Author: vmcarson

Part 1

My trip this year was a bit topsy-turvy, complete with travel issues and a sprinkling of lovely moments! The time for enjoyable moments were cut short due to horrendous flight situations that I never experienced before during my seven years of international travel.

It started with a flight delay in London Heathrow airport on my way to Milan. My original plan was to take a train to my rented apartment in Florence from Mila. Unfortunately, choosing a flight that was cheaper with a short layover did not work out. When I chose this flight back in December 2021 I knew it was risky but I went by the advice of other travelers who experienced short layovers in London. This gave me the confidence to purchase a cheaper ticket . Unfortunately, I soon discovered that this year was the year for airline troubles!

After I arrived in Heathrow airport in London, I scanned my ticket at the machine to enter customs and suddenly a large bright X appeared on the screen. An airport employee looked at my ticket and directed me to Iberia customer service (My arriving airplane was the Iberia company run by British Airways, which was a bit confusing to me.) After waiting in line for at least a half hour, I was told by an Iberia customer service representative at the counter that I was in the wrong line and to go to British Airways customer service instead. My heart sank as I looked over at the terribly long line.

After waiting in line for at least a half hour, I was told by an Iberia airline employee that I needed to go to British Airways customer service instead. My heart sunk as I looked over at the terribly long line. But, I had no other choice at the moment!

Another half hour passed and my legs ached from standing. When I reached the counter, I was told that I had to switch my morning flight to 8:40 p.m. at a different airport in Milan. I pleaded my case in desperation saying that this flight change would cost me the first day in my apartment and more money to rent a hotel in Milan at 11:30 p.m. The customer service rep at the counter said that the alternative was to risk being a “stand by” for 12:10 p.m. with no guarantees my luggage would be at Malpensa airport (My original airport in Milan was Linate.). I wanted to cry! As I approached customs, a security official told me to take all fluids out of my purse, even though they were within TSA limits, including mascara! That situation seemed to set the precedence for the rest of the day.

I had trouble even finding a hotel in Milan for that night as the flight was due to arrive at 11:30 p.m. I searched the internet for what seemed forever before finally finding a nice hotel that had a shuttle. While waiting for an entire day at Heathrow airport, I chose a restaurant to get a bite to eat but the choices were not part of my new healthy eating plan. So, I settled for something that seemed a bit healthy. A plate of eggs, avocado, mushrooms, and a type of sausage. It looked good but after consuming only part of the meal my stomach felt heavy. Even the ice tea was too sweet for me. However, talking with the waitress, who was very friendly, made up for it! She told me she loved Florence, Italy!

I tried to think positive since I was able to at least get an overnight stay in Milan and my dear friend and language tutor would meet me at the Milan Central train station before I went to Florence the next day. But waiting for hours in an airport is not the most fun, especially when you are traveling alone. However, I did manage to meet a lovely young lady from Texas and her 4 year old daughter. We talked for at least two hours!

It was difficult to find a hotel room for the evening in Milan. My original airport was Linate, but the changed flight put me at Malpensa airport, which is farther away from Milan Central train station. Luckily, I did find a hotel through Booking.com and after several phone calls I was able to secure a shuttle to and from the hotel. At least that was a relief. Unfortunately, this hotel did not have a late night place to get food and I had to settle for something small out of a vending machine for the evening. Again, I felt so hungry! The next morning, I was able to take the hotel shuttle to Malpensa airport to get a bus to the train station. When I arrived at the train station Michel Altieri, met me! It was such a great feeling to see my friend again! He even bought food for me and surprised me with beautiful gifts!

Next! Part 2- a quick tour through Milan, Italy with Michele!

Part 2 Colours & Beauty and Accessorize

One of my guilty pleasures in Florence happens to be shopping, especially for discounted jewelry! It’s light enough to carry back in my suitcase for souvenirs and in this delightful area there is quite a bit of variety to choose from. This year, as I strolled along the surrounding streets near the main Duomo it was fun to once again see and hear all the different types of people bustling about. The pandemic seemed to never have existed! I never grow tired of browsing in different stores, but I always return to my favorites from previous years. It makes me happy to visit old friends and I am just as happy to meet new friends!

One of my new found friends is Marta, who worked at Colours & Beauty. This brightly lit store filled with my favorite types of necklaces, earrings, etc., had been in the same location for quite a few years. As I walked into the store I saw this attractive young lady with such a friendly smile that I couldn’t resist greeting her in Italian! Marta and I had such a nice conversation (in both Italian and English) that I almost forgot to shop! Marta said she loves Americans, which I thought was so sweet. As I left, we agreed to keep in touch with each other on Instagram. Unfortunately, Marta informed me recently that Colours and Beauty is no longer in business. It is one of the many stores that were negatively affected by the dreadful pandemic. Marta had transitioned to working for an American oil field company and they downsized as well. At this time Marta remains optimistic hoping to find an even better job. I know she will! Her intelligence and willingness to learn will guide her. For now, Marta says is doing well. Her English language skills have improved beautifully! I hope to see her this year when I return to Florence!

Accessorize is another fun store of jewelry, purses, and even baby clothes! I go there every year to purchase items for my daughter and it is still in business. The employees always remember me and this time they enjoyed posing for me in a few photos! I was hoping they would remove their masks but the store policy did not permit it. However, for a quick moment I was able to convince one pretty woman to become “maskless” for a photo of her artistically designed arm!

Accessorize is located within only a few minutes walk from the Baptistery in Florence. Here is a link to the website—> https://www.accessorize.it/

Part 1: Caffe’ Michelangelo

When I attended a four hour Italian language class at Michelangelo Institute in the mornings, I frequently stopped at Caffe’ Michelangelo for my coffee break. It was conveniently located about a block away from the school. Marco, the owner, would welcome me each and every time as if I were part of his family. Along with Marco, I was able to meet his aunt, and another dedicated employee, Rita , who worked efficiently in this lively little café which has been on the street of Via Ghibellina 116R, for 20 years.

Sometimes, as I stopped by to visit for my usual ice coffee, I was even given treats to take back to my apartment! One day I was given fresh watermelon chunks and another day a delicious pasta meal. Occasionally, I was happy to be able to bring along a few friends from my language school who also enjoyed this quaint, cozy coffee house.

One afternoon, towards the end of my stay in Florence, I couldn’t help but ask Marco how his business had fared during the pandemic. He came to my table and seemed anxious to explain the details. Luckily, while many other restaurants closed permanently in Florence, his café closed for only three months during the pandemic. When permission was granted to open, new rules were required for patrons, such as only being able to stand to have a beverage and food. Marco claimed he had lost 75% of his business and gained back only 20% the following year in 2021. I was so glad to see this lovely café’ still open.

I plan to visit Marco and his café’ again this year in June 2022! Thank you Marco! You are a treasure (tesoro)!

I Girasole – The Sunflowers!

I always wanted someone to escort me to the sunflower fields in Tuscany! I recall being in a crowded tour bus with my mother in 2013 and thinking, “I wish we weren’t going so fast past these amazingly, beautiful sunflower fields!” Ever since that day, I wanted to return to see them. However, every year that I returned to Florence there were no opportunities for such an excursion – until this year! Several years ago, in Florence, I had the luck to meet Lucia, a beautiful, intelligent young lady as I walked through Florence. As you may have read in one of my earlier blog posts, I just happened to walk into a small store where Lucia worked after walking back from Piazzale Michelangelo and she was so friendly! Ever since, we have kept up our friendship via Instagram and Facebook!

So, on this beautiful second day of my trip, Lucia graciously offered to drive me to the sunflower fields and we had a wonderful time together, eventually! I say eventually because, at first, I was worried our plans would not work out…..

The start of that day began with a difficult walk to language school with my lingering jet lag, which seemed to make my brain even fuzzier as I tried to use Google maps again to find the language school. Google maps just wouldn’t work on my phone and while walking quickly to avoid being late I did not look where I was stepping. Suddenly, as I approached the streets near Michelangelo Institute, my right foot turned and slipped off a curb. It happened so fast and the pain was excruciating. All through class, I had difficulty concentrating. My fear was growing as I thought the worst had happened. Was my ankle broken or was it a bad sprain? After class, every step was painful, but I managed to find a local pharmacy. The pharmacist was very kind and gave me little pills to take (Three times per day. I still do not know what they were!), cold packs, and an ankle brace.

Lucia messaged me through Instagram to say that perhaps we should go on our trip another day. But, I was determined to go! I decided after a few hours that I would be able to walk with my ankle brace on. Unbelievably, the pain subsided. It took me only about 15 minutes to get to our meeting place of the tower of San Niccolo not far from the Ponte Vecchio bridge. I walked gingerly and my ankle seemed better thanks to the pharmacist!

But, that darn phone still would not connect to Instagram! I didn’t understand why this was happening on a brand new phone when I previously purchased a an international plan. Sadly, this occurred throughout my entire stay in Florence. However, soon Lucia arrived and came in this beautiful little black car! And just like that – my bad thoughts disappeared. Lucia is an excellent driver and we passed through amazing landscapes and tunnels! (I couldn’t take enough photos!) We had such a wonderful time talking and listening to music in the car. Lucia apologized for taking a route that seemed to have a lot of traffic, but I didn’t mind one bit!

As we approached the sunflower fields, I felt like a child overwhelmed at Disney World for the first time! The fields of sunflowers hypnotized me with thousands of yellow star-like flowers billowing in the sun. The first field Lucia stopped at had sunflowers with slightly bowed heads. I didn’t care at all! Immediately, I whipped out my cell phone and began taking photos. Lucia did the same and took some lovely photos of me in the fields. After a short while, Lucia wanted to drive us to another sunflower field where the flowers were in more upright positions. There are no other words that come to mind except it was simply breathtaking!

For me it was just an incredible feeling to be among so many golden sunflowers. I will always be extremely grateful to Lucia for taking me there. She also made dinner reservations for us at a restaurant in Certaldo, a lovely town in the province of Florence, Tuscany. What an unexpected surprise! Lucia and I admired the medieval architecture after dinner. This was a much better time to walk, since the way to the restaurant on a steep hill was quite a challenge in the hot weather!

At the Enoteca Boccaccio restaurant, Lucia and I had a lovely filling dinner outside with a spectacular view. I was happy to let Lucia choose everything for the meal. I had never tasted truffles before and they were delicious!

After dinner we walked around the historic area surrounding the restaurant and looked at the amazing 13th century architecture of such buildings as the Priori Palace, the court of justice, which used to be a prison. Now it is host to contemporary art exhibitions. Also, it was quite interesting to see the church of SS Jacopo and Filippo. Boccaccio (1313 – 1375), the well known Italian author of “Decameron,” is buried here. Additionally, the Musuem Casa Boccaccio , where the author lived his final years, now contains exhibits of his literary works. Unfortunately, it was too late to visit. Perhaps, I will return to this quaint town on another trip to Florence!

As we took the long walk back down to where Lucia had parked, the evening skies closed in with a picturesque skyline and further nice views of the town. We also encountered a few domestic cats along the way to spend a little time with. (Lucia and I both love cats!)

Our drive home was a bit challenging as Lucia became a bit lost. But she is a spirited young lady with a lot of determination! I had no doubts as she used the mobile phone for Google maps and a little help from her mother! Eventually, we made it back to the center of Florence. What an adventure to always remember!

Thank you from my heart Lucia! I will never forget this fantastic day!

The First Evening of Dinner: Dante’s Pizzeria

After an exhausting first day in Florence, I decided to take a walk around the corner from my apartment to dine at Trattoria Dante, recommended to me by Paola. The evening was warm but not scorching like the daytime. So I agreed to be seated outside facing the street. Lorenzo, my waiter, was very pleasant and talkative. The owner, Dante himself, proudly informed me that his restaurant had been around for 48 years. I enjoyed a delicious dinner of salmon and vegetables beautifully displayed on two separate plates. Dante spoke English very well and told me he had been to the United States in earlier years, specifically California, NY, and Las Vegas. He turned out to be quite entertaining and full of fun! Jovially, he expressed that he wanted to go to Kentucky next! Soon after our pleasant conversation, Dante’s fun side quickly turned to business as he ensured that all customers were taken care of continually.

I really enjoyed the Dante trattoria! It wasn’t just the food…it was the care and kindness along with friendly conversation that brought Dante to life. I couldn’t help but return several more times. My last night of dining, I sat inside and was served by Nordinq. He was very efficient, moving quickly to take care of all the patrons. After my dinner, he escorted me to the back of the restaurant, near the kitchen, to choose a dessert. I decided to take it with me and savor as a late night treat!

There never seems to be enough time to visit Florence and it made me a bit sad to leave this wonderful group of people. Thank you Dante! I hope to return again to see all of you! Tanti aguri a tutti voi! (All the best to all of you!)

The 1st Day: My Apartment

Arriving at my AirBnB apartment via taxi on the first day in Florence was a bit tricky. The apartment was located on Via Lungarno Soderini, a busy street in the area of Santo Spirito and, thankfully, on the first floor. Paola, one of the apartment owners, greeted me graciously and we had a wonderful conversation in the Italian language. She was nice enough to lend me her patience as I am a continual language learner.

The apartment was located in an area of Florence that I had not explored before and farther away from the usually overcrowded areas of tourist attractions in the heart of the city. It was directly across the street from a beautiful view of the Arno river. Next to the apartment there was a lovely and very popular gelateria. As I entered the apartment I felt very secure. There were three doors with locks to pass through: the large heavy door on the street, a lovely glass door, and finally a door that led to a hallway before the main door to the apartment.

Inside the apartment it was perfect! (Please excuse the “lived in” look of each room in my slideshow as I was too exhausted to take photos the first day!) I even posed myself for a selfie one day before taking out the trash. (You can do these crazy things when you are alone!) I said “amen” to the fully functional air conditioning, which included a wall unit above the bedroom window and a smaller unit in the kitchen. It was one of the hottest summers in Italy! The kitchen had a dishwasher, a fully functional stove/oven, a washer, and plenty of pots and pans for cooking. I was ever so grateful for the American coffee maker too!

There was plenty of room for one or two people. The bedroom was spacious with a large closet and television near the doorway. The bathroom was larger than I thought it would be and the shower had pretty sliding doors. Convenience is always important when traveling. Right around the corner there was a mini mart and a pizzeria which I will talk more about in my future blogs.

Thank you Paola for the wonderful accommodations and generous hospitality. You were always helpful and responded quickly when I needed assistance!

Pillows in front of the window explanation: Okay, so for a few days my jet lagged brain did not understand how to close the window shade for privacy. That is why in the bedroom photo you may notice a pillow in front of the window. Eventually, I figured out that there was a long heavy cord on the right side that had to be pulled out instead of up and down to lower a large heavy shade.

After dealing with much unrest and frightening circumstances of the COVID-19 virus around the world, many countries have been attempting a return to some form of normalcy. The Delta variant has thrown yet another wrench into this fiery storm of various restrictions and mask wearing. But, this summer I was lucky enough to experience another two week trip to Florence after being away for two years.

I bet you’re wondering how my traveling experience transpired this time! It was a bit more challenging than my other trips, but the Pandemic did not seem to affect it as much as I thought it would. I did worry about scheduling a COVID rapid test 48 hours prior to take off in Philadelphia, PA. This was partially due to one of the local urgent care facilities I called. A fast talking representative insisted that I needed both a rapid test and a lab test. The grand total was over $100. No way! Previously, I researched government websites and saw that I only needed one rapid test. Interesting, huh? Even my family physician said I should simply go to a local drug store and get it covered by insurance, which I was eventually able to do. Then I was a bit concerned over whether or not I would make my flight on time in Atlanta, Georgia (only 1 hour and 15 minutes after landing to get to the next gate is not much time in such a large airport). After that there would be another stop in Amsterdam to wait 2 hours and 40 minutes for an 8 hour flight to finally get to the Florence Peretola airport!

Thankfully, on August 1st, in the midst of that crazy flight, most of the staff in the airports, including customs, were quite calm and helpful. Once the mandatory documents of a negative COVID test, digital locator, and passport were produced it was smooth sailing onto each flight for a total travel time of 16 hours. I was ever so grateful that no one caused any disruption or complained about mask wearing – whew! Stay tuned…..my next blog update begins with some of the ups and downs of my adventure in Florence!