Today was all things Galileo, Medici and don’t forget Leonardo and Michaelango.  Well that’s Florence for you. 

Me and Galileo 

The creativity and design in this city is amazing, however the religious iconography is overwhelming to the point you just begin to only see the spectacular.

I enjoyed more of the non religious world of art because after a while the religious art just becomes one. 

Galileo’s Tomb

Michaelango’s Tomb under repair 

I visited Galileo, Leonardo and Michaelango and paid homage.

No matter what currency you have in Italy, do not expect to get a good rate.  I asked about GBP, AUD , CNY and everyone of them was about 2/3 of the actual rate you would see in the world markets. Tomorrow I will go to the bank and see if I can get a better rate.  

If you know where to exchange cash at a good rate then please let me know. ….

I got in about 1.30 pm and found my hotel quickly because it’s less than 1 kilometer from the train station. I checked in, the room is small but functional and was cheap. I’ll let you know after I’ve slept tonight to see if my thoughts are still the same.

I went for a quick walk around to get my bearings and didn’t have to walk too far before I came across this wee bridge. 

Tonight I’ll decide where to go but I think one of the museum’s who’s name escapes me is on the to do list for tomorrow. 

A bit of statue porn for you. 

I spent two days in Venice and thoroughly enjoyed it. The trip got off to a bad start because British Airways lost my luggage between Gatwick and Venice. This happened because we could not land on time at Gatwick due to bad weather and so I missed my connecting flight. They put me onto another one but my luggage did not make it and so it was in the evening of the next day that my bag turned up at the hotel. I admired the hotel staff that came to my room to tell me my bag had arrived, this strapping young gent then told me to come down stairs and collect it. I carried it upstairs. Now I know he didn’t have to, but you know customer service goes a long way at times.

Venice is full of exotic people or maybe that’s just Italy. No matter where you wander through this labyrinth there are people scurrying about talking on their phones and being flamboyant as they go. People talk loudly and they are very expressive, so different to the world I come from. But I quite like it although after only being in Italy for 3 days I have come to the conclusion that Italians just need to talk or they will explode.

People walk with purpose and they navigate these lanes and streets easily without GPS or maps and to be honest after a day here I found many places becoming familiar and there are signs that you can follow and sometimes it’s better to ignore the Google Maps as it will only confuse you. Venice is small and on my trip it was quite empty too which was such a relief because some of the throughways’ are very narrow. But I found myself walking down streets on my own, which was surprising as well as enjoyable. I loved Venice and would actually like to live here for a few months to live the life of a local. I enjoy the confinement of the streets and the rat runs; I was born in the year of the Rat after all.

Of course Venice would not be Venice if it did not have the canals and the waterways. Walking through this amazing place and wandering over the wee bridges or even the more famous bridges is brilliant. You just don’t know what’s around the next bend. I like being near the water and maybe this is why I enjoyed my stay here. On the grand canal you can pick up a ferry to one of the other islands or just help you get to another part of Venice quickly, although once again be prepared for the high price. 7 Euros for one trip or 20 Euros for an all day ticket.

I got the ferry from the train station around to St Marks Square and then back again and it’s a great way of seeing the city, I only wish you could get a chance to explore the back streets as it were, but this option is way out my price range. A taxi for hire will cost you about 70 Euros an hour and a Gondola about 100 for a trip. But I would have loved to explored Venice more on the water, maybe one day when I’m rich and not so famous I can do this.

I’m still trying to come to terms with the price of things in Italy and the west in general. I’ve been living in China for the last 18 months and life there and the cost of living is very different. Mind you the Euro is less than the pound and so it does feel cheaper than the UK. I paid 3 Euros for a slice of pizza, yes it was quite a large piece but 3 Euros?

My Italian is shit but I think it’s a lot easier to understand than Chinese and so I think that I would be able to pick up the language quite quick and so I will say the customary “Good Morning” and Thank You” in the local lingo. I always thought that you just added an “O” to the end of most words and you would be half way there but after being here I think that rule applies only to Spanish. You also have to say it with conviction and get into the rhythm of the language or it just sounds limp and sloppy and no doubt insulting to the locals.

I like the Espresso bars where you can get a caffeine hit for about 1 Euro, a wee heart starter to keep you buzzing during the day and of course this is why the Italians are always gas bagging and running about as if they have a train to catch or their arse is on fire.

And now I’m on the train from Venice to Florence which will take about 2 1/2 hours. I’m in first class but I’m not sure if I got ripped off when I bought the ticket because I got help from a young lady and she assured me that the 27 Euros was the normal price for peasant class and I got it for first class, but either way I’m sitting here in a comfy window seat and we are travelling at 220 kms but these trains are certainly not as smooth as the Chinese high speed trains but the comfort and passengers are way better. 

There is more decorum on this train and I like that. I don’t miss that side of life living in China, not many people are concerned about their neighbour and so it can be hard to get used to life there.

I’m leaving Venice on the day that they have the Venice Festival and I am very happy about that. A festival only brings in more tourists. I only visited a few places in Venice and they were two churches. I’m on a tight budget on this trip and I want to save my money to go and see the Roman artefacts and the Roman architecture and so in Venice I did not go to any of the famous places where I had to pay anything and to be honest I didn’t feel the need either.

One thing I forgot to mention and was only reminded by it when I arrived in Florence, was the number of black guys in Venice begging. They are obviously working together as a team because they all have the same stance and style holding a cap out as you pass. Mind you I never saw them at night working so I guess they have union rules controlling them. 

Even although I had to wear the same clothes as I travelled in yesterday, I ventured out for a wander around Venice and I loved it. 

The narrow lanes, the old buildings, the architecture, the canals and the atmosphere and although I’ve been told that it’s smelly, I never noticed. But of course I had my own odour issues to contend with. 

Today was cold and after a few hours I had to return to the hotel to get my fleece jacket and gloves. I can’t believe it’s colder here than in Glasgow but at least it’s dry. 

I went into one of the churches today but I decided to spend the day wandering aimlessly around this amazing  city and tomorrow I will venture into a few more. 

And I do like their water taxis. 

What a pleasant surprise tonight when I was reunited with my long lost suitcase. I will be able to walk around Venice tomorrow without being so smelly. However I will still be complaining to BA because I can. 

What a bunch of fucking idiots. Even when you highlight the situation and they forget to put your bag on the plane. Fuckwits….now in going to be smelly in Venice. ……not happy Jan!!!!!!

And so it was still quite wild when we got to Gatwick but we landed thankfully.  We were told to speak to the customer service folk at the connections desk, but it was empty when we got to it as we entered the baggage reclaim area. 

What to do?  I don’t know if my bag will get dropped here or where it might go and there is no one to ask. I see a phone on the wall and chat to a voice that assures me that my bag will not appear here and to go on through. 

Once through I look for one of those friendly customer service people that you see when you watch the TV program,  but alas I never saw anyone. When I finally found BA and explained my problem to the young ladies,  they sent me to the long queue in the corner so that they could help. The next flight to Venice is less than an hour from now and I don’t know if I will get on it. I ask someone for help at the Special Assistance desk, but then demarcation kicks in and she can’t help. I finally get her to rise her fat arse off her chair and we go to the front of the queue and tell them that I need to be dealt with quickly or the next flight will leave. I was told to get in line and wait.

Then fat arse turns and said to me “Your backpack is quite large,  in fact too big to carry on” I just looked at her and turned away. I really do feel that some people are a bit racist down here and just don’t like us Scottish folk, or maybe a bit stupid.  If I had more time for some banter with her I would have had some fun but alas I had more important things to take care of. 

So now I’m on the plane for Venice and I could eat a scabby headed horse even although I managed to grab a quick sandwich before boarding the plane. So I’m hoping I can find some pizza and some wine when I arrive in Venice. 

I shall keep you posted. 

LANDED. ………..

My 9.30 flight left Glasgow on time despite the gale force winds that have been blowing for hours.  The worst of the weather has passed by the time we left and the flight was a little bumpy. As we approached Gatwick the winds picked up because the low pressure system was still causing problems in the south. We tried to land twice and got as low as 500 feet before the pilot sank the welly and climbed out of trouble. Apparently the plane had detected wind shear and so it was impossible to land. 
We are now on our way to Manchester and should arrive in about 20 mins and at this stage I’m not too sure what will happen in regards to my connecting flight to Venice which will have left London by the time we reach Manchester.
So at this stage I have no idea if I will arrive in Venice this evening but I hope the airline can sort something out and get me there tonight.