwa, actually had a Japanese menu and a Thai menu! So we ordered a sushi roll to start and Thai noodle plates for our meals. (We miss you Thai Star!)
After dinner we had a long walk back to our building on the opposite side of the city center. It was early to bed for us since we had to wake up soon
Day 44 was met at 5:30 am. We hurried to get ready, pack the necessary items, grab a small breakfast, and meet at the train station by 7. We made it with 4 minutes to spare.
We had booked a budget tour aimed towards students an backpackers under 40, so we'd be catching trains all day. Our guides were Jess and Alex. Alex was there to supervise Jess, who was on her last training tour. Our tour group consisted of us, a pair of girls, a ginger girl from Canada, an Asian couple, an awkward old Asian guy who had to be just under the age limit, and an Indian couple with the happiest 9 month old girl we'd ever seen.
-Note: We got a discount on the tour since we have rail passes. Everyone on the tour was given a green wristband to wear so railway officials could identify tour members without having to ask for their tickets. Our rail passes were never checked, so we essentially got a free day of travel.-
Our first stop was Pisa. We had a connection from the train to a bus, so Alex took it upon himself to loudly point out all the pickpockets he recognized from his tour guiding. Just FYI, they're everywhere! And they're mostly young girls and women dressed as students or tourists. We actually saw the same group multiple times, as they were working the rail system from Pisa to the coast. Alex and Jess did a great job keeping them away from us.
Pisa was a lot of silly fun. We started by taking pictures of all the people doing cliché poses with the tower. We took a terrible selfie, and then got to work on our own silly pictures. Aaron did a backflip and a handstand. Kaylea did a head stand after a couple of hilarious failures. After the photo session we tried going into the Cathedral only to find that all the time-slots before our scheduled departure had been taken. Oh well.
The rest of the day would be spent in three small towns in Cinque Terre: Riomaggiore, Manarola, and Vernazza. In Riomaggiore, we were served a light lunch consisting of local cold cuts, cheeses, and bread accompanied by a delicious glass of white wine, famous to the area. The view was spectacular! After that we rented a kayak in Manarola and set off to explore the coast. Alyssa, the ginger Canadian, and our guide Jess joined us for the kayaking and together we beached the small boats along the cliff side and went for a swim. The water was clear blue and the perfect temperature. Sadly, we the GoPro was out of battery, so we only got a few off-center underwater photos with Kaylea's phone. We also tried an assortment of fried seafood while in town, including anchovies which are gross.
Our last stop was Vernazza. Our guides mentioned there would be cliff-jumping there and promised to show us. We were not disappointed. Right in the middle of the tiny town's cove was a huge, sharp boulder protruding from the water. There was only one side deep enough to jump into and it just happened to be on the side of the boulder with the highest two points. We convinced our guide Alex to jump with us even though he wasn't wearing a swim suit. He had been guiding this tour for three years and never did the jump!
The three of us swam over and climbed up. As we reached the top of the boulder, our excitement turned to panic. "This is really f'ing high", our guide said with a nice big fearful smile on his face. He had seen people jump off of this cliff three times a week for three years, but sanding at the top it didn't seem like anyone could survive the fall. A quick count to three, and he was in the air. As soon as he was out of the way, and after only a bit of hesitation, Aaron quickly followed suit. It felt like a 3 second drop, and he hit the water so hard it hurt the bottom of his feet. Kaylea refused to jump from the same spot, so she climbed to another point about 5 feel lower. After a lot of convincing, she finally made the jump. As she came to the surface of the water, everyone in the area was applauding. Aaron and Alex didn't get an applause. It seems like people are only impressed if you're conquering a fear.
After jumping we swam back to our stuff. It was almost time to go. We reconvened with our group and discovered that all three of the jumpers had obtained an injury. At some point between climbing the rock, jumping, and scrambling out of the water Aaron had skinned one of his little toes, Alex had gained a small cut on his knee, and Kaylea had sliced her big toe pretty thoroughly. There was a small hunt for band aids before we were back on the train for the two hour journey back to Florence.
We said our goodbyes and walked back to the BnB for a shower. By the time we had cleaned off, it was almost 10. We were extremely hungry, so we threw some clothes on an walked to a nearby German pub. For a German pub, there was very little German food. We settled for adequate burgers. We were probably there for only 30 minutes before we were too sleepy to sit up in the booth. Though we'd only had a one glass of wine 10 hours before, our legs we heavy and we felt almost drunk. Sleep was immediate. A perfect way to end a long and adventurous day!
P.S. Jess had taken video and pictures of the kayaking and jumping, but we're still waiting for her to upload them. We'll share them as soon as she does!
Day 43 began with mini homemade muffins and coffee. The breakfast at this B&B tops all inclusive breakfasts we've had so far. Our first goal of the day was to reserve seats for a train to Venice. After waiting 30 minutes for our number to be called, we realized we had missed our turn. We showed the saleswoman our ticket but she told us we'd have to get another number and continue to wait. At this point we we're quickly gaining on lunchtime and the hanger was creeping in. We decided to go ahead and just use a kiosk to pay to reserve tickets. Boom. Done. Let's blow this Popsicle stand.
From there we followed directions to the Accademia Gallery. On the way, we paused a little Indian restaurant. At this point in our Italy tour, we'd grown pretty tired of pizza and pasta. We excitedly walked in and found ourselves a table near the A/C. The food was great, though it made us miss our favorite eateries back home. After a successful lunch we continued on to the gallery.
We had opted to take our chances with a line rather than paying doubled ticket prices online. It worked out in our favor. Having already braved the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel, we're well-adjusted to lines. We only had to wait about 45 minutes to enter the gallery and a nice summer shower cooled us down halfway through. While people we're scrambling to find cover, Kaylea just stood in the street enjoying the reprieve from the heat while Aaron held our place. There was plenty of time to dry off once the sun returned.
Most of the gallery exhibits were christian works and artifacts. We found Marco Polo's bible!
In the center of the gallery stood Michelangelo's David surrounded by a sea of hands and cameras. We, of course, added ourselves to the crowd and it's purpose. After a bit of eavesdropping on informative tours we didn't pay for, we moved on to the remaining exhibits. We managed to find ourselves upstairs in a small gallery that most visitors seemed to overlook. One of the rooms held touch screens and headphones for watching short documentaries covering various topics. Apparently the Statue of David had been commissioned to two different artists before Michelangelo finished it. We watched three of these minisodes before a small crowed gathered behind us and we were pressured to share.
We left Accademia and walked south towards the city center. Purely by accident, we came upon the Plazza Del Dumo, home to Florence's most famed Cathedral. Entry was free, so we had to go in. It was darker than most other Cathedrals we've visited, but the main ceiling fresco was fantastic. We contemplated the skills and artistry required to paint such proportions at such a height and angle. We also visited the Plaza Della Singoria, where a smaller David stood.
For dinner, Kaylea found a highly rated Thai restaurant just out of the city center. We would've stayed closer to our BnB, but Florence is not known for it's Asian food, and this was one of only two Thai restaurants in the whole city. It was quite the walk, but it was worth it. The restaurant, Niwa, actually had a Japanese menu and a Thai menu! So we ordered a sushi roll to start and Thai noodle plates for our meals. (We miss you Thai Star!)
After dinner we had a long walk back to our building on the opposite side of the city center. It was early to bed for us since we had to wake up soon
Day 44 was met at 5:30 am. We hurried to get ready, pack the necessary items, grab a small breakfast, and meet at the train station by 7. We made it with 4 minutes to spare.
We had booked a budget tour aimed towards students an backpackers under 40, so we'd be catching trains all day. Our guides were Jess and Alex. Alex was there to supervise Jess, who was on her last training tour. Our tour group consisted of us, a pair of girls, a ginger girl from Canada, an Asian couple, an awkward old Asian guy who had to be just under the age limit, and an Indian couple with the happiest 9 month old girl we'd ever seen.
-Note: We got a discount on the tour since we have rail passes. Everyone on the tour was given a green wristband to wear so railway officials could identify tour members without having to ask for their tickets. Our rail passes were never checked, so we essentially got a free day of travel.-
Our first stop was Pisa. We had a connection from the train to a bus, so Alex took it upon himself to loudly point out all the pickpockets he recognized from his tour guiding. Just FYI, they're everywhere! And they're mostly young girls and women dressed as students or tourists. We actually saw the same group multiple times, as they were working the rail system from Pisa to the coast. Alex and Jess did a great job keeping them away from us.
Pisa was a lot of silly fun. We started by taking pictures of all the people doing cliché poses with the tower. We took a terrible selfie, and then got to work on our own silly pictures. Aaron did a backflip and a handstand. Kaylea did a head stand after a couple of hilarious failures. After the photo session we tried going into the Cathedral only to find that all the time-slots before our scheduled departure had been taken. Oh well.
(Failed headstand that turned out amazing)
The rest of the day would be spent in three small towns in Cinque Terre: Riomaggiore, Manarola, and Vernazza. In Riomaggiore, we were served a light lunch consisting of local cold cuts, cheeses, and bread accompanied by a delicious glass of white wine, famous to the area. The view was spectacular! After that we rented a kayak in Manarola and set off to explore the coast. Alyssa, the ginger Canadian, and our guide Jess joined us for the kayaking and together we beached the small boats along the cliff side and went for a swim. The water was clear blue and the perfect temperature. Sadly, we the GoPro was out of battery, so we only got a few off-center underwater photos with Kaylea's phone. We also tried an assortment of fried seafood while in town, including anchovies which are gross.
Our last stop was Vernazza. Our guides mentioned there would be cliff-jumping there and promised to show us. We were not disappointed. Right in the middle of the tiny town's cove was a huge, sharp boulder protruding from the water. There was only one side deep enough to jump into and it just happened to be on the side of the boulder with the highest two points. We convinced our guide Alex to jump with us even though he wasn't wearing a swim suit. He had been guiding this tour for three years and never did the jump!
The three of us swam over and climbed up. As we reached the top of the boulder, our excitement turned to panic. "This is really f'ing high", our guide said with a nice big fearful smile on his face. He had seen people jump off of this cliff three times a week for three years, but sanding at the top it didn't seem like anyone could survive the fall. A quick count to three, and he was in the air. As soon as he was out of the way, and after only a bit of hesitation, Aaron quickly followed suit. It felt like a 3 second drop, and he hit the water so hard it hurt the bottom of his feet. Kaylea refused to jump from the same spot, so she climbed to another point about 5 feel lower. After a lot of convincing, she finally made the jump. As she came to the surface of the water, everyone in the area was applauding. Aaron and Alex didn't get an applause. It seems like people are only impressed if you're conquering a fear.
After jumping we swam back to our stuff. It was almost time to go. We reconvened with our group and discovered that all three of the jumpers had obtained an injury. At some point between climbing the rock, jumping, and scrambling out of the water Aaron had skinned one of his little toes, Alex had gained a small cut on his knee, and Kaylea had sliced her big toe pretty thoroughly. There was a small hunt for band aids before we were back on the train for the two hour journey back to Florence.
(Kaylea's a Rebel)
We said our goodbyes and walked back to the BnB for a shower. By the time we had cleaned off, it was almost 10. We were extremely hungry, so we threw some clothes on an walked to a nearby German pub. For a German pub, there was very little German food. We settled for adequate burgers. We were probably there for only 30 minutes before we were too sleepy to sit up in the booth. Though we'd only had a one glass of wine 10 hours before, our legs we heavy and we felt almost drunk. Sleep was immediate. A perfect way to end a long and adventurous day!
P.S. Jess had taken video and pictures of the kayaking and jumping, but we're still waiting for her to upload them. We'll share them as soon as she does!
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