shave ice & gelato

Ciao everyone!

I am still alive here in Lucca and am having a fabulous time. I have free wifi here at my wonderful B&B but only when in the breakfast/sitting room. I do not have access to a computer and I just have not found time to slowly "one finger type" a blog post using my iPod Touch the past few days. I will have lots of time to catch up when I take two trains (traveling to Bologna on Sunday). I will have access to a computer at my hotel in Bologna and should be able to blog mre regularly I head to Bologna on Sunday

Pisa was wonderful. Climbing the tower was one of my top 10 experiences in Italy. I will write more soon.

Thanks for all of your comments. Sorry I have not had time to reply. Hope all is well with everyone.

Ciao!

Monday, June 29th:
Monday morning, I had an early breakfast, said goodbye to the people at my B&B in Florence, and took a taxi to the train station.  

The train to Lucca was a new modern regional train and it was on time!  Although somewhere along the way. it became behind schedule.  There were not many people taking this train, which was nice because that meant I did not have to worry about storing my luggage.

All of the trains I have been on so far announce the next stop in advance and this train also had digital signs in each end of each car telling the speed of the train, the temperature inside and outside the train, the next stop, if the bathroom was free or occupied, and how many minutes the train was late.  

When we arrived in Lucca, I had to carry my luggage down a few stairs but then was thrilled to find a ramp as an alternativ to taking the stairs back up to the exit area.  There was a taxi waiting right outside the train station.  The taxi cost €7.  

I arrived before mg room was ready.  The woman running the B&B gave me a map and pointed out many of the recommended places to visit in Lucca,  including the two towers that can be climbed after I told her of my tower obsession.  

Once my room was ready, I unpacked my things and then headed out to find somewhere to eat lunch.  I immediately became lost, but it did not take me that long to figure out my way around using my map. 

I had lunch at Ristorante Pizzeria K2.  I ordered a delicious caprese salad and a pizza margherita with peperoni (peppers) added.  I thought about telling the waitress that I was aware that peperoni meant the vegetable - peppers and not the meat, but did not.  About a minute after she took my order, she came back to make sure I understood that peperoni meant the vegetable and not the meat.  The caprese salad (tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil) was the melt in your mouth kind.  The pizza was ok.  I am pretty picky when it comes to pizza.

I spent a wonderful afternoon wandering around Lucca.  I went inside the main church, the San Michele church, and then went to the post office to mail a birthday card.

There are only two places in Italy that sometimes make me feel uneasy - the supermarket when at the checkout stand and the post office.  This post office was one of the bigger post offices with seats and numbers.   

I sat down in one of the seats and asked if I needed a number to buy a stamp.  A lady sitting next to me immediately told me yes I needed a number.  A second lady jumped out of her chair and took me over to the number machine.  It took her a few minutes to figure out which button to push.  Post offices in Italy are quite confusing.  All kinds of business is conducted at the post office.  

I looked at my number and saw that I had quite a wait.  I started to write the address on the card.  The woman called over to me to tell me to make sure to watch the numbers.  She was so kind and helpful and seemed a little concerned that I was not watching the board.  

There were four kinds of numbers being called (I am guessing for the four different types of business).  I just had to pay attention to the numbers that started with P.  When I got my number, they were on P166.  My number was P175.  As each new number went up on the board, a little bell sound would ring.  After a while, watching the board and listening to the bell sounds put me in a trance.  

About 30 minutes later they were up to P173.  I noticed that if a number was called and no one immediately went to the window, too bad, the person missed out and another number was called.  I got out of my seat and positioned myself near the windows at nunber P173.

When my number was called, I quickly walked towards the window and somehow dropped the map that was in my hand.  I grabbed it off the floor and got to the window before the next number was called.

I was relieved to be helped by a very friendly woman.  It took me about a minute to buy my stamp and have my card mailed.  I probably could have bought the stamp at one of the Tabacchiere shops but I was not sure if it needed to be weighed or if I would need a special stamp since the card was being sent to the US.  I have only boght postcards at the Tabacchiere shops in the past.                

When I went into the post office it was sunny and warm.  When I came out it was overcast and cool.  I went back to my B&B to hang out for a while before dinner.  I had a lovy chat witb one of the owners a d so found my favorite show. Carabinieri was on TV.

I made a reservation earlier in the day at Trattoria da      "Leo".  I ordered Petto di Pollo alla Griglia (grilled chicken breast) and Insalata Mista (mixed salad).  A double WOW meal.  Before leaving, I made a reservation there for tomorrow night. 

All caught up and all done with my iPod Touch.  Again, I apologize for the spelling errors.  

Tomorrow - the ultimate tower experience ... The Leaning Tower of Pisa!!!

Ciao!! 

I am now in Lucca : )  Free wifi but no computer - so blog posts from iPod Touch...

Written while on the train from Firenze to Lucca:

Earlier in the week, I saw this beautiful purple pashmina hanging on the door of one of the shops heading towards Piazza Santa Croce.  I wasn't sure what shops would be open on Sunday so I went back there early Saturday evening hoping that it would be open.    It was already closed when I got there.  

I wandered around the area and then went over one of the bridges and walked around the Oltrano side of Florence for a little while.  The sun was beginning to set and it started to rain again.  I took some photos of the Ponte Vecchio bridge and then headed back towards my B&B for dinner.

I decided to try dei Frescobaldi, which was located right next to my B&B.  I would give this place 5 stars for the food, but this place loses a few points in my book because it is one of the places where it seems that they seat all of the Italians on one room and all of the foreigners in another room.  I even asked if I could sit in the other room and was told that I needed a reservation.  To confirm my suspicion, I walked past the window of the room where I saw a couple of free tables and one of the tables was still free.  

Even though this type of seatng is a pet peeve of mine, otherwise, the food and service were both wonderful.  I ordered a pumpkin ravioli with a butter, sage, and crunchy amaretto sauce.  It was one of those "wow" type of reactions when I took the first bite.  I would have ordered more food but was still full from lunch.  

Instead, I had just enough room for a gelato.  I went back to Grom and discovered the perfect combination - caffe & pistacchio.  

Written while sitting in the lobby/breakfast room/general shared area of my B&B in Lucca waiting for my room to be ready:

I was really tired Saturday night and fell asleep right after reurning to my B&B.  I was suddenly awakened at 2 am by the rude people staying in the next room.  They had the TV blaring so loudly that I could hear every word as if it was on in my room.  They also were very loud and kept me awake until 3:30 am.  I even tried drowning out the sound with my iPod but nothing worked.

The skies were blue and the weather was perfect for my last day in Florence.   After breakfast, I climbed my first tower of 2009 - the Giotto Bell Tower, which is located next to the Duomo.  There are 414 or 494 steps to the top (I can't remember which number is the correct number of steps now).

Although it is a tall tower, there are many stops along the way (various levels of the tower) where you can stop to catch your breath  I was at the very top of the tower when the bells started to ring all over Florence.  It was incredible!!  I took a little video that I hope comes out.  While on the level below where the bells are located, the bells began to ring.  I think I might have lost a few decibels of hearing, but stood right there videoing the bells ringing.  I spent about an hoir and a half hanging out on the different levels of this tower.

I was planning to visit the Baptistery next but heard some band music playing nearby.  The band was the Rossa Italiana Corpa Militare band.  I found later that this band closed out the Calcio Storico event that took place a few days earlier.  

After the band played, it started to march.  Everyone followed the band.  It was really alot of fun.  Thd band marched around the block from the Piazza della Repubblica towards the Duomo and then back to the Piazza della Repubblica.  Somehow, I ended right up in the front and was able to video the band marching.  When it returned to the Piazza della Repubblica, th band played more songs.  I left after a while and headed back to my B&B.  

I ordered a taxi for the following morning, asked to have an early breakfast, and paid my bill.  As I was heading back outside, I heard the band playing again.  They were now in Piazza della Signoria.  I went to watch them play again.  The last song they played was the Italian national anthem and I got the whole thing on video.  It was a chicken skin moment!  The new mayor was there and the person leading the band went to salute the mayor.

After the band marched off, I went back to the area where I saw the purple pashmina hanging on the door.  I wanted to buy a pashmina to use as a blanket on the plane.  I found two places and ended up buying one at each place.            
    
Back at my B&B after a wonderful afternoon wandering around Lucca:

I met Judy (Tourmama) and her clan for lunch.  We ate at Yellow Bar.  I really enjoyed linch getting to know Judy and part of her family (because there were 10 of us, we sat at 2 tables.  

After lunch, half of Judy's family went back to their B&B and those that sat at the other table ended heading to the Duomo (where I was also going).  This worked out perfectly because now I got to know the rest of the family.  Judy & I both bought little watercolor paintings, Judy's daughter's fiance bought a very cool tacky refigerator magnet, and then we all went inside the Duomo.

After ou visit to the Duomo, we headed to Grom.  We briefly talked about going to a different gelateria but the guy we bought the watercolo paintings from said Grom was the best.

I asked for a small cone with caffe on the bottom and pistacchio on the top but the woman taking my order insisted that the caffe needed to be on the top.  She also told Judy's husband which flavor would go best with his chocolate.  We ate our gelati together ( and Judy ate her lemon granita) and then we said our goodbye's.  

I went back to my B&B and packed.  The people in the room next to me were back in thier room with their TV blaring again.  They left before O did for dinner.  I wrote a note on a little sticky asking them to please turn down their TV and use quiet voices late at night so oghers could sleep and left it on their door.  It worked!  I didn't hear a peep from them again.

I had a wonderful dinner at La Maremma in the Santa Croce area.  I ordered pici pasta with a rabbit sauce and olives. I enjoyed chatting with a couple from Oklahoma during dinner.

It was a long day, so I headed back to my B&B and called it a night.               

*I wrote most of this entry while on the train...

Ate a quick breakfast Saturday morning. Weather forecast says rain at noon in Florence, Siena, and Arezzo.  Decided to head to the train station to tske a daytrip, hoping for nice weather (or at least no rain) for the morning hours.

It was an easy 15 minute walk to the train station.  When I arrived, I decided on going to Arezzo since that was my original planned first stop in Italy this summer.  

The 9:08 train had a few more stops and arrives in Arezzo later than the 9:13 train that heads to Roma and stops in Arezzo along the way.  Of course just my luck, as the 9:08 train departs, the partenza (departure) board announces that the 9:13 train will be 40 minutes late! 

I noticed that the board indicated that another train leaves for Arezzo at 9:33.  I checked with one of the automatic ticket machines (going through the steps to purchase a ticket) to see if my ticket price was the same for the 9:33 train and then double checked with a train person and am now sitting on this train typing this while waiting for this train to leave.

Yay! The train's engine is revving up and we are leaving on time!!

Well I am not sure how brilliant that plan was.  I did arrive faster than if I took the train that was late (ended up being 45 mins late) but I only arrived 3 minutes faster than the quicker late train arrived.  

I am now on the slow train heading back to Florence.  This will give me plenty of time to tell you about my fabulous day in Arezzo.  

The weather was overcast with the sun peeking in here and there when I arrived.  The main street leading up to the historical center is called Corso Italia.  It is a pedestrian only street and it was packed.  It reminded me of the afternoon passiagiata that takes place all over Italy.  People were out greeting each other and going in and out of the various stores.  

I was tempted to check out a few stores but only had an hour or so before the churches I wanted to visit closed until late afternoon.  The last time I was in Arezzo, I missed out going inside the Duomo and I did not want to miss it again.  

I stopped in a couple of other churches along the way before reaching the Duomo which is located at the top of the hill.  When I went inside, i found that a wedding taking place.  I usually only stay for a minute or two when there is a wedding occurring but this time I stayed and watched the rest of the ceremony.  

Most of the mass was completed.  What I saw was the personal touch to their ceremony.  It was such a joyous occasion that it brought tears to my eyes a few times during the ceremony.

I have to go off topic for a moment to mention that it is now ppuring outside and I cansee lightening and hear thunder crackling!  I wonder if sitting in a metal train car is a good thing to be doing when there is lightening happening.  I don't think I have shared this before but I am terrified of thunder and lightening storms.

The train just stopped in Incisa.  Has anyone heard of this town before?  Ok storm has passed, back to my day in Arezzo.

Not only was the wedding beautiful, but the Duomo itself is quite a gem.  There is a Piero 

While watching the end of the wedding ceremony, I met a lovely couple from Bologna.  We chatted for quite a while.  

In Italy, the bride and groom leave the church last.  I wanted to make sure to get out of the church before the bride and groom headed for the door.  All their friends and family were waiting outside with large cpntainers of rice.  

After watching everyone throw rice at the bride and groom, I headed towards Piazza Grande.  This piazza was made famous from the movie Life Is Beautiful.  The sun was shining and the piazza was even more beautiful than I even imagined it could be.  The last time I was in Arezzo, there were barriors set up in the piazza ruining the perfect photo opportunities.

Ok, have to get off topic again.  Two girls just got on the train and sat in seats across from me.  One of the girls is talking on the phone faster than I have ever heard anyone speak Italian before.  It is amazing.  I am trying to listen to see if I can understnd any of what she is saying.  She must be speaking 25 words per second!  Ok - got "pero" and "non lo so".   Amazong, I am actually starting to understand a few more words that she is saying. 

Well we are close to Firenze now.  I will finish this later.      

After taking tons of photos, I started thinking about lunch.  I definitely wanted to eat at one of the places that overlooked Piazza Grande.  I just had to decide which one.  I noticed my new Bologna friends sitting at the restaurant at the end of the row.  I figured if that if they were eating there, it had to be good. I just missed getting a front row view table but the view was still wonderful. I ordered bruschetta and penne all' arrabbiata. Before the bruschetta was brought out, I was served a small bowl of soup (some sort of potato flavor) which was delicious along with 3 little bread pupu treats. I am so glad I decided to eat at La Lancia 8 Oro. The food, service, and atmosphere were all terrific. So far, best meal of the trip.

After lunch, I walked around Arezzo a little bit more taking lots of photos. The skies started to get dark after I finished lunch. Around three pm, it started to rain (big drops). I headed back to the train station and arrived just in time to catch the next train back to Florence (3 minutes to spare plus 2 extra minutes since of course the train was a little late). Because it was a regional train, I was able to buy my ticket at the newspaper/magazine stand.

So that was my day fabulous day in Arezzo. I will have to catch up later on Saturday evening and Sunday in Florence. I am heading to Lucca tomorrow morning. The B&B where I am staying advertises wifi so hopefully I will at least be able to do mini-posts using my iPod Touch if computer access is not available.

(apologize for any spelling/grammatical errors - am too tired to proof read and want to go catch the end of the USA-Brazil soccer game).

Ciao!!

Friday, June 26th:
I enjoyed another filling breakfast at my B&B. Great food and new people to meet. After breakfast, I went out looking for a bancomat (atm machine). I found a few nearby but for some reason, none of them were working.

The skies were pretty gray. I went back for my raincoat and headed to the Bargello, my favorite museum in Florence. It started to rain just as I arrived. Photos are no longer allowed inside the museum rooms which was disappointing. Even so, I was very excited to see the Donatello David again. This is my very favorite sculpture in Florence. The detail of this bronze sculpture is amazing. I stood and stared at this David for quite a while. I also watched an Interesting video of how he was recently restored.

After walking through the rest of the museum, I headed to the Oltrano area to have lunch at Trattoria St. Agostino. I ordered panzanella (a famous Tuscan bread and tomato salad). I decided to order a pasta after I finished the salad. The waiter told me he knew of the perfect pasta for me. He brought out a pasta dish with pici (thick pasta noodles) and red peppers and some sort of crusted bread crumbs. I thought it was just was ok (a little too salty for my taste). I am finding that much of the food in Florence seems to be quite salty. I am not sure if this is typical of Tuscan food, just what I have ordered so far, or due to the fact that I don't cook with salt at home.

As I headed back towards Piazza Signoria, I noticed that the sky was black. Just as I was crossing the Alla Carraia bridge it started to rain again. As I headed back towards the piazza, I searced for a bancomat that was working. I finally found one not far from Grom. Naturally, I could not pass up a gelato.

Right after I ordered my gelato (nocciola and pistacchio), it started to rain a little bit harder. Grom was too crowded to stand inside. Florence does not have many covered areas. As I walked back towards my B&B, I held my hand over my gelato, trying to cover it from the rain while eating it as fast as I could.

I returned to my B&B just in time. A few mintues later the skies opened up and it started to pour with thunder and lightening. I hung out watching a little TV and then took another long nap.

I was still pretty full from breakfast and lunch and decided to have pizza for dinner. Instead of giving Yellow Bar another try, I headed to Il Pizzaiolo for dinner. I have eaten here twice during past trips to Florence. This is where my friends Francesco and Irene took me when we first met in 1999. After about a 20 minute wait, I was seated. I ordered the caprese pizza (pizza with fresh mozzarella, tomato slices, and basil). Sooooo good!!! I love eating at this place. It is lively and fun and I have always been treated well. If only it was not such a far walk, although I think it was good for me to walk off dinner after eating so much food since I have arrived in Florence. My stomach feels like it is going to burst after every meal!

So...I am all caught up. Thank you for all of your comments. I am hoping for sun tomorrow although the weather forecast is for more rain and thunderstorms. I am glad I brought warm clothes. It is chilly here!

Ciao!!

Thursday, June 25th:
The breakfast room at my B&B is located on the 3rd floor. There is one long table where all the guests sit and a wonderful view of Piazza Signoria from the window. I had a plate of fresh fruit, a fried egg (which came with a little pancake), a brioche,some bread, fresh squeezed orange juice and a caffè machiato. Delicious and very filling!! There was also a chocolate cake that many of the other guests enjoyed as well as yogurt. I had an nice chat with some of the guests (a family from Philadelphia, a couple from Canada, and a woman from Sweden).

After breakfast, I headed out to the Piazza Signoria and decided to go inside the Palazzo Vecchio. I visited this beautiful palace (which also houses the office of the mayor of Florence) during my first visit to Florence. After purchasing my ticket, I inquired about the sign for the Secret Passage tour. This tour cost 2 euro more and was a guided tour for a small group and required a reservation. There was still room left for this tour and I would have one hour to explore the palace before the tour started.

The last time I toured this palace, it was really crowded. I remember being pushed almost into the wall in some of the rooms by other tourists. This time, I arrived before the crowds. I had a wonderful time exploring the many rooms of the palace. Just as I was about to head back down to meet at the ticket booth for the guided tour, I saw a man wearing an official sash walking briskly into the Room of 500 followed by a mob of people with TV cameras. I later found out that I was there right when the new Mayor of Florence took office. I thought about going back into the room to try to get a photo of this person but I did not want to be late for the tour. I should have gone for the photo though as we ended up waiting for a woman with her two children who arrived late for the tour.

I really enjoyed this secret tour. It was fun walking through the narrow passage ways with stairways that curved. It reminded me a little of climbing a tower. The woman guiding us was full of facts. We went into this room full of paintings on the wall and ceiling. She went into detail about many of the paintings. Jet lag hit me at this point and I couldn't stop yawning. It was difficult at times to pay attention as my brain was fogging over. I hope she did not think I was bored. Even though I probably missed much of the important facts, I am thrilled that I was able to sign up for this special tour.

After the tour ended, I headed back to Piazza Santa Croce and found Boccadama. I am surprised the woman at the B&B thought I would be able to eat there Wednesday evening during the Calcio Storico event since it is located right next to the area where the stands were set up. I ordered a delicous bruschetta and what I thought was a zucchini and ricotta quiche. It ended up being more of an egg dish. The bruschetta was good and the egg dish was ok. I felt badly for the waiters as I watched two large parties of Americans both bicker about the coperto (cover charge which is part of the bill at restaurants in Italy). The coperto was only 1 euro which is quite cheap. Even though I am sure the waiter recognized my accent as American, I only spoke Italian as I did not want to be associated with the other tables. It must be frustrating providing wonderful service and then having to listen to people complain.

On the way back to my B&B a man commented to me that he loved the way I walked so calmly down the street. I laughed to myself. My slow calm walk was probably due to being stuffed and jet lagged.

When I returned to my B&B, I took a 4 hour nap!

I was still a little groggy when I woke up. I did not want to walk too far and decided to try Il Pannello for dinner, which is located close to my B&B. I ordered my favorite ravioli with butter and sage and fried zucchini flowers. I also had panna cotta with a blackberry sauce for dessert. The waiter was very nice. Great place for a meal. After dinner, I walked to the Duomo to see it at night and then went for a walk over the Ponte Vecchio bridge.

Wednesday, June 24th:
After checking into my wonderful B&B and unpacking, I headed out to explore Florence. My first stop was GROM for some gelato. I wandered around a little bit and then headed back to catch the parade of men in tights and a few cute little boys also with flags and drums as part of the Festa di San Giovanni (Festival of Saint John the Baptist). Every year, on 24 June, Florence celebrates the feast of its patron, San San Giovanni. A huge crowd lined the parade route in Piazza Signoria. I managed to work my way in to get a few shots.

After the parade, jet lag really started to set in. I wanted to find a place that served dinner early. I was given the suggestion of Boccadama, which is located in Piazza Santa Croce. I asked if I would be able to get to it since the famous Calcio Storico Fiorentino soccer match was taking place in that area. She assured me that it was not in the blocked off area. After wandering around the area of Piazza Santa Croce, I gave up and headed to find the other suggestion given to me, Yellow Bar. This restaurant was recommended for good pizza. I found the spot marked on my map, but it was on block too far towards the Duomo. I headed back to my B&B, searched Yellow Bar on my maps app on my iPod Touch and realized that it was located just around the corner from my B&B and was so easy to find. When I got there, it was packed! There was a line of people waiting outside. I knew I would never last, so I went inside and ordered a pizza to go. After all that, the pizza was not very good. It was cold and the edges were very burnt.

The evening event of the Festa di San Giovanni was fireworks at 10 pm. I heard them from my bed but was much too tired to head back out to see them in person. It was a good thing I knew about the fireworks. Otherwise, I probably would have thought Florence was being bombed. I watched USA upset Spain in the semi-finals and then fell asleep.

A note about editing photos - picnik was easy to use (although all in Italian so it took a few tries to find the correct editing tools I needed) but this computer takes forever to save each photo, so I probably won't be posting many more photos (at least from this computer). I also tried pixlr express (which was faster) but it saved the photo in a way that does not open after being saved. I am not sure what I did wrong but it is much to late to figure it out right now.

More later... Ciao!!