Pumpkin hat noodles

We were up on time and having a casual morning- getting ready at a comfortable pace. When Cas emerged from the bathroom moving at a totally different rate of speed, I looked at my phone, and frankly, I said a word I won't write here. We had 12 minutes to get our luggage out the front door of our historic hotel room.

Let me pause here and say that porter service is amazing. We put tags on our bags- in this case, green ones- that say our names, then someone else scoops them up, takes them to whatever mode of transport we are using, and stows them for us. Kind of makes me wish we packed more, just to get maximum bang for our buck, but nevertheless, if you have access to porter service, use it.

Back to the important stuff, though. We got our bags out the door in time for the porter service to do its job, then we were off to the hotel breakfast. As we have come to expect, it was a very good breakfast. From there, we were free for just enough time to head to the beach and have another look around before hopping on a water taxi and meeting up with our bus driver to head out of Venice.

The next stop on our adventure was Ferrara. Misia is our tour director, and she swears Ferrara is where the best food in Italy exists. I have no reason to doubt the veracity of her claims. We were specifically told to get our hands on a pasta that is shaped kind of like a hat, and filled with creamy pumpkin. Sounds strange, but if you’re ever in Ferrara, don’t miss it. Wow. Cappallacci- I think that’s what it’s called. Nevertheless, its new name is pumpkin hat noodles.

After lunch, we walked around town. I wanted to go back through the castle that had, in more modern times, become a museum. This particular museum is open from Wednesdays to Mondays, meaning it was only closed on Tuesdays. Guess which day of the week I was reading that sign. Actually, though, it turned out for the best. I had no interest in walking around in an exhibit hall. I really wanted to check out the drawbridges and the moat. I mean, how often do I stand on a drawbridge and look at a moat? I think Cas and I have to have a few more discussions about home redesign before we determine if a moat is a thing we can put in back in Dallas. I think any homeowners association would have a few words to say to the homeowners who attempt to install a moat.



Following that, it was back to the bus. I need to stop here and mention the Autostrada. We keep stopping at them. The Autostrada is one part Bucee’s, one part high end coffee shop and one part really good deli/diner. They are located along the highway- apparently with locations at both sides- and they are a blessing. Whole tour buses unload, everyone streams out to the bathrooms and we all grab a bottle of water or a snack before hopping back on the bus. And we’re never the only busload in the place. Last time, I got a very well made cappuccino in a proper cup- with a saucer and a spoon and everything. I mean it when I say it’s a very fancy gas station.

From that Autostrada stop, we were on to Florence. We arrived, pointing at things out the window, and made our way to the hotel. It was time to check in and give everyone about two hours to dinner. Cas and I spent the two hours walking around, then cooling down a little. Jeff and Reema spent the two hours “chillin for a bit,” which is probably just about right, given the flurry of activity over the past few days. Nevertheless, we all made it to the group dinner. There were about 30 people in one room of a restaurant that had several different spaces. Some walls were brick and some were plaster, and the echo of that many people chatting over dinner was pretty serious. Somehow, the restaurant only put one waiter in that space, as well. The poor guy was all hustle, but nobody could really keep up with that.

From there, Cas and I joined with Jeff and Reema, and another couple, Nicci and John to find a pub. There was a little confusion when Reema kept seeing things that had a sign out front that simply said “bar.” From what we can gather, a bar here could be any countertop that serves stuff or provides a service. They may be literally describing the furniture.

Just a little more wandering, and we found an Irish pub. They handed us drink menus, and I have to pause again to tell you the funny thing to me, a kid who was raised mostly in Texas: We were at an Irish pub in Florence, and there, on the menu was a Margarita. They listed the recipe as tequila, Cointreau and lemon juice. Ooh- so close. It’s probably tasty, but it definitely isn’t a margarita. Just sayin.

But, that’s where we wrapped up for the evening. Most of us, I suspect, went back to wash out a few shirts in the hotel sink and hit the hay.

Today, we have an appointment with the David. We’ll check back in later!

Here are our photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/PR6jn1ZzhDS6cx8q8