Post by Kim on Dec 29, 2003 9:37:07 GMT -5
well.....sorry for the delay.
With the holiday the net cafe's were on greatly reduced hours and not open when I was near them. Had a wonderful Christmas day for the most part..minus phone calls back home.
Went early in the morning up to Pillazzo Michaelangelo, thinking no one would be out that early, about 0900. WRONG! It seemed every tourist in town and half the city was there! Saw 5 wedding parties up there while I was wandering about, who get's married on Xmas morning?? Visited the Chiese Minolia (sp) Morte at the very top of the hill and what a glorious surprise that was. There is a quite large cemetary that surrounds the bascillica and some of the most interesting and unusual headstones I have ever seen, with the backdrop of the skyline.
By the time I got back into town proper I found that this is surely not the U.K. where one could starve on Christmas day.
Seemed everything was open...with the exception of actual retail shops and the museums. But any 'tourist' type place or restaurant was running full force.
Next day I took the bus up to Friesole...the hill town that overlooks. All the wealthy Florentians now and then built these gorgeous mini and not so mini palaces up there to escape the heat in town. Even without the drop dead views it is a wonderful little town in it's own right. Weather has remained excellent and warming by the day.
Saturday, yesterday, took the train to Rome. Again, quite nice digs, surely not 'luxury' but not backpacking either. About two blocks from the Collisium so relatively centered overall.
Just wandered all afternoon, shooting pics for Sonia and me and had an 'evening walk' with Enjoy Rome tours. I have used them before and give a big thumbs up to this group. We walked from Piazza Novonna
(which BTW was a HUGE dissapointment to me...not to the Romans I am sure, but it is where there Xmas Mkt is set up and therefore the fountains and the beauty of this place is totally lost right now.
Anyway, from there to Pantheon, then Trevi Fountain, to the Forum and ended at Colliseum. Beautiful at all times but especially so at night. Today have hit several churches and two museums of the smaller variety and now have an evening walk in Trastevert area.
Must be something about Sunday's in Italy.....it rained for about half the day today, as it did last Sunday in Florence. Although has cleared off now and is predicted to be very nice again the next few days. Has been warm here as well....mid 50-s and honestly, I was taking off my scarf and wishing I could take the liner out of my coat. Glad I did not though as still pretty cool in
the evenings.
Gotta run....hope all had a good holiday!
ging
With the holiday the net cafe's were on greatly reduced hours and not open when I was near them. Had a wonderful Christmas day for the most part..minus phone calls back home.
Went early in the morning up to Pillazzo Michaelangelo, thinking no one would be out that early, about 0900. WRONG! It seemed every tourist in town and half the city was there! Saw 5 wedding parties up there while I was wandering about, who get's married on Xmas morning?? Visited the Chiese Minolia (sp) Morte at the very top of the hill and what a glorious surprise that was. There is a quite large cemetary that surrounds the bascillica and some of the most interesting and unusual headstones I have ever seen, with the backdrop of the skyline.
By the time I got back into town proper I found that this is surely not the U.K. where one could starve on Christmas day.
Seemed everything was open...with the exception of actual retail shops and the museums. But any 'tourist' type place or restaurant was running full force. Next day I took the bus up to Friesole...the hill town that overlooks. All the wealthy Florentians now and then built these gorgeous mini and not so mini palaces up there to escape the heat in town. Even without the drop dead views it is a wonderful little town in it's own right. Weather has remained excellent and warming by the day.
Saturday, yesterday, took the train to Rome. Again, quite nice digs, surely not 'luxury' but not backpacking either. About two blocks from the Collisium so relatively centered overall.
Just wandered all afternoon, shooting pics for Sonia and me and had an 'evening walk' with Enjoy Rome tours. I have used them before and give a big thumbs up to this group. We walked from Piazza Novonna
(which BTW was a HUGE dissapointment to me...not to the Romans I am sure, but it is where there Xmas Mkt is set up and therefore the fountains and the beauty of this place is totally lost right now.
Anyway, from there to Pantheon, then Trevi Fountain, to the Forum and ended at Colliseum. Beautiful at all times but especially so at night. Today have hit several churches and two museums of the smaller variety and now have an evening walk in Trastevert area.
Must be something about Sunday's in Italy.....it rained for about half the day today, as it did last Sunday in Florence. Although has cleared off now and is predicted to be very nice again the next few days. Has been warm here as well....mid 50-s and honestly, I was taking off my scarf and wishing I could take the liner out of my coat. Glad I did not though as still pretty cool in
the evenings.
Gotta run....hope all had a good holiday!
ging