Thursday, July 5th.
We greeted our first morning in the “la bella citta” or as some call it “the city of lillies” with a taste of the local cuisine from a cafe a couple of blocks away. The “mcmuffin di salsiccia all'uovo” hit the spot! We had not been to the grocer to stock the larder yet, so Micky D coffee & mcmuffin it was!
We had tentatively arranged to meet Shannon and JT at the train station around 09:30hrs this morning, so we headed out and strolled about the Duomo Piazza then made the short walk to the train station. We sent JT a text of our arrival. Well, I guess the walking tour the day before had taken its toll! The Turgeons were just rolling out of bed! We went to plan b walked over to their hotel. We took a bit of a detour and walked past the Hotel Lungarno just to see if Andrew and Tamara might be up and about. We walked into the lobby and they were at the front desk! They said they had been able to straighten out most of the details of the stolen pack including getting their prescriptions for their medications from back home! We chatted a bit then took our leave to rendezvous with Shannon & JT. Andrew and Tamara had places they had to go this morning as well.
We walked to the Hotel NH Firenze and met Shannon and JT in the lobby. We then headed out to explore. We walked along the river back towards the Duomo taking in the endless examples of the old architecture. At the Duomo Piazza we met “Luca”, he was booking sightseeing tours of old Florence by golf cart. We arranged for an 11:00hrs tour for the next day.
The weather was hot and humid! We often looked for the most shaded and breeze swept streets as we walked around. There were sidewalk cafes and restaurants everywhere. There were numerous street vendors, artists and musicians. Some with very much stereotypical tourist based merchandise, and some, especially the local artists, displaying wonderful pieces of original watercolours, oils, and pencil drawings and paintings. Some of the musicians were also very talented. I forgot to mention the fellow who had played a violin just a few steps outside the Le Botteghe Di Donatello. He was awesome. Munchie immediately started planning a “gig” for the Spurs, those talented retired mounties based in St. Albert, Canada. She sent off messages to lead guitarist and lead vocalist, Gerry, “Slash” Babin to let him know she was working on it! Gerry’s response was to tell Munchie not to wear out her knees praying at all the churches!
Shannon had “Breast Friends” team commitments in the afternoon and we arranged to meet up again later for dinner.
That evening, we met Shannon and JT at the Le Botteghe Di Donatello. This evening, the violinist was back and had his grandson with him also playing! We met the lad later on the street, kicking a soccer ball around, and learned he was 11 years old and had been playing the violin since he was 4!
This kid was amazing! His expressions while he played were really quite animated and you could see he really loved what he was doing!
Our dinner was quite late (for us old farts!) and we called it a night. We had a 2 minute walk to our apartment. JT and Shannon had to walk the 11 minutes to the train station then caught the tram
back to their hotel, a 3 minute ride. This cut out a good chunk of the walk for them. Shannon’s fitbit told her she had put on many more steps than she needed to for one day so could afford to jump on the tram!Friday July 6th,
We woke again to a bright and sunny day! The forecast called for another scorcher! We had stocked up a bit with some basics for breakfast and had some toast, cheese, and fresh tomatoes!
We met up with the Turgeons in the Duomo Piazza for the golf cart tour. Our driver and guide, Charlie, was a very congenial and knowledgeable fellow! He was from Poland and had relocated to Florence about 6 years ago with his son to start a new life for them. The tour of the old city took us by the majority of the highlights and Richard had obviously made himself well versed in the local history. Richard showed us watermarks on some of the buildings about 3 meters up the wall! With was from a flood in the 1960s! After that, they added to the banks along the Arno and also deeped the channels to prevent any future flooding.
After the tour, Shannon had to meet her team to get ready for the formal opening ceremonies. This included a parade of nations from the Piazza Pitti to the Piazza Della Signoria. Munchie, JT and myself walked over to the the Piazza Della Signoria and found a spot in one of the sidewalk restaurants along the parade route and settled in to await the arrival of the teams. This Piazza is home to the famous statue of David, Michelangelo's masterpiece (this one, of course, is a copy as the original has been standing in the Galleria Accademia since 1873). There are a number of other statues here as well, the square is really a showcase for achievements of very talented artists. At this time the prominent statue of Neptune was behind scaffolding for maintenance and repairs. Scaffolding is seen throughout the old city as preventive maintenance is the only way to extend the life of these structures that have been here for hundreds of years.
There were supports for the dragon boat teams everywhere! Pink, of course was the predominant colour of shirts for team supporters. When the parade arrived in the square, lead by dragon dancers complete with drums and cymbals, I noticed there were quite a number of tourists milling around. They soon learned they were being displaced by the advancing teams who would be filling the square for the opening ceremonies! As the teams flowed into the the piazza, the tourists were pushed to the sides by the sheer numbers!
The atmosphere was electric and exciting! We cheered as they announced each nation as they entered the square. The cheer for the Canadian contingent, 32 teams, was amazing, showing just how many friends and family had come to Florence to support our loved survivors! Even our server, Fernando, was caught up in the furor! On a side note, we also met Brian. His wife, Karen was on the team from London, Ontario, Canada. Karen is paddles with good friends of JT and Shannon, Cathy Tardiff! What a small world! As it turns out Brian is a retired opera singer and teacher.
Fernando happened to be an ameteur tenor and he and Brian, who is a bass, gave us a little sample to the cheers of all around!
Once all 125 teams had made their way into the square, a lengthy endeavour to say the least, the formal opening ceremonies began. The majority of the piazza was in direct sunlight and I’m sure those standing out there were hoping the formalities would be short and sweet! I did notice there were a large number of participants who could not endure the stifling conditions and had to seek relief from the sun's rays prior to the end of the ceremonies. Shannon lasted much longer out there than I thought she would, and joined us at the sidewalk table, which was in the shade with a nice breeze!
After the ceremonies we wandered back up to the Duomo where Shannon got a slice of pizza from a great little pizzeria on the square. She hadn’t had anything since lunch!
As the hour was getting late, and our racer needed a good rest, we turned in for the night. Shannon’s first race was scheduled for the next morning at 10:46hrs and we were to meet up with JT in the am to take in the races!
Once all 125 teams had made their way into the square, a lengthy endeavour to say the least, the formal opening ceremonies began. The majority of the piazza was in direct sunlight and I’m sure those standing out there were hoping the formalities would be short and sweet! I did notice there were a large number of participants who could not endure the stifling conditions and had to seek relief from the sun's rays prior to the end of the ceremonies. Shannon lasted much longer out there than I thought she would, and joined us at the sidewalk table, which was in the shade with a nice breeze!
After the ceremonies we wandered back up to the Duomo where Shannon got a slice of pizza from a great little pizzeria on the square. She hadn’t had anything since lunch!
As the hour was getting late, and our racer needed a good rest, we turned in for the night. Shannon’s first race was scheduled for the next morning at 10:46hrs and we were to meet up with JT in the am to take in the races!
Saturday, July 7th,
Race day 1 ! We hooked up with JT and headed over to the south bank of the Arno to watch our Shannon and her team take on all comers! The races were running a few minutes behind, but overall
Race day 1 ! We hooked up with JT and headed over to the south bank of the Arno to watch our Shannon and her team take on all comers! The races were running a few minutes behind, but overall
the organizers kept things flowing! There were five lanes, so each heat (race) had five boats. There were 15 boats being used, 5 loading, five racing, and five moving into the starting positions. This system was very efficient. From across the river we could see Shannon and the rest of the Breast Friends (team b) moving to the loading position. Shannon’s bright turquoise ball cap helped us easily pick her out of the crowd! Once her boat was loaded and they pushed out onto the river they made the 180 degree turn to head down stream to the starting area. The turn brought them quite close to the bank we were on and as the boat passed we did the ole 3 person wave to encourage them and show our enthusiasm for the team!
We moved a good vantage point of the finish line and waited for the start. We watched as the boats moved into the starting position. 3 Canadian boats, 1 Aussie boat and 1 Italian boat. Breast Friends in boat 4, lane 4. We then saw the paddles raised in anticipation of the starters horn. Then they were off! 5 boats, 110 paddlers, gliding towards us at the finish line! All paddles moving in unison, each stroke propelling the 12 meter craft down the course! It was a tight race and as the boats came closer we could see lane 5, a Canadian team from the Vancouver area, would be able to hold off the other boats. Breast Friends surged in the last 20 meters of the race to pull past the hometown favorites in the Italian boat and take second place about .6 seconds ahead of the Italians!
Breast Friends raced again in the afternoon, paddling to a 3rd place finish in that heat.
We spent the evening again walking around the old city eventually finding a spot for our dinner. We were again treated to some local musicians playing in the square, a quartet with 3 violins and a bass violin. They were quite amazing! After dinner as we were walking we could hear someone playing drums! We soon discovered it was a young man playing on upside down plastic buckets! He was good! Munchie sent a picture of him to the Spus’ drummer, Christopher Carroll, telling him there was work for him in Florence! It wasn’t long before 3 fellows walked up to the drummer, had a brief conversation with him and he quickly packed up his stuff and left the area! JT and I agreed the 3 persons had been plain clothed enforcement officers of some type. We had noted when they arrived a number of the street vendors had quickly gathered their wares off of the cobblestones and melted away into the crowds! Like magic, they suddenly were back once the 3 “cops” had left!
Sunday July 8th,
Race day 2 ! We met up with JT at the same spot on the south bank of the Arno for Shannon’s first race of the day. Breast Friend had boat and lane #2 for this heat. This race was as exciting as the others, with a fight to the finish from the start! Shannon and the ladies in boat 2 were able to lead wire to wire and came away with a win! 1st place for this tilt, .8 seconds ahead of second place!
Her second race in the afternoon was another close one with an Aussie boat taking 1st and Breast friends edging out the Pink Ladies from the USA by .06 seconds for 2nd.
The races concluded in the late afternoon and there was a closing ceremony there on the river and both banks. 18 boats gathered in the centre of the Arno forming a pink island and the north shore of
We moved a good vantage point of the finish line and waited for the start. We watched as the boats moved into the starting position. 3 Canadian boats, 1 Aussie boat and 1 Italian boat. Breast Friends in boat 4, lane 4. We then saw the paddles raised in anticipation of the starters horn. Then they were off! 5 boats, 110 paddlers, gliding towards us at the finish line! All paddles moving in unison, each stroke propelling the 12 meter craft down the course! It was a tight race and as the boats came closer we could see lane 5, a Canadian team from the Vancouver area, would be able to hold off the other boats. Breast Friends surged in the last 20 meters of the race to pull past the hometown favorites in the Italian boat and take second place about .6 seconds ahead of the Italians!
Breast Friends raced again in the afternoon, paddling to a 3rd place finish in that heat.
We spent the evening again walking around the old city eventually finding a spot for our dinner. We were again treated to some local musicians playing in the square, a quartet with 3 violins and a bass violin. They were quite amazing! After dinner as we were walking we could hear someone playing drums! We soon discovered it was a young man playing on upside down plastic buckets! He was good! Munchie sent a picture of him to the Spus’ drummer, Christopher Carroll, telling him there was work for him in Florence! It wasn’t long before 3 fellows walked up to the drummer, had a brief conversation with him and he quickly packed up his stuff and left the area! JT and I agreed the 3 persons had been plain clothed enforcement officers of some type. We had noted when they arrived a number of the street vendors had quickly gathered their wares off of the cobblestones and melted away into the crowds! Like magic, they suddenly were back once the 3 “cops” had left!
Sunday July 8th,
Race day 2 ! We met up with JT at the same spot on the south bank of the Arno for Shannon’s first race of the day. Breast Friend had boat and lane #2 for this heat. This race was as exciting as the others, with a fight to the finish from the start! Shannon and the ladies in boat 2 were able to lead wire to wire and came away with a win! 1st place for this tilt, .8 seconds ahead of second place!
Her second race in the afternoon was another close one with an Aussie boat taking 1st and Breast friends edging out the Pink Ladies from the USA by .06 seconds for 2nd.
The races concluded in the late afternoon and there was a closing ceremony there on the river and both banks. 18 boats gathered in the centre of the Arno forming a pink island and the north shore of
the Arno was covered in pink as the competitors gathered for the ceremony. It is a tradition for the survivors to end these events by tossing a flower into the water to remember and revere those who did not survive. This ceremony was really quite moving as it seems we have all been touched by this awful disease, some of us directly and many through those we care about.
At the end of the day we left the the river, leaving the flowers to drift along, beautiful reminders of those souls no longer on this side.
We took a break to freshen up and relax and then met for a final supper in Florence. As this was Shannon’s time, she got to pick the spot! She chose a kobe steak house across from the train station. We all ordered the steak for 2, 1kg of beef! It came out on a sizzling cast iron tray and it was marvelous! So the 4 of us were able to finish up the 2kg of meat plus all the fixin’s!
Our server was a great young man with a quick wit and a very amiable demeanor! His attention to our dining needs truly enhanced the dining experience!
At the end of the day we left the the river, leaving the flowers to drift along, beautiful reminders of those souls no longer on this side.
We took a break to freshen up and relax and then met for a final supper in Florence. As this was Shannon’s time, she got to pick the spot! She chose a kobe steak house across from the train station. We all ordered the steak for 2, 1kg of beef! It came out on a sizzling cast iron tray and it was marvelous! So the 4 of us were able to finish up the 2kg of meat plus all the fixin’s!
Our server was a great young man with a quick wit and a very amiable demeanor! His attention to our dining needs truly enhanced the dining experience!
We headed back to our Florence abodes for our last sleep in Florence.
Off to Rome in the morning!
More to come.....
No comments:
Post a Comment