General – Page 11 – The Bald Heretic – Short, bald dude with a goofy beard

Rome – Day 2

Notice: Undefined index: image in /home/geekradio.com/domains/baldheretic.com/httpdocs/wp-content/plugins/highslide/wp-highslide.php on line 56

Notice: Undefined index: thumbnail in /home/geekradio.com/domains/baldheretic.com/httpdocs/wp-content/plugins/highslide/wp-highslide.php on line 56

Notice: Undefined index: altdesc in /home/geekradio.com/domains/baldheretic.com/httpdocs/wp-content/plugins/highslide/wp-highslide.php on line 56

Notice: Undefined index: captiontext in /home/geekradio.com/domains/baldheretic.com/httpdocs/wp-content/plugins/highslide/wp-highslide.php on line 56

Notice: Undefined index: thumbid in /home/geekradio.com/domains/baldheretic.com/httpdocs/wp-content/plugins/highslide/wp-highslide.php on line 56

Notice: Undefined index: image in /home/geekradio.com/domains/baldheretic.com/httpdocs/wp-content/plugins/highslide/wp-highslide.php on line 56

Notice: Undefined index: thumbnail in /home/geekradio.com/domains/baldheretic.com/httpdocs/wp-content/plugins/highslide/wp-highslide.php on line 56

Notice: Undefined index: altdesc in /home/geekradio.com/domains/baldheretic.com/httpdocs/wp-content/plugins/highslide/wp-highslide.php on line 56

Notice: Undefined index: captiontext in /home/geekradio.com/domains/baldheretic.com/httpdocs/wp-content/plugins/highslide/wp-highslide.php on line 56

Notice: Undefined index: thumbid in /home/geekradio.com/domains/baldheretic.com/httpdocs/wp-content/plugins/highslide/wp-highslide.php on line 56

Our second day in Rome began with rain. But the weather reports indicated it would clear by the middle of the day so we were hopeful we’d get some sightseeing in.

Our hotel includes a free American style breakfast buffet so we were able to tank up on scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages and abundant coffee and other breakfast treats. This is a huge plus for us as we do a lot of walking on our trips and a good breakfast really helps.

We had our breakfast and headed off to see some sites. The rain was on and off. Mostly off, but cloudy and threatening.

We walked to Trajan’s Column, The Colosseum. The Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps.

Later in the day the sun came out in ernest and we repeated a few sites to see them again in better light.

All in all, a very good day which ended in good food and wine.

Florence – Wrapping It Up

Florence just gets better and better. On our second to last day we headed out for Boboli Gardens. The weather was again very good, if a little overcast. But we didn’t mind.

The sprawling gardens afforded a few good photos but mostly it was just nice to be out and walking around in such a magnificent garden.

This took up the bulk of our morning and after we had lunch we went back to the hotel room where I caught up on some rest and did a little photo editing while Cynthia made an excursion to the botanical gardens which didn’t really hold much interest for me.

We ended the day as we typically do while we’re in Italy…having dinner with a bottle of Italian red wine.

For our final day we took it pretty easy. We’re both rather tired at this point and we know we have all of Rome laying in wait.

We wandered the city and just took in the sites.

One thing you will notice in Italy are the gypsies and the beggars. We avoided them fairly successfully, but this one hit below the belt. He was definitley raking in the euros.

For our last evening we strolled down to Arno River and watched the sun set on the Ponte Vecchio. As the sun was going down I looked behind me and noticed that a rainbow was falling directly on Basilica di San Miniato al Monte, the church that was founded in 1018 that we visited the other day.

A fitting end to a wonderful visit to Florence.

We had dinner and called it an early evening so we could pack and prepare for our journey to Rome the next day.

Florence – Day 3

We received our confirmation for our reservations to go see Michelangelo’s David at the Accademia Gallery. Our appointment was at 10:15 am so we got up and had some breakfast and headed over to see Michelangelo’s most famous sculpture.

No camers were allowed so we just walked the gallery and took it all in. Besides the David there are many other works of art in the gallery and it was a pleasant visit.

Bolstered by yesterday’s success and the continuing good weather we decided to spend the afternoon in Pisa.

We walked to the train station and bought tickets and within a few minutes we were on our way.

It’s only about an hour’s train ride from Florence and when you get to Pisa it’s only a 15 minute walk to the tower.

It was a gorgeous day and the tower looked great having recently been restored and all the scaffolding removed.

Aside from the tower and the other two buildings there’s really not much to see in Pisa. We took some photos, had some lunch, enjoyed the weather and made our way back to Florence.

After going back to the hotel and resting a bit we went out to dinner and had a delicious meal and a bottle of wine.

Florence is turning out to be the best part of the trip so far.

Florence – Day 2

Today the sun rose on Florence and it was beautiful. I have to say, sun is a friend to this city. It changes the entire dynamic of the place for the better.

We got up early and had a croissant and a cappuccino and set off to catch the sun lighting up the Ponte Vecchio from a nearby bridge

From there we made our way to the train station to make reservations for Rome in a few days an from there by bus (the number 12) we headed up to Michelangelo Square (Piazzale Michelangelo) which boasts one of the best views of Florence you can imagine. And it was true! Simply fantastic!

I am so glad I brought the Minolta 70-200mm with me on this trip. It’s a bit heavy to lug around, but oh so worth it for photo opportunities like this one.

After we took in the panorama of Florence from Michelangelo Square we wandered over to San Miniato al Monte which was a short walk away.

San Miniato al Monte was founded in 1018 which in and of itself is rather remarkable, but the church itself is not what you are here to see. The sight to see at San Miniato al Monte is the cemetery. Quite possibly one of the most surreal cemeteries I have ever seen.

After wandering around the cemetery we caught the bus (the number 13) back to the train station and walked back to our hotel to recombobulate.

While at the hotel I went online to make some reservations to go see Michelangelo’s David at the Accademia Gallery. We knew it was a long shot, but we had to try. After making the reservations online we were told we would know if we were successful within 24 hours.

After resting a bit more we headed back out to get the lay of the land and do a little more exploring. In our travels we came across Festival del Gelato. It was very festive and bright with a fantastic selection of frozen deliciousness.

Cynthia had strawberry and I had chocolate. It was delightful and Cynthia’s spirits continued to improve.

After exploring a bit more we went off in search of dinner and found La Pasticceria Robiglio. The food was great, as was the atmosphere. And we had what may have been the best Sangiovese I have ever tasted.

At this point we were pretty tired so we headed back to the hotel to get some sleep.

All in all, a very successful day.

From Venice To Florence

On Tuesday, May 1 we wrapped up a successful visit to Venice. We woke up, packed our things and checked out of our hotel and caught a water taxi to Venezia Santa Lucia railway station. We were fairly certain we could book a train to Florence without much trouble. We had our rail passes, but no reservations. We secured tickets and were on our way in less than an hour.

It was raining in Venice as we left and, as it turns out, raining in Florence when we arrived. It wasn’t a constant rain, more of an on and off kind of rain.

When we pulled in to the station in Florence it was in “off” mode so we decided to walk to our hotel which was only a 10 minute hike from the station.

Situated a bock from the Duomo, it was easy to find.

When we got to the hotel Cynthia was a a bit discouraged. I booked the hotel based on recommendations from Trip Advisor where everyone was saying how much they enjoyed their stay and how great the owners are and how conveniently located the hotel was to all the major attractions.

When we got to the hotel to check in Cynthia was not happy. The hotel is on the 4th floor of the building and since she hates european elevators she has to walk up the stairs to get to the room.

The hotel itself is nothing special. Very small and basic, but clean.

Cynthia was a bit put off by the fact that our room had 4 single beds in it. Granted, this kind of makes the room look a bit like a dormitory, but it’s not a shared space. We have the room all to ourselves. But this impression combined with the basic nature of the hotel combined with the rain and the fatigue of travel put Cynthia into a bit of a funk.

Personally, I like the room. It’s clean, the staff is personable and it’s a place to lay our heads when we’re not out and about seeing the sites.

I did my best to try and lift Cynthia’s spirits, but it was a struggle. We put on our rain coats and set off to do some exploring.

At this point Cynthia was getting pretty hungry and we stopped at a small cafe to see about getting something to eat for lunch. This was a huge mistake. The place was not very good. And when I say not very good, it sucked. The food was awful and the service was marginal at best.

As you can imagine, Cynthia was beginning to crater under the weight of so much disappointment.

We walked down to scout out the Uffizi and have a look at the Ponte Vecchio. The rain finally cleared off, but it was still overcast and damp. Florence is a dark, gritty city made up of stone buildings and stone streets. In these conditions it can be very gloomy.

Photographically, it was a bit of a bust. The gloom was not very conducive to much shooting. But the sun made a last ditch effort to come out toward the end of the day and this, combined with the rain puddles afforded me a unique photo opportunity

We wrapped up the day with a nice dinner and a bottle of wine at a restaurant near the hotel. This went a long way toward lifting Cynthia’s spirits. We got back to the room and we both slept some of the best sleep we have had the whole trip.

Venice – The Good And The Bad

Venice was a mixed bag.

The downsides:

It was crowded with tourists. There were two gigantic cruise ships in port that disgorged their loads each morning.

It was VERY expensive. We knew this going in, but it still sucked paying so much for every little thing.

It was was hotter than expected. The weather reports put the temps at 75 degrees, give or take. It felt more like it was in the upper 80’s or lower 90’s during the full on heat of the day and it was humid.

The upsides:

Venice is magnificently beautiful and provided for some great photo opportunities.

We had some fantastic food

We had some fantastic wine

I think the highlight of Venice was walking around and exploring and remembering our first visit. As we were doing this we came across the gondola repair shop we spotted on our visit 8 years ago. The Squero di San Trovaso is the official name. It’s a small square used as a boatyard to build and repair gondolas.

When we found this spot I knew we must be near the restaurant that we found on our previous visit. Neither of us could remember the name, but we we hoped against hope we might find it again and have a meal there while we were in Venice because it was so good. We knew it was down an ally and off the beaten path so we hunted around a bit to see if we could find it. And we did!

It’s called Ristorante San Trovaso and it was every bit as good as we remembered it to be. It was our best meal in Venice. Not that any of the other meals weren’t great, but this one was special.

Sadly, though, I think we’re done with Venice. We enjoyed our visit for the most part but there is no compelling reason for us to return. It’s a big world out there and there’s a lot to see. I am glad to have seen Venice before it sinks in to the sea or is converted into a Euro Disney park or whatever it is that has to happen to save it from it’s ultimate demise due to the ravages of time, tourist and the tides.

Next stop, Florence!

Venice – The Crowds

To say Venice is crowded would be an understatement. Honestly, I don’t recall it being so jammed packed with tourists like this back in 2005 when we visited the first time. St. Mark’s Square is the worst with lines of tourist queuing up to gain entry to the cathedral and to the Doge’s Palace. Then comes Rialto Bridge lined up with booths selling the worst touristy crap you can imagine and throngs of eager buyers justifying their presence. After that it is the lines of shoppers stopping to look in every window to admire things from tennis shoes to designer handbags. Ugh!

Plus, it was hotter than we expected. The weather sites said 70’s during the day and 50’s at night. When the sun was out it felt much hotter. The evenings were cool, though. And far less crowded.

While we were there, there were at least two gigantic cruise ships that disgorged their load of tourists each morning and collected them each evening.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s an awesome city and we are glad to have visited. Once you got away from the main sites it was very pleasant and picturesque.

The photos below don’t quite capture the magnitude of the crowds, but they give you an idea.

Arrival Venice

We caught our flight from Houston to Frankfort late in the afternoon on Thursday and then caught our connecting flight to Venice the following Friday without much incident. Our short hop to Venice had no gate assigned when we arrived so there was a little frustration there, but not a big deal.

After arriving in Venice and collecting our luggage we found our way to the water taxi stand and caught a ride to San Marco which was a short walking distance from our hotel.

We were happy to pay the fee for the taxi rather than catch the much less expensive water bus. Those things get very crowded and, as a I recall from our previous visit, are not very pleasant if you’re jet-lagged and shlepping a bunch of luggage. Plus the view coming in to Venice was spectacular.

By the time we checked in to the hotel we had been awake for going on 30 hours with only about 40 minutes of sleep on the plane.

Even though we had been awake for an insane amount of time we decided to push through. it was a little after 3:00 pm Venice time when we checked in to the hotel, but the weather was fantastic so we unloaded our gear and set out to explore.

Of course Cynthia immediately started hitting on the Italian men. Gondoliers are everywhere and will abscond with with your woman if you are not paying close attention

Venice is as beautiful as a I remember it from 2005. Simply fantastic. But very crowded. Especially around San Marco. But when the sun starts to set it dies down quite a bit. Plus, if you walk out in to the surrounding areas you can find some less populated scenes.

And you simply can’t turn a corner without seeing something that needs to be photographed.

We explored and ended the day with a nice dinner and then went for some much needed sleep.

Internet is spotty here at the hotel so updates are a little slow. Please bear with us.