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Florence
Entry 15 of 24 | show all | print this entry |
I would like to begin by congratulating all those who finished lagniappe today on a good effort, and actual end to college for some of you. Now you can come to Europe and party with me.
I am also saddened by the news about Randy Walker. It makes us all realize how short and precious life really is. I am definitely making the most of trip to Europe and I know the memories will last forever.
You have a lot of time to think on the rails of Europe which is good for the necessary introspection that we all need in our lives from time to time. Ive also realized that its important to make sure that you like your travelling partner(s) through it all and that your personalities work with each other. If you have 2 strong leaders travelling, you will often butt heads and argue about pointless things. But if you have two passive followers, you will miss trains, get lost and miss the best parts of Europe. The best way to travel is with a leader and a follower, even though the follower should be enabled to make small decisions from time to time (like what restaurant to eat at). The leader needs to take control, read the map, get to trains on time, plan the schedule etc.
I do enjoy my travelling partner and am really glad we chose to take this journey together.
Now, off the philosophical portion of the program, to the logistical. I have started making a list of items that are essential to a trip like this, first being a Quick Dry Towel, which is crucial, and takes up much less space than a conventional towel. An IPod, camera, good book, water bottle, guide book, power adapters, journal, money belt, shower shoes and good gym shoes are also required. If you are going on a trip, ask me and I will tell you everything. Cause I am a nice guy like that.
Now I have discussed before how I enjoy things better when they are not really hyped up. I guess that I am not expecting as much from them and thus am more surprised when I enjoy them. Thus the reasons I really liked Berlin, Athens, and Santorini. So I have tried not to hype things up too much for you so that you can create your own opinion on them.
However, with that said, I believe that FLORENCE is the cant miss city of any European vacation. There is simply so much interesting and exciting stuff to do here that it truly is one of the cities where I could spend a week and not get bored. We arrived yesterday from Venice, and after a hostel debacle, have still really enjoyed the city. We reserved a hostel right by Piazza del Repubblica which is the center of town, and when we got there, they told us that we were actually staying at another location on the outskirts. So we obviously put up a stink, got a little money back and are moving back to the good location for nights 2 and 3. Anyways, never stay at the Eurohostel in Florence, it sucks.
Nonetheless, we went to the Duomo which is huge and has a beautiful fresco in the dome. Phil decided that we were climbing to the top, so for 6 euro, we ascended almost 600 steps, first to the inside ledge beneath the dome, and then to a porch on the outside of the dome. It was cool, but for a guy who is really afraid of heights, I will stay on the ground next time. We also checked out the jewelry store laden Ponte Vecchio, Piazza de Santa Croce with its plethora of leather shops, Palazzo Vecchio and Uffizi piazza, along with most of the rest of town. Dinner was at Yellow Bar, a great recommendation. This is where help from friends really comes in handy is with restaurants, bars and nightclubs. Everyone knows the sights to go to, but we have eaten at many only decent restaurants cause we had such little guidance. Thankfully I have a lot of friends who have been to Florence to give me ideas. Tonight is Acqua al Due. It should be good.
We have also realized that the only way to have fun after dinner is to find an Irish Pub or Nightclub. European kids our age like to sit around in piazzas talking and hanging out. We just cant get used to sitting on a dirty piazza, usually in front of a church, and hanging out. It is strange. So if you have nightclub suggestions for Spain, give me please.
Today, Phil bought a leather jacket which he claims was well priced and good leather. It looks cool, but I cant even think about buying a leather jacket in June when its 90 degrees outside and Im sweating through my tshirt. We then headed to the Synagogue of Florence, which is a must see. After walking through all the magnificant churches of Europe, it is really nice to see a Synagogue of such stature and presence. We are Jews and have done a lot of Jewish things throughout this trip, as you can tell. This was definitely the best Synagogue we have seen so far.
Then we went to the Boboli Gardens, which were a complete waste of time and not worth the 8 euro entry fee. DONT WASTE YOUR TIME!
BUT BUT BUT Do go to see the DAVID, and reserve your tickets ahead of time at florenceforfun.org. He was magnificant as always, the ideal man, who we all should try to emulate. HAHA. But he is pretty buff.
Florence is a great city, where 2 days is minimum, 3 is nice and then there will still be stuff that you will miss.
I failed to mention Venice so I will do that now. Venice can be done in 1 night. There is not much to see, other than Rialto bridge and San Marco, but the city is a site to see. I didnt realize that there really arent any cars in Venice, no bikes, no mopeds. Everything is carried by boat or man. That mean FedEx boats, mail boats, police boats, taxi boats, and even the busses (5 euro a ride) are boats. We stayed near the train station, which is the place to stay so that you dont have to shlep your bags through the small, poorly marked streets, over bridge after bridge. I didnt know what to expect (which I find myself saying a lot these days), but it was a sight to see, maybe even a day trip from Florence, just to get a taste of it. It is definitely a city unlike any other on Earth, which is extremely touristy and expensive, but a MUST SEE nonetheless.
We are headed to Siena to see Il Palio on Sunday, then Rome, then Sorrento, Amalfi and Capri before heading back up to Cinque Terre at the end of next week. Happy July, Have a great fourth of July, and know that we are having a great time. Thanks for reading all this. Its a lot but I want you to know whats going on.
Blake
Where I stayed:
Eurohostel
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