Capitol Florence

... for the main course and was given one plate of cheese and one plate of spinach...hilarious. I had a gigantic veil roast like nothing I had ever seen, and fortunately it was delicious. We finished the meal with a chocolate covered panna cota, coffee, and endless dessert wine for Kate. They kept filling her glass because one older fella was the only one that could drop the check and he either took a nap, or was quite busy. The ...

... busy streets. [And side note, Rome traffic wasn't as bad as we thought it would be. NYC is much crazier, minus tiny, unmarked, cobblestone alleys.] GPS saved the day and we easily made it out of the city after we realized the device was in simulation mode and showing us the course we would eventually take, and not the course we were currently on. It was hysterical!! However, this "fake route" took us to an unbelievable overlook of Florence ...

... rooms they are housed in are amazing - it must have been a truly beautiful place to live when the Medicis lived there. <br><br>After that I had more gelati (I ate A LOT of gelati!) at Vivoli, which is another famous gelaterie. I had dark chocolate, bannana and caramelised pear. So good! <br><br>That was about it really. The next morning I went to the markets to pick up a few things, bought some postcards and then jumped on a train back to Pisa Airport. Of course my ...

... chocolatey with big chunks of hazelnuts. Mmmmmm. I am going to go back there tomorrow I think. <br><br>Tomorow Ive got a booking to go to the Uffizi Gallery in the morning, then Im thinking the Boboli gardens and Medici Palace in the afternoon. Now it is time for dinner (ive read up and found somewhere not too far away to eat tonight). When I get home to the UK I will post the second installment on Florence and some photos.<br><br>Take care,<br><br>xox Hannah

... go down this road, take the first on the right, then the second on the left, the supermarket is just after the square.<br><br> Florence, ahhh, you are indeed a big city and carry all the characteristics of one. People of big cities tend to rush around, they don't look you in the eye or if they do, they don't see you, they carry with them more of an arrogance (because they're from a big city and so see and dress themselves more sophisticated than those from the wopwops ...

Rented an apartment in a villa which was at the top of a mountain (like most villas in Tuscany), however, our journey to the top was not on a paved road which made for some challenging driving. The villa was really nice with its own pool and great view over the countryside. The owners also provided fabulous meals in their other ...

... into the GPS. Within moments we realized were not a 5 minute walk away from the hotel as planned, but rather a 10 minute DRIVE!! Frantically walking the length of the platform, desperately trying to understand what went wrong, Shane spotted a train conductor. In his best Italian, Shane asked him, "Is this Florence Central Station?" Quickly the conductor's pleasant facial expression turned into one of complete ...

... I need more room for more stuff!!!  I feel like the kid in Transformers when he gets his camarro, and after he drops off the girl, he says "I love my car".... I love my new backpack.  The Rick Steves podcasts really help in this city. Anyways, Florrence is the home of David by Micheallangelo, and some other important stuff at the Uffitzi museum and a cool looking bridge.  See for yourself.

... their own. Even if we weren't in a foreign country, the changes to relying entirely on public transportation and only being able to buy as many groceries as can be hand carried home, etc., are by themselves a cultural education for our children. For me, in many ways it feels like being in college again when I lived in the middle of D.C. (only MUCH, MUCH harder since I am not solely concerned with my ...

... out for a pizza, which was lovely. First thing Sunday morning we queued for the Ufizi and met a nice australian family who gave us lots of tips, and then we enjoyed the gallery. then we found a lovely backstreet cafe called Rum &amp; Pera, where we sat with geleto. Then we went to the Catherdral (very colourful!) and then t and s went and people watched while c went to the academina ...