The ABCs of Greece & Italy! X, Y, and Z, and that Friends is THE END!!! :) See you in Asia and Australia, Join Me THERE!!

[Steppesister]

This is my fave thing on Celebrity ships too...I loved it at night when it's dark out and so relaxing atmosphere

Absolutely! Less busy too since most folks are at the shows, in the casino, or at the bar.

 

[Steppesister]

The croissants sound delicious.

I am amazed at the narrow canals and how difficult it must be to get around Venice.

I think that one logistical issue really soured us a bit from Venice. If I were to do it over, I'd stay closer to the airport and take a bus or the train into the Old City, walk around, and NOT have to haul luggage around there. The vaporettos are NOT easy to use in rush hour at all and the private water taxis are simply out of my price range.

 

[Steppesister]

Whoa! You kind of buried the lead there. Hope everything goes ok.

Oh, I'll be fine. Just one day at a time.

I would weigh 400 lbs. if I lived here.

Oink, oink.

This is where 95% of my reading occurs!

Knew it!

Now that seems like a really smart move.

Pro tip: You can (and SHOULD!) make a reservation at these places! Mikki was pretty disappointed that one of our bags didn't fit.

Beautiful shot there.

Thanks! I like the light play.

I was wrong. 500 lbs.

There was no small amount of weight gain.....

That would be much appreciated by me.

At least they are predictable.

 

[Steppesister]

You were very busy posting updates while I was in Disney.

I was, but I imagine they will slow down a bit (or a lot) now since classes started back up today.

I really enjoyed getting caught up and want to go the Greek Islands now more than ever.

And I super hope you get to sooner than later!

Loved the formal night photo of you and Mikki.

Thanks! We clean up pretty well.

Congrats to Mikki on her upcoming nuptials. How exciting to have a destination wedding.

It really is! I"m very excited for her and looking forward to traveling to that hemisphere again.

Good luck on your new class schedule and you upcoming surgery. I hope it all goes well and you heal fast.

I'm sure it will. Lots to get done, but making progress!

I really understand the precious time with 2 of your girls. I'm thrilled when I can get time with my two girls.

I know you do, it really shows.

 

[Steppesister]

Wow! Congratulations. On both the upcoming wedding and the upcoming travel plans.

Thanks, Andy! Lots going on, but day by day...

I mean if you're already halfway around the world...

Exactly!! Must take advantage.

I appreciate Mikki sharing all her pictures, and while this one may not convey the beauty of a lot of them I appreciate the behind the scenes look at how that was set up. It certainly does look annoyingly small and crowded.

Yes I didn't think, on too many occasions, I didn't think to photograph the "context" of places. I should maybe have included more people to give perspective of size or space. <one example

I really like everything about this evening. I know it was only one night, but you guys really seemed to be able to just wander around and take the city in!

It was so relaxed, un-paced, and organic. It just flowed and was wonderful!

Oktoberfest on an Italian train? Sounds... Interesting.

LOL, quite the fusion!

 

[juniorbugman]

Congrats on Miks engagement and wedding in Australia. I am sure you will have a ball.
Good luck on all your courses and that you heal fast after your surgery.
Lovely photos and I can't wait to see more and read more about your journey.

 

[Steppesister]

S is for Sanctuary of Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence

**A preface: All photos watermarked were taken by me, the others were taken by Michaela, who asked me to credit.**​

We last left off speeding along at about 150 mph on our way from Venice to Florence. In case you missed my love of all things high-speed train, I’ll say it again: High-speed rail is just about as wonderful as a large bowl of pasta with a 9-oz pour of Malbec. The trip into Florence’s city-center took about 2 hours and the 5 Dweebs disembarked looking like the typical American entourage that Europeans cringe at every day. When we all lived overseas in Kazakhstan, we tried extremely hard to blend in with dress, mannerisms, the language we chose to learn, and most of all TONING IT DOWN! Oops, sorry, I mean toning it down! Americans are notoriously loud and sometimes obnoxious. But as we began our journey to find the Airbnb, I think we’d forgotten how to blend.

I’m not sure if it was the carry-ons and suitcases or the fact that we became utterly and completely lost that gave us away, but I have zero doubt that it was painfully apparent we were “not from around these parts”.

The description of the apartment said it was within a very short distance of the train station and the main historic square with the cathedral and museums, but clearly, we could not read a map or follow Google’s directions AT ALL that day. About 40 minutes of hauling luggage later, we eventually popped into a “hostel” that we thought was the right place and even had a similar address number, but sadly was not. The nice check-in lady there though made a phone call to our hostess and very soon all was set to rights, and we found our amazing, gracious, and super helpful hostess, Nadia.

She was so sweet she even walked towards where we were, about a block and a half away, and grabbed Anara’s suitcase and hauled it herself as she guided us to the right apartment. I mean really?! We were gobsmacked!

She showed us into the palatial apartment that had 3 separate sleeping areas, 2 bathrooms (one with a tub!), a kitchen, and living area. It was supreme! The décor was freaking amazing with antiques packed inside, old books, glassware. Anara even exclaimed, “I’d love to decorate a place like this myself someday!”. These are the only 4 photos I have but might give a little glimpse of how old and cool it is!

​

As with a lot of this trip, I had packed a LOT into each destination and day so we could see and experience as much as we possibly could. This meant that after a quick use of the bathrooms and a luggage dump, we raced off to the Cathedral of Santa Maria di Fiore, often referred to as “The Duomo” which means the same thing. It is the #1 attraction, and most visited in Florence followed by the Uffizi Galleries, the Ponte Vecchio, and other various museums. I mean, one could hardly miss this enormous structure of incredible beauty! I'll start with the many, many photos I have of the exterior and what anyone who visits the piazza would see. To say it is jaw-dropping would be a gross understatement. The inlay of various colored marbles, the intricate carved statuary and filigree, the angles, and graceful dome....

First an invitation to the explorer! (Anara was smart enough to capture a bit of this!)

​

A word about visiting: It is free to visit the cathedral itself although a line does form so getting there early is a good idea! But if you want to climb the dome or the bell tower you must pay and make reservations. It wasn’t too expensive for a package deal which we bought for the 3 of us- this allowed us to climb the dome, the bell tower, and visit the baptistry (which we skipped for lack of time).

​

Here’s how it all went down. Mom and Dad rested at the Airbnb for a short bit, then slowly made their way to the Cathedral Plaza and met up with us a bit later after we’d toured it. It took quite some doing to find the right line to stand in to be admitted to the Bell Tower, which we had a timed reservation for. We were cutting it VERY close due to our dweeby, inept mapping skills, but as it was, we did make it in time. And thus began a small piece of hell inside a church.

(Hurry up, MOM!)​

Okay, raise your hand if you have ever climbed 400 steps while getting pressured from behind? If you have you will know what Satan’s fork feels like as it stabs you repeatedly in the thighs and butt. For like half an hour, which feels like eternity, as you keep pressing on, you will hurt. Every 100 steps or so, you get a little respite while you take in the views from one of the viewing levels with a break.

​

Spoiler: I did not make it. I was one level short before my legs just could not carry me one step further. Before I was done with the heinous hike back down (yes, Friends, you better pray you don’t overdo it going up, or you’ll be stuck in Bell Tower Purgatory forever) my legs were starting to bargain with Satan for abstinence from plates of pasta and glasses of Merlot in exchange for relief from the shaking.

Continued in next post...

 

[Steppesister]

Continued from previous post...

My girls are young and strong, making me ponder exactly when it was that I got old and decrepit. Was it 40? 50? Oh God, please let me be able to walk to the bathroom on my own when I’m 70…

They pressed on and made it, exclaiming about the incredible views they were afforded from the tippy top. My views were adequate from Level 3 (?) because God whispered in my ear, “Stop before I create new muscles in you for Satan to burn for being so stupid.”

​

If my children didn’t mock me enough by finishing what I could not, they then proceeded to get in line for the Dome climb. I got in line too succumbing to their hardcore, youthful pressure but chickened out at the last-minute when enough time had passed that sanity was once restored in my oxygen-deprived brain. Did I mention that my lungs nearly collapsed from exertion in that holy place? I completely understand why Quasimodo never left his bell tower loft.

Up they went, while I saw fit to use my time to explore the interior of the cathedral’s ground level. I was safe down there with views of Heaven and Hell from an non-exertive distance. No need to tempt fate and have a heart attack pursuing a view this mortal was clearly not meant to have.

Instead, I found God in my wanderings and through the paintings, art, architecture, and elaborate immensity of this space. And in my own way... I worshipped.

(The dome with my long lens; you can see it's blurry which indicates even with a good lens it was FAR away!)


(Such kooky clocks they had back then!)


(No idea why, but I'm kinda in love with this shot.)


(I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that there was a matching set of 6 figures opposite these and they are the 12 Apostles?)




(Yo! I ordered the pizza, thanks, Bro!)



​

After a time, I meandered to the lower level to visit the Tomb of Brunelleschi and paid my respects to the greatest Florentine architect ever. If we had visited the Church of San Croce, a 20-minute walk away, we’d have seen Michelangelo’s and Galileo’s resting places. But as is the theme with this trip, “there just wasn’t enough time to do all the things!”

(A random close-up of the insane marble inlay work)​

The girls took a full 45 minutes to an hour climbing the dome. When they got back down and met up with all of us they said it was VERY challenging to climb, even more so than the Bell Tower. There were places you had to stoop a bit and the staircase itself was slanted upwards or downwards. If you are claustrophobic at all this is NOT a good activity for you. I know that the portion I did made my legs ache for days afterwards even after we got to Naples.

The following are photos of their excursion; the one that's only for the fit and able.

(Notice the worn marble stairs where centuries of visitors have made their mark.)




(I had to ask Mikki what this photo even was. She told me she took it to emphasize how round and sloped the climb was. Around and around it went and it was super slanty!)

​

But the upshot of their tortuous trek was the up-close views of the exquisite paintings depicting The Last Universal Judgment. As such, there are scenes of unspeakable torture inflicted on the evil and nay-sayers. As most citizens could not read, art was used to give teachings and to be sure, these were more than clear. In fact, some are so graphic I am actually uncomfortable posting at least one. I’m sure you can Google some close-ups should you be interested. (Think prison, but worse.)

Looking back down into the nave:



There were even statues up there, but I did not research who they are of:



(Anara’s photo)​

And looking outward onto the city of Florence:

(You can see the 2nd from the top set of windows on the bell tower where I pooped out.)

​

Re-united, it was unanimously decided that it was time for lunch. But we’ll pick it up there next time before heading off to the Uffizi to see what treasures might lie inside. Stay tuned for more busts than you can handle…..

 

[afwdwfan]

She was so sweet she even walked towards where we were, about a block and a half away, and grabbed Anara’s suitcase and hauled it herself as she guided us to the right apartment. I mean really?! We were gobsmacked!

That's great that your host was still so welcoming and helpful despite the unruly group of American tourists.

Okay, raise your hand if you have ever climbed 400 steps while getting pressured from behind? If you have you will know what Satan’s fork feels like as it stabs you repeatedly in the thighs and butt. For like half an hour, which feels like eternity, as you keep pressing on, you will hurt. Every 100 steps or so, you get a little respite while you take in the views from one of the viewing levels with a break.

I mean, I've climbed a ladder 125' straight up without a break after someone told me I couldn't do it. But I was also like 24 at the time. Not sure how that compares to steps though, but I sometimes need to rest after walking upstairs at home now.

Spoiler: I did not make it. I was one level short before my legs just could not carry me one step further.

I'm sorry you missed out. But glad that discretion stepped in to save you further pain and misery.

My girls are young and strong, making me ponder exactly when it was that I got old and decrepit. Was it 40?

Well, I'm 41 now, so I've got to say, yes.

“there just wasn’t enough time to do all the things!”

That's a bummer. I'm glad you got to see all that you did, but hundreds and thousands of years of history is just a lot to take in when you only have a few days!

The following are photos of their excursion; the one that's only for the fit and able.

And apparently, the short!

 

[Wood Nymph]

You seem to be very good at finding wonderful Airbnbs to stay in.

Okay, raise your hand if you have ever climbed 400 steps while getting pressured from behind? If you have you will know what Satan’s fork feels like as it stabs you repeatedly in the thighs and butt.

If an average flight of stairs is 13 steps, then 400 steps is the equivalent of 30 flights of stairs! That is an incredible workout!

I used to work on the tenth floor of a historic building in Chicago that had a wonderful staircase. I would climb the stairs occasionally, but that was only about 150 steps. I can't imagine doing 400 steps plus going back down again. The quads would be burning on the down.

But the upshot of their tortuous trek was the up-close views of the exquisite paintings depicting The Last Universal Judgment. As such, there are scenes of unspeakable torture inflicted on the evil and nay-sayers.

The Catholic church is notorious for telling the faithful about the horrendous consequences for those that do evil things. It's interesting that there would be such detailed artwork in a place that so few people could see. The cathedral is amazing, though, and definitely worth the visit.

 

[Jules76126]

Jumping back in. Florence is an amazing city. My husband and I would like to climb the bell tower. Last time we were in Florence we climbed the dome. I actually preferred this dome over St. Peter’s.

 

[pkondz]

High-speed rail is just about as wonderful as a large bowl of pasta with a 9-oz pour of Malbec.

I'll pass on the Malbec, but... yes. Yes it is.

the 5 Dweebs disembarked

looking like the typical American entourage that Europeans cringe at every day.

I find it interesting that all of you were wearing Crocs

She was so sweet she even walked towards where we were, about a block and a half away, and grabbed Anara’s suitcase and hauled it herself as she guided us to the right apartment. I mean really?! We were gobsmacked!

Very nice of her. And... frankly I'm not all that surprised. There are so many nice people out there.

The décor was freaking amazing with antiques packed inside, old books, glassware. Anara even exclaimed, “I’d love to decorate a place like this myself someday!”.

Sure looks like you scored on the digs.

As with a lot of this trip, I had packed a LOT into each destination and day

I used to do that, but I find I'm starting to slow down a little. It could also be that right now my brain is too full to even contemplate trip planning.

we raced off to the Cathedral of Santa Maria di Fiore, often referred to as “The Duomo” which means the same thing.

Huh. I always thought it was a translation for "Dome"... Imagine my surprise.

I'm surprised to see a painting on the outside. Surely it must need restoration on a fairly regular basis.

Mom and Dad rested at the Airbnb for a short bit, then slowly made their way to the Cathedral Plaza and met up with us a bit later after we’d toured it.

I'm thinking there's no way they could have come close to tackling those stairs.

And thus began a small piece of hell inside a church.

That's not how it's supposed to work...

(Hurry up, MOM!)

That's exactly what that looks like!

Okay, raise your hand if you have ever climbed 400 steps while getting pressured from behind?

Gorgeous view

(yes, Friends, you better pray you don’t overdo it going up, or you’ll be stuck in Bell Tower Purgatory forever)

To this day, American tourists can be found in the Bell Tower, aimlessly wandering. If you listen closely, you can hear the repeated whispers of "I am not walking down those stairs!"

Oh God, please let me be able to walk to the bathroom on my own when I’m 70…

Nah. The bathroom will come to you. Although for some, it Depends.

If my children didn’t mock me enough by finishing what I could not, they then proceeded to get in line for the Dome climb. I got in line too succumbing to their hardcore, youthful pressure but chickened out at the last-minute when enough time had passed that sanity was once restored in my oxygen-deprived brain

For a second there, I thought you were going to try to do it.

I completely understand why Quasimodo never left his bell tower loft.

Whoa...

But as is the theme with this trip, “there just wasn’t enough time to do all the things!”

There never is.

(Notice the worn marble stairs where centuries of visitors have made their mark.)

I have seen that and find it fascinating.

Absolutely stunning.

And looking outward onto the city of Florence:

What a view!

Stay tuned for more busts than you can handle…..

Woot!!!

Oh... Wait... You mean statues, don't you.
Well, that's nice too, I guess.

 

[disneyAndi14]

I hope you are feeling better my friend!!
I absolutely love your posts on Venice and Florence so far!
These two cities were my absolute favorites to visit! I have been to both several times and would love to go back again someday!
Thank you for all the beautiful pictures! I do remember climbing those stairs, I was much younger at the time and it was like a death trap!!
I felt like a hundred years old getting to the top and back down!
The Airbnb looks like a perfect place to stay!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

In case you missed my love of all things high-speed train, I’ll say it again: High-speed rail is just about as wonderful as a large bowl of pasta with a 9-oz pour of Malbec.

I've never been on a high-speed train or had Malbec, so I'm a little lost here, but going by context I'm going to guess you like both.

Americans are notoriously loud and sometimes obnoxious.

WHAT?!?!?! Say that to my face!

She was so sweet she even walked towards where we were, about a block and a half away, and grabbed Anara’s suitcase and hauled it herself as she guided us to the right apartment. I mean really?! We were gobsmacked!

Wow, that's great service.

A word about visiting: It is free to visit the cathedral itself although a line does form so getting there early is a good idea! But if you want to climb the dome or the bell tower you must pay and make reservations.

Rope Drop always works! Good to know.

Wow!

My girls are young and strong, making me ponder exactly when it was that I got old and decrepit. Was it 40? 50? Oh God, please let me be able to walk to the bathroom on my own when I’m 70…

Oh man, do I feel this comment.

But as is the theme with this trip, “there just wasn’t enough time to do all the things!”

Sigh...there never is.

Yikes. They really make you work for this.

But the upshot of their tortuous trek was the up-close views of the exquisite paintings depicting The Last Universal Judgment. As such, there are scenes of unspeakable torture inflicted on the evil and nay-sayers. As most citizens could not read, art was used to give teachings and to be sure, these were more than clear. In fact, some are so graphic I am actually uncomfortable posting at least one.

There were even statues up there, but I did not research who they are of:

Larry, Moe and Curly.

Stay tuned for more busts than you can handle…..

I don't know, I feel like I can handle quite a bit.

 

[pkondz]

WHAT?!?!?! Say that to my face!

Notice how I studiously avoided commenting on that

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Notice how I studiously avoided commenting on that

That must have taken incredible restraint.

 

[pkondz]

That must have taken incredible restraint.

In all seriousness, I haven’t seen “the loud and obnoxious American” in all my travels through the US. Everyone I’ve met has been very friendly

 

[Steppesister]

That's great that your host was still so welcoming and helpful despite the unruly group of American tourists.

LOL!! I'm sure at times we are comical to them. Other times we must exasperate them to near death.

I mean, I've climbed a ladder 125' straight up without a break after someone told me I couldn't do it. But I was also like 24 at the time. Not sure how that compares to steps though, but I sometimes need to rest after walking upstairs at home now.

Oh man! No. WAY. I'd do that. I never used to have a fear of heights, but my head sure swims a bit nowadays.

I'm sorry you missed out. But glad that discretion stepped in to save you further pain and misery.

I wonder what they do when someone has a heart attack up there.....

Well, I'm 41 now, so I've got to say, yes.

That's a bummer. I'm glad you got to see all that you did, but hundreds and thousands of years of history is just a lot to take in when you only have a few days!

To true, and sometimes, the best moments are the ones uplanned!

And apparently, the short!

Definitely NOT for the claustrophobic for sure. If there was a place to stop for short rests I'd have tried it, but.....

 

[Steppesister]

You seem to be very good at finding wonderful Airbnbs to stay in.

We really picked some very nice, and not all that expensive ones. Others were just not all that great. But those were fewer.

If an average flight of stairs is 13 steps, then 400 steps is the equivalent of 30 flights of stairs! That is an incredible workout!

I'm gonna say I made about 300 of them... not bad for NEVER working out except for my walks on my beloved desert trails and in my own neighborhood when I'm back here in Kentucky.

I used to work on the tenth floor of a historic building in Chicago that had a wonderful staircase. I would climb the stairs occasionally, but that was only about 150 steps. I can't imagine doing 400 steps plus going back down again. The quads would be burning on the down.

OH they were burning alright!!! 10 stories is still doable for me, but I'm sure out of breath at the end of 'em!

The Catholic church is notorious for telling the faithful about the horrendous consequences for those that do evil things. It's interesting that there would be such detailed artwork in a place that so few people could see. The cathedral is amazing, though, and definitely worth the visit.

Yes, you do have to kinda be right under the dome and really look hard to make out the scenes on the frescoes. Just the architecture and arches were astounding!

 

[Steppesister]

Jumping back in. Florence is an amazing city. My husband and I would like to climb the bell tower. Last time we were in Florence we climbed the dome. I actually preferred this dome over St. Peter’s.

OH so much welcome back!! My readership has really dwindled with my dawdling on this report, but schoolwork first. I'll keep plodding along as I can when I find good stopping points along the way of m y classes.

Had I been given the choice and known better, I'd have done the dome and not the bell tower just to see the paintings up close. Then I'd have gotten the views AND the art!!