Sometimes you get lucky. On our Milan - Hong Kong flight we enjoyed the luxury of extra space in premium economy seats. It was heavenly and the time went by painlessly. Before we knew it we were disembarking for the next 5 hour transit at Hong Kong Airport where we managed to nab some reclining lounges for some much needed napping. Back to cattle class for the final leg, but we made it safely home, bleary eyed after a good dose of many movies and much good food. We landed at midnight looking forward to our beds, but somehow we couldn't come down from our high. We ended up reminiscing till dawn on our patio, then slept like logs till midday. Home, sweet, sweaty hot home. The holiday is over.
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On the way to the cathedral we walked through the fabulous Galleria Vittorio Emanuele and each took a spin on the bull's testicles just to give us some extra good luck for the year. We had worn our red underwear on New Year's Eve and rubbed the snout of the boar which is the symbol of Tuscany, but you can never have too much luck so we did as the locals have been doing for years. The bull in the central mosaic of the floor is from the Turin Coat of Arms and the tradition is to place the right heel on "the spot" and spin three times to bring good luck. The shopping arcade is a huge 19th century construction of glass and iron and houses luxury shops and restaurants which we did not try out. Instead we found our way to Via Fiori Chiari, a charming pedestrian street of lovely cafes and bars and trattorias. We ate in a great little place made cheery with its red checkered table cloths and welcoming hosts who took great pleasure in our (what we thought as improving) Italian. Day two in Milan dawned with a chill, but after a hearty breakfast, compliments of our hotel, we braved the cold and set out to explore more of the fashion capital of the world. The January sales beckoned from every window and Tony got himself a beautiful wool suit at a bargain too good to refuse. Restrained by luggage limits we had to turn a blind eye to the shop windows and made our way to Storzesco Castle, one of the few castles in Italy not built on a hill, and then enjoyed a pleasant walk in the nearby park. The last day of any holiday is always tinged with sadness, but we packed our bags stoically and enjoyed our final dinner in Italy with much toasting to happy times and happy memories. Tomorrow we fly home.
Our last few days have been filled with last minute shopping (oh, the glorious new year sales) and trying to squeeze in all those sites we thought we had plenty of time to do. But somehow time has run out. Florence is so full of art and history and beauty that you cannot see it all in four weeks. We also keep discovering new little restaurants and cafes which look so enticing. Last night we ate in one nearby which until now we had only gone to for coffee (at €1.20 for a cup of deliciously strong cappuccino you gotta love it). Don't know why we didn't try it sooner for a meal as the food was superb. Artichokes are our new favourite food. Florence has also been a nice central base from which to easily reach other great places. We can walk to the train station in less than 10 minutes and with the wonderful rail system, places like Rome and Venice are only a couple of hours away, or less. Yes, Florence was a very good choice for us. We have walked this city so much that we feel we know every street and nook and cranny (and shop keeper) intimately. There are a few streets we have to avoid due to promises made of returning later to purchase certain items which someone spent hours trying on. Not mentioning any names, but thanks a lot Molly. :) The weather has been most kind with a lot of sunshine and mild temperatures. The few wet days have not prevented us doing what we wanted (always a good day for a museum) and the very cold days were welcome as we could don our fine warm clothing and still feel snug. And after all our walks, shopping, museum hopping and explorations, we always had our wonderful, warm apartment to which we could retreat and relive the day's adventures through our photos and conversations over a nice glass of Chianti. Today, the 6th January, is a public holiday with great fanfare in Florence. It is Epiphany, the 12th day of Christmas and one on which Italian children celebrate the arrival of La Befana, a good witch. We had forgotten this as we did a final trek up the long staircase to Piazzale Michelangelo to take a last look across the rooftops of this lovely city. We gave a farewell toast in the shadow of the bronze David and headed back to the heart of the city.
With another perfect weather forecast for today our plan was to walk the Cinque Terre trail, but our research said the the trail is closed and not expected to re-open until spring of this year. Feeling a bit down-hearted we made an alternate plan to visit Lucca instead. Turns out we hit gold. Lucca is lovely, especially under a crisp blue winter sky. We caught an early morning train and spent the first part of the day walking along the walls of this beautiful laid back town, enjoying the winter sunshine and the fantastic views of the surrounding countryside and the snow-capped mountains beyond. Many of the locals were also out strolling and cycling along the wide, tree-lined path atop these walls which were built around the old city in the 16th and 17th centuries. They are 12 metres high and in almost perfect condition due to the long periods of peace the city has enjoyed over its history. We walked the entire four kilometres, but punctuated our journey with a side trek into the lovely streets full of interesting shops, churches and restaurants. We took our daily dose of spaghetti and wine at a lovely outdoor cafe overlooking a square where teenagers seemed to be engaged in some sort of dance competition. Feeling very mellow and relaxed, we wound our way through the maze of cobblestone streets back to re-climb the walls and continue our circumnavigation of the the city.
This may not have been the Cinque Terre, but we still had a magnificent day and consider ourselves lucky to have seen Lucca. |
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