Look back here around 4 or 5 Sept

September 1-2 Getting There

Today is the big day.

My bag has been packed and my traveling clothes have been laid out for over a week. I am ready!!!!

Check list:

Suitcase....Check

Clean underwear.....Check and in the suitcase

Clothing to do great art paintings in.....Check

Clothing to cover 90 to 50 degrees.....Check

More important Check List.

Passport.....Check

Ticket.........Check

Covid shot record......Check

Covid test within 72 hours....Check

Italy tracking form.....Check

Arm....Completely chewed off in anticipation....Check

Uber arrives on time.

Whoa, back up the bus. I have not gone on a trip all year that something has not gone wrong and this one is headed in the same direction. In June I got washed out of Mississippi, in July I had to postpone my trip a day for hurricane Elsa passing by St. Pete. Ida passed way away from me but took a left turn and is forecast to be over Dulles airport this afternoon at the same time we arrive from TPA and depart for Europe. The only thing that would cause a great problem is if our COVID tests expires. So, instead of rolling the dice and then being caught in Washington having to run around and look for one, we book another here in St. Pete and drive out for another nose bugger cleaning. It is pouring rain here and has been all day. This too could be a problem. Any delay and we miss our one hour connection in Dulles.

The Washington radar

The Tampa radar

Back to the nose cleaner

Ok, now Harry the driver shows. He is early because he is very thoughtful and wants his customers to have the piece of mind knowing that he is parked out front.

We zip through checkin and are at the gate over an hour early. My nephew just drove a plane in from Dulles and he has briefed the flight attendants that are returning to Dulles, while he goes on to Houston, that we are VIP's. While waiting a Honor Guard of FLA Highway Patrolmen come into the terminal with other police officers with them. They stands in formation solemnly with their heads bowed and hands clasped for a good twenty minutes. They are waiting for a Honor Flag that has been flown in from Memphis. The flag flew over Ground Zero and now travels the country to funeral services of dead police officer. I did not use fallen as they can pass of any cause. The flag is on it's way to Ocala where the Chief of Police died in an airplane he was flying.

Back to travel. We board and the plane actually leaves early and arrives early in Dulles. The flight attendants were very attentive and even offered to share their personal stash of junk food with Vicki.

We leave Dulles late and arrive late in Frankfurt. The movie selection was poor or aimed at a different audience. Food service is greatly restricted and they say it is because of COVID. I only tried the quiche for breakfast, having skipped the mid-night dinner. Two bites and I was done with that.

Hope it keeps running

We arrived late to Frankfurt and the flight attendants said please let those people with close connections get off first. That was a waste of noise as we had to all load on a bus and it was not leaving till it was full close connection or not. The herd was released into the main terminal after about a 10 minute ride, Frankfurt is a very big airport, where we all went through immigration and not at a rapid pace that the Germans are usually known for.

From there we walk a long long way. There are no moving sidewalks in our direction and the one in the other direction was not working. Not the usual German efficiency. We finally arrive at gate B1 and wait almost two hours till our departure time.

Water and beer are the same price here in the Frankfurt airport! and the water ain't cheap but the beer is.

Back on the bus we all herd out to Air Dolomiti flight 8858 to Florene. We are traveling in first class. In Europe they do have big seats like in the US, but they give us each two seats in the front of the plane. Once airborne the very attentive flight attendants come around and offer a snack and a drink. Now, keep in mind this flight time is one hour and ten minutes. The snack is served on real dishware and the wine comes in a real glass. United was unable to offer any of that in the hours that we flew on them. United's dishware may have been real but the glass was plastic. There were three flight attendants on the plane and with nothing to do in coach they hovered over everyone offering wine refills or coffee.

First drink over Italy

Read the barf bag!

Florence airport is like most things in Italy, different. This is a fairly busy airport and there were 6 airliners on the ground when we arrived but the airport has no main taxiway next to the runway so you have to back taxi to the terminal unless another airplane is coming in then there is a small hold area beside the end and you wait there. Back on the bus and about a two minute ride to the terminal, I could have thrown a rock from the airplane and hit the door of the terminal. Once inside the signs over the three baggage belts did not match any of the flights on the ground. I told Vicki this would take a while. Little did I now. When the bags from Frankfurt arrived Vicki's was one of the first off. It is a strange feeling when all the rest of the passengers have left and there is one or two bags going around on the belt but none of them are yours. I finally admit defeat and go meet my first Italian, the baggage claim lady. It takes a few minutes to fill out the paperwork and I walk dejected out of the terminal to look for a taxi. It is lonely in front of the terminal as there is almost no one there nor are there any taxi's. Then we met our second person in Italy. A retired school teacher of the arts who has come to Florence to study his craft now that he is free. A taxi quickly arrives and I am sorry as I would like to have visited with him some more. A quick trip through old Florence to our apartment. Enroute our driver implores us "please, no McDonalds, no kebabs, no Chinese. Food in Florence is to good and only eat good Italian food". We advised him that will not be a problem, except maybe for the kebab.

Mirko met us in front of the apartment and showed us to our new home for the weekend. It is a small neat two room apartment with everything we need. He told me he used to work in lost luggage at the airport in Barcelona and he would help with the luggage if he could.

I had got a fair amount of sleep on the plane but Vicki had not and had told me in the airport she was ready to crash. But by the time we had settled in, she got her second wind and wanted to go out. My plan had been to go to the store and get my very beloved European meal of baguette, fine ham, stinky cheese and a bottle of wine. But that turned into a full blown Italian meal at a restaurant just around the corner from our front door but actually almost directly under our window on Via de Guicciardini, one of the main small streets in Florence.

The restaurant was not crowed and had a small patio in the back that qualified as “outdoor” setting. First round as a great prosciutto and fried doe balls. The meat was great, the fried balls tasted just like fried doe. Vicki had a large green salad with eggs, olives, tomatoes etc.

Next round I had spaghetti carbonara just the way I like it and the Italians make it, very little sauce. Vicki had ravioli stuffed with regatta and spinach with a light meat sauce on it a piece of crispy bacon. When I said we had a full blown Italian meal I lied. We did not have a “seconda” which would have been a meat dish and we did not have desert. We did finish off with expresso and a great grappa.

Bloated we with both fell asleep quickly. Well after, I called United baggage center and they told me my bag was on it's way to Ankara, Turkey.

September 3

The morning started with a cup of coffee and a call to United with no change in the answer and no real idea when my bag would arrive. A call to the Florence airport baggage claim got the message saying they were open from 8:30 to 20:00 and then it hung up. A second call at 9:30 yielded the same result. I was about to head to the airport when I decided maybe I should call Air Dolomiti directly and see what happened. I was connected to Frederica,a very nice lady, who researched and gave me the same answer as United and said my bag, after few days in Ankara, would be returned to Frankfurt on Sunday on SunEXpress 792....maybe. She told me I could spend up to 200 Euro on items and keep the receipt and file on line for my money. She encouraged me to call back in the afternoon as she would be there until six and maybe there would be more information.

Now, here is where the real problem comes in. As you know, I am a full figured American Idol, now stuck in the land of skin tight skinny jeans people. Finding plus sizes was going to be a challenge. A message to Mirko for a suggestion. He said try the OVS store and they had midrange quality and prices. So off we go. Right next to our apartment is the Ponte de Vecchio the most famous bridge in Florence and COVID or not it, was packed with tourist. Once across we turned of the main road and wandered the back streets.

Vicki, the keeper of packing lists ,had failed to pack her lisinopril. We, well she ducked into a pharmacy and walked out in less than 10 minutes with 28 tablets and bag of masks all for 7 Euro. We continued our trek toward the train station and the OVS store. The street to the station was pretty busy and we missed the store. I asked a lady standing in a doorway and she stepped out pointed to it one block back.

Inside we start the search. Prices are cheap and the sizes go up to what they claim is a “US” xxxl. They lied. I can easily fit into a xxl or even an xl sometimes. But these were Italian clothes and I fit in, barely, so we bought a few shirts, some underwear, a hat, some socks and a pair of paints all for about $100.

Mission accomplished we set off for a walk anywhere but the Ponte de Vecchio. We crossed a bridge a few down with only mild people traffic and almost no auto traffic. Driving into Florence is strictly forbidden without a permit and if you do venture in without one, the camera will send you a very hefty fine to pay.

Driving past here will cost you big bucks!

When he rode up he was taking on the phone stuck in
the helmet and smoking a cigarette

The weather is pleasant and we stroll the little back streets and stop for a coffee. My plan was to take the shopping back to apartment and then go to the grocery store and buy the ingredients for my favorite meal and go back to apartment for a late lunch. Well, no. Vicki decides we should go back to the same restaurant we ate in last night for a light lunch. Who am I to argue since I am the man with no clothes. Lunch was the same salad she had last night, chicken liver pate on toasted bread and a half liter of white wine. We split it all and it was a perfect lunch. Now we get to shopping. The store is small but not overly cramped and we pick up all the items we need for my favorite meal plus a few things and walk back to the apartment. It is now after three o'clock.

Around four I call United and their god awful telephone puzzle. I did not want a call back I wanted to talk to someone. Every time I punch in what they request I get “we did not recognize that please do it again for the 5^th time”. I give up and call Fredrica who reports no change.

Surprisingly, later my phone rings and it is “United Airlines with your call back.” Ten minutes later someone comes on the line and amazingly it is the same person I spoke with in the morning with the same results. The bag is Ankara, and has been for a day, but Ankara is not sending it on the next flight they are holding it until the Sunday flight?!???!!!! It is still, reportedly, to be traveling SunExpress QN792 from Ankara to Frankfurt.

It is now time for a Negroni. Five years ago Vicki and Hellen where here while Walt and I were Vespaing around Italy and had had the worlds best Negroni at the Florian bar. Vicki searches for it on google maps and they pull it up and tell her she was there five years ago. So off we go. When we arrive we discover that it went out of business and has been replaced with OggO. Who cares, we order a Negroni. It is excellent. Finished, I go into the bar. It has been awhile since I did a random act of kindness and because of that I think my karma is off and that contributed to my bag going to Ankara. So, I tell the bar tender I would like to pay for the drinks for the two ladies setting outside and please don't tell them. As we walk away, I see the ladies trying to pay and he is telling them they have no bill. Now things are right in my universe again.

We get back over the bridge to “our” side of the river and walk around. We met a group of troubadours and they decide to perform for us on the street. A wonderful experience. Vicki had wanted to find a plaza and have another Negroni. When we arrive at our destination I was a little surprised. Like in St. Pete the restaurants have tripled their outdoor setting and it was full. There were also four polize cars and eight officers. When I asked the waiters why they were there he said they needed to do something, so here they are. The Negroni came with olives, chips and stale bread and a lot of it. I enjoyed the drink but mostly passed on the food. I have to fit into my new skinny jeans you know.

Maybe the polize are guarding the public toilet

Happy hour ended at 7 and most of the people left leading me to believe they were mostly locals in for the happy hour. Later others drifted in for dinner. We headed home. There were a lot of people out and about, but it is Friday night and Italians get out and walk around almost every night and more so on weekends. But I am sure there were a lot of tourist too.

Back at the apartment I finally got my favorite meal. We turned in a little after 10 but both awake around 2 when all the bars and restaurants started closing and all the people began to go home. In the end though, I had a good nights rest in my new tight shorts.

September 4

Today was a walking day again. We started late and walked in a southerly direction and crossed the bridge towards the Ponte alle Grazie to the Piazza de San Croce where there was a small market. Later, wandering back to the apartment Vicki decided she wanted to the Piazza della Signoria the main piazza of tourism. Headed there we had to go done the dreaded Via dei Neri where all the “in” sandwich shops are located. They serve way overstuffed sandwiches that have been reviewed on every travel show in every language. On of the famous ones claims to be the most reviewed restaurant in the world in 2014. An the herd lapped it up. It was wall to wall people with lines two blocks long to almost every spot. Never mind you could go over two blocks and get the same thing, the facebook people needed a selfie with “that” restaurant and “that” sandwich. Once escaped we got back to “our” side of the river and to the gellato shop. I got a bite of hers as for lunch I went to a whole in the wall and got a porchetta sandwich with no lines. We retired to the apartment to have my lunch and for a little restaurant and another call to Federica at Air Dolomite to check on the luggage. No change.

A mere fraction of the people on this street
waiting for a sandwich

The only indication of covid and never saw
anyone check anything

Gellato for lunch

We had a reservation at a top restaurant for dinner, but since it was so popular we could only have the table for a hour and a half. I do not want to rush over a Italian meal. So we canceled and went to Trattoria Bordino. We had met the chef earlier today and he insisted I have my picture with him. My kind of guy. We had a nice slow dinner. One of the dishes they are famous here for is Bistecca Florentine. We had not had one and everyone from the cab driver to the man on the street said we had to have one, so that is what we ordered. Along with a pasta dish, spinach and small salad. The food was great and the steak was amazing.