We hopped onboard, heading to our seats but struggled to fit in all of the suitcases. It was a mad rush to get all the luggage between the seats or above them. We got there eventually as the train was on the move.
The first task for the kids as we left Rome was a quiz. There were some difficult questions and those who listened to Carmina's little remarks the past few days would've done quite well! The rest of the 1.5 hour trip went fairly quickly and soon enough we were getting off at Florence.
We arrived in Florence with no coach driver in sight! Carmina rang them and they told us where we might find him. We walked one way but figured out it was completely the opposite way but eventually found him. He explained how one company has a deal with Florence Termini and can pick up passengers at the main exit but everyone else has to park at the furtherest possible exit.
It was no big deal at that stage, a short bus trip to our hotel and a "300m walk". Well obviously Italians aren't very good at estimating because our "300m walk" took us a good 30mins and was more like 3000 metres!! They'd be no good at exaggerating the size of the fish they caught.
Another problem lie in the fact that the street our hotel was on had been numbered in colours and numbers. For example, we were looking for 22 Nero (black) but we walked past 22 Red, 22 White, 22 green and 22 blue before finally some old fella showed us where 22 Nero was (in between 16 red and 24 blue!!) strange but true.
We checked in and freshened up then set off to find some lunch. Cafe Bellini was our choice and most, if not all, had pizza. Again, as you'd expect, very tasty and we finished it off with a gelato.
The rest of the afternoon was for the kids to relax a bit and rest up before a busy few days ahead. Tomorrow they'll start their 3 days of language school and have a Historical walking tour of Florence. The next day we'll be going to Pisa after lunch for a 1/2 day trip.
Below are a few photos from today.
Carl, I hope you don't mind passing this on to the students. Italians are renound in Europe for their national pride. On ANZAC Day please take pride in the nation of Australia. Whether you were born here, or like me you were given the opportunity to live here, love Australia and give thanks for all who paid the ultimate price for our freedom!
ReplyDeleteConsidering the amount of pizza and gelato you are all eating, I think it is lucky you had all that walking to do.
ReplyDeleteSierra is having a ball and is bubbling with excitement and awe with every phone call. You are obviously showing the kids the time of their lives. Thank You
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