Florence in Black and White – Weekly Travel Photo & Product Review

Holding my breath I closed my eyes. Around me the auditory press of a vibrant Italian city roared about its daily business. Filtering through the array of sounds I sorted out the thread I was looking for – a rhythmic sound. An organic sound. The sound of boat paddles slicing smoothly into the currents of the river, extricating itself, and slowly dripping droplets of water in its wake. It was the subtle splash of a boat advancing against the current and immediately triggered memories of my childhood. Of times spent in Mexico in a small inflatable kayak paddling gracelessly against coastal currents and a mild wind. So much was different and yet so much was similar. The sleek suggestion of movement, the groan of the oar, and the sound of the boat cutting through the water.

Then, as I opened my eyes, I enjoyed the view. A historic bridge crossing the Arno river in the heart of Florence. The bridge before me was just one block down from the Ponte Vecchio and provided a wonderful view of the city as it sprawled its way along the river and slowly crawled up the surrounding hills before seeming to come together at the Piazzale Michaelangelo. My plan was to enjoy the afternoon light, take in the sights, and then slowly work my way along the river before scaling the hill to catch the sunset.

As my feet quietly trudged across the cobblestones I thought of the sound and pacing of the oars walking their way across the surface of the water. In my mind the two became one and my pace quickened while seeming ever so-slightly less labor intensive.

The Rockport Chukka Boots (Product Review)

I just got back from a nine-day trial run where I tested out a brand new pair of Rockport Street Escape Chukka Boots.  The boots were provided for review by GetTheLabel.com. Get The Label is a UK based webshop offering discounted prices for Men and Women’s clothing. The Rockport boots had a sale price of 55 GBP via Get The Label or MSRP’d for about 110 GBP.

I decided to take the boots with me in place of my normal traveling shoes since I was doing a casual nine-day urban vacation in Spain. The boots were perfect for what I needed and I absolutely love them.  The leather has been high quality and held up well. After nine days of walking it is starting to relax and has the look and feel of genuine high quality leather. The fit and style of the boot is one I find very attractive and fashionable. They also fit my feet extremely well and were comfortable to wear during 3-6 hour days spent walking the city.  The rubber tread and sole were also highly durable and had a really nice grip.  I found the boots quite easy to get in and out of which is sometimes an annoyance with this type of shoe.

All in all I’ve been very impressed by the Rockports to the point I’ve considered ordering a backup pair and will continue to wear the complimentary pair provided by Get The Label around Copenhagen and during future travels. You will also see them appearing in all of the upcoming additions to my Traveling Boot Shot series taken in Spain.

While these boots were provided as complimentary items for review, this review is completely independent and about a product that I am currently actively using and happy to recommend based on my positive first hand experience.

Would you like to see previous Weekly Photos? View past travel pictures here.