Wednesday, November 07, 2007
FIRENZE CITY OF ART AND CULTURE
After being in the country for a week, it was a shock to arrive on the weekend to the throngs of tourists and citizens of Florence.
We felt like seasoned travelers as we walked away from the car rental shop with others in a panic as to where they would pick up their car or drop one off. An adult Autopia of sorts.
We arrived at Casa Rabatti and were enthusiastically greeted by Marcella who remembered us from our last visit. She gave us the big room and we settled in.
The tourists were think! Marcella told us that there were no rooms available in town ,and that she had to turn many away.
We made our way to the Ponte Vecchio and crossed the Arno to the Pitti Palace.
Having been in Florence a few times, I was looking for somewhere to go and something new to see. We had opted not to visit the Boboli Gardens in the past and so I thought that today would be a good time to view them. The gardens are part of the palace land and were probably a safe place for the aristocracy to get safely out into the fresh air and exercise.
Nothing is really said about the gardens in the tour books, and though one can wander around and have some beautiful views of the City there, the view and grounds of the Piazzale Michelangelo are about the same and free! You can spend time there also in a park like atmosphere.
I was dissappointed that the Boboli was not what I had imagined it to be... We have here in San Diego, a far better Balboa Park and it is free!
Boboli Gardens, save for being palace land was in need or manicuring, unlike the English Manor gardens I have visited.
I could not get lost emotionally there.
After a rest in the shade of one of the garden's trees we were off to challenge the 463 step climb of the Dumo as it is called of Gothic Santa Maria del Fiori cathedral.
The dome of this church is the FIRST dome to ever be constructed. All domes are modeled after Brunelleschi's.
Round and round and round we went as we climbed the steps to the top. Some of you will understand when I was praising having climbed upthe stairs up to the William Wallace memorial, and thanking God that I had walked and pushed the stroller with the grand kids up Edgehill three times a walk! It helped me to scale this monster and make it with confidence!! Part of the way up into the dome there is a walkway around the inside of the dome where you can view the frescoes closely. It is one of the largest paintings of the Renaissance, a huge Last Judgement by Vasari and Zucarri.
We were all out of breath when we stepped out on to the viewing deck not only from the climb but the view! It was breathtaking!!
The outside of the church is striking,covered with pink, green, and white Tuscan marble.
Every time we walked by this beauty,it called to be photographed!
We felt like seasoned travelers as we walked away from the car rental shop with others in a panic as to where they would pick up their car or drop one off. An adult Autopia of sorts.
We arrived at Casa Rabatti and were enthusiastically greeted by Marcella who remembered us from our last visit. She gave us the big room and we settled in.
The tourists were think! Marcella told us that there were no rooms available in town ,and that she had to turn many away.
We made our way to the Ponte Vecchio and crossed the Arno to the Pitti Palace.
Having been in Florence a few times, I was looking for somewhere to go and something new to see. We had opted not to visit the Boboli Gardens in the past and so I thought that today would be a good time to view them. The gardens are part of the palace land and were probably a safe place for the aristocracy to get safely out into the fresh air and exercise.
Nothing is really said about the gardens in the tour books, and though one can wander around and have some beautiful views of the City there, the view and grounds of the Piazzale Michelangelo are about the same and free! You can spend time there also in a park like atmosphere.
I was dissappointed that the Boboli was not what I had imagined it to be... We have here in San Diego, a far better Balboa Park and it is free!
Boboli Gardens, save for being palace land was in need or manicuring, unlike the English Manor gardens I have visited.
I could not get lost emotionally there.
After a rest in the shade of one of the garden's trees we were off to challenge the 463 step climb of the Dumo as it is called of Gothic Santa Maria del Fiori cathedral.
The dome of this church is the FIRST dome to ever be constructed. All domes are modeled after Brunelleschi's.
Round and round and round we went as we climbed the steps to the top. Some of you will understand when I was praising having climbed upthe stairs up to the William Wallace memorial, and thanking God that I had walked and pushed the stroller with the grand kids up Edgehill three times a walk! It helped me to scale this monster and make it with confidence!! Part of the way up into the dome there is a walkway around the inside of the dome where you can view the frescoes closely. It is one of the largest paintings of the Renaissance, a huge Last Judgement by Vasari and Zucarri.
We were all out of breath when we stepped out on to the viewing deck not only from the climb but the view! It was breathtaking!!
The outside of the church is striking,covered with pink, green, and white Tuscan marble.
Every time we walked by this beauty,it called to be photographed!
Saturday, November 03, 2007
The Faster I Peddel the Behinder I Get
Well, here I am trying to get my life into some kind of order after a nice break away and I find myself buried under a pile of have to get dones and have to dos.
The fires a few weeks ago set me back as there is still a lot of clean up to accomplish.
Yesterday a friend helped me clean the screened in porch. It was covered with a thick blanket of ash and who knows what that had traveled through the air and deposited itself at Beverly Cottage.
Twenty years from now, we will probably come down with something for breathing in this crud.
It was so delightful to walk out to the porch and sit on the love seat and enjoy this bit of serenity after we had worked so hard!
The "Room of Creativity," is in quite a state and I shudder to open the door, yet I know that I must venture there and resume my work.
There never seems to be enough time.
I have been sorting through my digital pics of this recent trip, and thought that I would try something new with them by putting them into a book form.
The company was running a special and I wanted to compile a few pics for a friend. It took me several hours yesterday to figure how it is done, and then after several mishaps I finally was able to send the pics off to the company, but they kept re-loading!!! I finally closed the page and walked away.
This morning Itried once again, and after an hour of choosing pics and sending them. I was willing to wait and see, because I really thought this would be a great thank you to my friend. This time, can you believe it, the power went out and I lost the pics again!!!! The deadline is tomorrow, I don't have time to sit at the computer all day. Oh, well.
The fires a few weeks ago set me back as there is still a lot of clean up to accomplish.
Yesterday a friend helped me clean the screened in porch. It was covered with a thick blanket of ash and who knows what that had traveled through the air and deposited itself at Beverly Cottage.
Twenty years from now, we will probably come down with something for breathing in this crud.
It was so delightful to walk out to the porch and sit on the love seat and enjoy this bit of serenity after we had worked so hard!
The "Room of Creativity," is in quite a state and I shudder to open the door, yet I know that I must venture there and resume my work.
There never seems to be enough time.
I have been sorting through my digital pics of this recent trip, and thought that I would try something new with them by putting them into a book form.
The company was running a special and I wanted to compile a few pics for a friend. It took me several hours yesterday to figure how it is done, and then after several mishaps I finally was able to send the pics off to the company, but they kept re-loading!!! I finally closed the page and walked away.
This morning Itried once again, and after an hour of choosing pics and sending them. I was willing to wait and see, because I really thought this would be a great thank you to my friend. This time, can you believe it, the power went out and I lost the pics again!!!! The deadline is tomorrow, I don't have time to sit at the computer all day. Oh, well.
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