July 18 Saturday – OMG I didn’t even notice that!

Bella Firenze!

After the departing of friends and family, Risa, Andi, Kinga and Chrystal headed off to meet up in the train station.

Because my Rome landlord asked us for an early departure to prepare for his next guests, I ended up at the station very early, and found a nice little table on the second floor. When Kinga and Andi showed up, they refused to drag their over-weight bags up the stairs so we collected on the main floor (where there were no tables and no chairs). About 10 minutes before the train was due to depart, the platform number was posted, but still no Chrystal. Andi was very clear (“I am getting on that train” – as a result of some train hilarity in Budapest) So Andi texted the platform number to Chrystal and the three of us headed out to our car which was, of course, at the far end of the train platform. There was some worry about the whereabouts of Chrystal and just as I was about to express how typically Chrystal it would be if she actually got there ahead of us, there she was! Ahead of us! She cut it a bit close because she said she wanted to have one last walk about in Rome and lost track of time.

The truth, however, was a little different: I had woken at the crack of dawn, anxious about the day. Prior to leaving to Italy, I had been notified by a contact that I would likely receive an assignment while in Rome, but here, on the last day, time was running short. With only a few hours left in the city, I was starting to hope that this assignment wouldn’t jeopardize my upcoming travel plans. After a quick breakfast buffet at the Yes Hotel (it’s fine, but nothing to write about unless you are a luncheon meat fan), I packed up my stuff to join Risa in the terminal, knowing she’d likely be early. Suddenly I got a text: I was to deliver a message to the concierge at the Ambassador Hotel at the top of the Spanish steps. Quickly I ran towards the steps, up the street of Quattro fountains, trying to stay on the shady side due to the continuing ridiculous heat, dodging tourists and locals alike. Construction scaffolding in the block across from the hotel obscured the view from across the street, but the large number of tourists hanging around in the lobby created enough of a cover for me to slip in and out of the hotel, hopefully unnoticed. I then walked casually towards the Medici gardens to see if anyone was following me, and determined it was all clear. I could go back to my hotel, passing quickly by the chaos at the Ambassador, and slipping between the emergency vehicles and press vans.

Since it was already 12:02 when I returned to the hotel and the train was to depart in less than 13 minutes, I decided to exercise one of the perks of my job by calling in a “code 11”, although generally not a fan of calling a “code 11” unless absolutely necessary. I pressed the numbers into my phone while slipping into a fresh outfit (‘fresh’ meaning no blood splatters) and by the time I got downstairs, the team was in place. They grabbed the bag of soiled clothes and weapons, helped me with my suitcase and drove me “Italian style” through a road block, around tourists and over curbs to the station. They were prepared to hold the train, but that was not necessary as everyone was able to gain rapid access to the platform using the overhead catwalk. Luckily no one ever looks up as they walk down train platforms…. By the time I met up with the rest of the girls, I was ready to relax and enjoy a well-deserved vacation.

And so, none the wiser as to Chrystal’s secret events of the Ambassador hotel, we all piled happily into our business-class seats on the Florence-bound train. Important travel tip: “Business class” on the train in Italy translates to “Sip a Prosecco while enjoying the Tuscan view sweep by”.

Fun fact: when we asked for the Prosecco (and this was possibly one of the few times I used my fluent Italian on the entire trip) the stewards seemed GENUINELY delighted to be opening up a fresh bottle for us. They also served us something that looked and felt like uncooked tortellini but tasted like stale crackers: our first introduction to Italian snack food.

In Florence, we dragged our suitcases over the cobblestone roads to Rue Servi where Sofia and Jane were already settled. They let us into the apartment which was AMAZING. The terrace view looked straight out to an incredible view of the Duomo that made Andi and I want to cry. It was, impossibly, even better than the pictures. The Duomo was literally RIGHT THERE, hovering over us like we could almost touch it!

One of 68 pictures of the Duomo from our terrace.

The best moment: Jane came out to see how we liked the patio and when she turned around said “Oh my god, I didn’t even SEE that!”

The apartment was bigger than we thought, having prepared ourselves for the worst. There were 3 bedrooms, 2 that were quite large and a smaller one that Jane and I took, secretly thinking that the bed was bigger (it wasn’t) and that the air conditioning would work better in the smaller room (it did), while Andi and Kinga got the VIP suite that was big enough to have hosted a ball.

Sofia and I were staying in the Principessa suite, which was by far the largest and had it’s own balcony. Unfortunately, that balcony was in direct sunlight most of the day so it baked our feet and was suitable only for drying out wet clothing and airing out stinky shoes. There was also a good sized kitchen, that would prove to be the only room the air conditioning didn’t seem to reach, a dining room and a large foyer, plus two full bathrooms. [I’m pretty sure Kinga and Andi scored the BIG room…it was palatial!!!]

In true Italian style, Sofia had already been propositioned via a love note hidden in a flower, and had a romantic evening with “Luca” from the restaurant downstairs all lined up should she choose to accept. The rest of us were not so lucky, and will just have to start looking. Speaking of “Italian style”, Sofia has it. Everywhere we go, men follow her with their eyes. For the duration of the trip, one of us accompanied Sofia everywhere she went to help deflect unwanted male attention.

For our first Florence adventure, we headed out for a walk, turning right out of the front door (because Luca is to the left). We walked around the Duomo (just, wow) and went to a little market a few streets away to pick up some things for breakfast.

From disoriented and dazed to … perfect pose!

For dinner we found this little hole in the wall where our surly waitress tried to figure out what we were ordering to drink while we all talked at once (“2 birra”, “a bottle of water”, “one litre of vino blancho”, “was that a litre of wine?”, “TWO birra, right?”, “maybe two bottles of water instead of one”). All those hours of Italian lessons….wasted. My guess is that she was wishing we had sat in someone else’s section, but by the end she warmed up to us, and even took a few pictures with assorted cell phones. We did decide to try to avoid getting 6 pictures of everything – one from each cell phone – and have agreed to share all of our pictures after the trip.

One of 6 (or 12) pictures we took of our first dinner together in Florence.

For dinner we shared assorted plates – bread salad (panzenella), caprese, pasta with wild boar, salad and Andi’s lasagna. Yes! $15 Euro each including beverages.

Back at the Servi Terrace, Sofia and Jane went to bed early due to the jet lag, and the rest of us spent the evening on the terrace, watching the lights come up on the Duomo. So beautiful!!

I slept soundly for about 11 hours. Sofia is a very quiet sleeper and doesn’t snore loudly or talk in her sleep. [Andi snores…]