We officially left the beautiful city of Florence on Tuesday. It was a very bitter-sweet morning. The city had really grown on us, and the idea of leaving just as we were settling in seemed cruel. But, the excitment over 'what-comes-next' in Venice kept our spirits high.
The trip from Florence to Venice was a long one. Altogether, the trip took about 8 hours on the road. To break the day up a bit, we stopped about halfway at the city of Cremona. Unless you are big on your Italian geography or the history of music, you probably have never heard of Cremona. This city is the home of the violin and the famous violin maker Stradivari.
Cremona was an adorable little city. It was the furthest thing from a toursity town, which I liked. To give you an idea: nothing was written in English ANYWHERE and when my friend Christine and I went to a news-stand to get postcards...we realized it was only a news-stand...no postcards! We also were able to find a local fruit/vegetable market. I purchased a big plate of fresh strawberries for £1.70 while others got 6 clementines for £1.11. If only fruit was that cheap in the states!
After a bit of free time, we explored the museums of the city, learning all about the musical history and instrument-making. It was fascinating. I thought it was really cool to have a stop like this for a musical group. The focus on music seemed extra-special because we are all musicians and appreciated what we were seeing.
After the day-stop in Cremona, we jumped back on the bus. he epic-bus-ride continued for the next 4 hours until we arrived at our hotel outside of Venice. We ate a delicious dinner and hung out with one another for the rest of the night. It was a great bonding time.
But, underneath every conversation, there was an underlying tone of 'WE ARE GOING TO VENICE TOMORROW! AND SINGING AT ST. MARK'S.' Needless to say, Wednesday is going to be amazing. The anticipation is palpable.
Until then.
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