Day One in Florence – The Basilica di Santa Croce

Published on February 3, 2018May 7, 2024 by joannaalmasude

February 3, 2018: The trip from Venice to Florence yesterday was very easy. We left our excellent 5-star AirBnB (a review will be in another post) around 10:30 am and we arrived here in Florence (AKA “Firenze”). We took a taxi from the train to our new Florence 5-star AirBnB arriving at 4:40pm. We did a quick walk to the grocery story and found that food is a bit cheaper than in Venice. Makes perfect sense since Venice has to have everything transported in and carried to the stores on boats/by foot carts.

It was very difficult to decide what to do today; the list is way too long. Academia was first on my list, but with a bit of research I found that it is free on the first Sunday of the month, which is tomorrow!! So, we decided to visit Michelangelo and Galileo’s tombs, which are housed in The Basilica di Santa Croce (see my photo above). It was an excellent choice! Though it cost 9 euros each to get in we spent several hours looking through the main Santa Croce Basilica as well as touring through the Pazzi Chapel and even saw a leather making school(?).

To make a long day short… I took over 400 photos and to break it down for my future failing memory, I’m listing photos in sections below:

Photos from The Basilica di Santa Croce

The Tomb of Michelangelo’ Michelangelo It is currently being worked on, so it has a scaffolding in front of it. But I was still able to capture some photos.

The Tomb of Galileo Galileo Galilei

Other Tombs and Icons from Santa Crosa

Pazzi Chapel

Salute – Last Day in Venice! Saint Mary of Health… :-)

Published on February 1, 2018May 7, 2024 by joannaalmasude

Still not feeling very well, but we planned one last visit to a Basilica, specifically the Santa Maria della Salute! Good news – this Basilica is Free and you can take photos as long as you do not use a flash! Wonderful, Im giving them a 10 out of 10! I would like to know more about who decides the charges as well as whether photos can be taken in Italy. Hmmmm….

More about Santa Maria della Salute… in English “Saint Mary of Health, commonly known simply as the Salute, I think I needed to visit to hopefully gain some good health!

Here is the “backstory” from Wikipedia …. Beginning in the summer of 1630, a wave of the plague assaulted Venice, and until 1631 killed nearly a third of the population. In the city, 46,000 people died whilst in the lagoons the number was far higher, some 94,000.^[1] Repeated displays of the sacrament, as well as prayers and processions to churches dedicated to San Rocco and San Lorenzo Giustiniani had failed to stem the epidemic. Echoing the architectural response to a prior assault of the plague (1575–76), when Palladio was asked to design the Redentore church, the Venetian Senate on October 22, 1630, decreed that a new church would be built.^[1] It was not to be dedicated to a mere “plague” or patron saint, but to the Virgin Mary, who for many reasons was thought to be a protector of the Republic.^[2]

Santa Maria della Salute on the Grand Canal

It was also decided that the Senate would visit the church each year. On November 21 the Feast of the Presentation of the Virgin, known as the Festa della Madonna della Salute, the city’s officials parade from San Marco to the Salute for a service in gratitude for deliverance from the plague is celebrated. This involved crossing the Grand Canal on a specially constructed pontoon bridge and is still a major event in Venice.

As usual here are a few of my photos from this, last trip in Venice!!

A few more excellent photos from the internet:

A Slow Day in Venice … 1-30-2018

Published on January 30, 2018May 7, 2024 by joannaalmasude

Trying to keep going, though definitely sick is an interesting challenge. I’m sure most have experienced getting sick on a trip and you are counting all the money you spent on it and want to get the most out of a special travel opportunity. And for me, a ground hugger, and not much into travel it is really driving me crazy. Oh well…

Today we went on the boat to the train station, so we can explore that area more… we have only rushed by in the past. It’s nice to just show your phone ap pass and jump on a boat!

My main observations & musings for today are:

1. Wow these people eat a lot of sweets!!
2. Awesome Glass…
3. Awesome Puppets
4. ….. and Masks! I’ll go into the details of “made in Italy” in a later blog post.
5. Did I mention that traveling while sick is a drag? YES!

Only 2 days left in Venice!

Enjoy today’s Photos…

January 28th a day of festival!!

Published on January 28, 2018May 7, 2024 by joannaalmasude

Today was a day of fun & festival in the Rio di Cannergio area of Venice. We walked over in the morning and wow – the crowds have grown huge in the last couple of days! I took photos just to try to capture the sea of people walking around the city!

We met some “Americans” in a cute local pub (a block away from our apartment) two nights ago and they said they had come just for 2 days and to see Festa Veneziana on the water – First Part One and Two. We had not heard of it so I looked it up on the internet. If you want to see more check out this LINK. The first day was an opening last night… but since I woke up with a sore throat yesterday and felt really bad by the evening we didn’t attend the “Part One” evening show. Here is a bit of new about the show we missed: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/travel/article/venice-kicks-off-carnival-season-video

Starting to come down with a cold, I was concerned that I wouldn’t feel good enough to go out today for “Part Two”, but it’s amazing how much a few Ibuprofen can help! It actually helped my with my knees as well.

We found the event easily by walking toward the train station. The crowds have certainly grown huge! The canal was lined by groves of people all waiting for the event to start? There was a lot of talking over a loud speaker – I didn’t understand any of it. Then some boats arrived carrying, what we guessed was food! Lots of food! We stood by the bridge for a while, waiting for something to happen, but nothing much happened… on the water. So we walked down the sidewalk and ran into some lines – they were giving out food!

So, we found the end to one very long line and waited out turn! As it turned out, like my mother warned me, in Italy it is ok to “cut in front of the line.” Yes, I saw it in the grocery store once. A lady who just wanted to buy a single chocolate bar asked to jump in front – no one minded. However, on this occasion, waiting in line for free food & drinks? Well, my “USA” patience ran dry. We waited in line behind some very patient Italians … as what I eventually found to be very rude foreigners to be cutting in. When Amar and I finally got to the place to get food (after nearly an hour) a englishing speaking girly-girl tried to cut in front of me. She was maybe around 20 year old and I had spied her with a group of her friends 5 minutes earlier trying to cut in… I told her, ‘Sorry – there is no emergency here and we had been waiting in the line for over an hour. She needs to go in the back of the line.’ I said a few other choice things based on frustration and hunger. LOL! I really detest young women trying to use their “looks” to get things the easy way. Hmmm….

The food and drink was good and the boat parade was excellent! Here are a few photos from the day!

January 27th, Trip to Cimitario

Published on January 27, 2018May 7, 2024 by joannaalmasude

Today we sent to Isola di San Michele, AKA “Cimitario.” It is an island north of the main island we are staying on. Actually, we saw it on our first walk, our first day in Venice and had no idea what it was. A quick search on Google Maps answered the question. So, as soon as I found out what it was, I wanted to visit. One might say that I have a morbid interest in how cultures take care of their dead… not too unusual – I think. And I may have found some distant relatives as well!

To see Cimitatio you have to cross the water. As of yesterday, we had not taken a boat trip. We have been touring Venice for over a week – on foot. We priced tickets and visiting Cimitario would cost around 16 to 18 euros for both of us. That with the 14 for us to go to the train station the day we leave we opted for the 7 day pass each… 120 euros, but we can travel as much as we like city wide and to most of the little surrounding islands. You can see more about the travel cards and downloading the Venice travel Ap here.

OK, now for my “tips & tricks” concerning taking the public water buses in Venice…. get ready to jump on and jump off as soon as the boat pulls up to the dock. They do not wait! We were sitting in the lower part of boat 4.1 on the way to Cimitario; the boat was packed with people!! When we knew we were almost the Cimitario stop – we got up and started toward the upper part of the boat and the driver barely stopped – and then BOOM – we were headed for the next stop! What?! So, get ready ahead of time and perhaps yell? We ended up on another island called Murano. And waited for another waterbus to get to our goal.

I must admit that it was great getting out on the water for the first time! A whole new view of Venice! Here are the photos of Cimitario as well as my first water photos!

San Marco … enough said

Published on January 24, 2018May 7, 2024 by joannaalmasude

What can one say about the most famous and one of the oldest Basilica in Venice? Breathtaking? Amazing? Inspiring? All of the above? Want to go straight to their website? Here is a direct link – great info: http://www.basilicasanmarco.it/?lang=en

The photos of the building online do not do it justice and my photos do not either. It is huge and quite detailed. Amar said, “It is supposed to show the greatness of god and it actually shows the greatness of man.” I couldn’t have said it better. The amount to time, resources and craftsmanship that went into the designing and building is mind boggling. The photos (even professional) fail to show the detail… the golden images are mosaics, made of very tiny tiles. From a distance they look like paintings… almost. Quite amazing.

Want more information? Another great source for information about traveling in Italy is Jen’s Reviews! Follow this link to check out her website: https://www.jenreviews.com/best-things-to-do-in-italy/

Some quick Wiki info:

History
45°26′04″N 12°20′23″ECoordinates: 45°26′04″N 12°20′23″E
Location	Venice
Country	Italy
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Website	Saint Mark’s Basilica
Earlier dedication	1084, 1093, 1102
Consecrated	1117
Architecture
Status	Cathedral, minor basilica
Style	Italo-Byzantine and Gothic
Groundbreaking	978
Completed	1092
Specifications
Length	76.5 metres (251 ft)
Width	62.5 metres (205 ft)
Number of domes	5
Dome height (outer)	43 metres (141 ft)
Dome height (inner)

Here are my photos for those interested in seeing more. If you ever get to Venice, San Marco should be first on your list of places to visit! 🙂

Here are some nice photos from the internet…..

Lyon AirBnB Experience

Published on January 20, 2018May 7, 2024 by joannaalmasude

Jan 15 – 20, 2018 we stayed at a cosy little studio in the Bellecour area of Lyon, to be specific it is 3 Rue Émile Zola 69002 Lyon. You can see the link to the AirBnB Ad here. It was a great experience and just large enough for Amar and I… and all 6 of our bags. The kitchen area was large enough for us to make all our meals. The private bath was nice – however the shower was too small for anyone overweight. I know I wouldn’t have fit in it a few years ago. I’m not sure what floor the apartment was on – seems like the 5th or 6th, so the elevator was necessary for our stay and easy to use.

The best part about this studio apartment was the location! Literally you walk a few steps to the right corner and you see the beautiful huge fountain at Place des Jacobins. You walk 1 and 1/2 blocks to the left and you are at the Place Bellecour!! You can see the La Basilique Notre Dame de Fourvière from just about every where you walk near the studio.

We spent 5 days in this location and everyday was full of exploration! It was a little rainy, but we rarely needed an umbrella. Overall it was a wonderful experience and made exploring and researching Lyon a pleasure!

Cathédrale Saint-Jean-Baptiste in Lyon

Published on January 16, 2018May 7, 2024 by joannaalmasude

We visited the Cathédrale Saint-Jean-Baptiste on January 16th 2018, and it was very interesting. It was easy to walk to from our place between the two rivers. This Cathédrale is in the old city.

Architectural styles: Gothic architecture and Romanesque architecture
Opened:1480
Region: Rhône-Alpes

The most interesting item in the Cathedral is the Astronomical Clock. Here is some more information about the clock I found through research:

Astronomical clock

The astronomical clock of the Primatiale is one of the oldest in Europe.
Horlo2
After Cluny (1340, now disappeared), Strasbourg (1354), it is in Lyon in 1379 that a clock clockwork with astronomical mechanisms is installed. The first document relating the existence of the clock of the cathedral dates from 1383.

The clock is composed of a square tower of 1.80 meters side surmounted by an octagonal turret in which evolve automatons. Two fixed statuettes represent the first two bishops of Lyon: Saint Pothin and Saint Irénée. The work ends with a dome supporting a rooster that rises 9 meters above the ground (the total height is 9.35 m).

The clock rang every day at 12:00, 14:00, 15:00 and 16:00. The automata then start moving: An angel on the left turns his hourglass, another on the right makes the conductor Rooster sings 3 times, raises neck, opens bill, flaps wings Three of the six angels surrounding “The Heavenly Father” operate the hammers of the bells playing the hymn of St. John the Baptist: “So that we may sing the marvelous facts of your life, wash the sin that defiles our mouth, O Saint John the Baptist

UT queant laxis
REsonacre fibris
MIra gestorum
FAmuli tuorum
Pollute SOLVE
LAbii reatum
Sancte Ioannes.

The Swiss turns quickly, starts his round, salutes with his head and hand Mary turns to the Angel Gabriel, the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove descends from the ceiling that opens “The Heavenly Father” blesses his people by three times The Swiss finish his round while the big bell under the cock sounds the new time

To complete the perpetual calendar, an ecclesiastical almanac specifies in particular the dates of Ash Wednesday (first day of Lent), Easter, Ascension, Pentecost and Advent until 2019.

Here are some more photos from today’s adventure:

Lyon the Old City!

Published on January 16, 2018May 7, 2024 by joannaalmasude

We explored the Old City of Lyon on January 16, 2018, actually we didn’t plan the trip, we stumbled over it while walking. And it was a very nice discovery! The old city is to the east of where we are staying, across the bridge over the Saône river. The main road through the old city is called Rue Saint-Georges. It’s cute and it was all dressed up for the Christmas holiday. There are many quaint shops, each pretty unique. There were a few museums, Miniature Museum and Theater, Musee des Automates Vieux Lyon, as well as Saint-George Gallery. Most cost money to view, and our preference was to walk and see as much as the street antiquity as possible. We also visited the Cathédrale Saint-Jean-Baptiste, but I’ll leave that to another post.

Here are the photos I took of the old city. The photos do not really do it justice, and I highly recommend spending a day walking around the old city if you ever make it to Lyon!

Paris AirBnB, what an experience!

Published on January 16, 2018May 7, 2024 by joannaalmasude

We stayed here in Paris from Jan 10-15 2018. “Chambre de charme typique à Montmartre,” what a disappointment. First they didn’t give us the correct address. Note – if that happens, consider raising the issue immediately with AirBnB and find another place to stay. The address given through AirBnB was Number 45 and the woman gave us a different address 59 after corresponding with her. At the time we didn’t think anything about it. Another thing we noticed after we left is the names of the women who live at the flat do not match the ones in the AirBnB listing. The listing is by another women – who did stay in the flat and unfortunately acted like she didn’t really want anyone staying there. Very bizarre.

The apartment was very small and the toilet and shower are very small and in separate rooms (shared). If anyone was slightly overweight they wouldn’t fit on the toilet or in the shower. The was virtually no privacy, for example, no lock on the door to the shower. The kitchen was small and we couldn’t find any dishes or utensils. The point of not staying at hotels is so we can make our own food… but this place though said the kitchen was for our use – was not usable. The bedroom was ok – but had a lot of their personal items in it. They did supply a coffee pot and a few coffee and tea bags in the room – which was good.

Midway through our stay the internet stopped working – very strange. And we also were suddenly informed that we cannot eat in the room through email. But there was no where else in the apartment to eat. We didn’t feel welcome in the living room and there was no other space… no table and the kitchen didn’t have a place to sit. At that point we knew this was a mistake.

Resolving to always use totally private accommodations in the future, we left and went to Lyon. Upon our arrival in Lyon, we received notice from the woman in Paris that she had 2 missing hangers… and we had taken them! She also said we had broken the rules by drinking wine in our room! There were no such rules listed in her ad, and certainly we didn’t take any hangers. (Update: she has changed her ad to include all the “rules” now… she I guess you could say there was a major misunderstanding because she was applying rules to us that she had not listed.) Overall – still, a place to be avoided, and a solid learning experience for us.

We did visit a lot interesting places around the area and took lots of photos! We went on to much better places!