Euro Trip Day six: Florence/Firenze

A view of Florence from Piazza Michaelangelo

9-17-09 Florence

The following is an excerpt from my travel journal which I kept on my trip through Europe.

"Woke up at 10 to 10, checkout is at 10. I had to hustle to pack up my things. Got out in time, and walked to Termini to catch a train. I also tried to get my train arrangements for Venice to Munich, but the ticket guy said it was sold out, even sleeper cars. Shit! I am in trouble. So I just get on my train, and brainstorm on the way. I discover that I can get a night train from Venice, Florence or Bologna, and worst case, I could go on an earlier train and either attempt to find a hostel, or sleep in a park. That is all for now...

At the Florence train station I talked to the ticket lady, and she initially said that it was full, then said I could go, I would just have to pay an additional 45 Euro to upgrade to a sleeper car. I had no other options, so I went with that. At least now I know I will get there, and will be able to rest, relax and sleep. As I write this now, I am in hostel, b. It is a very nice and scenic viewing spot for the city of Florence. The views from here are absolutely spectacular. I love the vibe of Florence, it is very similar to Naples in that respect. The people here are very friendly, and were helpful when I got lost. Also, the women here are super hot.

Although there are tourists here, it seems a lot less touristy than Rome. When I got here, my hostel I guess was full, so I was handed off to another one. No problem. The accomodations look good enough.

I struck off through the city through a slight rain. I saw the museum with 'David' in it, but the line was way long. No time for lines with only one day here. Then went to see the copy/fake 'David'. What's the big deal, I look better than him. Just kidding, it was really cool. The piazza where the fake Davis is located has some really awesome statues in it. I sat down near them, and examined them from every angle. Some of my favorites so far.

Saw a few nice churches, the Duomo, and a few piazzas. Then got really F---ing lost, I mean, I was off the map that I had of Florence... but I saw some nice scenery--a winding road with massive and beautiful villas. The people helped me get back to where I wanted to be. Apparently my accent is alright, because when I ask for directions, they answer me in Italian even if they know English, as they don't know that I am American. Now I will strike off back toward the hostel.

later that night, I walked through the streets of Florence to the 'David' copy. I stopped at a produce market for an apple to eat in the Piazza. I felt really safe except when I walked down a really dark, dirty, and littered street that was loaded with maybe 50 gypsies. At that moment, I knew that all eyes were on me and if shit went down, my only defense would be flighty feet, and a single flying apple. Luckily nothing happened, and I hada great night time stroll. When I walked back to the hostel, I avoided Gypsy Lane. Florence is nice, I would like to go back there at some point."

On top: Man fighting a Centaur

Bottom: Fake David

Euro Pack on the Way: North Face Terra 60

Before embarking on my trip to Europe, I needed to get my backpack situation locked down. Looking at my inventory of camping gear, I realized that between my K2 external frame pack and my overly large internal frame pack, the job was not going to get done. So the past few weeks, I have been doing research on what backpack I want to buy for my trip to Europe. I have solicited advice from well traveled friends. One of the recommendations that I gained from them was that the Eagle Creek Truist 55L was a great pack for Europe. I looked into this option, because it is specifically designed for international travel. Unfortunately, the price point was higher than I wanted to spend at a firm $200 everywhere.

I did more research and found that both REI and North Face had models that would get the job done and that would be suitable for trips abroad, as w

ell as trips into the wild. I decided that I wanted the North Face Terra 60.

On a walk from Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood to the Loop two weekends ago, I stopped at 2 Uncle Dan's outdoor stores, the Lincoln Park REI store and a Sports Authority.

Uncle's Dan's Southport: $125.00

REI Lincoln Park: $149.00

Uncle Dan's Lincoln Park: Did not see an available Terra 60

Sports Authority: $149.00

I followed up with some price checking, a few days later, I ran(by foot) a few miles to my neighborhood Moosejaw store, where the Terra 60 would have to be special ordered and where the sales woman tried to up sell me into more expensive packs I didn't want. When I convinced her that the only pack I was interested in was the Terra 60, she looked it up in their computer system. When she told me the price($149), I told her that it was cheaper at Uncle Dan's. She thought I was an idiot and said well that is because Moosejaw has access to different colors than them.

I said, "What Color do you have?"

She said, "...Well....well...what color were you looking for?"

I then told her that the backpack comes in green, greenish, blue, blueish, and black, and that they are identical, and that there should not be a pricing difference. At this point she realized that I had educated myself and that her sinister tactics would prove fruitless.

Yesterday, I ran(by foot) to my local Uncle Dan's on Southport, and ordered a Large Blueish North Face Terra 60, and it should arrive at the store either today or tomorrow. Their sales associate also mentioned that their store has a price match policy that applies to other stores, but not online sales.

The terra 60 will be mine soon enough.

10 days until aira non-ferma, 11 days until Italia terra firma.