Adventures part II: Florence and Rome

Welcome to part II of our adventures in Italy. Please fasten your seatbelt as we head south toward Florence, then to Roma.

There were characters everywhere, living and inanimate. Often it's hard to decipher humans (or lions) from statues. Here is a glimpse of all there was to see in beautiful Firenze.

Will he show mercy? Methinks the birdies on his toes say he would.

The architecture and natural beauty of this city is overwhelming, but the most prominent feature of Florence is its smell. Hard to describe, and even harder to photograph, the city smells of firewood and thousands of years' worth of delicious meals and spices. It's as though every stove is blazing up spaghetti al ragu ad infinitum. 

 

On Christmas we had salami sandwiches and coffee. Later we stumbled into a tourist trap gelato stand that was selling single scoop cones for 10 euros apiece. The way it worked was that you order your treat (no prices listed, mind you), receive your treat, and go inside to pay. We ordered a nutella waffle and found at the counter a laughable bill of 16 euros (though we weren't laughing). The food was in our hands, we weren't up to fighting an already feisty Italian woman, what could we do but pay. By the time we saw another man protest by throwing his cone on the gelato bar and telling the vendor "fuck your gelato stand," it was too late for us to join the movement. So write it off as "our special Christmas treat" and a warning for aloof tourists like us.

We headed next to Rome, where we lost ourselves in ancient ruins (at Ostia Antica, at the mouth of the Tiber River just south of the city), botanical gardens, and yet another tourist trap - this time involving our camera and a parakeet on each of our heads.

We won't dwell on the details of this one, interesting though they are.

Here, look at Rome!

The street artists were out working every day. They were far more impressive than the ones I saw in Florence, such as the mimes who flat out ask you in English for a euro. No respect for their craft.

The best by far was this musician, who played classic and contemporary pieces on his astounding harpsichord / hammer dulcimer hybrid instrument:

If only a photo could do him justice; we need audio!

We'll pick up with plants and ruins in the next installment of our adventures. Stay tuned!