Day 14 - Planes, trains and automobiles

We set the alarm for 7 and although we didn't get moving straight away, we were over to the sister hotel for breakfast for the first time.  Then it was back, finish getting ready and check out of the hotel to head round the car hire places to see if that was an option.

We waited about 15 minutes in Europcar just to find out they didn't have any cars available then did the same in Avis.  We decided to cut our losses and head for the station, rather than waste more time when we could be catching a train.

We tried our last ditch effort of getting a reservation on the fast train to Venice when it arrived but, unsurprisingly, that was not an option.  So we found the local train to Florence Rifredi station, which was just five minutes away and the place where we needed to catch our alternative train to Bologna.

That all went smoothly and we were feeling good, getting to Rifredi 45 minutes before the Bologna train.  We had time to get a snack and relax on the platform, feeling we'd made it after the panic.  As the train time approached and there was no announcement, I headed back to double-check the platform hadn't changed and got a bad bit of news.  The train was now showing a 45 minute delay.  With only a 15 minute gap to change trains in Bologna, that meant we'd miss our connection.

The next train to Bologna wasn't for another 5 hours, so surely the same would be true with our connection to Venice.  It was suddenly starting to look again like we might miss the flight.  We went out to the taxi rank just to see whether that was a possibility.  We knew it would be an expensive option but when we asked the first taxi driver whether he could do it and how much it would cost, he quoted 700 Euros, which made it no option at all, so we headed back to the platform.

The train actually turned up 30 minutes late, so not quite as bad, and I hoped it would make up just enough time to allow us to make the connection, but then there was a load of hassle before we left.  The train was absolutely packed and there was a bunch of guys who got accused of not having tickets, which took ages to sort out.  As each minute ticked by, we felt more and more stressed, thinking again there was no way we'd make the plane.

But the train did eventually leave after another 15 minutes, so matching its original 45 minute delay, and we were on our way.   The tube aside, I think it's probably the most packed train I've been on and we were stuck right near the doorway with our bags and no room to move in the sweltering heat.

The corridor  of the train

Luke and Callum in the stairwell by the door

Before leaving England, I'd downloaded an Italian train times app, so I switched on the data roaming for the first time and checked out what our options would be when we got to Bologna.  Fortunately, it looked like the trains from there to Venice ran every hour so, although we'd miss the bus to the airport, we should be able to get a taxi with time to spare.  Relaxed just enough to tweet about our predicament and laugh at some of the responses.

We got to Bologna - a relief to be off that train - and checked the next train was on time.  It was looking good, it was on time and we had half an hour to grab something from McDonalds.  Then it was over to the right platform to wait for the train, which we hoped would be on time and have a bit more room.

We got our wish and more, as the train turned up a bit early and had bags of room, so we got four seats together and could finally relax properly.  For the first time today I felt confident we'd make the plane.  Although Lucy and I had been telling the boys it would be fine and we'd make it, we'd also been discussing what our other options might be if we missed it.

We got to Venice and grabbed a taxi, which cost us 70 Euros to get to the airport.  If I've learned anything today, it's that taxis in Italy are really expensive.  Taking the taxi meant we actually arrived before the bus, though, so we were earlier checking in than expected, which seemed crazy after our morning.

Everything else was uneventful and we made it back home as if the journey had been completely normal.  Now sat at home typing up this last blog of the holiday in front of the telly with a beer.  It's nice to be home.

Luke's joke of the day:
Luke: My friend's cat drank some petrol, ran back to her house, ran across the floor, ran up the wall, ran across the ceiling, started running round in circles and then it fell down.

Jon: Why?

Luke: It ran out of fuel!

Day 13 - Galleries and bad planning

Took the boys out this morning to give Lucy a rest and we went over to the gallery at Palazzo Vecchio.  They had an exhibition of Damien Hirst's 'For the love of god' as well as their normal works, which I thought might be interesting.

The Damien Hirst exhibit was just off the first room, so we approached the door and saw only 12 people were allowed in at a time and there was a waiting room, where you had to stay for 3 minutes, then the exhibit room, where you were only allowed a further three minutes.  I hadn't realised there would only be a single exhibit and the restrictions were a bit weird, but we went in all the same.

It's basically a copy of a human skull made in platinum and covered in diamonds - when I saw it, I remembered seeing something about it on TV.  The room was completely dark apart from the skull itself, which was lit and so the diamonds sparkled as you moved around it.  It was pretty cool and the boys liked it, but it was definitely an odd experience to have such a brief time with a single object.  There's a wikipedia page on it, if you're interested.

Boys at Palazzo Vecchio

I didn't think the rest of the gallery was that amazing but the boys said they liked it - can't predict what they'll say about anything!

We met up with Lucy after the Vecchio.  I was planning a visit to the Uffizi later, but decided we should have lunch and then a bit of a wander before splitting up again.  Dan Healy had specially sent me a message on twitter to get to the Uffizi early,  but I paid no heed to his advice and swanned off for something to eat.

After lunch, we crossed the river and made our way up a fairly steep climb to the Piazzale Michaelangelo, which has great views over the city.  It also has yet another copy of the David, this time in bronze.  We enjoyed the fantastic views for a bit and rested from our climb, before making our way back towards the Uffizi.

Florence viewed from Piazzale Michaelangelo

Of course, Dan had been right and there were long queues for the Uffizi.  The people at the front of the non-reservation had been waiting 2 hours and there were only two hours left before the gallery closed, while there were no reserved bookings until tomorrow.  It looked like I was going to miss out.

Went for an ice cream to treat the boys and console myself and we had a bit more of a wander.  After five, we paid another visit to the Uffizi, just on the off-chance, and there were no queues.  I managed to get straight in, although there was only an hour of gallery time left, so Lucy took the boys back while I went round.

An hour really wasn't long enough, and I had to rush around a bit and completely missed out on a Carravagio exhibition they're running, but it was way better than not seeing it at all and I got a real flavour of their renaissance paintings.  Of course, it's yet more religious subjects - often just the same four or five scenes repeated constantly, but I realised this gives a real idea of how painting changed and how the different artists tackled these same subjects in their own ways.

When I got back to Lucy and the boys we did most of our packing and started planning out our morning.  We decided to bee sensible and book our train reservations tonight rather than leaving it until the morning, assuming it would be no problem.  How wrong we were!

We queued for about 45 minutes to find out that there are no reservations available until 5.30 tomorrow - we need to be at the airport for about 4.30.  We have managed to find out some times for the regional trains, but it means a change at Bologna and we won't arrive in Mestre until after our bus leaves for the airport, which would mean taking a taxi.  Not sounding great, but do-able.

Apparently we could turn up at the station for one of the fast trains and ask the conductor if he has any reservations available, but that's no guarantee.  We're also looking at whether we could hire a car, and fortunately there are a few hire car places nearby (assuming they're open on Good Friday).  So we have a few options but it looks like we won't know until the morning exactly how we're going to make the plane.

Poor Luke started panicking when we were at the station and he heard there were no reservations available, but we managed to calm him down and convince him that we will make the plane so he's happier now.  Just need to work out exactly how we'll do it, now!

All going well, we'll be back in blighty by this time tomorrow, though - I'll have to do a final blog just to document the journey.

Luke's joke of the day:
Jon: I ate a snail by accident, what should I do?

Luke: Here's some whisky, have a good long slug.

Jon: I don't want the slug, thanks, the snail was bad enough, but I'll have the whisky!

Callum's riddle:
Answer from yesterday: A secret.

Day 12 - Art and food

No breakfast at the hotel and we were too late to make breakfast at the sister hotel, so we headed for a McDonalds breakfast.  I was looking forward to a bacon butty with a big coffee but ended up with a small cappuccino and a croissant - disappointing.

It was nice weather so we had a wander around for a while.  It's definitely a more relaxed pace here, as can be seen by the number of people riding push-bikes - in Rome they would've all been haring around on scooters.  We stopped to get a few things in a supermarket so we could make rolls for lunch - something we've been talking about doing since the beginning of the trip but have only now managed to do.

I suggested a visit to the Bargello, a gallery with a focus on sculpture, and so we spent some time going round there.  It was an enjoyable visit for me, but I could tell the other three were getting bored after about half an hour.  Perhaps culture just isn't for them!

Mercury by Giambologna in the Bargello

To cheer everyone else up after that, we went to a park to have lunch and chill out a bit while the boys had a run around.  It was very pleasant sitting and relaxing in the sun.

We agreed that perhaps I should go by myself to the Accademia Gallery to see 'the' David, so I went and booked a ticket.  You either have to pay extra to book for a certain time or queue up for ages in the street and, since I was only paying for myself, I booked a slot for 5pm.

After that it was a stop off for ice cream at the Vivoli gelateria, which was recommended by our hotel receptionist.  The shop was packed out and the ice cream was delicious - well worth a visit.  Then we headed to the Mercato Nuovo to see the Porcellino, a bronze boar that you feed a coin for luck and then rub its snout to ensure a return to Florence.  Like good tourists, we did just that.

Luke rubbing the Porcellino's snout

I headed to the Accademia gallery then, while the others went back to the hotel for a shower and to chill.  The gallery was fantastic and well worth a trip.  Obviously, the David is the star attraction, but I'd bought an official guide and managed to read a lot of it before I went in, which made the rest of the exhibits far more enjoyable than I'd known nothing about them.

The hall with David was really busy, but it was still possible to spend a fair amount of time there and get a good look.  I'd seen a copy in the Piazza della Signoria, where the original used to stand, but the original itself was definitely far more impressive and I hung around the area for ages so I could keep taking another look.  You're not allowed to take pictures in the gallery, so instead I took a photo of one in the guide book so I could at least have a picture I've taken of 'the' David here in the blog:

A guide book photo of Michaelangelo's David

As I looked round both galleries today, it was very noticeable just how much art used to be focused on Christianity and little else.  In the Renaissance they started looking back at Roman legends as well, but it was still mostly religious.  When you see so many of those paintings and sculptures together, it really shows how for a few hundred years, and probably longer, art basically meant religion.

I'm glad I visited the gallery, it's one of the highlights of the trip so far.  I went back to the hotel happy and we all got ready to go out for a meal.  We went to a local restaurant, again recommended by our receptionist, and it was good cheap food and really tasty - one of the best meals we've had.  Not exactly high cuisine, but very enjoyable.

Finally managed to get onto Twitter and the end of  the day and I've just seen that Sarah Jane (actress Elizabeth Sladen) has died, which is sad and the boys will be upset when they hear about it.  RIP Sarah Jane Smith.

Luke's joke of the day:
Diner - Waiter, waiter, what's this fly doing in my soup?

Waiter - Looks like the backstroke, sir!

Callum's riddle:
Answer from yesterday: Ice

Today's riddle: If you have it, you want to share it but if you share it, you don't have it.  What is it?

Day 11 - Arrivederci Roma, Buon giorno Firenze!

It was a quick breakfast and pack the bags to get ready to leave Rome today.  The train wasn't until 10:58 but we wanted to make sure we made it as there wouldn't be another for a couple of hours.  We ended up hanging around at the station a bit, but the time went quickly enough.

Our departure board

The train was definitely a slow one and the worst we've been on so far.  No buffet car or cart, a toilet without a flush (although we were relieved it actually had a toilet) and the seats were pretty uncomfortable.  But the journey was OK and we arrived in Florence on time.

We checked in and although it's a basic hotel - no breakfast even, this time - the woman on reception was really helpful and gave us loads of tips about where to go and what to see.  There are a few food stalls in the nearby piazza and we grabbed a bite to eat from there before having a bit of a wander around Florence.

It's definitely a more relaxed pace than Rome and we can walk around the streets without worrying too much about getting run over every 30 seconds.  We saw a few sights, including the Piazza Duomo and the Ponte Vecchio. We'd been advised by the receptionist that entry to the Galleria dell Accademia (where Michaelangelo's David is) would be easier in the afternoon, but the queues were ridiculously long, even after four.  As I think I might be the only one that wants to see this, I might need to arrange a time when I can go by myself to save Lucy and the boys the wait and the boredom.

The church in Piazza Duomo

After a nice wander around, we decided to go back to the food stalls for a lighter dinner.  We each chose something we fancied and sat on the grass eating, with wine for me and Lucy, which was a very pleasant end to the day. A drunk Italian did start singing songs to Luke for some reason, which was a bit weird, but we eventually managed to get him to leave so we could finish our food in peace.

I'm having to type this up in the common area in the hotel, as the wi-fi in our room is too flaky, but we've managed to get free wi-fi in every hotel we've stayed in, which is pretty cool.  The 21st Century is great!

Luke's joke of the day:
What do you get if you cross a cat with a shark?

A town with no dogs!


Callum's riddle:
What doesn't burn in fire but floats in water?
(answer tomorrow)

Day 10 - Tourist Rome

Today we some typical tourist sights in Rome and a few quick visits, so I thought I'd do more photos and less writing in this blog.

First we went to the Area Sacra di Largo Argentina, which contains the ruins of four Roman temples.

One of the ancient temples

It's also where Julius Caesar was assassinated.

This pine marks the spot where JC was killed.

But now it's a haven for stray cats and there's a sanctuary based here.

Three cats seeking the shade

Then we went on to the Piazza Navona, a tourist trap and a lovely piazza with three fountains.

Me and the boys at Piazza Navona

The central fountain in the Piazza

Lucy and the boys at one of the end fountains

Next it was the Pantheon, a temple built by Hadrian in 126 AD that is now a church.

The Pantheon

The domed roof is incredible and it's hard to believe it's 1900 years old.  Don't have a wide-angled lens so my composite picture with a big gap will have to do.

The amazing domed roof inside the Pantheon

Next it was onto the Trevi fountain, where it was packed out, and we all had an ice cream.

The Trevi fountain

We each threw a coin into the fountain, which should ensure a return to Rome if the legend is true.

Lucy and the boys at the Trevi

Finally it was off to the Spanish steps for another time, which were slightly less crowded this time.

The boys cool off in the fountain at the foot of the Spanish steps

And we ended our tour there, before heading back to the hotel.

Lucy and the boys at the Spanish steps

So that's it for us in Rome.  It'll be off to Florence tomorrow for the last leg of the tour, before we head back to England.

Luke's joke of the day:
What's yellow and dangerous?

Shark infested custard!

Day 9 - Colosseum and the Palatine

Second attempt to get into the Colosseum today and this time we succeeded.  We decided to pay for a guided tour and the guide spent a while outside giving some history of Rome and the Colosseum before taking us inside.  She wasn't the best guide but we did get in without queueing so that was worthwhile.

Enjoyed looking around inside and we seemed to spend ages in there.  They have a museum inside now that's  showing exhibits related to Nero, so we had a look at that and spent a while looking at the views inside and outside the amphitheatre.  Whilst we were there a group of people dressed as various types of Romans went past, doing some kind of parade, which was a little bizzare.

Everyone inside the Colosseum

When we came out we had a bit of a late lunch, sat outside, and then headed over to the Palatine area, where the emperor's palaces used to be.  Much of the area is now taken up by the palace and gardens of the emperor Domitian, who flattened a lot of the older buildings to create his own extravagant estate.  The buildings we massive and his supposed 'garden' was big enough to house a stadium in its own right.

From there we went on to the older area where Augustus' house was.  He was the great nephew of Julius Caesar, and the first emperor of Rome.  There was a long queue to get in, which I waited in while Lucy took the boys to some nearby gardens.  The house was very modest by comparison to the previous palace (although in a slightly lesser state of ruin) and it was interesting to see how wealth and power had changed the emperors over time.

Decorative wall paintings in the house of Augustus

I found it a really interesting visit, but I think the rest of the family have had enough of Roman ruins now, so we'll do some of the more relaxing sights tomorrow.

Luke's joke of the day:

What do you get if you cross a kangaroo with a sheep?

A woolly jumper!

Day 8 - Trajan's Markets and the Forum

Today the plan was to see the Colosseum and the Roman Forum so we set off that way, stopping briefly at the fountain at Piazza della Repubblica.

As we neared the forum, we passed Trajan's Markets, a massive set of shops and offices created by the emperor (a bit like Cabot Circus, as I explained to the boys) and used for various purposes well into the 1500s.  It's culture week here, apparently, so entry was free and we decided to go in, thinking it would be a brief look round.

It actually turned into a full-on visit, with a museum to go round first, then a look round the market buildings.  Luke took charge with an audio guide for much of it, but lost interest towards the end and decided to watch some ants with Callum.

It turned out to be a pretty interesting visit and gave an idea of the scale of everything in that area - aside from the size of the markets themselves, there were column sections and scale models that showed how large the other buildings were and there were pieces from a statue of Augustus that were absolutely massive.

Me, being impressed by the markets

After that we took a break for lunch, and a break from culture in general, with a visit to Burger King for the boys.  I think we were all still keen to have something other than pasta and pizza, so it went down well.

Afterwards we headed over to the Colosseum but it was closed for the afternoon, apparently to do with Via Crucis.  Not sure why that would affect it today, but we'll head over in the morning tomorrow to go inside.  Tomorrow's the last day of free entry, so we'll leave the free sights until Monday.

Lucy and the boys outside the Colosseum

After that, I took the boys round the forum while Lucy had a rest, as she wasn't feeling great.  They both seemed to enjoy it and I tried to tell them some of the more interesting facts I was reading in my guide to give them more of a feel for the place.  Lucy and I had been before but I still managed to see a couple of new things this time.

The house of the Vestal Virgins had been closed to the public before but has now been opened up, and it was one of the best preserved parts of the forum, giving a real atmosphere of what I imagine it would have been like - not that I'd have been allowed in there at the time.  Apparently the punishment for any virgin not remaining one was to be buried alive!

Almost all of the forum buildings are now only represented by small fragments of what once stood there, but by walking around the whole area and reading about each one it still gives a good representation of  how important this area was and some of the magnificence that existed there.

Some of the forum's ruins

It'll be more Roman ruins on the menu tomorrow, with the Colosseum in the morning and then the Palatine, where all the emperors used to live.

Luke's joke of the day:
What do you call Harry Potter when he sneezes?

Harry Snotter!