Bopping around London

Headed out early for Portobello Market I had not been there in years I looked at the stalls but hardly anything interested me I did do some shopping in the 99 pence store candy cookies all goodies CADBURY. It got so warm out went back to my room and changed to my into my Capri’s, before I headed back out.

Then I hoped the tube to Tottenham Court Rd and headed over to MPL had to check it out plus like the little park, It was pretty crowded and I noticed 2 new statues one was some cowboy on a horse he looked quite wild.

The I headed down Oxford St to Oxford circus and hopped the tube to St John’s Wood and Abbey Rd to make my visit to EMI there were quite a lot of fans there doing the walk across the street some of the Japanese fans did a crossing and photo/video quite a # of times.

After that I went over to Tesco and got a Teriyaki chicken sandwich and some Pepsi and headed over to St John’s Wood Church Ground park and sat and people watched and enjoyed the sun.

What are you doing? Posting a letter.

I then headed off to Kilburn just because wanted to see that area  and then hopped on a bus just for the views from the top I went to the end of that bus line just to make it easier to get off. I then decided to head for Green Park and through there over to St James Palace I had not been there in a long time. When I came back to St James Park, I seem to be always drawn to that park I saw a lot of women coming out of Buckingham Palace they all wore hats and some were quite ridiculous. I guess they were at a Garden Party. I stopped in St James park again to rest up, and enjoy the ducks and pelicans.

Powerless Structures

Pisa rain and Pisa pie

Into the heavens

I caught the train to Pisa on Sunday it was hard to leave Florence and partly because I knew it was raining in Pisa. I got to the train and a well dressed woman and her daughter (gypsies) grabbed my suitcase and put it on the train and then demanded money. I gave them one euro but they wanted more they kept putting their hands out showing 5 euros and even shoved a printed piece of paper in my face. I kept saying no and they finally jumped off the train.

Kewal View

I arrived in Pisa to rain and guys asking me to buy an umbrella I said no thank you and got mocked no thank you no thank you. I asked at a hotel where the street my B and B was and then went walking in the rain. It wasn't heavy but it was enough to get me wet. I was wondering because it was only supposed to be 100 meters from the train and I was way past that. I walked into another B and B and asked and found out it was the other way the hotel guy said right right but should have said right then left.

Well got to the B and B and no one there I stood in the rain partly under shelter I kept ringing a couple came out of the building let me the B and B is in a building with lots of other tenants. I got in went up and kept knocking to no avail I started panicking I found the # and phoned the B and B and I thought there was an answer but nothing I went out in the rain and luckily found the tourist board and lucky they were open he told me up to today we close at 4 on Sunday. He was kind enough to call the place for me and got an answer and he said he'd be there in 5 minutes I waited a bit and headed over.

The man arrived a bit after and kept apologizing he is not there all the time and though the web site said noon to 8 it is better to email a time, you would arrive I should have did it just did not realize a small place, was thinking more like the places I had been. The place was small you walked into a small kitchen/living room a cosy couch and 3 rooms for people to sleep in. Mine actually had 2 rooms and the 2nd one was behind another door so it was another room.

Leaning Tower in the Rain

I was so wet I changed and headed out. I walked in search of the LEAN (leaning tower of Pisa as I named it) I was determined to find it in case if fell down, during the night. I found it there were people despite the rain and lateness then I walked back to the hotel saying no no no to umbrellas. Just before I got to my B and B the last block or two it came down heavy. I found a store open and bought an umbrella with the thought maybe it would make it not rain in the morning.

I went back to my room and just read and drank sherry repacked for the morning, and the flight back to London.

This morn got up showered very nice shower it was one bathroom for 3 rooms but I never had to wait. I then got dressed and went to eat there was mostly some sweet package and cookies a couple from Holland were staying there and came out so we chatted while we ate good thing they were there as they were able to figure out the coffee maker. I never would have got that part never saw anything quite like that.

I then put my cases near the couch as told and headed out. It was raining so I started singing raining in the Pisa I am raining in the Pisa but by the time I got to the LEAN it stopped. The sun even started to come out, and it was like a whole new place blue skies and sunshine. I went to get a ticket to climb the tower but I stood in line and the tickets for the next time sold out just as it was my turn of course. Anything after was too late so I just said figures and pouted a bit and then said oh well probably have had a heart attack climbing up. As it was it started sprinkling again soon after.

I took more pics and then cricket posed too then stopped and had a slice of pizza and as I figured it was crap I had to find out for myself what I was told... anyway back to the room and then off for the train the fare was cheap so decide better than dealing with the bus. I got to the airport and said farewell.

surreal

Gallery Day in Florence

 It was museum day yesterday I need some culture you see and I got it. I went to the ultigli or however it is spelt (The Uffizi Gallery) it was nice I saw a lot of Sandro Botticelli  work the best I think was the Birth of Venus also some Raphael  kind of started feeling a bit ill while I was there but carried on. Then I had a small panini for lunch as was feeling a bit peckish.

Michelangelo tomb

Dante

I then headed for the Santa Croce church this I really enjoyed more Michelangelo is buried there among others I saw Marconi who invented the radio for those not in the know. That got me a tad teary eyed as mom used to say when she went to the dance hall in Ireland the man who ran the dance would say Marconi himself is here tonight she loved to say that so made me smile and sad to thinking of her. Galileo is also buried there and Dante it was pretty awesome.

I bought the special ticket that allowed a visit to Michelangelo house Casa Buonarroti which was really Michelangelo the younger a tad disappointed in only a couple of the real Michelangelo drawings there but the other art was beautiful, from the collection of Michelangelo the Younger.

I wandered around got lost bit by The Ponte Vecchio, a really beautiful bridge that I has seen from the Uffizi Gallery. I then wandered up and down alleyways for awhile. For dinner I got some Chinese from a take our by the hotel and went to sit on the balcony which was nice. The first thing I saw as I opened the door was this cat peeking through the railings at me what a shot it would have been I grabbed my camera but guess he took that as an invite and crawled right in and on over. I had to pet him he seemed starved for affection and we had a nice chat got some really cute photos.

We were interrupted by yet another Aussie who chatted through my meal and bragged about all the places he had been on this trip and was going to go and what he was doing when he got home and trip braggart. I saw him again this morning at breki and he went to sit across from me (obvious he loves to talk) but his wife picked another place last I saw them when I was checking out they were sitting in the lobby trying to get the internet going and his wife sitting looking disgusted they were still there 45 mins later.

I had tried to get tickets to see David at Academy Gallery but they were long sold out went by so early in the AM and the line was long. So I made a visit to the Medici's Chapels and Church of San Lorenzo tombs by Michelangelo they were quite beautiful.

Michelangelo's Tomb of Lorenzo

Trekking the Cinque Terre

No time for breakfast had to get to the train station to catch the bus for the tour, we started out at 8 am it was sunny in Florence the guides were great and funny. They divided us in 2 groups Chris who was from Florence but who lived a most of his life in Seattle and Stefano. When we were heading for a comfort stop Stefano kept saying it is coming up and when we arrived he said there in the forest haha. Then they told us not to buy any candy at the rest stop as it would not be good to spoil our lunch.


It was cloudy when we arrived in La Spezia I was disappointed but talked myself into not worrying and just enjoy. Chris said first was we had to hurry to make the train and man were we cooking I kept up. I think the first town was Manarola.

Early on I made friends with Debbie from Australia and we tried to keep an eye on each other we took the train to Corniglia and did a quick walk through and then we had to take 365 steps up to the restaurant. Ristorante Cecio I was ready to do it but Debbie was not up to it so we decided to opt for the shuttle to the top along with some other women, the shuttle took forever in coming so most people were partly through their salad. We had a wonderful lunch I was brave and had the seafood the included octopus and squid and it was tasty, also had pesto pasta a first for me it was good. I sat with some other girls from Aussie and one from Baltimore she was on break from college in Brussels I noticed her t-shirt Beatles and we got to talking said her mother was fan and she too loved the Beatles and so did her friend and when they were kids the best part of the day was sit and listening to the Beatles.

Trail in Cinque Terre

Ok I only hiked down

in the Sea the beautiful sea

beautiful art on a wall

Then we had to get going there was no shuttle for the way down we had missed it and we really had to get down those 365 steps fast. Then we were off again for another walk again quite fast and another village I will have to remember the names later and post photos, Then we were really rushed and Chris was walking along side me clapping his hands encouraging me to keep going and counting down to how many minutes. We got there and nothing after awhile we were told the train was deleted and we had to wait and the next one would be about 45 minutes. Of course this was not the tour fault but we were treated to drinks and I had wine.



Finally the lòng hike which I decided not to do between all climbing we would be doing and being even more rushed because of the train. We were told not to get off the train in the next town but go right to Montresso . With the hiking time being shortened and more people dropped out we stayed on train to next stop it was beautiful. Debbi and I took photos of each other and we also went in to the Mediterranean Sea and oh how could I forget the sun finally decided to show up just as we arrived it could not have been more perfect if planned. So the sea was lovely we walked and talked and rested a bit. Then we decided to climb up to the statue of St Francis of Assisi and a dog that was a pretty good climb but the views made it worth it. We then walked a bit though the village looking at the photos from the flood from last October.

Then it was time to take the boat and it was great we passed all the villages again and we got great shots from the boat and then we arrived our last stop and we were able to do the last walk which was Lovers Lane but it was so quick not to miss the train and Chris was coaching me to keep going I made it with minutes to spare this was a great tour.

Our Boat

Montresso 

climbing to Ristarante Cecio 

hanging out in  Montresso 

St Francis Montresso 

The church of Saint John the Baptist Montresso

Florence you take my breathe away

When I arrived in Florence I had to figure out where my hotel was it took a bit of looking at a map on a sign and asking someone but finally headed off in the right direction I checked into my hotel which turned out to be a bit nicer than I expected and larger room than I normally had. The bathroom itself was larger than some rooms I had stayed in.  I decided to wander around a bit and have a bite to eat.

This morning after a breakfast buffet with quite a lot of choices I headed out to explore Florence I was close to the main areas I wanted to see and coming up to Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore (know as the Duomo) was totally awesome it stood there so beautiful all black and white. After looking around I went to the square to meet the free walking tour of Florence,  It was interesting, we covered a lot in 2 hours. At one point a Gypsy walked up to us to beg for money and at the moment her cell phone rang so she had to walk away to answer it, oh yes a poor Gypsy begging but has a cell phone, only a few others noticed this.

After the tour walked back to the Duomo and walked around the general area I could not believe all the statues  along the Uffizi and the adjacent Piazza della Signoria is bordered on the south edge by the Loggia di Lanzi which has several statues in it. Among them are Perseus standing over the slain Medusa and The Rape of the Sabine Women see.

http://piazza-signoria.com/


Totally awesome and I wandered up and down the alleyways for hours. I could just not get enough.

Ya never know what you might see down some alleyway

The Fountain of Neptune
at Signoria Square