Francia And Quirinale Montecatini Terme

... on internet and then back to the bar for more wine and tapas.<br><br>Sun 15 <br>Did some chores... yes we have some, we are not totaly void of resposibility. Went to the supermarket to stock up on food and went to an Aire d'service to empty Theo (our Thescott cassette toilet). Enough of that and we were back in the walls checking out the Antiques Market and eating Gelati... YUM!!<br>

... s historical center. We began our one hour walk at the Duomo and finished at Ponte Vecchio. There were numerous sites in between providing details of Florence's political and social history. While the City itself was not as impressive as others we've visited on this trip, the sheer inspiration it provided for the rest of Europe to awaken from the Middle Ages made it well-worth a visit. Kate grabbed a delicious gelatto for the walk ...

... 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 ...

Just realized those not on facebook haven't seen pictures from Pisa and Florence. No long recap of Anthony and I's weekend in Tuscany, for obvious reasons. Also note that "Anthony and Alison's Great Adventure" was like taking a knife.<br><br>Love you guys! :)<br>

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 ...

... so I'm actually pretty cool at night. Third, I have the corner of not only the room but the building that is closest to the source of the soothing dance music of 1950's Germany (they play some pretty awful stuff over there), and I have earplugs that could block out a Korn concert next door. I can withstand it. I even offered some of my earplugs to the folks, because I have many spares, but they denied. Oh well, I'll let you know if we actually do change rooms, but I doubt it will happen.

... watch the sunset. This was a little bit of a hike, but it's nothing I haven't done before. The sunset was amazing, but genius over here forgot his camera, so I'll be hijacking those pictures over to this blog as soon as I can. What?! I had no idea we were planning on going to watch the sunset! (Note to all, it doesn't matter if your going for a hike or for a short lunch, always bring you camera, and always have a spare set of ...

... too thrilled, but having read it made visitng Michelangelo's work much more significant, and it was a great read afterall. The "David" was probably one of the most beautiful sculptures I have ever seen and having learned about the history of it was really neat. After Florence, we stayed in Seinna. It was quite the change in appearance compared to Florence and Vernazza with its all brick buildings. It ...

... are soooo fun. I think I really spent more time in the markets than necessary....ok, I definitely spent more time in the markets than necessary....but once I started bargaining I couldn't stop. I wasn't even buying anything...ok, I bought a handbag, but other than that I just had fun seeing how low I could get the price. I had a good time. I also ate the best gelatto I have ever had in Florence - the flavor was watermelon and it ...

... all sitting on the chair around me. I felt like that old lady with lots of cats, only with sparrows. They must have been really hungry because as I held out some bread in my hand, a few of them almost ate it. They never got closer than a few inches though. I threw a handful of crumbs onto the ground and it was like a feeding frenzy of fericious sparrows. An old man who had entered the cafe was standing at the door beside me watching. He said something in Italian, but ...