Day 3: Florence

 Hello! It’s 7pm and we’re 14,629 steps later than we were this morning. I currently have my feet propped up and am sitting on the couch waiting for room service to be delivered. So much fun, but I’m tired! Today was an all-day trip to Florence. The morning was a walking tour of the city, then a few hours to explore on your own. Everything was new to me, so it was a great opportunity to get my bearings then see some of the sights on my own. 

This excursion reminded me of what I always say on trips - they’re great for getting a new perspective on the definition of “normal”. What’s daily life in Charlotte is definitely not daily life here. Walking from place to place, a good, functioning transportation system, and buildings that are older than 20 or so years (and aren’t torn down after they are past their prime) are all part of the differences. 

You’ll see from the pictures, but Florence was an absolutely beautiful city. Originally built along the waterway, the city quickly expanded outwards. You’ll see the history in some of the pictures below. You’ll also see statues and art. Lots of statues and art. I’m consistently amazed by how seriously Europe treats the idea of art and culture. There’s beautiful pieces everywhere, and they’re treated seriously. We walked past the Duomo (the line to get inside was several hours long, so we didn’t try) and it was just as beautiful. 

After the walking tour, we got free time to explore on our own. I had read that Florence specialized in leather production, so I went looking for a small business that made its own product. There is a leather market, but to use the words of my tour guide - “It’s crap”. Lots of product not made in the region, using cheap materials. The tour guide recommended a small shop called Katina, and it did not disappoint. Professionally trained designer who designed and made all his own products, custom. I walked out with a woven bag and an order for a jacket fitted to my measurements. Both are absolutely beautiful. The store owner also gifted me a bottle of wine from his family vineyard. Don’t know if that means he appreciated my business or I paid way too much, but it was a great experience. 

And now, the pictures! 

Had breakfast in the room this morning, since the call time for the excursion was 8:15am. No joke, that waffle was GOOD. I’ll be ordering that again. 

OOTD: Ann Taylor top (Goodwill) with Old Navy pants. I get a perverse kick out of wearing thrift store clothing during cruises like this. I know others have spent more on their outfits, and I like showing it can be done for a lot less. 

Approaching the old city section of Florence. 

Can you see the hooks between the windows? The building was occupied by fabric merchants many years ago. They would hang rods outside the windows, then hang the fabric on it. If you were interested, you could come inside and buy. 

The Ponte Vecchio bridge. Now home to lots and lots of gold and jewelry merchants.

 

One of the leaders of the Medici family (rulers of Florence for a long while). Per the tour guide, he’s pointing his finger to say “Be good” and “Be intimidated” 

The Medici family didn’t like mixing with the regular folk, and they really didn’t like walking through the meat and fish markets everyday. So they built walkways above the street so they could walk around freely from building to building. 

The “fake David” located outside the museum where the real David is housed. Several details are different, such as what’s in his hand and the direction his head is turned. 

King Neptune 

The Duomo. Absolutely massive. And gorgeous. It’s almost 500 stairs to the top of the dome. Would’ve been a beautiful view, but no. 

……and, because I can have all the maturity of an 8yr old, Neptune’s backside. The high school girls making a big show of covering their eyes and running away made me laugh even harder. 

An unexpected surprise was the Ferragamo museum. I didn’t know much about the brand, so it was a fascinating chance to see how it’s evolved. 

Ferragamo was determined to make the shoes as well-fitting as possible, and created models of feet so that the shoes would fit exactly. You can see the models for Mary Pickford, Marlene Dietrich, and Lauren Bacall, among others. 

Zoom in on the beading on this shoe base. Absolutely gorgeous. 

My bag adventure. Daniel (the shop owner), myself and Flavia (the tour guide that recommended him)

Random nerd moment. My ship is on the right, a ferry that takes cars is on the left. Many people live on the surrounding islands and use the ferry as transport to work each day. They just drive their car on in. The sheer size (it’s as big as the cruise ship) amazed me. 

My bag (the coat is created and shipped in about 7 days) and the wine. Many bags are printed with the weave already complete. This shop hand completes everything. Can’t imagine the work it took to do this….so pretty! 

Italian Cruise, Days 1 and 2: Nice and the Silver Shadow

 I’m here! After 12+hrs of travel, I spent the night in Nice, France, met up with my group (who took a different flight) and then transferred to the ship the next day. It’s definitely an experience. Some of the stories…… 

Nice is one of the most beautiful cities, period. It’s such a beautiful mix of older and newer architecture that you can’t help but love it. Admittedly I crashed out once I got to my room yesterday, so I didn’t get to walk around the city like I was planning to do. If you’ve ever seen the video of the little girl lying down on the sand and saying “I go to sleep. I go to sleep right here!” You know how I felt. Fortunately after a good meal at the rooftop restaurant and a good night’s sleep, I feel much better. Just means I’ll have to come back to Nice again to continue walking around. 

Onto the ship! We’re on the Silver Shadow, part of the Silver Sea line. It’s a smaller ship, only holding about 400 or so passengers. One thing I’ve discovered quickly - everyone talks to everyone. If you’re an introvert, just run and hide because you’re going to see people. LOTS of people. I got into a conversation in the dessert line with a very nice lady, and now we’re BFFs. I also had a reaction….I completed the check in process outside the ship, and by the time I walked up the ramp and boarded, I was greeted with “Hello, Ms. Woodfin”. Ummm……how did you do that? Many of the people I’ve talked to have been on multiple Silver Sea cruises. They’re old hats at this. When they hear it’s my first time in Italy, their mouths form a round “O” shape and the next words are usually something like “You’re going to love it!” 

Tomorrow is a day-long tour of Florence. Highlights of the area, followed by lunch and some free time, then the van ride back to the ship. I’m guessing I’m going to come back completely exhausted. But….I’ll have lots of photos and memories! Look forward to sharing. :) 

And now, the pictures! 

The nighttime view from the hotel rooftop. So gorgeous! 

You know I have to do an OOTD…..Old Navy jeans (love the fit of these things), Pact shirt (from Goodwill). Pact is supposed to be a great brand for travel, I was glad to get the chance to try them out. 

The hotel from the opposite side of the street

The Promenade in front of the hotel. Now a great spot for exercising and walking, it was originally built by the rich visitors in town for a space to stroll. 

You could see the ship from the hotel. :) 

The beach is not fluffy sand - it’s rocks. Still, there were sunbathers and swimmers out this morning. 

The offering for registration - champagne and caviar. At 11am. You can see by my face in the next picture, this was when I realized I wasn’t in Kansas anymore…… 

Wheeeeeee! 

Adventure awaits! 

The Nice coastline from the ship. I mean, really. Gorgeous. 

Part of the charm…..an older style building next to a mod, 60’s style building. 

My suite (they’re all suites). Of course I’ve already unpacked and settled in…..it’s the organizer in me! 

The group I’m with this week. Lou (retired surgeon from FL), me, and Nora and Michael (my next-door neighbors from home). Fun crew! 

More of the Nice coastline. It’s worth enlarging the pictures to see details. 

Days #5 and 6: Sea day and Key West

Hello from Charlotte! I'm back home (and dang it, it's COLD!), but didn't want to leave the blog without writing about my last two full cruise days. It's been a blast, and definitely wanted to share pictures. So, without further ado..... 

Dinner on night #4 was at Sakura, the Asian restaurant on the ship. We put faith in the waiter when he asked "Can I bring you some things to try?", and boy, did he! It was also a good move on his part - he knew there was a table of 11 on the other side of the restaurant, and by ordering a large number of apps for us, it bought some time because they ordered a lot of food! We also discovered you could order smaller portions of each main dish in order to try more options. Not that the smaller portions were much smaller (see picture below), but still fun. Overall a great experience. 

Sea day: We booked it (can you really "book it" on a cruise ship?) from Guatemala to Key West, which took an entire day and night. I made the most of it by parking myself in a cabana and enjoying a tasty beverage. I also learned you get the better seating options the earlier you get to the pools. By 11:00am or so, there were still chairs left but they were in the direct sun and wind. I very much enjoyed sitting with a covering above and a table to the side. It's something to be writing this while I'm wearing jeans, turtleneck and sweater, while knowing two days ago I was in a bathing suit sipping an Aperol Spritz..... 

Key West: No joke, this was one of the stops I was most excited about. Everything I had read about Key West said it had a personality, and it did! It was the home of Jimmy Buffett and one of my Uncle Rick's favorite vacation spots, so I was looking forward to seeing what there was. I loved it! I spent most of the day wandering Duval St, people watching and stopping in all the shops. Such a great experience, I would love to go back. Got into a great conversation with one of the street vendors - when I pressed her for more information about the low crime rate she said "It's an island, and there's only 25,000 people. If you commit a crime, you're gonna get recognized by someone, and where are you gonna go?" She had a point..... 

I'll upload one more blog tomorrow with travel advice and links to places I visited on this trip. 

......and now, the pictures! 

Forgot to include earlier, but these are the ladies of the trip - Nora, Amanda and myself. Great group to travel with! 

OOTD (OOTN?) for Sakura. From Poshmark and Eshakti. I figured a cruise was a great time to wear a dress with coral embroidery.... 

Love how they folded the napkins at Sakrua

Pumpkin soup

A loooooong time ago I ordered a soft shell crab sandwich while on vacation. It was one of the only things I've sent back, because it was too realistic of what it used to be! This was similar, so I had to laugh. Fortunately, all the meat was already in the dish (lobster Pad Thai) and the shell was for presentation only.  Under the sea, under the sea.....  :) 

Nora shaking her head at the "smaller portions" and Michael just grinning...... 

Smaller portions? 

Waiting for me back in the room - chocolates! 

Day at sea - think I can convince work that I can do it remotely? 

Key West OOTD - J Crew Factory

Good morning Key West! 

One of the many pedicabs available at the port. This one had an added bonus..... 

Christmas at the pier - a Christmas tree of lobster traps

The roosters were everywhere! 

Jimmy Buffet's recording studio. I took this from the hop on hop off train so didn't get all the shots I wanted (the front of the building was covered in stickers), but still cool. The sad part - the building is now up for lease and will likely be transformed in the next year or so. 

Decorations at the Butterfly Museum. Add this one to places to visit the next time I'm there. 

It's an institution. 

Made me smile - apparently a very popular place for nightlife. Seems pretty accurate. (IYKYK) 

Wastin' away again.... Yes, it's touristy and not the original location. Don't care. :) When in Key West, it's practically a requirement. 

Found a really cool street vendor who made jewelry from wine bottles, plates and sea glass. Bought several pieces and got great stories. 

Technically this is Kelly McGillis' signature in the pavement, but we're going to pretend it's just my name. 

Floors 2 and 3 of the only 3-story bar in Key West. Supposedly the Garden of Eden on the 3rd floor is "clothing optional". Guess it depends on how much you've had to drink before you get there.....

Mama Chicken and babies

Key Lime pie - another Key West institution. In the background you can see two older ladies. They grew up in Elkin, NC and went to UNCG when it was the Women's College. An absolute hoot to talk with. 

Location shots - an absolutely gorgeous place! 

My dog sitter has been sending me daily pictures of Bella - this is one of the best so far. Those eyes....

One of the many Christmas decorations on board the Explora II. They were multiplying throughout the week. 

Last meal (breakfast) on board. Total first world problem, but all of us were totally, absolutely full by the end of the cruise. We decided we all ate pretty normally in real life, but the meals on the ship were much more filling and rich than we usually ate.