Episode 13 "Firenze – always exciting"
We got up at 4:30 AM, checked out at the front desk and waited for the shuttle. We should have no problem flying through the quiet streets of London. The driver had the same idea. It was an uneventful trip to Heathrow and now we sat and waited for the plane. Lufthansa is usually very punctual yet this time they surprised us. The flight was 1 hour late and consequently we missed the flight from Frankfurt to Florence.
Frankfurt is the hub for Lufthansa. They recently finished their renovation in the airport and now it is absolutely huge. If you are arriving from countries outside of EU, be prepared to go through security twice. You have to go through immigration declaring you leave your country of origin and enter EU. This process would take more than an hour or more. So schedule your flight accordingly or else your chance of missing your connecting flight is highly possible.
We were delayed, more waiting was on hand and more grumble followed. It was in the evening when we arrived at Florence. I kissed the ground when I disembarked. This is our 4th time in Florence and the passion for this place never lessens. Florence does not have a big population yet there are so much treasure and interesting things to see. From the old buildings to the art galleries, from the busy markets to the quiet gardens, from its narrow streets to its quaint little restaurants, the wine bars, the music halls, everything is always so uplifting. There is this dominance of energy that guides you through the streets to your destinations. Every door way, every façade of the building, the fountains, the piazza, the monuments, tempts your appreciation of beauty. You marvel at the intelligence of the artists. You bathe yourself under the intricate warmth of the sculptures. You are here and it only means joy and happiness.
This is the courtyard of house 4 doors down from the hotel we stayed.
The taxi from the airport to your hotel is a fixed rate of 20euros and 1euro for every piece of luggage. There is no argument on this and gratuity is becoming less important in Europe. It should take about 20 minutes to your hotel, if it is within downtown area. There is 1 word you have to remember when you are in Florence, Ponte Vecchio. That is the landmark and almost everything spread out from there.
On the right is the bridge from a far view.
This bridge is dotted by gold and jewellery shops. Do not take your wife here! You will lose time and your wallet.
The famous stature makes a meeting point for a lot of people. Some nuts spread the rumour that your love relationship will be secured forever if you put a lock on the fence and lo and behold, the locks appears. Now they have to hire people just to break and take away the lock.
Tourists on the bridge – You can see the Duomo in the back ground.
All things starts with Ponte Vecchio ! [there should be a song for this]
Florence is such a tight-knitted city that almost everything is within walking distance. Once you find the river and the bridge, everything is along both banks of the bridge. You can see from the map, Uffizi gallery [the famous birth of Venus], is right around the corner from the bridge. From the Uffizi, you can walk to the Duomo (Dome) – a cathedral built with marbles of green and white. You go opposite direction from the cathedral, pass the bridge and you can reach the Pitti Palace which belonged to the Midici family. This building is just huge and the content is impressive. The other side of Uffizi is the Piazza Santa Croce [holy cross] church; inside you will find the tomb for Michaelangelo, there is also the San familia Nuovo church. This is right next to the railway station and you can pick it up and venture to other countries or towns.
All these are within walking distance of the bridge, Ponte Vecchio at the center and all those points of interest surrounding it.