We packed up, had a hurried tiny breakfast and then had a very scenic drive down to Montevarchi. The weather continues to be wonderful and we're getting very used to clear blue skies and sunny days, so jackets are at the bottom of the backpack.
The train trip back up to Florence was as scenic as you'd expect from this beautiful region of Italy. Every few seconds, another 'postcard scene' would appear and we seemed to arrive back in Florence incredibly quickly. We all put our bags into storage at the station and headed down to the Duomo and then off to find a coffee and something to eat, as by this stage our appetites had returned. It was a bit of a buzz to know our way around, and to think that on a Saturday morning, the start of another weekend, here we were in Florence!!
Leonie and Peter only had a couple of hours here before their train left, and so we made the most of our last hours together. Leanne and I had most of the day - I'd already bought our train tickets back to Rome and when we last checked them, I noted that the train left Florence at 16:12. I know this sounds odd, but I knew that European trains run on an extensive network and they usually run on time so I didn't think the departure time was odd.
Once Leonie and Peter had left and we were back on our own, we were trying not to think of just how long our day was actually going to be. We had until just after 4pm to wander around Florence, and then we were catching the train to Rome, with a connection out to the airport. We were then supposed to fly from Rome to Zurich, and then Zurich to Bangkok and after waiting there for a few hours, on to Sydney where we were due to arrive very early on Monday. So we'd really not get much of a Sunday at all.
We had a running "joke" that we'd get to Rome airport, and instead of catching our flight to Zurich we'd somehow end up getting a flight elsewhere in Europe. After all, when we'd arrived in Rome we somehow ended up joining a queue which was for a European domestic departure, so we thought we may just end up doing the same again. That way we'd save the inevitable of flying back that evening.
I thought we could end up with a blog about Florence, and then saying that we flew out of Rome and when we arrived, we made our way to a small hotel I knew of and on Sunday morning we went for a stroll and I took this photo ...
... again. But not to be - this time.
We had a great time in Florence - really, who wouldn't? Leanne managed to continue her tradition and helped the Italian economy bubble along. She ended up with quite a few packages to prove once again how good she really is at packing. I think she could start a business helping people to pack, whether they are tourists leaving Sydney, or people moving house and wanting "less" boxes to deal with. Or those just wanting to declutter a tad. But I digress.
I kept busy by photographing some items that we didn't buy. Some are understandable, and it would be interesting to know if they are ever purchased, but it is amazing at some of the stock some shops have.
One of the times I was waiting for Leanne, I had the luxury of just watching the world go by. The streets in Florence are not wide, and footpaths, if they have them, tend to merge with the cobbled streets because usually the streets are just full of people walking. Sometimes there is a car (private or taxi), or a bus but their progress was awfully slow. We even thought that it was a pain when there was a car trying to use the road! I did notice though the number of people using bikes - a great way to get around - so took a selection of those.
So these guys had a busy time. At first they looked like they were dressed for a formal occasion, but with all the people (plus the European festival that was on that day), and the traffic of all sorts, they would have a busy shift.
and if you owned a car in Florence, the smaller the better!
and then there were some of THE sights you just have to look at, no matter how many times you happen to be in Florence.
and some jobs that probably wouldn't be on the top of everyone's "ideal" list. This window cleaner was cleaning the outside of the window, and when we looked at the drop if he lost his footing, we assumed he was agile and fit, as well as a good window cleaner.
I was also amazed at the large number of flowers that seemed to be everywhere. Not just in pots on many window ledges, but there were endless pots of flowers outside shops, or in hanging baskets, and this enormous pot really brightened the scene and would have made this particular cafe quite popular.
With summer coming, it was the time for buskers to get in some practice. This lady was just completing her make-up but we didn't have the time to see the finished result.
This guy however was amazing. It looked like his makeup was quite thick, and the end result was quite spectacular. Standing still for hours on end would have been hard enough, but with all that makeup and heaving clothing it would be hard work, especially in the summer. So I hope he made enough from all the tourists to be worth it.
This little boy was really cute, taking several attempts to get up the courage to go close enough to put a donation in the busker's box.
Leanne however, managed it quite well!
And of course with all the hard work of walking around Florence, watching Leanne buoy up the economy, photographing some of the things we didn't buy, and realising it would be a few months before we'd be back in Italy, we DID buy a gelato. We treated ourselves, sitting in the square in front of the Duomo and watched the world drift by while we slowly ate our gelatos.
We arrived back at the station in time to retrieve our luggage, and Leanne to repack a bit, and then headed out to find which platform our Rome train departed from. I looked up at the departure board and saw a train to Rome, but it wasn't our train number and also a different departure time. I looked a few times, but really couldn't see it. So I went up to the information counter, squeezed in to the front of the line, showed our ticket and asked which platform the train departed from.
He looked at the ticket and said that it wasn't valid because the train left a couple of hours ago. I was gobsmacked. He was probably used to seeing a variety of reactions to news like that, so he just reissued the ticket and said that the next train to Rome left in a few minutes, so we'd best run!
It took me what felt like a few minutes to locate Leanne, and we both made our way quickly to the platform and the official there checked our new tickets and said that we had seats in carriage 10, which just happened to be at the other end of the train, and we'd best run. So we did! I was fortunate, I just had the one backpack and one camera bag, which I could wear on my front. So I had two spare hands and I just picked up Leanne's big bag, and moved as quickly as I could. Leanne followed with her other bags.
When we finally got on to the train I told her what had happened. It turned out that the 'departure' time I was reading on our original tickets was in fact the arrival time in Rome! Our original tickets were timed to have us arrive at the airport in time for our flight. And here we were, hours behind and still in Florence. So there was quite a bit of time when we thought that our "joking" over the past few days and especially today that we'd accidentally miss our flight and have to fly elsewhere in Europe may turn out to be anything but a joke!
Still, we couldn't do anything about it so we settled down to enjoy the views sliding past as the train sped south towards Rome. Arriving at the outskirts of Rome, and watching the buildings as the train made its way past some familiar landmarks into the Central Termini was surreal. Again it was wonderful to know that now Rome was not just a famous name, or a dot on a map. We'd had an absolutely wonderful week there, and thanks to being with Sue & Roger and also meeting and being included with Pat and Mimmo we knew that our time in Rome was indeed special, and we saw a totally different Rome to what most tourists get to see.
We managed to change trains at the Central Termini and keep calm on the way to the airport. Once at the airport station, we must have been two of the more determined passengers as we made our way to the check in counter. I have to admit to being somewhat ambivalent - it really wouldn't have been the end of the world if we had missed our flight and its connections but I'm not sure that Leanne would have been as accepting about that option. As it turned out, we were the last passengers permitted to check in, and the guy at the counter just said he'd give us one word of advice: 'Run!'
We were going OK until we reached the winding queue for the hand luggage checks & x-ray. By this stage, I was past caring what people thought, and so I just went through saying 'Scusi - missing flight' and was pleasantly surprised that most passengers were happy to move over and let us pass.
So we ended up making the flight, and its connections. And our Saturday continued with a relatively short flight to Zurich, a quick change for the long flight to Bangkok, a few hours there and then the final 9 or so hours into Sydney.
So much has happened since I left. Several lifetimes, amazing experiences, fantastic opportunities. So while this may be the end of this adventure, it's now time for the next one to start.
Stay tooned!!!!
