After the spectacular Cinque Terre, we headed to Florence. At first, we weren't fans. Florence is BUSY and the streets are all so tight. It was also very hot once again and we walked around the first day feeling so exhausted. But as time went on, we did grow to enjoy Florence. We spent a lot of time in the Piazza Signoria, where Michelangelo's David once stood (now a replica has taken its original spot) and the amazing Uffizi museum sits nearby. In the evenings, we listened to some beautiful orchestras play music under the lights (as we ate gelato of course) and we really liked the Boboli Gardens, a lesser known attraction in the city.
The highlight of that trip was our experience seeing the David. We had been told it would be our longest line and so we thought we might try to go before closing on our first night. When we got there (yes, an hour and a half wait), we were told the museum would be staying open late for a few days so we could come back before 10 and maybe the line would be shorter. So we had a leisurely dinner (that's the European style!) and headed to the Academia around 9 pm. We got there and ... no line! We went right through security, turned the corner and down the hallway stood the magnificent David ... and only a handful of other people were in the museum! We were able to enjoy it crowd-free and it really is such an awesome experience. If I had brought a sketchbook with me, I would have loved to have drawn it. Anyway, we felt pretty lucky ;)
Oh, and another highlight? Almost being taken out by a rogue segway. Seriously, we were walking through the center of Piazza Signoria and out of the crowds came a kid on a segway and he was flying! As he came straight towards us, I truly thought this was the end of our trip. But as we jumped out of the way, he swerved and completely ate it. Poor kid. But seriously, how terrible would it have been if one of us ended up in a European hospital (again!) because of being hit by a segway??? The look on that kid's face ... we actually couldn't stop laughing about it for the rest of the night. Okay, the rest of the trip.
Florence really is lovely. There is so much art to see and history to enjoy. And we had some good pasta =)
*Sigh* ... Rome. Rome is wonderful for so many reasons. Big city. Big charm. Eric was so excited for this city as he is a history buff (especially Roman history). The Coloseum was definately his highlight and I loved the streets and piazzas. My favorite building was the Pantheon, though. We walked A LOT in this city. We enjoyed a tour of the Coloseum and forum/ruins on Palatine Hill, threw coins behind us into the Trevi Fountain (to ensure we return to Rome one day), took pictures on the Spanish steps, ate award-winning gelato (I had rose flavored ... and it really tasted like a rose even though I've never actually tasted a rose) and saw some beautiful churches. We did visit the Vatican museum and saw the breathtaking Sistine Chapel and spent plenty of time in my favorite place ... the Piazza Navona, a ridiculously charming plaza with cafes surrounding a courtyard where people sell art. There are fountains and Italians playing music for money and the most gorgeous church in all our travels. We also had some spectacular food in Rome ... pizza that puts our American take-out to shame, wild boar pate (that was Eric's choice) and a romantic steak dinner in a wine cellar.
Though it was sad to leave, we were exhausted and ready to come home. It's time to plan our next adventure of course! (On the airplane, Eric looked at me and said, "So Hawaii next summer?") Our travels home were not so smooth so when we actually made it home, we were so happy (think running through the airport at ridiculous speeds and then watching our plane pull away from the gate and then sitting on a chair gasping for breath and realizing that lovely handmade Italian scarf you were wearing went flying while you were running and now it nowhere to be found).
Europe was amazing. Loved everything, but next time my pick would be back to The Netherlands and then Germany, Switzerland and Austria. I think that would be my cup of tea =)
Cheers!
~ Heidi
The highlight of that trip was our experience seeing the David. We had been told it would be our longest line and so we thought we might try to go before closing on our first night. When we got there (yes, an hour and a half wait), we were told the museum would be staying open late for a few days so we could come back before 10 and maybe the line would be shorter. So we had a leisurely dinner (that's the European style!) and headed to the Academia around 9 pm. We got there and ... no line! We went right through security, turned the corner and down the hallway stood the magnificent David ... and only a handful of other people were in the museum! We were able to enjoy it crowd-free and it really is such an awesome experience. If I had brought a sketchbook with me, I would have loved to have drawn it. Anyway, we felt pretty lucky ;)
Oh, and another highlight? Almost being taken out by a rogue segway. Seriously, we were walking through the center of Piazza Signoria and out of the crowds came a kid on a segway and he was flying! As he came straight towards us, I truly thought this was the end of our trip. But as we jumped out of the way, he swerved and completely ate it. Poor kid. But seriously, how terrible would it have been if one of us ended up in a European hospital (again!) because of being hit by a segway??? The look on that kid's face ... we actually couldn't stop laughing about it for the rest of the night. Okay, the rest of the trip.
Florence really is lovely. There is so much art to see and history to enjoy. And we had some good pasta =)
*Sigh* ... Rome. Rome is wonderful for so many reasons. Big city. Big charm. Eric was so excited for this city as he is a history buff (especially Roman history). The Coloseum was definately his highlight and I loved the streets and piazzas. My favorite building was the Pantheon, though. We walked A LOT in this city. We enjoyed a tour of the Coloseum and forum/ruins on Palatine Hill, threw coins behind us into the Trevi Fountain (to ensure we return to Rome one day), took pictures on the Spanish steps, ate award-winning gelato (I had rose flavored ... and it really tasted like a rose even though I've never actually tasted a rose) and saw some beautiful churches. We did visit the Vatican museum and saw the breathtaking Sistine Chapel and spent plenty of time in my favorite place ... the Piazza Navona, a ridiculously charming plaza with cafes surrounding a courtyard where people sell art. There are fountains and Italians playing music for money and the most gorgeous church in all our travels. We also had some spectacular food in Rome ... pizza that puts our American take-out to shame, wild boar pate (that was Eric's choice) and a romantic steak dinner in a wine cellar.
Though it was sad to leave, we were exhausted and ready to come home. It's time to plan our next adventure of course! (On the airplane, Eric looked at me and said, "So Hawaii next summer?") Our travels home were not so smooth so when we actually made it home, we were so happy (think running through the airport at ridiculous speeds and then watching our plane pull away from the gate and then sitting on a chair gasping for breath and realizing that lovely handmade Italian scarf you were wearing went flying while you were running and now it nowhere to be found).
Europe was amazing. Loved everything, but next time my pick would be back to The Netherlands and then Germany, Switzerland and Austria. I think that would be my cup of tea =)
Cheers!
~ Heidi
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