Chapter Thirteen

Day Six, Trip To Italy

Dona had won the discussion on where to trip next, so this morning after an eggy bread breakfast (slices of baguette soaked in beaten egg and pan fried), nearly French toast, only savoury not sweet. They were doing some serious planning, taking turns studying information on the laptop.

They wanted to visit Ponte Vecchio (the Old Bridge) over the Arno River, in Florence, Italy. They had not been to Florence, so this would answered the question as to whether they could trip to a place they hadn't been. However they were having difficulty finding somewhere secluded to appearer.

They knew the weather was good, the Weather Underground web site had confirmed that, they had Euros, they had sandwiches, they had cameras. All they needed now was an address and phone number.

Just as they were beginning to think that Florence would be a no go, Ray looked at l Giardini della Fortezza (The Gardens of the Fortress) about a mile from the bridge and it seemed to be a good place but then he found the Hotel Villa Azalee. A small hotel about the same distance from the bridge, it was surrounded by trees and just by clicking on google earth Ray obtained the full address and phone number. If they didn't take some chances though, they were never going to get any use from the artifact, so it was a plan.

They were ready to go before lunch but they went over the plan one more time. Part of the plan was, in case they were spotted, Ray was wearing a camera around his neck with the flash on ready. If when they appeared, anyone was looking in their direction, Ray would immediately take a flash photo of Dona to hopefully confuse them. For this trip they also had plans to pretend they are looking for accommodation at the Hotel Villa Azalee if needed.

Outside the Hotel Villa Azalee, they were alone, the plan was working and another question was answered, they could go anywhere, not just places they had already been. The small courtyard to the front of the hotel was very secluded, well screened from the street by trees and a hight fence, perfect for the trip.

From the hotel they walked down the busy road to the river, once there they turned to the left and headed towards the Ponte Vecchio. They were both very exited, this was a place they had been meaning to visit for many years now. Ray started taking bridge photos straight away and there were another four bridges before the one they had come to see. When they eventually arrived they were not let down, the Ponte Vecchio was fantastic, it was all they expected and more. They spent quite a long time just walking back and forth over the bridge taking it all in.

Even though Ray had taken photos of Ponte Vecchio from the middle of the previous bridge, he insisted they move on to the next bridge along for a photo in the opposite direction. While they were walking to the next bridge, Ray had a thought, the photos he was taking were going to be useless. They couldn't show them to anyone else, how would they explain photos of Florence, taken on a holiday to France. They were still learning.

After the photos they went to the Giardini di Boboli to have their picnic, a beautiful garden but Ray wasn't as keen on taking photos any more. After the picnic they went looking for a bar with a view, after all, nobody had to drive back. They crossed back over the river and found a place in the Piazza della Repubblica, where they sat outside the bar and did more people watching while having a Birra Moretti each. It was a fantastic place for people watching and it was a very beautiful square, in fact, they were enjoying themselves so much, they had another beer and let the rest of the afternoon slip by.

Eventually they moved on to the next square the Piazza del Duomo and it was even better, it contained the Baptistery of Florence with it's golden Gates of Paradise and the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, with it's fantastic dome. Of course they had to stop here for a while and again enjoy the views with another beer or two, Peroni Nastro Azzurro though this time.