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Apply to the interested part...


I bet that piqued your curiosity for many reasons, especially as to which “interested” part it refers. In this case, it's the forehead.

Unlike many of the cities in the U.S., many cities around the world still retain their charm and heritage thanks to the architecture and ancient construction methods which make each of these cities unique. One example is the use of stones and other materials for roads and sidewalks. These have stood the test of centuries of use, but for someone not familiar with the unevenness and sudden changes in smoothness and elevation, they can be a hazard.

Just ask Ellen.

Florence is a beautiful city, rich in the beauty of his history with majestic cathedrals, intricate designs everywhere and for its art. And, on our visit, some trip-worthy sidewalks.

Our tour Thursday was visits to Florence and Pisa. Architecture. Art. The famous leaning tower. An Ellen face plant.

What?

While the tour was day-long, some parts were abbreviated and extremely rushed due to a change in arrival time, traffic congestion and vying for space with the thousands and thousands of other cruisers and tourists. Our tour guide also had a hard time wrangling about 50 of us on the tour, as some wandered off on their own and several others had mobility issues. While our tour guide repeatedly said she was walking slowly, she wasn't. Her slow equated to a brisk pace.

It was that pace, in part, that was Ellen's downfall (pun intended).

As we hustled to another photo stop, we turned a corner into a crowd. As Ellen took a step she clipped one of the uneven stones. Down she went. In agonizingly slow motion. With a thud.

Everyone in our group nearby gasped. I shuddered, expecting the worse. She rolled over, a look of pain mixed with embarrassment. Nearby her brand new iPhone was on the ground where she dropped it. I got her to her feet and looked her over. A slight scrape to her shin, and the start of a huge bruise on her temple where she hit.

We needed ice, quickly, to reduce any swelling. A nearby pharmacy offered a solution: An instant cold pack. In we went and out we came with a cold pack. One we activated it, it was immediately cold and was very effective in keeping the swelling down.

For the next 45 minutes or so, Ellen walked around with holding the pack to her head, prompting quizzical looks from many fellow tourists.

Right before we threw the pack away, we looked closer at the instructions. In addition to saying how to break and mix the chemicals to initiate the cold, there was one line that caused us to laugh. It said: “Apply to the interested part.”

I’m not sure the part (her head) was interested, but her head did appreciate it.

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