Note: This travelogue was originally published on June 5th, 2015.
Quick Trip Snapshot…
Hello from Rome, Italy! Updates are long overdue, but anyhow not to worry, for: #1 I have officially caught the “travel writing” bug and #2 I have been inspired to blog after perusing a short chapbook left in the hostel in which we spent the past 2.5 days in Firenze (florence). Although I am aware I have a lot to share, here is a snapshot of where we are now, where we were and fun stories from our adventures from the past week ( has it honestly been that long already?!?!?? Unbelievable.)
After about a week traveling through the fashion city of Paris and seemingly whizzing through Cinque Terre (literally: “Five Villages”), Pisa, and Florence, i have officially and honestly absorbed the cultural notions of the Parisians and Italians, imbibing the unique quirks and novelties of each city we have visited thus far. To tell you the truth, my current state of mind is one of mixed emotions (read: uncertainty is an all too familiar sentiment to me- something those who know me will agree with immediately): ecstacy/excitement, anticipation and disbelief. In short, I am super excited to see what else is in store for us, anticipating the numerous little mini- journeys yet to come, but I am utterly confused as to how half of this vacation-of-a-lifetime has already passed.
The chapbook that I glanced through while I couldnt fall asleep last night was a curious read that I have since reading decided depicts the most honest and genuine way to approach travel. In the forward to the piece, the author paints images of the various trips she has taken while globetrotting. She concludes that her best and most enriching experiences were those which were improvisational: when she didn’t plan too far ahead. Thus, uncertainty and tension bred inspiration and zeal.
I abide by this travel mantra as well. We have by this time seen and experienced many museums and art gallaries, local trips which we planned and set in stone. as early as January. However, when we tossed planning out for just a little bit, I would say I certainly gleaned a unique story or experience by simply going along with the flow. ( as you will shortly see…) Ok, buckle in for a truly crazy Italian ride.. And now, back to Florence!
Street Shopping in Firenze (Florence)
😍😍😍
We departed for Florence, an artistic beautiful city which is also famed for being the birthplace of the renaissance. It was in the streets of Florence where, in the early 12th and 13th centuries, artists, poets, sculptors and writers teemed the communities to create innovations, and design sculptures and art pieces of divine beings, including Jesus, the Madonna and the Virgin Mary.
Besides the breathtaking masterpieces by iconic artists including Michaelangelo, Rafael, Leonardo Da’Vinci, and others, the city is animated by clowns and puppeteers (one was holding a show for children in the streets!), amateur painters splashing colors in the form of portraits and murals on the ground, and a slew of immigrants and local sellers of toys, trinkets, selfie sticks and purses.
As we continued on down the street on which our hostel was located, we also noticed an expansive market where merchants sold a spread of genuine Italian leather goods including purses, belts, handbags, backpacks, pins, and jackets. Other miscellaneous entertaining items such as toys and figurines cloaked in leather were also offered. We were lucky that this unique setup was located right across from our hostel.
We arrived in Florence from Cinque Terre, a string of beautiful natural villages on the Italian coast within the Mediterranean Sea. I absolutely fell in love with the sublime scenery here. See a flashback post about it later!! Anyway, when we arrived in Florence on Wednesday early afternoon, we oriented ourselves to our clean and small apartment/ hostel, then set out to explore the city. That evening, we climbed the 463 steps to the top of the Duomo, one of the largest churches in Italy constructed between 1296 and 1436 by an esteemed architect, Bruneschelli (no that isn’t a type of pasta! 😊) I must add a few pictures here so you can appreciate the glory and grandeur of this extravagant church:
(Above: the great Duomo)
I likened the great climb of the church to a trek through a dungeon like spiral staircase to ultimately reach the mecca on a hill. When we entered the dark and cloudy church entrance, we were momentarily ushered past the metal bar entry point, so that we approached the staircase. The ascent began. 200 steps later, I decided to count the rest of the steps as the couple in front of us had stopped announcing our milestones every 10 steps or so. Every so often, we came upon a platform where the world opened up and we caught small windows of light, but before long, the people behind us would nip at our feet and we would need to scurry forward in a kindergarten-style single file line. Finally, after nearly a half hour through spirals of stone steps millions must have climbed before I, we (literally) were aided through to the final platform and raised our then aching feet upwards to the marble tiled balcony circling the top dome’s circumference.
“What an extraordinary view,” would be an understatement!
From 500 feet above ground, we saw the Florentine homes, churches, cathedrals and criss-crossed streets. The piazzas (central squares) which we would spend hours roaming the following day on Thursday appeared as orange and yellow and beige patchwork lain between the myriad ancient architectural wonders. I glanced down and wobbled uncontrollably for a few moments, because the gate that usually serves as a safety measure at such a height was only two feet tall!
Ok.. There is plenty more to our Florence trip as well as that of our short adventure exploring Rome from last night and today, so stay tuned for part 2! Off to tour the Jewish Ghetto, Trevi fountain and a palace in Rome now!!
Pics to come! Thanks for reading!! 😎
Love from Rome…….❤️ Peace!
