2005 April Archive at Zim’s

Monthly Archive for April, 2005

Siena and Pisa

Published

on April 26, 2005

. 4 Comments

This one is going to have to be brief as I’m in the lobby of our hotel in Rome (the only place where the WiFi seems to reach, though otherwise the hotel is good) and I’ve only got 20 minutes worth of juice left in the laptop.

When we last updated you we were in Florence. We took two day trips from there before heading to Rome where we’ve been for the last two days. Rome is fantastic and they’re right when they say a lifetime is not enough to see all the sights but that’s another update.

Our first trip was to the small town (~50,000) of Siena. Siena was Florence’s arch rival in the the 12th and 13th century but Siena didn’t have the quite the political connections of the Medici who ruled Florence so in the end the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V handed Siena over to Cosimo Medici as a gift in 1555. Siena today is a ‘company’ town with the bank Monte dei Paschi di Siena (founded in 1472) being the main employer besides tourism.

We spent the early part of our day in Siena’s main square. The building at the lower end of the square is the Palazzo Comunale, the tower is the Torre del Mangia. The people you see waving the flags are supporters of the Siena football team who had a match that evening and hold a rally in the square before each game. Kind of an Italian tailgate, though they might want to import a Browns fan or two to show them how to take things to the next level. Anyone know if Siena won last week?

After the square we went wandering outside the town and got pleasantly lost in the Tuscan countryside.

We managed to find our way back in time for a late lunch and then off to you guessed it the cathedral. This one was begun in 1196 with the first phase completed in 1215. The mosaics decorating it are from the 19th century however. The other thing you’ll notice is the she-wolf with Romulus and Remus usually associated with Rome. Legend has it that Siena was founded by one of Remus’ sons so the wolf is everywhere in Siena as well.

All in all a great day, with great weather in a wonderful quaint little town. Our only regret was that we missed their famous horse race around the square, but we’ll be back for it soon. One last Siena shot that I think in a strange way captures the place.

The following day we hoped the train for Pisa. Had a great train ride, we sat across from two American’s and a Japanese lady who were all studying painting in Florence and they gave us a few good tips for Napoli and also helped us with a few additional phrases in Italian.

Of course in Pisa the thing to see is the leaning tower or Torre Pendente. Like I expect most people I had always thought (the few times I ever thought about it) that the tower must have once been straight and started to lean over time as the foundation shifted. Wrong. The tower started leaning almost immediately while it was being built, by the time it had reached it’s third tier in fact. The architect (Bonanno Pisano) and his various sucessors tried to stop the lean without success. The tower today does however lean less than it used to. In 1998 cables were wrapped around it and soil from the north (high) side was removed, as a result the tower lost 40cm of it’s lean, down to 4.1 meters off centre at the top.

Of course Pisa, like every town in Italy (and a few in France) has a Piazza Girabaldi. And of course a problem with grafitti, I’m not a fan of grafitti at the best of times but the low quality of European grafitti combined with the quality of the art and architecture they deface really does grate. Either they need to import a few grafitti artists from New York or South Central or they need better cops.

That’s it for now, update you all again soon. Thanks for your good wishes and comments and a Happy (Belated) Birthday to Cousin Daan.

Cheers,

Mark & Ali

P.S. Of course George pulled a ‘Kong’ on the leaning tower. He says it was one of the nicest views he’s seen so far and plans to help out the next time they need the tower straightened.

Florence, er Firenze…

Published

zim

on April 22, 2005

in Travel

. 6 Comments

Spent a magical day in Florence. Started the day with a visit to the Cathedral of Florence known as the Duomo. It’s was designed by Arnolofo di Cambio who also carved some of the statues there at the end of the 13th century. The facade wasn’t complete until the late 19th century, so the project was only about 600 years or so behind schedule. The church wasn’t even consecrated until 1436, 140 years after work on it started. Beneath it we visited the archeological dig that uncovered the remains of an earlier church, dedicated to Santa Reperata built around 400 AD and torn down in 1375. Needless to say the Duomo has been witness to and site of a lot of history. Notably the temporary reconciliation of the Catholic and Orthodox churches under the Council of Florence in 1439.

From there we were off to the Galleria dell’Accademia where Michelangelo’s David is housed. You aren’t allowed to take pictures in the museum so here’s my picture of the post card I bought and also of the replica of David from the Palazzo della Signoria down the street.

David was commissioned in 1501 when Michelangelo was 26. It was chiselled from a leftover block of marble which had previously been worked on by various other artists. It’s very impressive though the scale seems off when you see it at eye level. The head and upper body are too small. Apparently this was Mike’s intention as he thought the statue would be mounted on a pedastal and therefore the upper body should appear farther away. Regardless it’s impressive in it’s detail, the finger nails, the veins on the neck, etc.

From the Academy it was off to the Ponte Vecchio, literally ‘ye olde bridge’ across the Arno. Before getting to the bridge I knew that it was the only one that the German’s hadn’t destroyed during their retreat in WW II, that it had been built in 1345 to replace an older Roman bridge destroyed in a flood and that it used to be home to butchers and tanners before the Medici kicked them out in favour of goldsmiths who were less odiferous and paid higher rent. What I didn’t know was that the focus of the bridge is now locks. Literally hundreds of locks put there by lovers who then toss the keys into the Arno to seal their love. Well, when in Rome, er Florence, do as the Romans, er Florentines. Please keep your ‘aww, shucks’ comments to yourselves.

The views from the bridge are great despite the tacky tourist shops and the guy trying to sell me one of his 30 genuine Louis Vuitton bags.

We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering from patio to patio until we came across a little art market. We loved the work of this fellow Vitaliano Iannettone and bought a great piece showing the Tuscan country side. More importantly he gave Ali a lesson.

All in all a great day…

Cheers,

Mark & Ali

P.S. We also visited a small museum dedicated to the machines of Leonardo Da Vinci. George loved it!

P.P.S. Those of you in Toronto should go see our friend Joann in Problem Child & Criminal Genius at the Alumnae Theatre. More info here. I promise she’ll be great.
.

Venice, ah…Venezia

Published

zim

on April 22, 2005

in Travel

. 7 Comments

Greetings form Venice or as the locals say Venezia. Which brings up one of the weirdest things we’ve encountered lately, that places have different names in different languages. As I right this I think I’m in Florence but an Italian would tell you I’m in Firenze. We had breakfast this morning with a french couple who were telling us of their day in Pise by which they meant Piza. Anyway when I get back I’m planning to discuss this with Kofi and get some kind of a international commitee together so that we can all agree on where I am at any given moment. If the people who live there want to call a place Qesiqh then we should all call it Qesiqh. End of rant.

Venezia was lovely once we found our way to our hotel. The streets are not numbered like anywhere else I’ve been in the world, instead each building has a unique number within the entire city. Our hotel was 4680, in the Sestiere San Marco which means it’s near San Marco Square but doesn’t help much after that. As an added bonus there are two sister hotels, The Bonvecchiati Hotel and the Palace Bonvecchiati both in the same area but on different streets. Anyway let’s just say it was an adventure schlepping two big suitcases up and down the narrow streets and stairways and I’d encourage future visitors to spring for the high priced (but direct) water taxi route. Once we got there the hotel was excellent. And my muscle memory of the adventure gave me a great deal of empathy for fellow suitcase luggers who we saw over the next few days. We helped three Canadian ladies find their hotel and assured them that it was a shared right of passage. Did I mention that it was raining?

We spent the first evening and the morning of the next day wondering the little streets and just soaking up the beauty of the place. Around every little bend was another quaint scene, whether a gondolier, flower boxes along the windows or the tilted facade of a 15th century mansion.

That first morning we also stopped for the most expensive coffee we’ve ever had. Just to sit in one of the Cafe’s in San Marco Square you’re in for 4.5 Euros a piece to pay for the band, add in 8 Euros per cappucino, 4 Euros per croissant and things add up quickly. Needless to say the next day we had breakfast at our hotel.

Of course if you’re in San Marco Square you have to feed the pigeons. I’m not the bird lover my dad is but this was pretty neat. Tried to get Ali to have a go but she was too scared that one of the pigeons might ‘let go’.

We also took the required gondola ride, which was really a special experience. From the gondola everything looks older and prettier some how. Our gondolier was great, pointing out the sights in heavily accented english. We both got a kick out of it when his wife called him on his cell phone and afterwards we noticed that every second gondolier we saw was on the phone.

The other highlight of our visit was yesterday, which was sunny and clear by the way, when we toured St. Mark’s Basilica. This is the most unique church we’ve seen so far in Europe. It’s outside is half ‘European’ half Byzantine and inside all of the walls and the ceiling are covered with mosaics showing the life of Christ and St. Mark. We weren’t allowed to take pictures inside however we did get a few pictures of the outside mosaics which should give you a feel for it. The view over St. Mark’s Square from the basilica is also great.

After St. Mark’s we sat on a patio along one of the canals and soaked up the sun and the suds (it was my birthday after all) before hopping on a water bus and heading to the train station. Two and half hours later we were in Florence. We went out for a birthday dinner the highlight of which was the ‘Degustation for 2′ which is a fabulous new word we discovered, that basically means one of each desert. Thanks for all your birthday wishes here on the site and via e-mail; couldn’t really think of anything to wish for as we’re having the trip of a lifetime.

Cheers,

Mark & Ali

P.S. When George learned what they charge for a gondola ride he thought he’d set up shop in Venice. He didn’t do very well fiscally as his gondola was a little tiny and his Italian isn’t great but i think he had a good time anyway.

Around la Cote D’Azur

Published

zim

on April 18, 2005

in Travel

. 13 Comments

Since our last post we’ve been around the Cote D’Azur from St. Tropez in the west to Monaco in the east. It’s all been beautiful.

We spent our first day here getting our bearings in Nice before climbing the Colline du Chateau on the eastern side of the town. The hill used to have a fort on it that was home to the Dukes of Savoy but Louis XIV invaded around 1706 and had the fort destroyed. Now there are just great views, to the west across the Baie de Anges and the main city of Nice and to the east in to the port of Nice and Cap Ferrat.

To the west: To the east: There isn’t much of the fort and it’s chateau left, the hilltop is now covered in gardens and these neat mosaics dedicated to Ulysses who legend has it stopped here on his way back to Greece after his voyages. Of course we didn’t spend long looking at the mosaics as I needed to get closer to the boats. There are several hundred more boat photos from the harbour in Nice but there are lots more to come as we travel around the coast so I’ll spare you… for now.

The next day we explored old Nice, walked along the beach and just soaked up the ambiance of the town. Our PEI family will be pleased to know that the pebbly beach in Nice is a treasure trove of beach glass.

The key discovery of the day however came in the afternoon when George and I discovered our new favourite brews, Timmerman’s Kreik (cherry beer) and Timmerman’s Framboise (rasberry beer). We plan to begin importing it to Canada in bulk as soon as we get them to correct the slight typo in the name.

The next day we picked up our rental car (from the friendly and efficient folks at Europcar) and drove west to St. Tropez; capital of the ‘jet set’. We arrived in the town centre where we picked up a map and you guessed it started with the harbour. From there we walked around the point and up another castle hill, this time with the castle largely intact as they managed to pay Louis XIV off before he got around to tearing it down. Of course the boats were also visible from the hill… …and this oddly pretty cemetary right at the water’s edge. …and this striking cannon. After taking in the hill top sights we began making our way back down through the old city…had a great lunch at ‘The Citadel’…and then drove off for the beach. We were pleased that this part of the coast is covered in your more traditional sand rather than the pebbles of Nice.

In the late afternoon we drove back along the coast through Cannes (no celebs, just a quick ice cream) and Antibes…

Today we took off in the other direction heading east along the Corniches (basically a series of really narrow, twisty roads blasted into the rock; let’s just say I’m ready for Gran Turismo 4 when I get back) to Monaco. We passed through a bunch of great little sea side towns, with the first one being Villefranche-sur-mer. From there we twisted and turned our way to the badly misnamed town of Eze. I say badly misnamed as it’s built into the side of a cliff and the whole place is one steep staircase. A really pretty staircase though. There’s a five star hotel carved into the rock in what used to be the King of Sweden’s pad, lot’s of neat boutique’s and good looking restraunts, if they’d put in an elevator down to the beach I think I could live here.

Our next stop was the tiny principality of Monaco. Monaco is famous for being the size of a postage stamp, for it’s casino, it’s Grand Prix, it’s Princes and the big boats in it’s harbour. We saw evidence of all four.

The Grimaldi’s who are Monaco’s Royal Family have a strange history, in front of the palace is this statue to the first Prince. He became Prince by dressing up as a monk, sneaking into the monastery on top of the hill and ‘overcoming’ (read killing) the monks before declaring himself ruler. Perhaps as a result of this checkered past and to prevent anyone pulling the same trick on them, the Prince’s of Monaco have seen fit to make every second citizen a guard or a police officer. Including this fellow who arrested George for climbing in one of the Royal Palm Trees. George was sentenced to be fired from a cannon into the harbour. Fortunately, this kind fellow on his 58 meter long sailboat happened by and fished him out.

All and all a fantastic taste of the fabulous French Riviera. I’m going to sign off here as it’s getting late and we’ve got an early train tommorrow to Venice.

Cheers,

Mark & Ali

Avignon

Published

zim

on April 16, 2005

in Travel

. 8 Comments

This update should get us close to being up to date again… After Caen we hopped a train for Paris that evening, stayed over night and hoped a train to Avignon first thing in the morning. This was one of the TGV trains that the French are so proud of and rightly so; it’s a great way to travel. We arrived in Avignon, sometime alternative to the Vatican as the home of the Pope. This is a great little town; with a fantastic central square 30 meters from our hotel where we enjoyed good coffee, excellent Belgian beer and the like. The town is walled and contains the almost completely intact Palais de Papes construction of which was started in 1335 and completed 20 years later. The gardens above the palace were a great place for a stroll on what was a glorious sunny day… …if a touch windy. The building behind Ali is the Chapterhouse; it’s one of several mansions built by the Cardinals who chose to live in the French city of Villeneuve across the river rather than be subject to the Pope’s law in Avignon. To visit the Pope and attend to church business they crossed the St B�nezet bridge which had two chapels built on it as a way of collecting ‘tolls’ from the Cardinals and pilgrims as they crossed it. The bridge is also known from the supposedly famous French song “Sur le Pont d’Avignon…” though neither Ali or I had ever heard of it.
All in all a great day in Avignon. The following day we hopped back on the TGV to Nice and have settled in here for a few days, with side trips planned for St. Tropez, Monico and the like before heading off to Italy.

Cheers,

Mark & Ali
P.S. Joanne, we didn’t make Mont-St-Michel due to the wildly incompetant and unfriendly folks at Hertz gumming up our car rental. We won’t be using them again, ever.

P.P.S. Steve (with apologies to Cara) this one’s for you.

P.P.P.S. Dad this one’s for you, thank’s for getting Ronin ready for the water and be glad (or sad) that neither of us has as much teak to sand and varnish as this fellow.

Zim’s

Monthly Archive for April, 2005

Siena and Pisa

Florence, er Firenze…

Venice, ah…Venezia

Around la Cote D’Azur

Avignon

Search

About

Latest

Archives

Categories