Crossing an entire continent, the Atlantic ocean and a good chunk of Europe can be an exhausting experience. It can be physically tiring and mentally challenging.
Getting to Florence has been all of these things. It’s now 8:45 PM on Saturday in Florence. Rosey’s and my journey began at 3:15 AM on Friday. Since we last slept, we’ve had breakfast in San Francisco, lunch in Chicago, dinner over the Atlantic, breakfast again in Frankfurt, lunch in Florence and we just finished dinner. We are a bit tired.
On the positive side, all our flights were on time. Kathy and Joe made it to Florence on schedule and we found our flat after only getting lost three or four times. Some of the more interesting things we experienced so far include the family below us who has been playing loud “global” music since we got here, dragging our luggage from the train station through the throngs of tourists and the heart of Florence to the flat, the taxi driver who overcharged us by 8 euros, and the 34 steps from street level to the flat. Did I mention they are very old, steep and high stone steps.
The flat itself could take up an entire blog post or two. While ideally located, it also has some very strange oddities. These include the “second” bedroom being located about half way up the stairs to the flat from the courtyard as if pinned onto the side of the building, a great view of the cathedral’s dome (obstructed by a huge construction crane) from one bedroom as long as you lay in bed, an “open” floor plan including the main bedroom being located above the kitchen and accessed by a “flying” stairway, and an electric socket in a shower area of the second bathroom. Picture it, right across the wall from where the water hits. I think you get the general idea, but there will be more to come. (Including the fact that no one told us we had to turn on a small water heater to take a warm shower in the second bathroom.)
All and all, however, Aimless Tours is off to a good start. We’re getting to know our new temporary neighborhood and we’ve had two great meals. Our newest motto is "There is no problem too big or too small for us to ignore."
It’s lights out for now. Tomorrow is a day to relax and enjoy the city.
Yeah, you made it there with on-time flights and free drinks! I always enjoy your blogs and look forward to hearing more about your aimless touring.
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Nancy
So, Skip, which method was employed for the acquisition of the one bedroom with the window? I'm hoping it was the race up the stairs method.
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