Our time in Venice is short-lived, but well spent and appreciated! We learned our lesson on our first day here, when we walked our luggage from the train station to our hotel in the hottest, most humid heat of the summer…trudging over uneven cobblestone and brick streets, bridges, and then more uneven streets with our way-too-big-luggage! The 15-minute walk was a bit much. Today, however, is a chance to get it right!
We enjoy coffee in our room and I wish Shawn a happy birthday first thing in the morning. We say goodbye to the friends we’ve come to know at the hotel, most specifically, a very helpful gentleman named Hoque. We walk a short distance to the water bus and enjoy a sunny but breezy ride to the train station, stopping five or six times around the lagoon’s edge to pick up other passengers.
We get to the train station and are grateful that today, we have a direct route to Florence, meaning we don’t have to change trains. We arrive to Florence shortly after 1:00 p.m. and walk from the train station to our hotel. Today might be the hottest day yet of our trip!
Our hotel proves to be another historical place along the way of our journey. We get checked in and unpack, and head down to the pool, which is surrounded by a lovely garden. We chit-chat with Evan, a gentleman who is traveling with his mother and lives in Seattle. He and his mother are both familiar with Ravenna Brewery in Seattle, which is owned and operated by my cousins.
Once we are rested and cooled off, we shower and head out to see the city. Honestly, it’s the first city along the way that doesn’t capture my heart immediately with its beauty, but the further we walk, the more charm and character we see.
We have birthday dinner at a steakhouse that Shawn found in researching places to eat. When we first walk in, the cool air greets us but for some reason, during our two-hour dinner, we both become uncomfortably warm. I use my fan to fan myself, then him, back and forth throughout our meal. We are confused about why we are the only ones who seem to be melting!
Our day ends with a leisurely walk through the city back to our hotel. We watch part of the closing ceremony of the Olympics before drifting off to sleep. I am looking forward to tomorrow’s surprises!