Home for the Holidays

Florence is where I'm planting my self for at least the Christmas part of the Christmas holidays and that's where I am now. I left Padova (Padua) almost without incident. I don't want to mention that I finally got on the wrong train and found myself sitting at a railroad siding and was escorted back to the station by a kindly conductor without the use of handcuffs or anything. I arrived here and aided by by hostel guidebook determined the bus I needed to take and asked the driver to let me know when we get to the stop for the 'ostello'. . .just like when I arrived in Padua (Padova) and we all know how that turned out. This driver was far more attentive to all his passengers and indeed, gave out a big holler of 'OSTELLO' for me. I stepped off and started looking around for the familiar little (and they usually are small signs) international symbol of the hostel, the house and tree in a triangle. I was peering around and heard a small voice behind me ask 'Ostello?' I turned to an little senior citizen lady and said 'Si, si'. She pointed across the street. I looked and didn't see the sign at first and then I finally caught sight of it. It was a huge red on white sign, OSTELLO, mounted on a wrought iron arch that spanned the entrance to what looked like a park or nature preserve. The entrance was flanked by four marble pillars that support the arch. 'Gratzie and Buon Natale!' I said to my elderly guide and headed into the wilds. Four hundred meters later, so sayeth the guidebook, I arrived at the hostel which is or maybe was a Florentine Villa. I intend to find out a bit more of the history of this place (as if there isn't enough history to be found out about in Florence).

Well, in spite of my mishap at my departure, I still arrived here with enough left of the day to do something. I didn't know where to begin so I thought I'd try to take care of some business. With India coming up, I've been squirreling away a few euros to exchange for rupees before I go so that I have some starting out cash when I get there. It took a couple of days for me to get some euros when I was at home and since I'm here for at least 6 days, I figured this would be a good time to take care of that. I found a bank and it turns out you cannot get rupees in Italy. I didn't bother to ask why not. Yet another presumption on my part gone awry. I'll figure it out when I get to India. . .I hope.

That nonaction transaction took no time so I still have lots of day left. That's when I remembered I had the clues to a Florentine letterbox with me. The search took me to one of the greatest treasures Florence has, the Galleria del Accademia, home of Michaelangelo's David. It was quite the walk (I don't have a bus map yet) but worth it. Outside the gallery, I pulled out the clue and the search took almost no time. I located the letterbox but it's right on the street so it took a bit of finagaling to be able to retrieve it without attraction attention. I tied my shoe about 6 times! I finally got the box out and performed the necessary stamping and went through the shoe tieing procedure several more times to get the box back. Then I went to see the greatest masterpiece of Michaelangelo. (I really should sort out my priorities!) After wrapping up this update, the rest of the evening will be plotting out the remainder of my stay here. Right now, it's chow time.
c'ya