Winter Wonderland????

As we left Florence the sky was very low and it started to snow, just lightly and mixed with drizzle, but snow nonetheless......a portent of things to come I wondered?

And again at Florence Airport we were reminded that travel is a wonderful thing to do......experiences being the spice of life, but it does have downsides .....one of which is running the check-in / security gauntlet.

In our travels we have become quite used to waiting at the airport (preferring to be early rather than late and understanding that on a "moving day" you just have to write it off) as well as being used to doing the security "thing." In this day and age it is line up, strip down, deposit all your personal belongings in a tray to be x-rayed etc and then get dressed again with Wendy handing me my clothes, all with a crowd of people, all doing the same thing...and without much dignity!

Usually it is me that is targeted for a "pat down" and explosives swab but this time, and unusually I think for Italy, we struck quite an officious security group hell bent on checking us to the nth degree. Although I still got my obligatory (and much looked forward to I might say) "touch up", it was Wendy and her carry-on luggage that was singled out for extra attention......and it took her by surprise...and I didn't have anyone to hand me my clothes. What a shambles!

.....but wait....there's more!

The flight information board listed our flight at 6.25pm....even at 7.00pm....and then 8.00pm and later it changed to 10.30 pm...only a four-hour delay....and then joy, we are boarding.........but, no (sad trombone) ........we are CANCELLED!!! 

Well, I wish I could have taken a picture of the faces...😕😠😫😳😤😠☹️😡😡😡😠😡😠☹️.....

and quote some of the language......€£#+%%#¥¥!!!! .....which really didn't need any translation!

I won't bore you with the details but long lines of angry people getting re- allocated flights for following days and bussed to the hotel for their overnight stay before trying again tomorrow. We spoke to an airport person who suggested that Florence airport at this time of year is renowned for fog, wind, rain (all of which we had) and lots of cancellations...all of which we saw. Air France, British Airways, Alitalia and a host of others all cancelled due to the conditions ...and the location of the airport...one small runway and a mountain in front of it to boot.....and the next day would be the same! I thought they were a bit practised at handing out vouchers!

So, on the advice of this very helpful airport employee we booked on another airline from Pisa, a bit over an hour away with a bigger airport. Then we organised a car and driver to take us there..... with a guided tour of the region along the way. Good, we thought with a smirk, got it sorted

But wait....there's more!

Text message from the airline in Pisa.......flight CANCELLED!      What????😳
In a blind panic, called the driver we hired and who was due in an hour.....no go....it's cancelled! Sorrrrrright.  

Checked the website for the flight from Florence......no prizes for guessing......CANCELLED!
Dashed downstairs to the lobby to garner the latest info.......yes, CANCELLED.....you're all here for another night.......two days lost...........noooooooooooo! 😫

As it turns out Amsterdam and the airport were experiencing their worst storm in quite a few years. The wind, snow and atrocious conditions not only closed the airport to all flights but, according to the Dutch people in our group of strandees, the centre of Amsterdam was in a code red (which we were assuming is bad) and people advised not to go outside unless absolutely necessary.

Well, we didn't want this.....

And we certainly didn't want this.......

So, all we could do was wait it out.

Florence. the cradle of the Rennaisance

'It was a pre-dawn start on our long day of travel involving planes, trains and automobiles....but we all reached our destinations safely. After a long, windy, hairpin drive down to Venice from the mountains (which seemed to glow, eerily magnificent in the light of an almost full moon) Michael and Wendy flew to Dublin and we caught the fast train to Florence. It was comfortable enough in first class, watching the landscape slip by.....still foggy in the afternoon low sun. Across the aisle were two American  "Baby Boomer" couples (loud but not offensive) re-living their youthful back-packing days according to Wendy....because they were struggling under the weight of their flash, bulging packs!

Florence from the Michelangelo gardens on our fine day...but brisk!

It was a fairly gloomy afternoon but we spent it on a reconnoitre of the city, getting our bearings and stretching our legs....and finding stuff around every corner.

Cakes, cakes and more cakes....and mountains of gelato....mmmmmmm!

We are fairly centrally located in the Hotel Hugo (only five flights of stairs up) and found the famous cathedral with that magnificent Brunellesci dome just down the street past all the restaurants. We were overwhelmed with all the museums and "points of interest" as we found or way past the Ponte Vecchio to the Christmas markets in the Santa Croce plaza!

The Ponte Vecchio from the Ponte St. Trinita......early morning.

Santa Croce markets. We lunched there on the second day.....kebab awful, wurst repeated on us and the churro was potato.....which we put cinnamon on!

We made it an early night (earlier than usual!) as we were both dog tired and I wanted to be up bright and early for my two hour personal photo tour (which was a birthday present from Nick, Erin and Cindy) the next day.

Unfortunately rain intervened  so we made the most of our time visiting just a few of the dozens of museums and churches on offer waiting for the weather to improve. 

We had known that it was going to be a public holiday long weekend during our stay in  Florence but, we had no idea, and I mean not a clue about how large and closely packed the crowds would be. The pushing and shoving, the absolute lack of personal space in the seething, flowing tide of humanity threatened to carry us far from where we were planning to go.......and those umbrellas....I don't how many times we almost had an eye "put out!"

The crowds on the wet public holiday weekend. We got separated a couple of times and Wendy said she just got "swept away" ...like she was in a rip or something!

Christmas lights in the rain. The city is crowded but well decorated and the rain, although a nuisance, sort of adds to the atmosphere.

The line into the Uffizi museum for the 2.00 pm session (for which we had diligently purchased tickets) snaked around the corner, across the square and up a small lane .......what the $&@:,,""£%##! How many tickets for 2.00pm had they sold??!!

So, ....nothing to do but get ourselves into a small guided tour ......and it turned out to be a really good decision. It was one of the most informative, educational and entertaining tours we have ever been on, led by an Art History teacher from New York....and she was brilliant!

The main hall of the Uffizi

We were immersed in the history of Florence from Roman times and the influence of the Medici family on the Renaissance. The museum has one of the world's finest collections of the expression of this rediscovery of realistic and natural art forms from the Greeks and Romans that had been lost in Medieval times.

An example of Byzantine art. Religious theme & flat....no real dimension.

We were treated to very detailed explanations of Byzantine art and the development of the Rennaisance through the work Brunesceli, Raphaelo, Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci amongst a host of others too numerous to remember. She demonstrated with illustrations and examples how they used perspective and changes in colour to achieve depth and realism in their works of art signifying an important change in thinking of the time....a more realist approach. And she also entertained us with stories of the human dimensions of their lives including reneging on contracts, plagiarising other artists' work, contracting syphilis .....and the like.

Botticelli's "The birth of Venus"

The Annunciation by Leonardo da Vinci....who actually preferred engineering and making huge weapons of war to painting. He was, it seems, a bit ADHD and often lost interest in a project leaving many unfinished pieces of work....and 15000 pages of drawings and notes! 

The Medici Duke's Private collection- wealth and power.

The fact that we were actually seeing original artworks, sculptures and architecture dating from the 13th and 14th Centuries was quite overwhelming and we were very conscious of the fact that we were witnessing the work of true geniuses.....well ahead of their time and understandings of their society. It did occur to me that Apple has something to answer to, de-valuing the currency of that word with their so called "Genius Bars".......I don't think so!

This is genius!

I did eventually have my "Private Photographic Tour of Florence" on the Friday, even though the heavens continued to open on us. Eva was an excellent tutor and her insights into composition, timing and lense choice for architectural photography was very insightful, especially in an old, tight city like Florence. I was able to "pick her brains" regarding not only her secret photo spots in Florence but also some techniques and settings she uses in low light photography and the couple of hours just flew by. 
I'm glad I jotted down some of her words of wisdom to use later on in Amsterdam and Iceland where the lighting will be....well, challenging.

Ötzi .....and the first real Christmas markets.

Ötzi, the 5000 year old Copper Age mummified man was found by hikers in the 90s exposed when a  glacier was in partial melt during a particularly warm spell. Apparently it was caused by dark sand from the Sahara desert being deposited on the glacier after a huge sandstorm thousand of miles away.
Most people have heard about him (documentaries, National Geographic stories etc) and as it happens he is housed in an excellent museum only a couple of hours drive from MdC so we thought it would be worth a look............and they have fantastic Christmas markets there as well!

Christmas markets...just after a mug of warm Glüwien!

We had a very Christmassy time at the markets....munching on street food (hot chips with melted cheese & bacon bits, ham with melted cheese on warm buns - all very low cal!) drinking Glüwein and admiring the wares. 

I must say however, that the story of Ötzi we experienced in the museum is as fantastic as it is incredible. 

A husband and wife team were hiking on the glacier at about 3200 metres when they came across this object sticking out of the melting ice. They decided it needed to be reported to authorities which they did but unfortunately amateurs decided to dig him out before a professional team of archeologists was able to ensure the scene was explored properly. 

How he was discovered in the early 1990's

His mummified remains...pretty much as we saw them in a special refrigerated room.

When he was eventually removed to a proper scientific establishment and examined by a forensic team they found he wasn't a deserter from the First World War as first thought, or a lost herdsman from centuries ago caught in a blizzard but in fact a perfectly preserved example of a Copper Age man from over 5000 years ago!

Since his discovery, he has been studied in great detail providing an incredible amount of information about how people lived in those days. His clothing and tools/ weapons are fashioned with some sophistication, including exceptionally fine stitching and use of wood, grass, bone and leather.  His diet and health showed that he had the same issues as modern man including high cholesterol, lactose intolerance and arthritis in his knee and ankle joints. We could see where he used tattoos to try and alleviate the pain.

A life size interpretation of how he might have looked. The scientists are pretty sure that given all they know about him that it is a realistic model.

The fact that we could actually see, close up, this person from 5000 years ago through a window in his icy capsule was quite an experience. There is even evidence that he was murdered and he was trying to escape his pursuers through the high pass. A cracked eye socked, a deep gash on his hand and, the dead giveaway ......an arrow head lodged in his back!

But, our time in MdC is coming to a close and we are setting off early tomorrow on the next stage of our trip. Mike and Wendy are off to Ireland and we are heading to Florence on the fast train. We will meet up again in a week's time in Reykjavik, Iceland.

They tell me it is not as cold in Iceland as here....but we'll see. The picture below gives an idea of the local temperatures over the past few days.

The Dolomites

Well, it is cold....I mean freezing, frigid, icy,...... COLD!

We collected our Mercedes (after some booking "clarifications") from Venice after our disembarkation from The Costa Luminosa and headed towards the Alps........brilliant white and shining in the distance. It was a little further/longer than we had anticipated but the journey took us through some magnificent countryside and eventually up to the alpine village of Madonna di Campiglio......via some seriously switchback roads.

Mike and Wendy are experienced in these conditions and therefore prepared but Wendy and I quickly piled on the layers after our first stroll around the town until the cold stopped creeping in to our bones. Visions of "Michelin Man" would not be  out of place!

Mike & Wendy on our first "venture out" after arrival. The layers increased significantly after this!

Our Chalet however, built in the traditional, very wooden style with pine panelling throughout, is very comfortable and, with temperatures at -2 during the day and dropping to  -13 degrees at night, it needed to be.....but that is what ski resorts are all about.

Quite woody - very comfortable.

Madonna di Campiglio is a beautiful village tucked high up at the end of an Alpine valley surrounded by magnificently tall, steep mountains swathed in snaking ski runs with impossible looking descents.
As it is just the beginning of the ski season there are quite a few (but not packed yet) skiers getting around and any number of ski lifts with bubble gondolas giving the skiers access to all the surrounding peaks from anywhere in the village.

View from the top of one of the ski runs.

There were lots and lots of skiers on this more challenging run, from six year olds to veterans, but I was mighty impressed with this bloke on one leg. It is very steep! 

View from our window.

The village itself is very quaint, especially with its  dusting of snow. It straddles a small, frozen river with a pond what is just about ready to serve as an ice skating rink......still a bit soft around the edges though!

The river from a bridge.

Getting about is a bit slippery....and requires some effort dressing and undressing every time you enter a shop, restaurant or residence but there is a surprising number of shops, quality restaurants and skiing type things to do. Already Wendy has found a number of Christmas shops as well as an "Aladdin's Cave" of goodies which I'm sure no amount of cold, ice or snow will deter her from frequenting.

The main square about 4.00pm. The light and temperature drops significantly when the sun goes down.

The Dolomites are quite a spectacular mountain range. They are formed from sedimentary rocks from eons ago being pushed up, mangled and twisted by the mighty forces of tectonic plates colliding to create these magnificent monsters. We were fully intending to visit the top of the mountains to have a closer look but we also noticed that these Europeans live a very sophisticated life and we were intrigued by the label on a local map indicating  a "bar and grill" at the top of the mountain?  So, of course, that would be the mountain we would investigate!

At the top - Dolomites behind.

A gondola ride up (10 Euro round trip and they were empty on the way down ...except for us!) was close by our chalet so off we went to find hundreds of people having a "slap up" meal at the top of this mountain. Not just a sausage sanger either.....hot meals of lasagne, chicken wings, hot chips, salads (not that popular) grilled meats on a skewer (quite popular) all in a cafeteria .....and draught beer whats more.... in big steins.

Lunch

Well, when in Rome!

A Taste of the Balkans

KOTOR - Montenegro

The Winter seas are on, according to our butler Dennis and we are really "rockin 'n rollin" now ......and we have been all night. Apparently you can get free boxes of Quells from the information desk on Deck Two....how thoughtful!

 It's not very cold but there are rain squalls about and plenty of "white caps" as we look out from our balcony. We have been looking forward to our visit to picturesque Kotor located in a long fjord on the coast of Montengro, but given the weather, it was always going to be, well, "atmospheric."

Even with the rain Kotor was a revelation. We had never heard of it before, but, like our visit to Cesky Krumlove in the Czek Republic last year, it tuned out to be a memorable favourite. Tucked away at the end of the fjord, this ancient walled town consists of a jumble of houses and shops jammed between the mountain and the water. It's windy, crooked lanes punctuated with public squares, churches and little shops are towered over by the ancient fort of St John dating from Roman times.

                     A panorama of this beautiful fjord even in inclement conditions.

                       On the way down from the fort in fast fading light.

While the others explored the town ( famous for its cats) I took the challenge of climbing the 1350 rocky steps up to the fort overlooking the village. The fort is at the very top of the cliff and forms part of the ancient walls surrounding it. There are gun emplacements, ammunition stores and a labyrinth of tunnels and battlements that,with pouring rain and fading light I just didn't have time to really explore but did manage to get a couple of shots despite the conditions.

It was certainly worth the effort just for the view and even with the very low sky, rain squalls and terrible light, what greeted those of us who ventured to the top was quite a sight indeed.

                                    Quite a view from the ancient fort of St John.

No one considering visiting this part of the world would be disappointed with a visit to this preserved but modern piece of Montenegro.

SPLIT - Croatia

Well, Dennis the butler was right....the Winter seas are "on" and so much so the ship is not stopping at Split, but heading straight back to Venice early. Apparently the conditions are worsening between Split and Venice with gale strength winds and very rough seas so they have, after careful consideration, decided it would be better to be in port than out at sea in a serious "weather event." It's a shame to miss Split which we were looking forward to visiting .....BUT.....we would really prefer not to take them up on their kind offer of "free Quells" so it's back to Venice for us and the beginning of the next section of our tour.....the Dolomites.

Adriatic Argonauts

It's a mighty ship the Costa Luminosa and mighty comfortable in suite 5202. As tall as a small block of flats with facilities that far exceed "Panthers World of Entertainment" it really is something to behold. With three auditorium theatres,  a number of pool/ spas, loads of restaurants, a pokies area, a gym and spa treatment facility, cafeterias, and bars aplenty (...and a putting green what's more) this is no exhaustive list of the facilities of this floating resort.

And for those of you wondering, well yes, it probably just "shades" the old Bulolo!

We left our very nice hotel in Venice after lunch .....and after a last minute spin around the shops, and with bags and gear in tow we struggled to the St Marks Square wharf and caught the public (read bobbing, crowded, stuffy, overheated)  water shuttle to Venice Port where we were customs and security "processed" along with thousands of others. As "cruising" novices this is where we began to appreciate the scale of these cruise operations where there seemed to be thousands of passengers in this huge waterfront warehouse.

Not to fear though as Michael had organised priority boarding and before long we entered our suite to be greeted by Champaigne, fruit and canapés......nice! 

The  pictures probably say it all but we are feeling a bit spoilt....especially after the silver service dinner and live show just to top off our first day of cruising.

BARI

After a choppy first night (but everyone was well) we docked in Bari ( East coast near the heel of Italy) and headed into the old city which dates back over a thousand years. 

Narrow, windy lanes with cobbles worn to a polished finish over millenia and all the washing hanging out, dangling off the verandahs and covered in plastic against the rain. It appears to be quite a poor area and a bit shabby but the churches, cathedrals and the fort were what we had come to see. The crypts under the churches were Byzantine and there seemed to be relics in all of them, particularly the one dedicated Saint Nicholas.....seemed appropriate given the time of year.

           The church dedicated to St Nicholas - his relics are supposedly buried here.

                                                   The ceiling of the church.

We had a day at sea after Bari and Wendy and I both started to feel a bit "queezy" so it was a quiet restful day....although it didn't stop us attending our favourite restaurant for another magnificent meal!

ATHENS

An early morning start after breakfast in our rooms took us on a bus ride through the port of Piraeus (where we were docked) through Athens to the Acropolis in the centre of the city.

Athens from half way up the Acropolis. The Odeon of Herodes Atticus in the forground and still in use today for such big stars as Nana Maskouri, Maria Callas and Pavarotti.

Impressions of Athens are that is is a city "down at heal" with graffiti and decaying buildings all along the route we were travelling. It appeared to me that most buildings were in need of a lick of paint and there wasn't much evidence of public facilities maintenance. There are 11 million people in Greece and 5 million live in Athens (about the same as Sydney) but it is tight between mountains and sea and from the top of the Acropolis you can see it all.

 We saw a couple of public buildings and and ancient monuments including Hadrian's Arch before we arrived at the the base of the Acropolis which is located on a high rocky outcrop (close to the gods) in the centre of town. We are starting to encounter some serious antiquity now with our guide, Voula,  telling us in great detail and at great length about the history of the Persian wars, the rebuilding by the Greeks and the invasions of the Ottomans. 

                                The Parthenon - a restoration in progress!

The things we were looking at were constructed 2500 years ago and as a proud Greek person she provided so much information about the cradle of democracy, philosophy and science and modern languages that we were unable to absorb an appropriate amount ...just smatterings and points. Lucky there as no test!

         The temple to Athena. They removed her wings so she would have to stay in Athens.

OLYMPUS

Well, we visited the "Cradle of Democracy" so it I only proper that we visit the "Cradle of the Olympics" in Olympia, an overnight cruise up the Adriatic coast from Athens. It is about a forty minute bus ride from the port of Katakolon (which is very pretty) but well worth the effort.

                                  The Costa Luminosa t anchor in Katakolon

It is hard to believe that this township in 776BC had streets with individual houses, gymnasiums, hot baths, swimming pools, a huge temple to Zeus and the first Olympic stadium......and, what's more, they haven't pulled theirs down yet!!

Even with bus loads of tourists ( including us) it had a peacefulness and tranquility about it which made exploring this world renowned archeological site an informative and contemplative experience. 

The sophistication of their society, their art, engineering and building prowess was something to behold and we agreed that next time we see the lighting of the Olympic flame our thoughts will certainly return to archeological site of Olympus, the cradle of the ancient and modern games.

Gondolas, Gargoyles and Gelato

There was no ambiguity about where we were as our Emirates chauffeurs piled our luggage (and us) into the water taxi for the last part of the journey from the airport to the Concordia Hotel in the centre of Venice just off St Mark's Square.

On the Water Taxi

We wended our way through small, narrow canals and under low bridges dodging gondolas and barges along the way moving ever closer to the Grand Canal which is just like the main road through a city...except it's an aqua road. The "captain" kept reminding us not to all sit on the one side as we shifted about the taxi "rubber necking" at all the sights and sites and destabilising the taxi!

The Grand Canal

Travel over so many time zones so quickly messes with your circadian rhythms so I was up quite early the next morning and "sent" out to gets some early morning shots. It made for a long day but provided another perspective of Venetian life only early birds experience......watching all the produce deliveries, the hotel linen being hoisted up from boats and barges parked up little canals, and the cleaners sweeping the cobbles in preparation for the hordes of visitors just hours away.

Winter Dawn over Venice

The view across the Grand Canal with blurry gondolas bobbing in the foreground and the light trails from ferries and delivery boats worming across the shot.

Saint Mark's Basilica - 5.30am

We have been known to travel "off the beaten" track but we are not too proud to do the tourist thing when it is part of exploring special places in the world .......which are usually touristy exactly because they are special. We visited the Doges Palace in St Mark's Square (very opulent) and St Marco Basilica, the Bridge of Sighs and the Rialto Bridge.

The Bridge of Sighs from the outside. Inside is quite depressing.

The Rialto Bridge in the background over the Grand Canal. It was the first bridge connecting both sides of Venice allowing pedestrian traffic.

The Icons were worth visiting but really, immersing ourselves in the hustle, the bustle and the vibrance of Venice was what makes it special. The lanes and crowds (not as busy as summer though), getting lost and finding gelato in a lane .....and the shops and the restaurants......it was a bit of a culture hit, intense and overwhelming to  the senses........which all goes to make the memories we take away with us.

We found that Venice is touristy, even in the low season of winter, but it is also quite unique and that is what we really enjoyed. There are many other cities based on canals...but not like this. In the heart of Venice it is pedestrians and boats only....no cars, bikes, pushbikes, skateboards ....just throngs of people and boats which has implications for everything about the  dynamics of the city. It is also very old, and its buildings are out of square, un-perpendicular and un-level (even undulating in places) with constant rising damp which keeps the locals living in the upper stories of their homes. And it has history which is preserved within its modern context ....and that is part of the reason it is worth the effort to see.

Only people born in Venice can be gondoliers.

It is a pedestrian city where you can become lost within minutes of leaving your hotel and we quite enjoyed the challenge and process of finding our way home and discovering small treasures along the way.....and the two Wendys seemed to find lots of treasures.....sparkly and otherwise.
The Italians are smartly dressed....they have style and well developed design sense which  is reflected in their shop window dressings. Even the restaurants take pride in displaying their wares.

Window dressing promoting Carnivale masks - striking

Guess what kind of restaurant is here.

As well as a lot of walking (Wendy A tells us that we have done over 12K steps daily?) we made use of the Vaporetto (the aqua buses of Venice) to get around what is a far bigger place than we had imagined......and on our last full day we did the touristy thing and hired a couple of gondolas for a tour around the the back canals, under very low bridges, peeking into homes, offices and hotels being observers of Venetian life....and it was interesting and entertaining .......and over too soon.

Wendy & Mike in front in a tight turn.

A fitting finale to a wonderful stay in this very old, fascinating city.

Venice is one of the great visitor destinations in the world and .....we feel very fortunate to have experienced it, even briefly.