Hiking in Firenze
Trip Start
Aug 28, 2007
1
7
23
Trip End
Dec 16, 2007
Florence,
Italy
Monday, September 3, 2007
09.02.07 - 10:05pm
Buonosera! I took 129 [pictures today! Kelly and I went walking around our neighborhood today and decided to try and find some places no tourists would be. Today was awful with tourists; everywhere we went there were mobs of them. So we walked past the Ponte Vecchio to the park we came across the other night. It was so much different during the day!
We found stairs and walls full of graffiti; I think it's my new interest. I've been taking a lot of photos of it. It's more artistic here and as a composition for a photo it works out perfect. We took various pictures for each other's family at Palazzo Pitti and on stairs. We continued walking down the Arno and saw an area that the locals use as a "beach" when really they all lay out in grassy and sandy areas on the river. We even saw some people playing in the river on the steps. On our way to check it out we came across a tower and realized that there were stairs climbing up it so we walked up to see if we could get up on top of the tower.
Though the stairs were gated up we turned around and behind the tower were three HUGE fountains/wells
another angle
. Mom, they were full of goldfish! And yes, I took plenty of pictures! It was so beautiful! And every time we'd climb up another set of stairs we would get an AMAZING view of the whole city! And every time we thought we were out of stairs...there were more! We must have gone up at least 7-9 different stairs! There were at least two sharp road curves to get up the large hill. I took 5 different panorama shots which I plan on posting! Don't worry! You can see the ENTIRE city along with the houses up on the mountains (just like you wanted mom). Up on the hill you could also see parts of the Palazzo Pitti Gardens (which you have to pay to walk in, we will eventually I'm sure). There were a lot of vendors with cheap prices. We're going back at dusk sometime to get pictures with all the city lights on sometime this week. We were gone for a good 5 hours or so.On the way home we stopped at a local market and got chicken and some steak. We also stopped at a cheap gelato place, I tried the dark chocolate and their version of cookie-dough, only for 2€ which is 3€ cheaper than the other one I got the first night we were here (which was the same size and I bet he would have charged me for the second flavor too). Then we saw a small shop and walked in and I got a dress for 10€. It's sooo cute. The orange button is a little odd on it, but it's cute none the less.
So when we got home we had chicken cutlets, some pasta, and homemade garlic bread. Which honestly, between Kelly and I, our dinner (combined) cost less than 5€. It's so different eating here. After you go out and see the portion size they give you (which are so much more realistic than restaurants in the States), you find yourself fixing it the same way they do. Smaller portions, more spices, more vegetables, etc. And LOTS of water.
Well, we start class tomorrow. I have Villas and Gardens, Italian 101, and Architecture in Context tomorrow. So I'll have time to upload pictures between class. You all will probably just be getting up. I'll be online from 10-12 here but you all will be in bed. I should also be on from like 2-4 here (8-10am for you all). So if anyone is going to be online...ping me on AIM!
Miss you all, wish you could have seen the views I saw! Ciao!
