Blog

Let me start by saying “don’t assume there is only ONE Binario (Platform) no. 1, or that “Est” (East) and “Ovest” (West) are the directions the train is going in  We learnt this today and after missing our first train at 7.55am, we boarded our next train to Codogna at 9.30am. Of course being “bad train day” our train was delayed and we got off in Codogno as the connecting train to Bologna left. Even the station attendant felt sorry for us as he pointed us in the right direction and let out a long “aaahhh” as we all watched the back of the train disappear into the distance. With nothing to do in codogno (1 bicycle town) and no-one speaking English, we sat…and waited….again.
Eventually reaching Bologna, we did our best to figure out the “where to next”. We tripped onto the Eurostar, heading for Firenze – our final destination. Of course this was not our original train so with no reserved seats, Ellen and I stood for another 30mins whilst we wound our way to Florence.
Florence is beautiful! After checking into our 4* Hotel – Hotel de la Ville, we walked to the city center and the across the bridge and the scene was breathtaking! It’s exactly how I’d always  imagined Italy would be and it is truly a stunning sight to see. A walk past the Duomo (“oo-ing” and “ah-ing” along the way), a quick Pizza and it was back to our upgraded Junior Suite for what I know will be a well-deserved night’s sleep and we’re tackling the Academia and Uffizi tomorrow.   I just hope I don’t feel like I’m still on the train throughout the night.