Bonjour Normandy!

The train rolls into Paris early in the morning. We do the reverse shuffle off the train herding sleepy kids and luggage out of the train station and to the taxi stands. In the infinite wisdom of the railway lines we must disembark our train and change stations to meet up with the train that will take us from Paris to Normandy -the train station is on the opposite side of Paris. So into a taxi van we go.

Rouen Cathedral

The city is still waking up, and it seems like a surreal dream. Finally we are on the regional train from Paris to Rouen - the capital of Normandy - final destination for today.

Why Rouen, we keep getting asked?
Because we have some very dear friends who live there. Forty years ago when Randall and his family were doing one of their year long voyages around the world they met the a French family, who were doing the same thing. And with such likeminded people the family friendship has stayed in place through all the years. So, we have come to reconnect with Francoise and Roland and visit their little slice of French countryside in person.

Always the happy traveler!

They meet us at the station, and all I can think is how much I must SMELL after all the sweaty trains. I mean I am wearing the same clothes from 24 hours ago. I've carried bags out of hotels, into taxis, on and off trains, slept in them and to add insult to injury my toothpaste is buried god knows where. What a way to make a first impression! But our friends don't bat an eyelid and welcome us with open arms and drive us to their house for a light lunch, which turns out to be a delicious feast. Lucky us to be visiting one of the best chefs in Normandy. All the weight I've lost with the illness' on the earlier part of the trip will certainly be rectified in our three day stay.

Afterwards we get dropped off in a beautiful park near the heart of Rouen, while we wait for our B&B to be ready, and do a brief exploration of this fantastic medieval city. To be honest we are far too shellshocked from our train journey to take in most of it. There is so much to see here, a city that is the burial place of Richard the Lionhearted, saw the burning of Joan of Arc and was passed back and forth between the English and French and Dukes of Normandy for hundreds of years. Too tired today to make much of all this history - but we do make it to the fantastic cathedral.

The Rouen Cathedral is truly magnificent. There was a church built on this site from at least the 4th century AD, although the Viking raids of the 9th century (Rouen straddles the Seine river giving them easy access with their long boats) destroyed most of the buildings in the area.
The cathedral that stands here today is a living testament to gothic architecture. It was started in the 12th century and looms over the town like a dark and airy reminder of the power of church and god. It has been added on to over the centuries, but always keeping with the same flavor of grandeur. In fact it was named the tallest building in the world in the 1870's with the addition of the cast iron spire of the lantern tower. It was partially destroyed in the WWII bombings but was lovingly restored by residents of the town and still stands today, not as a reminder of the past - the entire old city of Rouen is a testament of the cities varied past - but of the religious and communal strength of the city.

Inside it is deliciously cool. A welcome reprieve from the sunny heat of the mid afternoon sun. The ceiling is so high above us you can't help but look up, and looking up is good for the soul! The kids and I go on a hunt to find the tomb of Richard the Lionhearted who's heart is buried here amongst the countless other tombs of crusaders, kings and notables. Eventually we find his tomb, no great distinction from the other ones around him, simply a crusader who died after a wound from a cross bow became septic; not a way I'd want to die, but back then it was pretty common. He ruled England, Normandy, Aquitaine (courtesy of his famous mother Eleanor) and various other lands for a mere ten years, but still lives on in legends.

Knights of the Crusades

The kids take a rest, pretending to be knights of the third crusades while I marvel at the huge organs of the cathedral. I would so love to hear these played! Imagine the acoustics in this giant shell of stone. I can only imagine that it would be awe inspiring!



Back outside we finally check in to our little B&B (which is just around the corner from our friends) and are delighted by the surprise find! Le Chambre Avec Vue - an apt name for this delightful gem of a B&B! Despite the fact that we have to climb three flights of creaky wooden stairs we have the entire top floor to ourselves - three bed rooms, two bathrooms and a view over the gardens to the entire old city below. A dream come true!

After a shower (oh yes, a blessed shower!!) we walk back to our friends house for an evening of divine food and laughter and comfort. Bonjour France, what a way to welcome us!

Le Chambre Avec Vue

Our friends have offered to take us on a tour of local Normandy tomorrow. I can't wait to dive into a new place and history. As we walk back through the twilight streets of ancient Normandy a wonderful feeling of peace comes over me. The family is happy, we are surrounded by friends and good food. Love is abundant. Bring on tomorrow, life is good.

Ahhh, goodbye beautiful Florence (and the night train from hell to Paris)

Goodbye beautiful Florence and Italy....

It's the morning of our last day in Italy. Tonight we board the overnight train from Florence to Paris.

But there is a bit of housekeeping to tend to before any pursuit of happiness can begin. With our Eurail passes being stolen I must make my way to the carbinierri station in Florence to have a report made for our insurance. Ooooo, this is so how I want to spend my last morning in Italy!

Not.

Just in case you didn't believe me!

I leave the kids with Randall and head out in search of the Police station. It's a long, long wait. Stuck in a room with fake leather seats, one newspaper and lots of people waiting their turn. But you know the old saying, if you can't get out of something, get into it! So I embraced my little adventure. There was the couple, obviously lovers - need I say more. Then there was the old man who didn't speak a word of English but insisted on talking to me nonstop. I felt quite proud (and exhausted) that I was able to keep up with the conversation and we were able to "chat" about our trip and his dog. All the while I was fascinated by the dress code here. Italians love their clothes, and wear some amazing creations! The top pick for me this morning was the man in the purple pants wearing lime green shoes and a plaid blazer that matched. Wowzers. I snuck a photo in on my iphone just to prove it was indeed the truth.

After a two hour wait I am ushered into a little room with a very nice police man. Unfortunately he does not speak English at all. I try my best, but he doesn't want to put anything in a report that he is not completely sure of. I try the translation ap for my iphone. We get slightly further. After half an hour he calls in another officer who speaks a little English (why didn't we do this 30 minutes ago?) and finally I have a police report. Hallelujah! Let's just hope the travel insurance keeps their end of the bargain.

As I walk through the lovely old streets of Florence I realize I am feeling a bit sad. Even though we have been traveling for weeks I feel like it's going too fast. There has been such an immense amount of history, culture and life to assimilate; but it's almost like a drug addiction, I don't want it to end. Luckily we still have nearly two weeks, but that will fly by.....

Beautiful Florence

I get back to the hotel just before the troops arrive home from their morning out. They've been shopping and eating and checking out more of Florence.

I am very keen to hike up to the Piazzale Michelangelo to see some views over the city and get a perspective of the city from on high... The kids are troopers and hike up past the old medieval walls to the gardens without too much fuss.

The gardens that we hike through are lovely, roses and lilies and other beautiful flowers. Even in a city their is always room for beauty.

There are many interesting things to be seen in the gardens of Florence

View from the Piazzale Michelangelo

For me to get a glimpse of the ancient medieval walls that once surrounded all of Florence was a highlight. Just imagine five hundred years ago, these stone walls would have completely surrounded the city, protecting it from outside invaders and keeping the citizens safe. Most European cities would have been constructed like this and I wonder what it looked like back in the day, a city completely ringed by these walls. (Oh wait, Dubrovnik, it hasn't been that long since we've seen a complete medieval town with walls in tact.) I am not sure if it would have made me feel claustrophobic living within walls that can keep me in, or shut me out; but back then people would have had a very real and intense need for this kind of safely, and hopefully a trust of their government that would be something like a child to a parent. If the art and architecture of this medieval city are a gage on the atmosphere of a city, then you could reason the people would not have been feeling trapped, but soaring.

Looking down on Ponte Vecchio and the Arno river

The views are amazing from the Piazzale Michelangelo. Built on one of the highest hills in Florence the grand Piazzale offers views all around. Dedicated to Florence's favoured son, Michelangelo, it was built in the 1800's and has replica statues of the David and others to commemorate Michelangelo's contribution to the art world.

meditating

It's the first day that it feels really hot, at least the first since we have been in Europe. Before heading back down we take refuge in the cool, cool church of San Minioto al Monte. This church is dedicated to St. Minus who was beheaded on the banks of the Arno by the Roman Emperor Diocletian for being a christian - apparently once beheaded he picked up his head and marched up this hill before dying on the spot that the church is built on. Consecration of this church began in the 10th century (there was a humble chapel before it) and the inside has incredible mosaics from the 13th century. It's a cool calming place. The kids are happy to sit on the old wooden benches and meditate for a while, while Randall and I take in the history of the ancient art work. But we must keep moving.

San Minioto al Monte

coming out the door of the San Minioto al Monte Church

To come out of the delicious coolness of the church into the bright light with all of Florence at your feet is quite sensory overload. Florence is spread out like a delicious table cloth of red tiled roofs and gardens. The hills of Tuscany are green in the distance. It's like being in a painting yourself.

Post fruit slushy, the amazing light is so beautiful.

Rape of the Sabine

After trailing around the tombs and crypts of the church we rewards the kids (big and small alike!) with some fruit slushy to keep us cool on our way back down into the city. One last stroll through the old town of Florence. A little shopping - the kids all spent their money on some amazing looking feather pens with calligraphy tips and proper ink - and we walk through the Piazza della Signoria one last time. A last viewing of the the loggia with it's amazing statues, and an early dinner for us. Lasagna, pizza and a cold beer. Mmmm, the perfect ending to our day. We're ready to haul our baggage down the labyrinthine hotel to the waiting taxis and train station.

Piazza della Signoria

one last pet of their favorite statue!

This time we have seats together (courtesy of the mental train italia worker from the night before). I'm still not a big fan of train travel but so far so good.

We get to Milan and have an hours lay over. Bad planning on my part - we arrive at 10pm and everything is closed. So sitting in a cafe having a late night snack with the kiddos to pass the time didn't work out at all. Instead we create a medieval fortress wall using our luggage. (How did we end up with this much luggage? I worked so hard to keep it down!)

Finally the train arrives. Late by half an hour. And the mad rush is on. People start rushing towards the train. Pushing and shoving to get on. Jeeze. Will it really leave without us, or are all these people used to the trains in Africa that do leave while people are still climbing on board. After being told to get into the wrong side of the train we manage to get all bags/kids on board and haul them to our room. We'll say room, although sardine can is more like it. And given Juliet's age is less than five they have not assigned her a bunk. So even though we have a six berth room, there are actually seven people sleeping here. We discover that we are sharing with a very large man from North Africa. The poor man must have been seriously sad when he saw us coming with all our bags and children. What luck on his part to get stuck with us! He was very nice and helped us store our bags in what little room we could manage. I so wish we had a picture, as this is by far the most crammed we have ever spent a night, ever. Bar none. By the time the kids and bags were stowed (Clara and Juliet crammed into a bunk that could only fold down part way due to the suitcase) Randall and I are soaked through in sweat and both a bit grumpy. This is going to be a long, long night. So what are a pair of travelers to do, we pull out the last of the lemoncello and stand in the train hallway and toast to the adventures of travel. Good, bad and sweaty.

Arrivederci beautiful Italy. It's been wonderful.

As the night landscape passes us by sometime in the night we cross into France....

Florence - Renaissance city of the Medici's

Florence - Renaissance city of the Medici's

Can we have breakfast here?

Teeheeheee...... We giggle our way through Florence. The girls think it is just hilarious how all the statues are in the nude. Oh mummy, I see another willy! Teeheehee.....

Ah yes, we must be in Florence!

After sleeping off all the rich food and gelato from the night before we get off to a bit of a slow start in the morning. We are booked on the last of our Context Travel tours for children of the trip, but we are not meant to meet our guide Monica until late afternoon. We have what's left of the morning and midday to explore Florence on our own and decide to wander into the old town of Florence and see what we can see on foot, and maybe buy a suitcase to hold all the extra "stuff" we have accumulated during the last six weeks of travel!

Florence, the heart of Tuscany, famous for it's rich history and culture, does not disappoint, it was one of the wealthiest cities of medieval times. Straddling the banks of the Arno River, it was originally founded by the Romans in the century before Christ, but didn’t really come into its full swing until the 1000’s ad when Florence’s very powerful rival Pisa was crushed by their other rival Genoa, and the Florentine people rose up in an anti aristocratic movement and were able to establish a republic of sorts.  Being a strong mercantile city-state the guilds of each profession rose up around the city wielding much power. The wool guild in particular.

the Naked Man from the Piazza

Walking from our hotel by the Pitti Palace, across the Arno River on the Ponte Vecchio, “the old bridge” it was quite easy to simply meander into the heart of the city. We found ourselves in the main square of Piazza della Signoria. “A massive holding tank for tourists”, is how the Lonely Planet guide describes it, and right they are. It’s hard to believe, but the crowds of American tourists seem to be even greater than Venice during the America’s cup. Holy moly, that’s crowded, but still worth it for the splendor of the scene! Created in the 13^th century, the Piazza may be a swarming tourist nest now, but back in the high times of the Florentine renaissance this was the hub of all political activity. The public would be summoned here to vote on critical matters, and listen to political orators.

As we start making our way through the crowd to get a closer look at the statues lining the piazza I catch my first giggle glimpse. Standing in a third story open window was a completely nude man, posing and flexing his naked body for the entire piazza to see. I couldn’t stop giggling, certainly not the norm when it comes for views. Too bad I had my iphone and not the telephoto camera that Randall uses - sorry girls!

In front of "Perseus and Medusa"

Once I had overcome my little fit of giggles, and was able to focus on navigating the crowd, I caught up with Randall and the big kids who had made it safely across the piazza without getting trampled by the herd of tourists and were admiring the statues in the Loggia della Signoria. Originally a platform for public ceremonies, the Loggia is home to the more famous of the statues on the Piazza. It was hard to decide which was more moving. Having read so much history and heard so many stories about mythology over the past few months the kids were completely cued in on the stories behind the statues. Look, there’s Perseus and Medusa! That must be Hercules and centaur! A few stumped them, but that’s why we have a guide later on in the day.

The amazing artistry that went into these statues is incredible. The attention to detail, the facial expressions, even the sense that the clothing (where there is clothing) is moving in the breeze is what makes it so lifelike.

When I was a little girl my dad used to tell me the story of "Michelangelo and perfection". I don’t know if it’s true or not, but looking at these statues I feel compelled to share it!

The story goes that Michelangelo was hard at work on one of his magnificent marble statues and three young statesmen came to visit him.

“Ah, Michelangelo, what an artist you are!”

“Brilliant, genius!” they exclaim.

Michelangelo acknowledges them and goes back to his sweaty work.

A month passes and once again the same three young men come to visit Michelangelo in his workshop and this time they are irate to find that the great artist is still slaving away on the same statue.

“What have you been doing Michelangelo? The statue is nearly the same as it was before, why do you waste your time when you could be making the next masterpiece?” exclaims one of the men.

Michelangelo stops and dusts off his hands and walks over the young men.

“Do you see the angle of the chin? Does it not look more lifelike? Or the fold in the robe, does that not look more fluid? And the veins in the arms?”

“Ah, these are mere trifles!” sputtered the youth.

“Yes, these are but trifles!” shouted Michelangelo, “but these trifles added up make up perfection, and perfection is no trifle!”

Upon which he went back to his work and became one of the greatest artist ever to live.

Whether it's true or not, looking at these statues in front of me, makes that story come to life and happen before my eyes. It takes that dedication to detail - to spend a month sweating over a jawline - to achieve this level of artistry. It is probably why tourists from all over are so drawn to it, especially in today’s throw away, next please, society.

And so we pass out of the Piazza, we’ll be back later with the guide, and head for a little shopping. All the purchases have strained our four suitcases to the breaking point, so I relent on my four-bag policy and we buy a shiny new suitcase. Liam gets the honors of carrying it back through Florence to our hotel. A lesson Randall tells him about how easy travel is these days. Liam enjoys his Sherpa status and soon we are repacked and ready to meet our guide.

Rape of the Sabine

We meet the guide back at the Piazza del Signoria, most specifically the Loggia, where we get an overview of the Florentine history and the kids get to ask her all sorts of questions about the statues and the meaning behind them. Our guide Monica, at first seemed like she’d been hit by a steamroller. But then, the kids can have that effect, especially when they have the bit between their teeth. “But what is the story behind the “Rape of the Sabine?” asks Clara. We are all blushing. That is one thing about learning history and art at a young age. You discover some of the less Disney-like aspects of life. But Monica pulled it off and was able to tell the story of the statue so that we were all happy! Again, so happy to have a guide! (The Sabine’s were a neighboring tribe to the ancient Romans, and when they ancient Romans had a shortage of women they threw a huge party, got the Sabine men drunk and carried off their women.) It’s a stunning statue, with three figures all carved out of the same piece of marble.

Ponte Vecchio

Moving along we head by the to-scale replica of Michelangelo’s David outside the Uffuzi gallery. The kids get the story of David and Goliath and want to go inside to see the real one, but alas, with time limited standing in line for hours is not going to be on our agenda. We’ll save it for the next time we visit Florence, and also when the kids are older. 

We head down to the Arno river to view the Ponte Vecchio, the bridge we’ve been crossing each time we walk into the historical center of Florence. It was originally a Roman bridge and had been swept away a few times by floods before this bridge was constructed out of solid stone in 1345 and has been Florence’s main bridge ever since.
Just as in medieval times the bridge still has stores open in it. Originally lined with the town’s butchers (so they could throw their offal into the Arno) but when Cosimo D’Medici built his famous Vasari Corridor (a private Corridor that crosses half of medieval Florence which allowed him access from his Palace on the other side of the Arno directly to government buildings without going out in public) he forbade the butchers to sell on the bridge anymore and invited the goldsmiths to inhabit the stalls, upping the prestige of the bridge, and of course himself.  And it is such an unspoiled, beautiful reminder of life in the renaissance, that when the Nazi troops were pulling out of Florence in their big retreat they blew up all the bridges along the Arno - but Hitler gave express orders that the Ponte Vecchio would be saved. Thank goodness for that!

guild of the stone masons

Il Porcellino

We wind back down into Florence, to a side we haven’t seen yet. Moving through the older part of town we pass the Mercato Nuovo, a covered market dating back from the 12^th century that merchants originally sold luxury items at, but now houses all sorts leather, t shirts and other touristy stuff. The best part is the statue of Il Porcellino, the wild boar of Florence. As legend goes if you put a coin in the snout of the boar and give it a good rub you will be guaranteed to return to Florence. Needless to say the kids were all over that; Liam even parting with some of his hard earned coins to do it more than once. Il Porcellino has stood guard over the market since the 1500’s so even though his body is a patina of old bronze, his snout is as shiny as can be. Imagine all the tourists who have rubbed this nose over the years.

Heading further into the heart of the old city we pass through some of the oldest buildings, mainly the guilds of the renaissance time. The guilds were secular entities that controlled the various trades of the city (think wool guild, doctor and pharmacist’s guild etc) and had huge influence in the matters of government and the life within the city. There is an amazing building that was erected where each of the guilds were able to decorate a different niche with their own patron saint and symbols that represented their guild and what they brought to the table. My particular favorite, and this is probably no surprise, is the stonemason’s guild with its ornate statues and beautiful portrayal of a renaissance art studio.

The kids were beginning to drift a bit with the overloading of Art and Architecture we have loaded them with today so we take a quick break watching the street artist recreate the famous painting of the girl with the pearl earring with sidewalk chalk. Pretty dagnab amazing.

Art of all kinds is still alive in Florence.

We enter the Piazza della Repubblica, site of the ancient Roman forum, and today a glamorous piazza for enjoying a cappuccino and watching the world go by. The girls rush ahead when they hear live music, and have an impromptu dance session to a band called “The Rom Dracs”, a Romanian trio playing a smattering of classical and popular Italian songs. We bought their cd and I will never think of the song Volare again without seeing my two little girls dancing with complete abandon with the beautiful town of Florence as the backdrop. Forget history, this is the heart and soul of joy, may we never lose the ability to be in the moment and spontaneously enjoy a moment that has been given to us.

But as the band closes up, we have to guide the kids carefully through the stalls that are being set up, lest they realize that tomorrow is the gelato festival. I will never be forgiven if we don’t attend it, and I don’t think it starts until about the time that our train will be pulling out of the Florence station. Oh dear.

Il Duomo

At last we have reached the end of our journey. The Duomo of Florence!

In front of the Duomo

Begun in 1296 in the gothic style and finished in 1436 with Fillipo Brunelleschi's famous dome as the crowning peak. A revolutionary new design in the renaissance period, the dome was, until the advent of modern building materials, the largest in the world. The Duomo is one of Italy’s largest churches and beautiful and unique in it’s own way. And facing it is something that steals the kid’s imaginations, especially Clara. Anyone who has been to Florence will already know what I am talking about. They are the magnificent bronze doors of the Battistero di San Giovanni, dubbed by Michelangelo himself as “the Gates of Paradise”.

The story of Moses

The building itself stands opposite to the Duomo and was the baptistery where the most notable of Florentine’s would have been baptized, including Dante Alighieri. The spot has been a religious sight for much longer though, dating back to Roman times when there was a temple dedicated to Mars, the god of war. The building is an octagonal shape and there are three sets of Bronze doors, the north and east sides being created by Lorenzo Ghiberti. We spent over an hour examining the east doors, which depict ten stories from the old testament of the bible. Clara quickly picked out Moses and the Ten Commandments; of course, she has quite the vested interest now that she’s been to Mt. Sinai! Our guide is magnificently patient with the kids and answers in detail each question about the different scenes, something I am glad we have her for as each panel depicts an entire story out of the bible, but all in one scene. It is genius how he was able to tell the stories this way, and yet keep it beautiful. It took Ghiberti 27 years of intense work to complete these doors, and it’s truly a masterpiece. And to the common people who would not have been able to read, this would be a way for them to learn the stories of the bible visually.

Finally we must farewell our guide and make some decisions about the rest of the evening. Whether to explore the Duomo surrounds, or get some food?

As we had our Eurail passes stolen I will have to make a trip to the train station to secure our tickets to Paris tomorrow evening, so we opt to walk towards the train station and find ourselves a little pizzaria to sooth the savage stomachs, oh I mean kids, leaving Randall to find their way back to the hotel and me to haggle with the Italian train employees. Not the best experience of my life, I might add. First the line is over an hour to get to the counter. Second the grey haired Italian man does not seem to be happy to working tonight; he speaks a little English and after more than two weeks in Italy I have workable Italian. And when the inevitable miscommunication of dates happens and he has to reenter the new dates the man flies OFF the handle, cursing all Americans vehemently and shouting at me to go to the end of the line. Oh no, not another hour wait because somebody is a control freak! So I pull out my New Zealand passport and look sorrowfully at him. The most amazing transformation comes over him and he is suddenly my best friend, offering all sorts of advice, circling all of the train numbers and times etc. He heaps loving praise on New Zealand and we wave goodbye to each other like old friends. Sometimes you just have to stay in the moment and enjoy the ride. Haha…. Gotta love it.

post train station back rub - kids rock!!!

And that is how I happen to find myself walking back along the Arno river at sunset admiring the views and the peaceful nature of just being (ie not constantly alert to the chance that one of the kids will run in front of a car, or some such fate). I arrive home to the hotel, mounting the 96 something steps, and collapse on the bed. Luckily the kids are awake and decide that tonight is massage night, giving me the nicest welcome home present!

After they are all settled Randall and I sneak up to the top of the hotel to take in the air and wow. A panoramic view of Florence at night is spread before us. The main buildings lit up like we are in a movie set. It’s a tiny little rooftop deck, but just perfect for us to sneak our bottle of Lemoncello up to and toast to our wonderful adventure thus far. We have the day in Florence tomorrow before heading out to the second to last country of the trip – France!!!!

And what a place to end our day in Florence

Arrivederci Venice, Buon Giorno Florence

Venice to Florence – It’s Liam’s 10^th birthday!

St Mark's Square in the rain

When you sleep in a room that was inhabited by nuns in the 10^th century (and has been in continuous use ever since) there are a few ghost bound to be lurking about. As much as I enjoyed every minute of our stay I had some bizarre dreams; some of which involved me being a nun. Hmmmm.

Liam's still on the Lion Hunt

The day has dawned dark with heavy rain. It’s a good thing that we got our Lion Hunt out of the way yesterday. Now that we are familiar with the city we can explore it in our own fashion. With the America’s Cup finished and the horrible weather upon us it feels like a completely different city. Coming out onto St Marks Square, on our way to the Arsenal, there are a few groups of tourists rushing about under their umbrellas, but no sight of the crowds of yesterday. Ah, Venice; a city with mercurial moods.

Liam has wanted to see the Arsenal ever since he heard about it yesterday from our guide Erika. The Arsenal was Venice’s massive ship building works and it was at the heart of Venice’s success as a merchant navy. Long, long before the industrial age Venice had employed the ideas of the assembly line and standardised parts to create an amazing factory site that employed over 16,000 people. It created both the merchant ships and the navy that created and supported the most serene republic of Venice, and all her vast trading routes. Starting around 1100 AD, it hit it’s peak with Venice in the 13^th and 14^th century when the Arsenal could manufacture a ship a day, and innovating the latest seafaring technology to sustain the might it had over seas. Pretty impressive. Today it is no longer a ship building facility, but home to the Italian navy.

Outside the Porta Magna of the Arsenale

After a few wrong turns we find our way to the Arsenal’s main gate, the Porta Magna, flanked by some impressive Lions. No open book for the beautiful Venetian Lion that stands proudly on top of this gate. No, his book is closed; the ships built here were not for PAX, but for war!

Walking the rainy streets, with the Arsenale wall to our right.

Liam desperately wants to see inside and even gets the courage to go and ask the military guard. But no, it is a military base and no civilians are allowed in. Too bad, it’s a unique insight into the history of Venice. But the walk in the rain is stimulating and the kids enjoy jumping in every puddle they see.

Soon our feet are sore – we’ve tracked quite a few kilometres over the past month – and so we decide to hop on the waterbus and see where it takes us. I want to go to Murano, the island that is so famous for it’s glass works. But alas, I get us onto a waterbus that goes in the wrong direction. Ooops.

St Mark's square from the water

Instead we decide to sit down and take in the views of the city from the water. Which is the medium that Venice is built to impress form. So many churches and palaces! What must the ancient traders - coming from their walled medieval strong holds - have thought of the delicate and ornate opulence of renaissance Venice?

you never know what treasure you will find around the next corner

Without great beauty in their landscape, the Venetians shaped beauty from their own creativity. When you bop along the choppy waters and look around at the man made grandiosity there is a feeling of specialness that over comes you. Mostly I feel humbled by grand vistas from mountaintops or waterfalls or sunsets, but here these innovative people were able to engineer the same feeling; so hats off to them, the Venetians, proud by culture, mind and deeds.

After the water taxi takes us the length of the city we meander back through the town, heading in the general direction of our hotel, but not caring if we take a circular route. The charm of Venice is in getting lost and seeing the random sights along the way. A black cat sitting atop an ancient wall, an old lady closing her shutters against the rain. And of course finding off the beaten track places to try the pizza.

Far too soon it’s time to get our backpacks from the hotel and make our way to the train station. We are all a little sad to be leaving so soon. Randall and I both think this is a city that needs a full two to three days to be in, to be able to fully soak in the culture.

“I am going to live here someday, says Clara!” Of course she’s said that about most of the towns we’ve visited in Italy so far. But then, I wouldn’t put it past her.

the courtyard of our 10th century b&b

We make it to the train station in plenty of time, only to discover that our Eurail passes have been stolen from my backpack. Damn it! A whole lot of shuffling around occurs before we finally just buy tickets and barely make the train. Unfortunately the tickets we get spread the six of us out over four different train cars, not exactly ideal when there are only two adults. Luckily we meet a super nice Mormon family from Utah who take us in and share their seats with us. And over the next few hours between Venice and Florence we chat away like old friends. It’s my favourite thing about travel: meeting strangers and discovering the commonalities that we all share. By the time the train slowly stops I have relaxed somewhat and we are excited about our next destination – Florence.

The birthday boy with his Venetian Lion tie

Off the train we take two cabs to our next hotel, part of an old palace that is just a short walk out of the main touristy part of town. We arrive and discover that we have to walk up 90 stairs to the hotel, and once checked in at the main lounge, we have to walk about 40 stairs down the internal stairwell of the hotel to get to our room. Um, OK. I guess we’ll be fit after our three nights in Florence. At least there is a luggage lift for the first part, and some strong bellboys who manage to get our bags to our room. Crickey Dickens, mate, it was some feat!

It’s a bit later than we had planned, but we are all dressed up in our finest clothes and Randall takes us all out to a fancy dinner to celebrate Liam’s real birthday. He chooses a restaurant that is right on the Arno River, looking across at the old town. The food is superb, the kids in awe of the fancy restaurant and we can all relax that the hassle of European train travel is over, for a few days at least. And we can all discuss the fun of exploring a new city and the culture that comes along with it.

After dinner we treat Liam with as much gelato as he can eat. He orders the most massive cone ever constructed and begins chowing down; completely oblivious to the fact that we are standing on the edge of the Ponte Vecchio, the most famous bridge in Florence, or indeed anything other than the massive cone of sugar and cream in front of him. Some Japanese tourists ask him to pose for them so they can record this monument to Florentine gelato, not sure if they could see his face over the cone but they were very pleased with their photographic find.

Liam's massive gelato!

Amazingly he finishes the whole thing and walks up the 90 stairs with one heck of a bellyache. It’s midnight and we are knackered; straight to be for all of us. It is hard to believe that just this morning we were riding on the canals of Venice and now we are landlocked in the heart of Renaissance Italy – Florence.