I do laugh often, but sometimes in despair. Such was the case in Florence, Italy....
Our Rick Steves' hotel in Florence was something else. (A good something else.) It was the Torre Geulfa which included as a part of its premises a 12th century tower. There were two levels to the tower each with table and chairs. A bar service was available in the evenings between 5 and 9 pm, after which it was acceptable for you to bring up your own bottle of wine to enjoy. While I did not avail myself of this last service, I did join some members of 'the group' one evening for a glass of (bar service) wine.
It was absolutely glorious to sit up in the tower and enjoy incredible views of the city of Florence - at night of course, but it was lovely during the day too.
So, you ask, why was this woman's laughter tinged with despair? Well, it was due to whole other feature of this hotel - the fact that my lovely room had a bathtub! It was modern. It was shiny. It was deep. However, it was also narrow.
You must understand that I am a 'bath girl', even at home each day choosing to take a bath over a shower, so I was so happy to have the opportunity to relax and luxuriate in a soothing and restorative bath. Particularly after all the walking I did over the course of each day.
And I did. And it was everything I anticipated. Simply lovely.
So why, you ask a second time, was this woman laughing with a hint of despair?
Well... it was when I 'pulled the plug'. The bathtub was narrow, but hadn't looked outrageously so. However, it was narrow enough that with the spread of my butt, my bottom created a dam that kept back all of the water 'upstream of butt' from draining.
:(
So you can see why I laughed but also why it was tinged with a bit of despair and chagrin.
I am trying to use it as a learning experience, though - to motivate me to lose a bit of weight.
PS - in this post's picture upload I am including a picture taken of me in Venice only DAYS before this happened. Just to prove that despite any butt spread that I did experience, I am still not too, too, too overweight. Right? Right? (Humour the woman.)
When I was out and about with Venetian photographer Marco on our photo walk, I had the opportunity to simply 'chat' with him and ask him some questions which puzzled me. I asked if there was any significance to all the bas relief 'faces' and figures often at the top of doorways throughout Venice.
"Yes!", he exclaimed. "They would probably be over the doors that are right on the canal, or on streets that were once canals. Many have been paved over. In the past people believed that at night there were many evil spirits 'on the water'. The faces are to keep the spirits from entering the portals into their homes."
Cool.
(
Yes,that fixed stare and those bulging eyes would scare me!")
Alright- tee, a travel adventure....
Last visit my old friend Peni and I (who had traveled with me) had been struck by the sheer number of gypsies (Roma) there were begging in Rome and in Venice.
Also we were greatly annoyed by the sheer number of North African's selling knock off purses and 'cheap kiddie crap' such as slimy goo and twirling lights. The latter were most aggravating because you couldn't seem to take a step without one calling out to get your attention.
Really? I just walked by and/or said a vehement "NO!" to this guy's kiddie slimy goo, why would you think I would stop and inspect the same kiddie slimy goo 10 steps further?
Happily, this visit I noticed a huge reduction in both the number of these individuals begging and selling on the streets, but also that now, two years later, that they no longer tried to actively solicit your interest but remained mum as you walked by. A big improvement! There must have been a crackdown, I thought.
I truly do think this is the case as witnessed by myself and Donna, one of the Rick Steves' group members, when we were wandering through the calle of Venice together...
So picture this...
We are simply strolling along enjoying a glorious day in Venice away from the main touristry areas. All of a sudden we heard a lot of shouting. We stopped and turned. There coming toward us in a gallop was a North African man with a string of purses (looped together) over his shoulder.
We plastered ourselves against the wall as he sprinted by. Before we could even blink, a second man sped by with his purses. Coming up there were two more men - a policeman and a third North African. The policeman was able to grab him and a wee shuffle ensued.
Donna and I remained paralyzed, pressed up against the wall.
There was some shoving and lots of raised voices (in Italian). The North African began to shout over the shoulder of the Italian policeman.
Naturally Donna and I did not understand what was said, but within seconds the second man who had already escaped returned to the scene. The man being held by the policeman hurled his loop of counterfeit purses over the head of the policeman! It landed right in front of Donna and I, about 5 or 6 feet away!
You know, for one split second - quickly rejected - I actually thought I should grab the purses. But I did not.
The North African who had returned instantly scooped them up and disappeared a second time.
The policeman scuffled a bit more with the 3rd man and then marched him away. There was muttering. A pair of sun glasses that had fallen during the scuffle remained on the pavement.
I guess protecting the merchandize investment is more important than getting away?
What boldness of that second man to return to collect it, though? Actually, I could use another phrase (also starting with a 'b' but for politeness sake won't). So, yes - we witnessed one example of a crackdown!
Side note: Just about a half hour earlier we also saw a young, petite gypsy girl with a begging cup being frog marched away by 3 big Italian policemen. I know it is sad, but I am happy to see this action - but surely there is a better solution to these problems? If so, it has to be tackled by all of the EU because it is huge, not just in Italy.
Angel with the column
Bridge of Angels, Rome
:D
I left Italy, of course, with a bit of sadness. It is just such a wonderful, beautiful and enthralling country, it is hard to say good-bye. I left, however, with a very nice 'flavour in my mouth' down to the delightful driver I had for my trip to the airport.
I had to leave early in the morning and be ready to 'rock and roll' by 6 am. The people at the Hotel Lancelot were extremely helpful in arranging a ride, including providing me with the expected cost for this approximate 45 minute ride.
I was, as usual, all ready on time. (Side note: I was raised in a family where if you weren't 10 minutes early, you were actually considered late!). And so also was the driver, a positive point for a nervous solo traveler.
He was a private driver and helped me into his vehicle. As he settled himself behind the wheel he said, "You are going to Fiumicino?"
Now our tour guide Alfio said that Italians always seem to say things more than once. So I simply said, "Si, si." (Side note: I use the double 'si' as opposed to the triple 'si, si, si' that seemed to be favoured by the rest of the group. Not sure why, only that it seemed more natural to me.)
The man turned around in astonishment and exclaimed (thankfully in English), "You speak Italian!"
"No! No!" I said. I was terrified that he thought I was misrepresenting myself. "I wish I could, but I don't." (My 'Si, Si' must have been very convincing!)
Then we settled in for our ride and he was utterly delightful. He pointed out all the various attractions we passed while still in the city proper. He talked about other areas of Italy... For instance, he said Vesuvius was sleeping and was a real danger. Not so much Etna, he thought, since Etna isn't sleeping... He was very interested to know where I had visited in Rome. He even told me I had seen a fair bit in Rome during the visits I had made.
When we arrived and he unloaded my luggage he said, "You will come back to Rome. And by then you will speak Italian!"
:)
Pictures to capture "my Venice", images which I keep in my head in my absence...
This blog will be top heavy with Venetian pictures, but honestly - so easy to get a good picture of Venice. Every corner, every second there is a moment in time to capture, a memory to savor.
I did all of these without any help from Marco - but they were taken after I had had my session with him, so it shows (hopefully) that some of his teaching sunk in my aged brain.
Actually, he told me he wanted me to take pictures that "told a story", so I guess you are getting a story this posting! :)
