Ciao until next time, Firenze

Florence, more commonly known as Firenze to the locals, has been one of the highlights of my time in Europe. It was difficult to leave, but I know I'll be back someday.

This morning I woke up earlier than I planned since we didn’t plan on going anywhere before heading to the train station. I read for a little while and checked emails while Judy slept in. Feeling refreshed and a little more awake, I began the struggle that was packing. I am so thankful that Mario and Beatrice had a washer in our room- that means I have plenty of clean clothes to last the next couple days in Rome before heading home. It did make it a little more difficult to pack them all in one airtight bag- I’ve accumulated some beautiful new dresses, but they take up extra space! I ended up getting everything packed with room to spare, which is perfect since I plan to buy a couple more souvenirs in Rome. Judy and I scoured the room for any leftover items we forgot, and got ready to say goodbye to Mario and Beatrice. They were such wonderful hosts, and even invited us back to stay when we visit Florence again! Judy had already looked up the busses and times for our short trip back to the train station. Upon arriving we found the ATM again and went out in search for a brown crossbody leather bag with a Firenze stamp on it for Judy. We passed a couple questionable looking vendors, but found one that had exactly what she was looking for. Original price of 65 euro, and we bartered it down to 50 euro! It took some uninterested looks from us and actually beginning to walk away, but we did it! Valuable life skill right there, at least in Europe. 

We went to the other side of the station to a café that Judy found online that had advertised a gluten free second level, and I found a multitude of delicious looking pastries! I decided on an apple strudel and a chocolate filled croissant. BEST CROISSANT EVER. I saved my strudel for later, but ended up buying another croissant because the first one was so good. 

Deanna Café

 Judy and I then went into the train station and sat in the fancy Italo waiting area that is air conditioned and has free WiFi. We then proceeded to hop on our train, get situated, and start the final (and shortest) train ride of our time in Europe to Rome. In less than 2 hours we were grabbing the metro at the train station in Rome headed for our accommodation. 

After a false start after exiting the metro, we quickly found our place in Rome, met our host, and geared up to find the nearest grocery store. To save money on food for our last couple days, Judy and I plan to eat groceries for breakfast and lunch (picnic style), and then try our luck at some gluten free restaurants for dinner. Tomorrow is a fun-filled day of sightseeing, so I've got to go charge my camera up! :)

Sightseeing and shopping!

With an early start to the day, Judy and I headed down to San Marco square, where the Accademia is located. We hopped in the priority line with our Firenze cards and quickly made out way through security. Since the original David by Michaelangelo is the main attraction, that’s where Judy and I headed first. There were some very unpleasant museum ladies running around yelling “no photos”. Thankfully my time touring museums in Spain provided me with the usual trait of slyly taking photos on my phone while pretending to text. I got shots of all angles of David!! 

contraband photos of David!!

champions!

We left the Accademia feeling quite pleased with ourselves and then stumbled upon the National Archeology Museum of Florence. After a quick trip through and some interesting pictures, we decided to do some shopping! The leather vendors in Florence are known around the world for their quality products. Near the Basilica of San Lorenzo I fell hopelessly in love with a purse. It is beautiful tan leather with dark brown accents. It converts from shoulder, to crossbody, to backpack and is amazingly soft. I didn’t have enough euro on me to buy it then, so Judy and I went for another gelato at Gelateria de Neri, hit up an ATM. Judy found a beautiful bag for her mom, and we found a great purse for Shanna’s birthday present! 

obsessed

Judy and I then grabbed some shade and did a little Internet browsing before dipping into a McDonald’s for a sugar break and air conditioning in the heat of the day. We then decided to head back to the house to relax for a couple hours before dinner. I ended up talking with Matty on Viber the whole time- it was wonderful to chat and hear about the happenings at home. It got me excited to be back in the U.S. and back at school. Judy found a great restaurant online that we decided to try out for dinner. They had gluten free pasta and pizza options! I decided on pizza since we had such wonderful pasta last night. Unfortunately my crust was a little tasteless and burned, but the chocolate soufflé for dessert was to die for! Our waiter even made a cute joke about needing three spoons so he could share! 

We walked around in the pleasant evening air and stumbled upon the Festival of San Lorenzo, including some sort of cooking competition and a band! We wandered a little longer, and then headed back to the house. I skyped with my parents for a little while, which made me even more excited to be home at the end of the week. Updating social media again, and attempting to organize a little before we pack up and head to Rome tomorrow!

Florence, you've captured my heart

What a wonderful night of sleep!  For the first time ever I slept with a mosquito net, which I’m quite glad Mario and Beatrice provided. Here are some pictures of our room in Florence.

thank goodness for laundry!

Judy and I spent an hour riding the wrong bus in a complete circle on our way to pick up our Firenze passes.  We decided to hop off and just walk instead!  We ran into the central market, which is surrounded by vendors- so much beautiful leather!  It’s a good thing Judy and I didn’t have much cash on us haha!  

Upon arriving at the information desk, the lady informed us that we had to have a printed copy of the voucher otherwise she could not issue us our passes.  That meant a quick trip to the nearest Internet café to print.  We hurried back and got our Firenze cards all set up.  The Firenze card is valid for 72 hours and gives the holder unlimited access to a multitude of museums and churches and points of interest all over Florence.  It also includes WiFi access all over the city, and free bus transportation for 72 hours as well.  

Judy and I then headed toward the Uffizi Gallery to wander around looking at art.  After the gallery we went out in search of Gelateria de Neri, a recommendation from one of my sisters who studied abroad in Florence (thanks Carin)!  Definitely the best gelato in the world!!  I had three scoops- vanilla, strawberry, and coffee.  All of them were to die for!  

After a delicious “lunch”, we then started the long trek across the river and up about a million stairs to Piazza de Michaelangelo, which has a breath taking view of the city.  We got lots of great pictures, and even found a few churches tucked away.  

Judy and I took a well-deserved break in a nearby park with internet access.  I spent time researching the gluten free restaurants in Florence to find a yummy place to eat.  A couple looked promising, and we decided on Hostaria il Desco for the evening.  Because they closed for a few hours between lunch and dinner, Judy and I wandered around the city center window shopping for a while.  We arrived at the restaurant right when they opened, which was a good thing- there were only three tables that weren’t already reserved!  Definitely a good sign if the locals are always making plans for there.  Thus began one of the most delicious meals of my life!  We both decided on the Menu Tuscano, which included champagne, wine, water, bread, cold salad, salami and cheese tray, pasta Bolognese, wild boar, cheesecake, and biscotti.  All of my food was gluten free and absolutely delicious!  

After a slow walk back to the bus, Judy and I spent a few hours catching up with social media and planning for our next day in Florence.  This city has managed to capture my heart in only one day! 

Venice: The Floating City

What a whirlwind day in this beautiful city! First we headed to the train station to check our luggage for the day so we didn’t have to haul it all around the city.  Judy and I then bought 12 hour transportation passes which cover all the vaporetto and busses in Venice.  Our first stop of the day was to Burano, an island about 45 minutes away known for it’s colorful homes and handmade lace.  We got some great pictures!  

our nighttime arrival

attic room in our quaint hotel near the station

island near Venice

Burano!

After that we got a bit lost and eventually found our way to San Marco’s square where we quickly grabbed gelato and cold drinks.  Unfortunately, part of the Basilica was under construction, so our pictures didn’t turn out as well as either of us would like.  

We quickly headed back towards the train station to pick up our luggage and get a snack before hopping on the train to Florence.  We found an Italo room with great air conditioning and free WiFi, which was great!  They also told us that the train itself has WiFi for the length of our journey- how cool is that?!  Best train company thus far, for sure.  Our arrival in Florence went quite smoothly; we even found an ATM that worked thank goodness!  We bought some bus tickets, and eventually found the correct pick up point for the line we wanted.  Judy and I waited In San Marco’s square for our next bus for about 20 minutes.  We tried to devise a plan, but were too tired and hungry to do much else.  Within a few minutes of hopping off the bus, we found our hosts’s home Mario and Beatrice- they are absolutely wonderful, and their home is beautiful!  They prepared us a delicious (and filling) meal- complete with gluten free pasta!  After dinner we chatted about Florence for a bit, then I hopped in the shower and worked on updating some social media.  Judy and I also bought our Firenze sightseeing cards, which should help greatly the next few days.  They include entrance to all the museums, free transportation for 72 hours, and internet access all over the city! 

A day in the life

Yesterday Judy and I took our time getting up and ready, and first set off for the post office. I mailed home a package full of souvenirs that were semi-breakable/ heavy to be toting around all of France and Italy unnecessarily.

We then headed for the shopping mall that Willy mentioned yesterday- we did take a map with us this time, but we barely even needed it! Judy and I spent the whole afternoon wandering around the mall. We of course took a Starbucks break! When we got hungry, we headed outside for a 10 minutes walk and found a cute little restaurant on the beach. After (late) lunch, we went back to the shopping mall- this time mainly for the air conditioning and WiFi access!

Around 7pm, we decided to picnic on the beach for dinner, so we grabbed food from the market inside the mall (how convenient is that)! We found a cozy bench overlooking the Mediterranean Sea and enjoyed out meal.

Upon returning to Odette's we settled in for the evening. Little did we know Willy had planned to take us to the promenade. Judy and I started the disaster that was packing before Willy arrived around 10pm to pick us up.  We pulled into a parking lot and headed up to a chateau by bus where we met his friend, Oliver Navarro who is a tour guide in Nice.  He is well-travelled throughout the world, and attractive to boot.  All in all, not a bad last evening in Nice.  They walked us around the castle, had drinks with us, and then took us into old town Nice, which had lots of old buildings (that I of course loved).  We stopped for ice cream at a famous place, shared each other’s flavors, and made our way back via the port.

It was a late night, but a wonderful way to end our time in Nice!