Florence and Tuscany

Cab:

So we take the train from Florence to our little village where the camp is at. When we get there we called the office. Well, after about 10 minutes looking like imbeciles as we put in coins, put in our ATM card, take it out, hang up, dial, hang up, repeat 90 times. Any-who we get in touch with them and they called a cab for us. So we're waiting outside the bar like we were told to watching car after car slow down (because there's a big curve in the road there) and each time we get our little hopes up. We have been on trains for over 24 hours and we are so tired. So this one yellow Fiat with black checkers on the side pulls up. We get all excited pick up our bags and quickly walk over. By this time the man got out of his car, sees our eager/haggard faces, gives us a skeptical look and said something and WALKS BY US! Shocked we walk over to examine the cab...which it is NOT! It was just a yellow fiat with checkered racing stripes! We embarrassingly go back the 5 feet to where we were standing and try to look away when he comes back out.

Okay so 10 or so minutes later a car comes around and the guy looks at us and does a little come here motion with his hand. He has parked behind other cars so this MUST be the cab right? Well as we walk over he starts looking confused and does a little get out of here motion! I immediately turn on my heel and walk back to our post. I feel like I might throw up from embarrassment and I just stare the opposite direction hoping he'll go away soon. After a minute I notice Greg isn't beside me. I slowly turn my head and he has put his bag in the trunk and is staring at me confused...It was the taxi. I am so AWKWARD!

Tuscany:

We are staying in a little town about 30 minutes outside of Florence called Figline Valdarno. We are not in a hostel...WE ARE IN A CAMPGROUND! :) The Norcenni Girasole Club is a huge complex of different types of cabins, bungalows, Rvs, and tents. There are two pool areas, 6 or so restaurants, a nightclub, bar, spa, fitness center, horses, and tennis/volleyball courts! Yesterday we spent all morning/early afternoon at the pool. There was a spinning class where they put the spin bikes in the shallow end and work out in the water! Then there was a water aerobics class with the instructor jumping around by the edge of the pool in a very, very tiny bikini (she got quite a crowd). Followed up with choreographed dances by 5 employees just for the pool goers entertainment! After we played at both pools we rented a scooter!

At one of the pools, dinner the first night at camp!

View from our cabin door, the other pool!

The people here are so laid back. To rent the scooter he just made sure we had a license, told us to make sure it was 'all the way' aka a full tank and that's it. We headed out of the camp and just drove around for a solid 2 hours. The sights were breathtaking! I think this is one of the most beautiful places in the world! On our drive we would pass through little villages (with about 20 buildings) and there were always groups of Italians sitting and talking outside. We passed by a million wineries. After an hour or so we went back to camp and got food for a picnic. Now this is why I LOVE Italy...at our camp grocer we got insalata di mar (Seafood salad), calamata olives, roasted eggplant, fresh mozzarella and pudding cups! We rode back out to a lookout by our camp and had a delicious picnic with a most wonderful view. Then we rode into town to fill up the scooter...which was super fun! At the gas station Greg went in to pay. It was 2.20 Euros and Greg gave the guy a 20 and 20 cents. The guy said something in Italian and rolled his eyes. Then he pulled out a wad of cash from his pocket, put the twenty around it and pulled out the 18 Euros. He then pulled out a dish where he kept the change and put the 20 Euros in it. I guess no registers out here?

Scooter time!!

Italian Picnic

Fun night at camp!

Florence:

We went into Florence today. We climbed to the top of the dome. Greg was quite scared on the spiral staircase and had to utilize some deep breathing techniques hehe! When we got to the very top of the dome it started to poor! It was wonderful watching the lightning and seeing the clouds roll down off the mountains. Great views! We also toured the Ufizzi di Medici (that family pretty much owned Florence back in the day...or the 1500s). Outside of this place we heard a school group getting chewed out by the leader. The leader said' “From now on no one, NO ONE can go anywhere without an adult!” He then named the three adults and then apparently one of the kids, because he then said' “Yes, Brian is an adult, which is sad because he is younger than most of you but is the only one acting responsibily!” He then went on about how their behavior had to change and said something about how he has the power to cancle this trip!! Greg said that was why he hated school trips. This is where we thought the David was... but it wasn't. We'll make another day of Florence. Ponte Vecchio was a little ridiculous. It is a beautiful old bridge lined on either side by buildings filled with jewelry stores. I have never seen so many diamonds in my life! Why would one bridge need 50 jewlery stores...how do they all make money?

Running around Florence, I mean seriously Italians LOVE their wine!

Climbing the Dome! Look at Greg's brave face!

At the top!

The 'balloon' and a Happy Birthday note in Japanese

Greg with the dome in the background

We rubbed the warthog to ensure a return to Florence, the 'Green Room' from the Medici's office

Disgraziad:

I love Italians! When we were getting on the train from Venice to Florence I heard my new favorite word for the first time...disgraziad (spelling?), which pretty much means 'a disgrace'! A woman got caught in the automatic doors and then she said it once she got freed. Our cab driver also said it when he had to pull around some guy parked irresponsibly on the campground. I think it will be my new word of choice for when I am clumsy or if someone opens an umbrella ON me, soaking me (which happened in the line for the dome)!

Greg bought some tiny European swim shorts at this store in Florence (pictures will be posted soon!). Our store clerk there couldn't get anything to scan and mumbles 'perfecto' sarcastically and then she goes and gets another tag to scan and it came up as the wrong price...she angrily says 'magnifico!' as she throws the tag on the floor. Then she picks up her little store id, and now it won't let her change the price! She just starts repeating 'IMPOSIBLE, IMPOSIBLE'(pronounced im-pos-ee-blay) and I chuckle and she says a sentence in Italian and we just nod and agree. We are totally passing for Italian! Me, more by association.

Ciao for now!

Night Train, Austria, and Venice

Night Train and Venice

Our night train was pretty eventful. We were in a compartment with six seats that reclined pretty far and we had a plug/ tables. So we were happy. We were supposed to be on that train for 5 hours, have a 2 hour layover in Austria, then catch our train to Florence. Well, while we're sleeping we wake up at a station...we go back to sleep and then we're STILL at that same station. We were there for an hour. Then once we finally got going we went 10 MPH for another 30 minutes or so. Needless to say we missed our connection.

Blogging and stretching.

We went straight to the ticket station in Austria and explained our dilemma. The girl said we had to leave NOW to take a tram to another station in the city. Then just go straight to the conductor to plead our case. Also, the only way to get to Florence now is to go through Venice. Which was hilarious because we decided yesterday to just skip Venice because it was going to be too hard to do all of that. I swear if I write something down in my plans it will just magically come true!

So we ran out in the rain and got on the 18 tram to Westbhf. As we were riding we noticed we were going the wrong direction! We got off at the end of the line and then the driver showed us the way to the right tram...which we couldn't figure out how to get on for a few moments. We got on and when we finally got to Westbhf. We ran around the station only to realize it was all metro trains. We ran out the other side (keep in mind we now have 8 minutes to get on the train). When we came out we saw a big construction site with the name of our station on it, we couldn't help but crack up as we ran in the rain through the half completed train station. There are huge plywood walls surrounding the station so we followed the crowd through the labyrinth of hallways until we finally got inside the station. We quickly found to the platform. Quickly explained our problem to the conductor, who just said, “Yea, okay get on here.” We made it by 2 minutes!

In Austria...lost.

On the train we saw a guy get thrown off and arrested for not paying a fee. From what Greg could translate he had to pay 50 Euros and he didn't want to. The conductor and the guy argued and the conductor said , “okay either 50 Euros or I'm calling the police.” Apparently the guy yelled back, CALL THE POLICE! So we stopped and sure enough we watched him get taken by the police into the station. We had to explain to two different ticket checkers why we didn't have a reservation. The Italian ticket man yelled at us and said that we would have problems when we got to Rome, since we weren't going there anyway we just said okay and took our tickets back. So funny story. In the middle of the night I got up to go to the bathroom. The train was dark and my eyes were not really working yet. I opened our compartment door and two two big steps then WHAM!! Next thing I knew I was plastered to the glass door to the next compartment over. I blinked a few times and got my eyes working (I am still smeared against the glass) only to see six shocked/sleepy faces staring at me. What a way to wake up huh? As we got closer to Venice the train got progressively more congested. We had our compartment of 6 seats filled and people were sitting on these fold out seats in the hall. Finally we got to Venice!

VENICE IS VONDERFUL!

We reserved a train to Florence for two hours after we arrived. We decided to just go walk all around and see what we could with our packs on. Venice is like nothing I've ever seen. We saw a water ambulance where the EMTs all had their collars popped! Actually, everyone had their collars popped. We walked down as many streets as we could, and wound up next to the jail which was really loud. We sat down under a bridge and ate the last of our rations, a banana and pear each with a few sips of PowerAid. Then the gandalas started coming out. It was so crazy to watch all the boat traffic, I would not want to try to navigate that. After breakfast we went and people watched on the train station stairs. This couple behind us fed the birds, they would eat crumbs right out of their hands. Now we are on our way to Florence! We'll post again in a few days. Ciao!!

Update:

It is now 14:09...we are sitting on a stopped train. We were scheduled to arrive in Florence at 13:23 but now we won't leave until they fix the tracks. We walked down to the 'snack car' after they announced the wait, not an original idea apparently and we got a 1 euro tiny tiny tiny bit of espresso to eat with our biscuits/crackers. The food was completely gone except some pineapple cake on juice. They just announced it will be at least 10 minutes more. Lovely, more time to listen to these three American girls yell about what they want or don't want to do in Florence. I have already heard them get in 3 fights, analyze why one's mother is so mean, decide to split up in, decide to stay together, and still they don't know what to do in Florence. Urg. Fingers crossed we'll make it to Florence today.

20 more minutes for rail breakdown.

6:00 and we're finally at our hostel, which is really a campsite! We'll post in a few days...we LOVE TUSCANY!!

Prague

First Eurail:

The train ride was great. We followed a river the whole way and there were hills and rafting sites, people biking, and huge mansions. We stopped at a small town in Germany and 6 or so teenagers got on ready to party. They had beer mug hats, a huge 1990 style boom box, and copious amounts of alcohol. They sat behind us and sang along loudly with thick German accents, which we managed to film some of. Greg and I were cracking up, as were the four other, calmer, German boys. The rest of the train was all staring at them. One old lady even took out a camcorder and was blatantly filming them. Their choice in music was interesting to say the least. Hearing them sing it in bad English was priceless. After the second song I got out my notebook and started keeping a list here it is...

List of American songs heard blasted over CD player:

-Everybody Dance Now (original)

-I'm a Barbie Girl (original)

-I Like to Move It Move It (German rendition)

-POD Last Resort (original)

Greg's first time on a Eurail

Ode to Smaziny Syr (by Greg):

There is a little known Secret about Prague. I have only found one article about this angelic creation on the internet and that was written by an American student who was studying abroad in the Czech Republic. But if you are in Prague at any point in your life you must take at least one meal (lunch, dinner, or late night snack) and enjoy a Smaziny Syr. This is a sandwich made of a battered and freshly fried piece of Eidam cheese that is put between a sliced hamburger bun with a squirt of mayonnaise to finish off this warm delight. You can find these wonderful concoctions on Wenceslas Square at one of the many hot dog stands that line the street. For you non-vegetarians you could buy a foot long sausage or other fried goodies and I'm sure they may be tasty, but they will not give you the same satisfaction as a fried cheese sandwich.

When you take your first bite into a Smaziny Syr you feel the crunch of the breaded cheese then as you pull away you will feel the cheese being stretched between your watering mouth to the sandwich itself. Chew the mild cheese and bread and savor the taste of the mayonnaise as it moves around your tongue and teeth. Swallow the first bite and consider ordering a second one but wait because the first one will go a long way. The morning of my departure from Prague I was able to eat the remnants of one that Kevina could not finish. Now that I'm on a train I wish that I would have gotten another one but it's okay because I will be able to eat other great foods in Italy. Prague, Just know that I will be back in order to eat yet another Smaziny Syr. To the wonderful Czech people, thank you for creating this wonderful sandwich that may very well be my favorite food.

Two years of longing...fulfilled!

I have to admit it was insanely delicious!

Greg holding his first Smaziny Syr in two years...this is what the stand looks like.

Sights of Prague:

The first day we got into Prague we decided to walk all around. I could not get over how cool every building looked. Or, as Greg said “all the buildings look like Disneyland.” When I asked him to explain he said they all look too 'nice' what with their pastel colors and ornate architecture. We walked down by the river and across the main bridge to Old Town Square. This is where the Astronomical Clock is. It was packed with people and there were tons of outdoor seating under tents for each restaurant. Since we had only eaten out once we decided to splurge and eat a nice dinner. We had a lovely, romantic, 2 hour meal. Also, add mashed potatoes with sauerkraut to the list of foods you must try! We stayed until sunset and then had a 20 CZK ice cream...which equals 1 US dollar! I love Prague! Now, since Prague isn't switched over the Euro yet I had to write a cheat sheet on my hand each day from CZK to USD for a quick reference. This came in handy especially at the grocery store where I had to keep checking my hand to make sure I was reading it correctly. The food was so cheap!

All food purchased for less than 10 american dollars, some crowns.

On a bridge looking over to the castle side of town.

We toured around the largest castle in Europe, we got to see the changing of the guards which is always kinda funny. After the guards switch places the new guard fixes and adjusts his uniform for the last time in a certain order, tugging on a belt, pulling a shirt tail, etc. Then they turn around and become statues for the next hour. Seeing the castle at night is quite a site since they light it all up, along with the bridge.

Infront of the cathedral in the castle, on our way up to the castle.

The castle at night and trying to find food.

We also walked all around Wenceslas square (mainly to get Greg's most favorite food). It was sort of like a times square but not as big. There was also a 10 foot wide median up the middle of the main road with a different garden in each square and benches between each.

Prague is a town that loves their dogs. They all seemed happy and well behaved. Most places we went it wasn't unusual to see dogs off their leashes just walking next to their owners. We saw so many cute puppies!

This is on the insanely fast and steep escalators in Prague. It made me dizzy.

Hostel:

Our hostel was tiny but awesome. We had a private corner room, with two walls of windows! Our key was the old medieval style kind. The shower was tiny and gross but it was fine. Oh, and we have a little running joke now about 'the balloon.' So in Dublin, when I was out of my mind with sleep deprivation and jet lag, I held up the umbrella and looked at Greg right in the eye and said, “Are we going to bring the balloon?” We both just stared at each other until I realized that I said the wrong word, then we had a delusional laughing fit. So now every time it is raining we chuckle as we open up the 'balloon.'

Our sweet key, our hostel building... our room is the right window on the second floor.

We found a big kid juice box, instead of juice it was iced coffe! Playing in our hostel room.

I liked the windows so much I ate breakfast IN them!