So, news flash….it’s hot here. But It is far hotter winding up 462 steps, with the walls closing in on you, and the steps getting steeper with each one passed. This was the experience climbing to the top of the duomo this morning. It was hot, sticky, miserable, and claustrophobic. HOWEVER, the view from the top of the dome was well worth it.
We had all warned each other that we were claustrophobic, and, in my case, sometimes don’t do well in oppressive heat (aka I black out and fall over). This was a concern of mine when we made it past the first flight of stairs and Julie was in tears and I was getting dizzy. Although, I was going to be mad at myself if I didn’t see the top, so I got air when I could out of the little peep holes in the wall periodically, and soldiered on! It was a climb! And by the top everyone was sweating buckets and barking at each other because we all just wanted to get outside. This story sounds very dramatic, but it really was something that I would advise anyone to do if they come to Florence (except mamma maybe). You get to see the entire city, in the shadows of the rolling hills of Tuscany. Plus, we had been trying to find our way around these few days, so we got to play the game “lets find where we live” from the top of the dome.
Afterwards, we wound our way down (ALMOST all spiral staircases), and got water because everyone was feeling a little shaky. Our next adventure took us to the mercato centrale. I made my first Italian purchase. It’s a purple leather purse. It’s pretty small by my standards, but very handy because I am getting tired of lugging this big bag around. I ordered my first Panini in broken Italian. I’m getting better. I can say ciao and grazie with more gusto now. Plus I know how to order my gelato. Stick to short sentences. That’s the key.
When I was buying my purse, I asked her “Quanto costa?” for how much does it cost, so she assumed that I spoke Italian, I guess. She starts on a big long rant, and I start smiling cause I have a vague idea of what she is saying (she was explaining that she doesn’t haggle), but she finally understood that I speak English. However, she continued to talk to me in Italian with a few English words thrown in there. I thought that was fair because that is what I was doing to her, basically.
Anyway, turns out she DOES haggle. I only got it down by 9 Euro but it’s a start. I’m not very bold in regards to that kind of thing.
After that I got some fruit. It was good.
Nap time hit with a vengeance. I may still be jetlagged I guess, but I still want to fall asleep at 4:00 in the afternoon. But I can’t get to sleep till 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning. Luckily it was a pretty short nap, so it didn’t throw me off too much.
After my nap, the three of us and our new friend Lily hiked to the palazzo dei michelangiolo. It is on top of a hill facing the historic center of Florence. Once we had all grabbed a Panini for dinner we sat and attempted to watch the sun set behind the Ponte Vecchio. It was cloudy, so we decided to cut our losses and go grab a gelato. The hike was worth it though. It brought the day full circle, indeed. Because this morning we hiked to the top of the duomo, and tonight we hiked to the palazzo and historic Florence in all its glory, the duomo dominating the vista.
We topped off the night with gelato from Vivoli. A place I have heard, from numerous sources is the best gelato in Florence. So far my gelato flavors include: strawberry, tiramisu, and mousse café. Mousse café has BY FAR been my favorite. I thought about buying the 10 euro cup and sticking some in the fridge. (a usual cup for me is anywhere from 1.50 to 2.50 euros).
Marvelous day….hmmmmm
No comments:
Post a Comment