Had a busy day today. I’ll let Dennis start:
DENNIS: Another day in Florence. And it was a dandy. Breakfast was pleasant even if they don’t have eggs. But, they serve up ham and bread and yogurt and cappuccino and other things that are probably good for you. Or, at least better than bacon and eggs.
Headed over to the Uffizi gallery where there are lots of paintings. Most of the people in ’em are really old and, to be honest, don’t look like anyone you or I would run into anytime soon unless you hang around with a really unusual crowd.
Then, after getting our fill of culture for the early afternoon, we found a super place for lunch that Myra and Lindsay had visited last year when they were here. I had a beef caprese salad that was awesome. Two sisters run the place and it’s obvious from their dimensions that they enjoy what they make as much as their customers.
Later in the day we went to see Michaelangelo’s “David”. He’s 14 feet tall and looks like a guy you wouldn’t want to mess with. Think otherwise?…ask Goliath.
Strolled back to the hotel and, after exploring the neighborhood, decided to be boring and head back to the place at which we dined last night. It was, if possible, even better this time around. Myra’s got some photos she’s going to share. Check in with you later….
MYRA: Wore some rubber off the shoes today. Aside from the Uffizi and Accademia (David) which can’t even be described (and no pictures allowed), we went to Ponte Vecchio, which is the old bridge of Florence where all the gold merchants are. Looked at a 6,000 euro Rolex but opted against it. Lunch was at one of my fravorite places, Il Cernacchino. Had this wonderful beef, with peppers and wine served in a bread bowl. That in itself was worth the price of the ticket over here.
Tonight, since we were a little tired from the day’s jaunt, we opted to dine at the same cafe as last night. The waiter was glad to see us again. Didn’t want anything big because we ate lunch rather late, so I just went with the gnocchi again (without a main course) and a side of lemon spinach. Den had the spaghetti carbonara. Our waiter, Rainaldo, was patient with my Italian, which I am using more and more. By the end of the evening he offered to buy us a drink. Limoncello for Den and a grappa for me. I don’t know if it’s us or them, but we sure are meeting lots of fun people here.
Tonight I was very happy to speak with my friend, Cristina, from Rome. Unfortunately, she is going away on vacation this weekend, and we won’t be able to see each other this trip. But her parents are going to be in Alfedena when we are there, so we are really looking forward to meeting them. By the way… no English spoken at all. This is going to be a real good time!!
Tomorrow… off to Orvieto, where we will hook up with my cousin, Ken, and his wife, Maureen, who are also traveling through Italy this week.
Alfedena AQ 