Hotel Gran Duca Leopoldo Montecatini Terme

... with our tea for a spell, unfortunately we both decided that we weren’t up for doing anything else in Pisa – we just were not feeling well. So, we walked back to the train station to catch a train back to Florence (even buying some fresh bananas at a little market during the walk back – hey, we’re feeling optimistic). Both Murray and I were very nauseous on the train ride back, but I did manage to fall ...

nous sommes rester a florence pour terminer notre visite la ville en allant aux jardins boboli et bardini, situe dans la cours du palais pitti. Deux grand jardins qui a cette date n'ont plus autant a offrir qu'en ete. il n'y a plus de fleur, et la moitie des arbres n;ont plus de feuille, mais on a pu constater l'ampleur de la propriete en passant tout l'apres midi a ...

... softly over its speakers... (But, hey – maybe I’m having a little girl!!!)

Today (11.26.09), Murray’s stomach (thankfully) seems to be doing a lot better, so it’s off to explore Florence we go! After a decent breakfast at our hotel, we walked along the Fiume Arno River as the morning sun hung low over the water. We stopped for a few minutes at one of the first bridges we came across, as I spotted several beavers (we ...

partie de pise pour se rendre a Florence en toscane. On s'approche tranquillement de la region de Chianti ! Encore uen ville magnifique ou l'on ne peut pratiquement rien prendre en phtoto tellement les rues sont etroites. Le duomo, le 3e plus haut de l'europe est visible de tres loin. Ensuite, de piazza en piazza, nous avons traverser la ville pour voir des tres grand edifice , souvent construit avant meme la decouverte de l'amerique!! Nous avons ...

... whatever we wanted from that room... This was at 3pm too, not like we arrived at some weird hour.
The "dorm" was just an apartment with 6 beds in 1 room, a kitchen and 4 beds in the room joined to the kitchen with no door between - check out the photos on facebook.
Glad we booked the cheaper 6 bed dorm and not the more expensive 4 bed!!!
Found out later that day they have another "dorm" downstairs with a 6 bed room and a double bed in ...

... the wine for families living in each town. Pretty cool. We tasted a small bottle of local white wine... it was a little bubbly and dry - kinda like Proseco? I wanted to try red wine (since that's my fave) but they did not have any. The hotel we stayed at was a very clean, very simple room with a laundry line out the window. There are about 5 million very steep steps leading up to the room. When we checked in (by buzzing a buzzer near the main ...

... there gelato to be bought and eaten on the way, but Danielle was meeting a guy for a date at a place near the Duomo and of course the other girls were curious. I just wanted gelato, but I'm easily convinced to help out in anything once I've got some tasty dessert in my hands. So, we walked all the way there, stopped by the Astor where Danielle was meeting her date, stayed for a few minutes then walked home. I am so spoiled by the beauty of this city, but I am still an ...

... off it onto floating holes at this time of year. Perhaps there really is nothing to do in winter in Europe. We then walked all the way up to the Cathedral, with the Bell Tower and Baptistery (where Dante was baptised). After our tour ended inside the cathedral (Which has the best-decorated dome we saw- even including St Peter's) we headed up to the Galleria dell' Academia. This gallery contains quite a collection of sculpture including quite a few unfinished works by Michelangelo and a ...

... marble and is crazy ornate. No photos will do it justice, but I sure did try. Then, we went to the Ponte Vecchio and shopped for gold - not so much. Then we had dinner, which was pretty good. Now we're back at the hotel and getting ready for bed. We have a big day going to Rome tomorrow. Internet is crazy expensive here, but you guys are worth it. Love you, miss you!! XOXOXO Lorin & Jason

... rides along the Arno were our favorite times in Florence. Yesterday we saw a movie "Head in the Clouds" in an English theater. The movie wasn't that great but the theater was fabulous. I'm sure it was a zillion years old and once an important theater. It had ushers in tuxedos and red carpets and an old statue of Cygus on the third (!!) floor. We sat in the balcony. Today we went to Pisa and Lucca but that's another entry. We'll be in Florence a few more days.