Prologue
“Rule Britannia, Britannia rule by Queens”
We packed our bag the night before the flight. This time there was no guided tour. We went for a leisure free trip, no more waking up at 6 AM and dashed onto the coach, no more rush when we were visiting a tourist attraction and definitely we would not be confined by the sometimes terrible tourist meals. The idea of doing everything at our own pace means absolute freedom in a foreign land. We hoped to blend in with the locals. We hoped to enjoy a different culture as much as we could and the adventure in hunting for unexpected cuisine made me woke up from deep sleep.
We planned on travelling light. We were alone and I could afford to dress like a hobo if I chose. I skipped over the idea of having fresh clothes every day. A pair of jeans could be worn at least for a week. If all went well, I could survive on 2 shirts and 2 pairs of pants. The clothes might smell, but whosoever I met could be a once in a life time things. I would not be embarrassed by it at all. Of course this is too good to be true, the wife never agreed with things like that and I had to bring a decent supply of clothing.
My wife received her last part of education in UK and she claimed she knew all the points of interest. She knew the subway system like the back of her hand and riding the bus was just like Apollo riding the wind. Believing was my first mistake. I did not count on her loss of memories but we would soon find out.
Florence was the most loved Italian city in my days of travel. There were lots of cultures within the city, the paintings, the sculptures, and the architecture, collectively joined in making the city beautiful. I could not forget the food either. By Jupiter, there was so much goodness but so little time. Again, every time I visited Florence was in a rush. I could have spent days in the galleries and the museums looking at the paintings.
With freedom and leisure in mind, we dashed to the airport, jumped on the plane and up, up, and away.
Besides from “Queens”, the British also have “Boy George”