When in Europe the UK and Beyond: The Golden Staircases of Venice

I made it into Venice around 12:30. The moment I walked outside the train station I saw the Grand Canal. Its water was pure as gold and slick as ice. The water itself had a hint of a green tint to it. Lining the canal were various pastel colored houses that seemed to go on endlessly down the canal. This first magnificent view of Venice is one I will remember for the rest of my life.

I hopped on a water bus to my hotel. However, I ended up getting on the wrong water bus by mistake, and ended up by the Rialto Bridge. My hotel was not too far away from here, but it was not very easy to find the hotel. This was because the hotel was situated down a back alley way. It was very quiet and remote in this area, which I really enjoyed.

After checking into my hotel, I excitedly made my way over to Marco Polo's House.  I thought it was a museum, but was instead just a plaque stating where he lived. Disappointed I moved on wandering in a random direction. Eventually I came upon Saint Marco Square. In this square there were many restaurants, a cathedral and Dodge's Palace.

I went into Dodge's Palace and let me tell you this place tops anything I have seen in Italy. As you walked up to the staircases inside the building the ceiling was covered in a glitzy glamorous gold. It was such a transcendent experience walking up these staircases.

The function halls were even more impressive. Never before have I seen so much gold in one place. The walls and ceilings were lined with paintings on every inch imaginable.  Not to add to the fact that the function halls were massive in size.

 Dodge's Palace also had a very impressive armory dating back to the middle ages up until the early 1900's. There was everything from knight armor to various guns.

There was also a dungeon in which was well known for the bridge of sighs. This bridge has a window that would offer most prisoners their last view of Venice. The dungeon itself was really cold, so I did not dwell to long down there.

For about an hour after the Dodge's Palace, I wandered around the streets aimlessly. It did not take very long to get away from all the tourists. Walking a few blocks in any direction will get you into peace and quiet. Being by yourself like I was, really helped me enjoy the streets of Venice more. The key to Venice is getting lost in its streets, it is only then that you'll be able to enjoy Venice to its fullest extent.

Venice has been an amazing experience thus far. It is at a close 1st place with Rome for my most favorite place in Italy.

Tomorrow begins the last day of my journey in Italy. Rest assured I shall make the most of it!

When in Europe the UK and Beyond: The Not So Much Leaning Tower of Pisa and Lucca

I had arranged to meet up with the couple with whom I sat next to on the flight to Rome at 10:30am today in front of the train station. We were going to be going to see Pisa and Lucca together. However, after 15 minutes they still did not show up so I went on without them.

By lunchtime I had arrived in Pisa. I slowly meandered my way down towards the Leaning Tower with no sense of rush or urgency. Along the way I walked down many side streets and found some really extraordinary views of the River Arno. What really upset me, however, was as I sat there gazing upon the River Arno, I noticed how littered with trash it was. Many trash bags were floating down the river and other loose articles as well. It is really a shame that people were ruining such a beautiful river such as this one, by throwing their trash into it.

I kept walking along until I came upon a small little restaurant and received a very warm welcome when I walked in. I ordered the Chef's Choice of Pasta and then sat back and relaxed. The restaurant owner came up to me and started chatting up a storm in Italian to me. I explained to him that I did not speak any Italian, but he carried on anyways. I sat there and listened, nodding my head every once and while pretending like I knew what he was saying. I might be wrong but from my understanding, I think he might have been telling me something about his family and how his restaurant came about.

You could also tell that this was a place that many of the locals came to, as many of them popped in and out and had very animated conversations with the restaurant staff.

The pasta came with some delicious mini pizzas. The sauce on the pasta was of an exotic flavor to me. I could best describe it as some type of Alfredo sauce. Overall this was a very lovely little restaurant.

Twenty minutes later, I came upon the Leaning Tower of Pisa. To be perfectly honest, it was not as leaning as I had always imagined it to be. Granted the Tower of Pisa was still somewhat of an angle that was still impressive, but not to the degree that any picture depicts of it.

Many people who surrounded the tower were all doing the generic photo of themselves pushing on the tower. Some people were even striking up various yoga poses. To be perfectly honest it looked pretty ridiculous to me. A picture in front of the Tower of Pisa was good enough for me.

Within the same plaza in which held the Leaning Tower of Pisa, there was also a Baptistery, a Basilica and several museums.

First I went into the Basilica. Out of all the religious buildings I had been in thus far in Italy, this one had the most impressive biblical paintings that were massive in size; some of these paintings were nearly 20ft high. However, apart from the impressive paintings the interior was not anything widely different than what I have described in previous pieces.

Most of the museums were closed for renovations, but there was one opened.  Inside this museum there were various paintings in which dated back some 600-700+ years ago. Much of what had remained of the painting was very faint red etchings that amazingly somehow have been able to stand the test of time.

Aside from the area in which the Tower of Pisa was situated there really was not a whole lot else to do in Pisa. I then decided to wander around Pisa for a while and see if I could find anything else to do while there. As I roamed around the streets, I came upon a very interesting lizard/gecko, I am not sure which one it was. He was extremely tiny, no larger than my thumb.  His back was lined with neon green dots and his skin was jet black. I sat there for several minutes looking at him, until he eventually decided to scurry off.

I then hopped back on the train for a short ride to Lucca. The city of Lucca is a relativity a medium sized place contained within walls. It reminded me a lot of Old Québec city to some extent. The main difference however, was that when walking along the wall you could enjoy phenomenal views of the mountains. It would be the perfect city to bike around or even a nice jog around. To top this experience all off there was not really any tourist around or frankly anyone, so it was nice to have some peace and quiet away from the city.

  

Within the constraints of the walls was a complex labyrinth of streets that did not appear to have any logical flow to them. You could be walking down a street then moments later it would abruptly stop. I found myself walking around in circles a few times until I got a better sense of orientation. The streets themselves were very quiet and empty no one was really around. I suppose it was late afternoon right before 5pm and everyone was on siesta or something.  I tried wandering around to see if I could find any museums to look at, but a majority of them were closed.

I did find a torture museum that was quite the oxymoron to such a beautiful place. Inside there were detailed descriptions of various torture devices. It was really fascinating yet at the same time chilling being inside.

After the museum I proceeded back to Florence and got back to my hotel around 8pm. I went out for dinner and then relaxed in my hotel for the rest of the night.

Tomorrow starts the last phase of my adventure as I travel to Venice. It is hard to believe that time has elapsed so fast. It felt just like yesterday that I landed in Rome and it has been one amazing life altering experience and I look forward to seeing where I stand as a person upon the completion of this journey.  

  

When in Europe the UK and Beyond: Florence the City of Beauty

I took a bus from my hotel to the Piazza Michelangelo area. From here I was then supposed to transfer to another bus that would then take me to the top of the hill. However, at this bus stop it said that the bus wouldn't be coming for another twenty minutes. I figured I could walk up faster and up the hill I went.

In many ways I was glad that I chose to walk up the hill inside. It was a very relaxing experience and the hill itself was very gradual so anyone could walk up it with relatively no difficultly at all. What I enjoyed the most was just taking in what was around me. I enjoyed the gradual overlook of Florence as I climbed the hill as well as the architecture of the various villas. These villas were of a wide assortment of pastel colors, which offered a nice break from all the monotone colored houses of England.

When I made it to the top it was well worth the climb. From atop the Piazza Michelangelo, you could see the entire city down below. One could easily marvel at the architectural beauty of the city. Equally the same, one could let their eyes wander down the endless River Arno. Or you could indulge in looking off into the mountains in the far away distance.

Further up the hill there was a cathedral. Behind this cathedral, there was a very impressive graveyard, that I spent a solid half hour or more exploring. What was really unique about this graveyard was the mere complexity and craftsmanship behind each gravestone. There were some very touching memorials to those who have passed, however, there was one that stood out from all the rest.

This gravestone was for a young married couple. Above their grave was to marble statues of the couple. The man's hair was combed back and he wore a suite and tie. The woman wore a long dress and had long lustrous hair. They stood together holding hands and looking into each other's eyes. Standing there I felt like I was there in that moment watching their sweet embrace. It was a very moving tribute to this couple and I stood there for several moments reflecting upon this moment.

Going through this graveyard gave me a whole new perspective on what graveyards can be. Prior to venturing into this graveyard in Florence I had always seen graveyards as a very grim place, however, being in such an elaborate graveyard such as this one, made me realize that there can be a beauty, reflection and solidarity to graveyards.

I made my way back down the hill and headed towards the Uffizi Gallery. There was no queue to get in whatsoever so I simply strolled right on in. Within the gallery itself it was packed, but getting in was quick as a breeze.

The gallery itself was composed of two parallel hallways that lead off into various rooms along the sides. In these hallways there were various marble statues that mainly composed of Ancient Mythological Gods and Goddesses and of regular old people performing day to day tasks. The ceiling lining these hallways were artwork within themselves, as they had various paintings with a golden leaf lining surrounding them.

What was really neat about this gallery was getting to see various famous paintings I had studied in my fine arts class. For example paintings like Madonna of Goldfinch or The Birth of Venus. I was not expecting to see these paintings so it took me by surprise when I ran into them.

By the time I had finished inside the gallery the weather had cleared up considerably. This morning it was very cloudy, but by the time I got back outside it was sunny and much warmer.

I then searched for a place to grab a bite to eat. I found a place to eat within this market and then strolled around this market. I came upon the Bronze Boar. It is said that if you kiss this Boar, it ensures that you return to Florence. I wasn't about to do that, but it was pretty funny watching others do this.

After exploring the market I did not really know what else to do. I made my way back to the River Arno, where there was a walkway along the river. I saw mountains in the far away distance and decided that I would start walking towards them. As I got further less people were around and that was when I really got to enjoy the ambiance of the city. Whether it was just looking upon the houses that lined the river or just listening to the flow of the river, it was all in all a very relaxing experience.

As I walked along the River Arno I bumped into the couple, whom I had sat next to on the flight to Rome. We talked about our various adventures thus far and then decided that we would go to Pisa tomorrow. If time permits we might also go to a small city called Lucca.