FromSea2ShiningSea

It was excellent. The steak was very tender and really only needed a little bit of salt. You didn’t even need to tell them medium rare. That is the way they will make it. But of course, for me, I always eat my steak with ketchup but I did not dare ask them for it. They would throw me out for sure. 🤣 So even without ketchup, it was great.

Another must-do in Florence is a visit to the Piazza Le Michelangelo which is atop a hill overlooking the whole city. Since this was our last night in Florence, we had to make our way up there along with tons of other people to enjoy the view and wait for the sunset. This was our finale to our visit in Florence.

Florence is famous for their Florentine steaks. It is one of the most popular dishes of Tuscan cuisine. Since it was our last day in Florence, we had to give this dish a try. We went with Trattoria La Gratella based on the great reviews. Even though we didn’t have reservations, the waiter sat us down at a nice table for two anyway. The T- bone steak was 1.5 kilos we were told which is equal to 3.3 pounds. Holy cow! That’s a lot of meat for just 2 people. A glass of Chianti Classico Got to balance the meal with some spinach Leftovers for dinner. This was the best we could do DH joked that we used forceps to pick up the meat

Thank you, Debbie. Merv really has a mind of its own. I hope you are having the most wonderful time on your multiple cruises! Thanks, Dave. Are you getting excited for your Hawaii cruise? That’s going to be a great cruise. Thank you for asking, I am feeling okay. Hanging in there. I am hoping that Jim is feeling better everyday and that you are taking good care of yourself as well.

Coincidentally, there was an article in the Wall Street Journal 10 days ago on coincidences. https://www.wsj.com/articles/making-sense-of-coincidences-11665483811?st=q8p08dni0jq1l5w&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

A must-do is a visit to the Central Market. So many different things with all the vibrant colors. It is a feast for the eyes. Lots of carb Funghi Where’s the beef? I would love me some stir-fry Not sure what this is. Chestnuts? Those prickly things are really hard and sharp

Monday. Sunrise behind the dome. We wanted to visit the cathedral so we’ll go to mass at 8:30. Service was all in Italian but only 30 minutes though Looking up at the dome Gotta push harder

I was pretty tired by the time we visited the Uffizi Gallery. I saw a few rooms of paintings and was hurting quite a bit and really couldn’t walk much anymore. So I found myself a nice chair next to a gallery staff and DH went on his own to see everything that he wanted to see. I was very content where I was. I love people watch. I sat in between the 2 rooms with these two paintings. The Birth of Venus & Spring. She’s got it. Yeah, baby, she’s got it Spring View of the Arno River from inside the gallery Let’s get some gelato and call it a day

Sunday morning. There’s an exercise dance class outside the Basilica di San Croce di Frenzi. We went around to the other side to go into the cathedral for Mass. This was something we learned from our walking tour guide. She said instead of waiting in the long lines to get in to tour the cathedral, you avoid the lines by just going to mass because you can just go right in, take a look around, sit down for a little bit and then leave. So we found out what time mass was and did just that except we actually sat through the whole 45 minutes of it. It was all in Italian. The Piazzale degli Uffizi- the Uffizi Gallery is inside this U- shaped building

This is looking up at the dome. There are two sections where people walk way up there. We could actually see people up there. They look so tiny. We saw a group of them that just finished and exiting. One guy said it’s a long set of staircase, something like over 400+ steps. If I didn’t have my back and leg pain problem, I’d probably do it but it will have to wait until I’m more healthy.

Dani, got cheese?

Saturday we did a free walking tour. We walked through a lot of piazzas and saw a lot of cathedrals. Piazza del Duomo and the Giotto’s Bell Tower A replica of David After the tour, we walked to the Central Market and then ate at where the locals eat.

Hotel we stayed at- Palazzo Niccolini al Doumo had very nice breakfast. Got to get my protein before heading out for exploring. Loading up on my protein This was my favorite item. An amazing almond lemon custard thingy. So good.

I honestly cannot keep up with this thread. I can only skim through the many pages that I miss. One thing that caught my eyes was @Luckynana and her husband’s situation in Halifax. So sorry that you had to go through that. I hope he is recovering nicely now. Two stories I’d like to share. First one is this: On the day that we were to leave for Rome, we were at the airport. I was still pretty unsure that we made the right decision to go on this trip. As we were standing around waiting to board, I put my hand in my jacket pocket. I felt the usual, my ear plugs. I always carry those in case I encounter something really too loud for my ears. And then I felt what I thought was a quarter. Except this was smooth on one side and felt like something on the other side so I thought it can’t be a coin. I took it out to see what it was. It was one of those pressed coins, smooth on one side and had an image of an angel on the other side. I wondered how it got there. I don’t remember getting a coin like that or seeing one like that. This must be a sign from above, I thought, a reminder that an angel is with me, watching over me and everything will be okay. At that moment, I felt a sense of relieve and a sense of peace. So to @Luckynana, @h20skibum, @LucasLikesToCruise, @Sunshine3601and others who are going through a hard time right now, I pray for the angels to watch over you. Second story: At the Rome train station on the day we arrived, we had to wait outside the gate until our train came in from Florence to take us to Florence. There was only one seat in between 2 men on a bench. I went over and took that seat. The gentleman on my right was on the phone a lot. Finally, he made a little room so that DH can sit down also. DH asked him if he was going to Florence. He said no, in fact, he was waiting for his son and daughter in law to come in from Florence so they can fly home. Home is ‘South Africa for them. He told us that they had been in Italy for a 4 week holiday. On the 3rd day here, his wife fell terribly ill. She was taken to the hospital and found that she had double pneumonia so she was admitted and been in the ICU since. Their whole itinerary was questionable at that point. They were supposed to start the holiday on the Sept. 18 (?) 9 Night Odyssey Greek Isle cruise and then tour Tuscany, Sienna. Genoa and Florence. He said they had to cancel the cruise for him and his wife. His son and daughter in law went on the planned cruise and rest of the planned trips. He had to stay with his wife although he could not see her all that time. No one was allowed into the ICU. She’d been intubated and was in a coma for 3 weeks. The doctors spoke no English. Everything was communicated through an interpreter. After 4 weeks, she was still in no condition to go home. It’d be too iffy to be on a plane for such a long flight home. So she has to stay in the hospital in Rome. Husband and son and DIL have to go home for work. But he said on the last day he was there before he was to go home, the doctors got him all suited up and quietly snuck him in to see his wife. He spent an hour in the ICU with her and said goodbye. He broke down in tears. The doctors said don’t count days until she’s ready to go home, count weeks. While we were sitting there talking, he got a video phone call from the interpreter and we got to see her and wave to her. She was awake. They talked for awhile and then the train from Florence came in along with the son and DIL. It was time for us to board the train now. We said goodbye and said that we would like to keep in touch with them and to learn of her continued progress. Sorry for the long stories. Just so sad. Never fails to bring tears to my eyes. You just never expected anything like this to happen.

It was a long flight, didn’t get much sleep on the plane but we made it to Rome. From there we took the train to Florence. Checked into our hotel- Palazzo Niccolini al Duomo, right near the Florence cathedral. We had to rest a bit since Merv was not very happy from all that sitting on the plane and then all walking we had to do. We ventured out and found a cute little place near the hotel to grab something to eat. Spaghetti alla Carbonara with Bacon & Eggs Pappardelle al Cinghiale- Pappardelle with Wild Boar Meat Sauce Ossobucco di Vitelli alla Fiorentina- Marrow Bone Fiorentina recipe. It was all excellent.

So sorry to hear, Debbie. You are always the one to be encouraging everyone here. I hope you will get better very soon. Take care!

A little update from this corner on my pain condition. Just tapered off and completed a 2 week course of the super-duper oral steroid, Prednisone. I wish I could say that this was the Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris of steroids and worked a miracle and knocked this sciatic pain off. It was more on the level of the Minions. It sorta, kinda worked. That sciatic nerve is pretty pesky. So much so that I have named it since it is so personal and attached to me. I named it Merv. Merv the Nerve. At least, I am not where I was 3 weeks ago. We decided to go ahead with our travel plans as planned. We leave tomorrow with a stopover in Calgary and then onto Rome. Will spend 4 days in Florence before heading to Civitavecchia for our 12 Night Odyssey Holy Land & Greece Cruise. After that will be the 13 Night TA back to FLL. This will be our third TA. We have the UDP for the TA. I love all the specialty restaurants offered on this ship, especially Playmaker. It will be first time trying Wonderland. I plan to eat a lot and drink a lot to where I will probably gain 20 lbs. Maybe I'm just kidding. I know I will have to pace myself with the planned tours at each port and know my limits. I just hope Merv will be cooperative and not be a pain in the butt. I can't wait to get up that first morning on the ship before sunrise and get that sunrise picture. We won't have internet so I won't be able to post until we do. But whenever I can, I will post updates and pictures.

Lucas, you are a good son with a good heart. God bless you for your sacrifices you make to take good care of your mom.

I'm sorry for this sad news, George. My condolences to you and your family.

It is only 2 1/2 weeks before we are to leave for Rome to start our 10/19 Odyssey Holy Land cruise and the 10/31 Transatlantic back to the states. We would spend 4 days in Florence before getting to Civitavecchia to start the cruise. I should be really excited and packing by now. Instead, I am faced with physical challenge and uncertainly of whether I can take this trip. Last Saturday, I woke up and felt excruciating sciatica back pain from my lower back all the way down my leg. This was the worse I've ever experienced. I couldn't get out of bed. Every move hurt from the shooting nerve pain. I couldn't sit up, stand or walk. I felt like I needed to get to the ER but didn't know how I was going to get in the car to get me there. Figured I'd need an ambulance where they'd have to roll me onto a gurney to take me there. But eventually, I did get out of bed because staying laying down is worst for sciatica. You need to keep moving. So, with the help of DH, I leaned on him and scooted little by little and got out to the kitchen. In that condition, I thought how would I be able to make this trip. If it hurt to sit, how was I going to sit for a 12 1/2 hour flight let alone all the tours that we would be doing at each port. We had come to the realization that we may have to cancel this trip if I didn't improve. So since then, I have been on pain medication, nerve pain medication, muscle relaxant, heating pad, etc. This Tuesday, I will have video appointment with the Spine Clinic. I may have to receive an injection. That's a big needle I'm trying to avoid. So, this is where we are at at the moment. We had been planning this trip for 3 years. I always had a fear that either my sciatica problem or vertigo problem would change these plans. And sure enough, I am having to deal with it now. I guess it's a blessing that I wasn't on a ship when this episode happened. It would be so far away from home that I don't know what I would've done. Anyway, thanks for listening. Please pray for me to heal enough to dull the pain and for it to subside a bit where I would be able to sit down and able to walk.

I agree 100% with Dani. If you have one chance to see Hawaii, I'd go with NCL. Their itinerary is much better than Royal's. You will get to experience the flavor of every island. Other itineraries, I'm not sure I'd go with NCL but for Hawaii, that's the way to go. I had a chance to cruise there with my mother in 2006 on their Pride of Hawaii. That cruise I'd say is one of my favorite cruises. So memorable. She still talks about that cruise. We did ship excursions at each port that we visited. They were all excellent. Loved every minute of it. One of the highlights as Dani said was sailing along the Na'apali Coast. The color and the beauty was just amazing. We've done Royal's Hawaii cruises but it just doesn't match NCL's. NCL will be pricier than Royal but I think it's worth it if you don't have too many opportunities to visit Hawaii. The best time to go I'd say it's May or October.

No. Not TMI at all. Thank you for sharing your daughter’s experience... I’m happy for the outcome. And you got to witness the C-Section. That in itself was an amazing experience. Congratulations! Finley is a beautiful baby. So glad that mother is doing well and baby is healthy. Indeed. Childbirth is always a miracle. It is why DH chose OB/GYN as his specialty in medicine. Very rewarding to help patients with or without complications. It is a very special privilege to be part of growing a family.

I am very happy that you all will be cruising together after all. There will be moments of tears of joy and sadness but there'll also be much laughter. I think in the end, it is what your daughter's husband would like to see his family do, is to live life, laugh and have fun. I wish you all a fantastic time!

@dani negreanuI have been thinking of you and praying for you and your family. You have been through so many challenges recently and in the last few days. You demonstrate so much strength and resilience. You just keep on keeping on. I really admire you.

Look what exploded out of the crew’s service elevator? 🤣 This was on our Freedom May 2014 Eastern Caribbean. We just happen to pass by….