Lucy & Marie



Lucy & Marie - "We're finally HERE!"

Before I left on this little Italian adventure, I knew that April and May would be busy months with friends coming to visit.  The weather is good; it’s not too hot; and Firenze wouldn’t be too overrun with tourists.  And after 6 months ostensibly by myself (although you’d never know it from this blog!), I thought that having company would be a good thing.   Indeed, I was right.

Marie & Lucy, Firenze, April 2012

Lucy and Marie (from Ottawa) were the first set of friends to visit during this period.  They arrived mid-April and were staying for 12 days. I had never hosted guests for 12 day before, but it seemed like the right thing to do.  Lucy had never been to Europe before, and the reason for their trip was to celebrate Marie’s pending 60^th birthday. Plus, Lucy surprised Marie on her 59^th birthday with the gift of the trip and I was a full accomplice to that surprise for many months.

Marie, Brandi & Lucy.
Brandi came over for dinner one night.

They arrived without incident and were wonderful house guests.  I maintained my daily “routine” while they came and went seeing the sights of Firenze.  We came together over many meals, and they spent quality time together discovering Firenze at their own pace.  Many gelati were consumed, much wine was drunk, and they were great sports helping to cook and doing the grocery shopping with me.

Lucy, admiring Brunellechi's construction of the Duomo's cupola.

Their visit also allowed me to spend some quality time alone with Lucy, which was a wonderful departure from my usual drive-by visits while in Ottawa visiting my parents.  Lucy and I climbed to the top of the Duomo, did some shopping together, and toured Palazzo Vecchio, because I thought she’d appreciate the architecture and in-situ art.

The 12 days FLEW by, and while I was sad to see them go, their Italian adventure continued on for another week.  With cellphone and GPS in hand, the girls rented a car for a fantastic road trip along the coast (Viareggio, Cinque Terra, etc) and through the Lombardy region to Orta and Torino (Turin).  I was jealous they were visiting places I’ve yet to visit, but was so happy they were doing what they wanted to do – get out and see the country.

Marie & Lucy, on our last night together, at Golden View resaturant.

 Using up their cellphone minutes on their last night, they called to check-in, report on their adventures, and say “arrivederci.”   They were happily exhausted and ready to go home after 3 weeks, which was exactly how I felt after my first 3-week trip to Italy way back in the early 1990’s.  Their daughter Ana baked them with a welcome home cake(with the help of Auntie Mary) and I’m sure they were happy to sleep in their own bed again.  One great visit with my dear friends finished – five more to go!



Maire and I, on the Ponte Vecchio.