We left Sorrento at the wee crack of dawn! We started our hike to the station at 5:30 am to hop the ghetto train and make our way to Florence. The day before we were hanging out by the water and this couple from Colorado started talking to us and the girl went on and on about how disappointed she was in Florence. We had heard nothing but great things from everybody we know who has visited Florence, so we were kind of confused as to what to expect. But it's lovely here! Ragan and I kept thinking how much that girl was going to HATE Rome is she thought Florence was nasty! Bless her, she had another thing coming.
Our litte apartment we had in Florence was right down the street from Santa Croce Cathedral. It is the burial ground of Michaelangelo, Galileo, and some other great "luminaries" of that time.
Florence it the birthplace of the Renaissance. All the great minds of the day called Florence home and really made their lasting mark here, and what would later spread throughout Europe. That being said, there are a only a few major sites in to see while in Florence. The David by Michaelangelo, The Uffizi Museum, Ponte Vecchio Bridge, The Santa Maria, and Michaelangelo's park overlooking the city. I say a few because we just came from Rome and compared to that city, anything is a "few."Ragan and I aren't huge museum people, but The Uffizi is considered one of the greatest in the world and houses some "must see's." We totally got lucky when Ragan went to make our reservations for the next day we found out free entry that night!! So between this and Pompeii, we've saved like 45 Euro this week. We'll take it! It was less crowded at the free entry than a normal day, so we just eased our way through the museum and saw what needed to be seen. Michaelangelo's Head of Medusa http://www.virtualuffizi.com/uffizi1/Uffizi_Pictures.asp?Contatore=447. She's a real charmer. They also house The Holy Family http://www.virtualuffizi.com/uffizi1/Uffizi_Pictures.asp?Contatore=252. There are also some original works by DaVinici and Renoir. It was great to see the pieces and we enjoyed our evening, but we were kind of happy that we didn't pay to get in.
This is the view from Michaelangelo Park. It's the place to be at sunset. We made our way their twice, the first time we forgot to put the memory card in the camera. So, we hiked back up the next day and had a really lovely sunset. This picture was taken by our new friend "Asian Guy." He was hysterical. He offered to take our picture and then he kept saying, "another!" Later on we saw him taking pictures of other couples, it was pretty cute that he was enjoying himself so much.
Our lovely golden sunset at Michaelangelo Park.
Cathedral de Santa Maria of Florence. The duomo(meaning main cathedral of the city)
These are the Gates of Paradise. These are the doors to the baptistry right across the way from the duomo
I just love street artist!
This is our little friend down the street. I love how the Europeans accept dogs like little furry people. They ride on trains, they hang out everywhere you see people, and are rarely on leashes. They just follow their people around, watch their every move and keep up with them, even in total chaos. They could teach kids a things or two.
When we told Ragan's parents we were headed to Pisa, Ragan's Dad said, "please don't get one of those pictures looking like you are holding up the Tower."
These are just for you Mr. Bill!!
We headed up for a quick trip to Pisa. This is a pretty cute town, they try to nickle and dime you to death, but other than that, it's quite charming. The weather was awesome! We were cracking up that EVERYONE is trying to get that perfect shot of them holding up the Tower. It was pretty funny just to stand and listen to husbands and wives tell the other, "no, put that hand up, that one closer, no down, over a little." They charge 15 Euro per person to climb to the top of the Tower, which is pretty steep (no pun intended) and we decided it really wasn't worth it. There's not much to see once you get there. It was a super quick trip and we headed back to Florence in hopes of seeing THE Masterpiece of them all....The David!
Shhhhhhhh.....This picture is TOTALLY illegal. But when you tell me I can't take a picture, well...that makes me all the more determined to take one! I would wait until the one lady guarding throngs of people from taking photos to get onto someone else, and then I would make my move. Worked like a charm. I even blocked another guy from her view so he could take his. I just said, "turn off your flash!" It's what got all the others in trouble. Rookies.
He's quite spectaular! I don't think I was expecting the statue to be as large as it was. It was inteded to be an outdoor sculpture and that's why his hands and feet are so large. And they are large! But there is a reason this piece is considered perfection. It's sheer perfection in marble! You can even see the veins running through his arms and neck. I know I knew this handy fact at one point, but had forgotten. This is David of David and Goliath. In his right hand he is holding stones, and in his left hand he is holding his sling, which you see the rest of on his perfectly sculpted back.
Another sexy night on the road! This one consisted of me eating a stinky falafal pita and both of us creating sweet, fresh laundry. Later, we made our way back to our apartment, blogged, listened to classical music and talked about how "kids" were so loud outside late at night. (10:45 pm) Seriously, how old are we?
Venice and Verona are our next two stops and then we will say "Ciao" to Italy! Next country, Germany! Show me the weinerschnitzel!
Love you guys! Thanks for keeping up with us!
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