Garnerbiker's Journey on planet Earth

This blog started as a trip journal for the summer of 2011 Europe trip of 69 days. My wife Katherine, and I decided to use the entire summer break that teachers get, and go crazy. Everything was new to us. I was surprised at the blog's following. It has now become a tradition to travel on our breaks and blog about it. I write mostly as a journal for myself and students, but also give travel ideas to others that might want to travel like us, or go to the places we have seen. Take a look at what's on here. The experiences that I have had through travel are continuously shaping my life. I recommend you get out there and do it!

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Monday, August 18, 2014

Florence, Italy (guest writer)

For some reason writing "guest writer" makes me thing of the song Ghost Riders in the Sky.  This post was written by my mother, the Guest Writer in the Sky.  She is still alive, so far, and is only in the sky while flying on an airplane that I know of.  OK, I will get on with it... and let her tell you what she did while Katherine and I were running the Cinque Terra trail in Italy.

Below is "the Mom's" account of the day:



Day Three – Port of Call – La Spezia

Ciao!


After a 2 hour bus ride with our tour guide Patrizia, we arrived in Firenze (Italian for Florence.)


The port adventure we selected was “Florence on your own,” so our guide left the group at the statue of Dante in the Piazza de San Croce to explore by ourselves.  We figured the best way to start was to stop at a coffee house for an espresso and a cappuccino.

The Piazza de San Croce

Within minutes, Patrizia by chance, arrived at the same cafe.  Of course, we asked her to join us.  She inquired about our plans for the day and we told her that we intended to find the jewelry store, Manetti Jewelry, where I had purchased a cameo ring 40 years ago.

(A Cameo is a piece of jewelry that is carved from stone or shell in a positive relief configuration.  They have long historical significance dating back to the Greeks and Romans.  Italy is best known for the artisan work of the small types that are ring sized, but you can also find large ones the size of necklace pendants.)




Patrizia pulled out her cell phone and verified that the jeweler was in fact still at the same location.  Luckily, the shop was just a short walk from the cafe, and a block from the famous Duomo cathedral. Patrizia asked if we would mind if she joined us.  (I think her curiosity was getting the better of her.)  How fortunate for us to not only have a private guide, but an interpreter as well. 


(Below are our pictures of the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore,  also just called the Duomo.  It was completed structurally in 1436.)



Manetti Jewelry was as I remembered it: a small store on a side stone street with friendly, helpful clerks.  The actual storefront is just above Partizia's head in the photo below.



The clerk asked how he could assist us.  I began to tell my story of purchasing a cameo ring some 40 years ago during the period of time when I was living in Germany.  I showed them (the clerk and a 35 year old (+ or -) lady who worked there) the ring and the box that I had kept all these years. 


At this point we found out that the lady is the great-granddaughter of the original owner family of Manetti jewelers.  She wasn’t even born at the time of my first visit to their store.  She proceeded to show us the original business license for the shop dated 1919.  She was intrigued by the ring box I had and said that she remembers when they used that style box. 


She gave us a brochure showing a photo of the original family members who started the business.  She also showed us a photo of her parents, herself and her brother, who now run the business.  Of course, I felt the need to try on rings and make a 2014 purchase.  We all enjoyed the experience and took pictures.  We were encouraged to return to Florence, shop with them again, but not wait another 40 years.

After this memorable experience, we had to find the outdoor market and rub the snout of the brass black pig and insure that there would be a future visit to Florence.  From there, we headed to the Ponte Vecchio (a neat ancient bridge with shops built on it), stopped at an outdoor cafĂ© where we sat under an umbrella with spray mist cooling, and enjoyed lunch while we plotted out our shopping plan.  Leather driving gloves and a leather purse somehow made it into our shopping bag! 



Ken and Jackie


"Arno River and Ponte Vecchio, Florence" by Gary Ashley
Flickr: Ponte Vecchio. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons 


Ken chilling out on the bridge.

On the way back to the port, we could see the giant mountains in the distance.  What looks like snow is actually marble!  This is where all the craftsmen got their raw material to create the wonders we have seen.  The miners remove large chunks of the marble and bring it to the workshops to then be worked.



It was a very tiring but rewarding day for the both of us.  It will be interesting to share our stories with Katherine and Garner and also see what happened to them on the coastal trail.  



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