David Hotel Montecatini Montecatini Terme

... and limited to pastry or pizza at 5pm, but I found Brasserie La Loggia near the station that had a full menu all day.
Walked in to order a pasta and was amazed and delighted that they also had a display case full of Belgian, German, Dutch and other quality beers.
Had a La Trappe with my bolognese. Even though it's made in the Netherlands it was still a good tripel.
Was ready to go after that but ...

I liked Florence so much the first time I went, I came back! I realized in August that I loved this city and that I didn't have enough time to spend here, so I decided I wanted to go back to enjoy the slower moving life of Florence.

The first day we got to Florence, Katy and I went straight to the leather market. I had been eagerly waiting the entire semester to buy a new purse, and I knew I had seen several I really liked in Florence, so I had made ...

... Cranberry Sauce, Stuffing, Potatoes, and Mixed Vegetables. For dessert pumpkin pie, ice cream, and apple cider! It was nice to spend the night with classmates and a few professors.

Friday night, we had yet another Thanksgiving with all of my friends. Everyone prepared their favorite dish and we spent the night telling stories of our families Thanksgivings.

I'll update you soon,

Siara

... photo and video exhibition on display which was really cool - need to look up the Patti Smith video he did and see if I can watch it in full.

Found a stall in the markets selling tripe on bread rolls with parsley and olive oil- super yumm!!! Found out later it's another Florence local specialty.

Went to Farmacia Sta Maria Novella which is a really cool epothicary/pharmacy that has been making lotions, potions, elixers and ...

Hi Everyone!

After an exhausting weekend in Brussels, I was in for yet another treat with cooking classes in Florence. Organized by my school, a group of us met with a chef for some lessons.

We were taught how to prepare typical Tuscan cuisine including Ribollita and Stuffed zucchini-flowers.

Everything was delicious & I look forward to trying these recipes at home!

I'll update you soon,

Siara

Today was for the relaxation and fixing of some problems in the Ruth trip. We turned in the rental car for a new one because the air-conditioning in the car only worked in the morning when we really didn't need it. Again, all we really needed to do was roll down the windows, but that's just me. Then, we dropped off our laundry at this Laundromat that only cost us 8 Euro to wash and dry, as opposed to the hotel doing it for us (they were going to ...

On Sunday, it was hard to get up in the morning because it is really dark in the room with the blinds shut, so we are going to open them up before we go to bed the next time. We all got ready, which took a while. We then walked to McDonald's to get the coffee and brioche for only a euro. We just didn't want to pay more. We then had to come back and get ready for class. Our classes for the day, since it was Sunday were in the ...

... Courtney is a friend from school in MN). We shared some caraffs of the sparking white house wine and it was great! The meal itself was amazing. First they brought out bruschetta and some more bread with this liver spread on it. Although it looked awful, it was surprising really really good! Mom would be so proud of me eating liver! haha! Then they brought out trays of proschutto (spelling?) and salami. Not really my kinda ...

Hello everyone, This is me, live from Florence! Yesterday I saw the Uffizi Gallery, which was quite amazing. I was expecting it to be impressive, of course, because no museum that houses the work of a single Renaissance Master could be anything less than impressive. But nothing could prepare me for what I saw. Four beautiful Medieval rooms, each holding a priceless collection in itself. For a student of the Middle Ages, quite ...

... going inside the S. Croce, as it was just after 5pm. This place is where Michelangelo is buried. There was some sort of event going on in the city - something to do with Dante, but I'll have to get the flyer I took and translate it. In the area are lots of leather shops and jewelry shops. I looked but nothing caught my eye. On the way back to the hotel, I stopped at the Ponte Vecchio and priced a couple of rings. I was hesitant to purchase ...