Italy – Day 4 through 6 – Florence

When we arrived, the city was in a Firenze.  The train depot was busy and the temperature was high as we departed the station with our baggage.  Instead of getting lost, we merely took the long, scenic way to our hotel, and when we arrived, our room was on the fifth floor, so the elevator was the way to go.  The man working the front desk spoke perfect English, mainly because he was from Brooklyn and moved to Italy to be with family and continue his family business of running the hotel.  Our rooms were very nice, split suites that shared a bathroom.  We had both air conditioners on full blast as soon as we entered the room.  After a cool off/power nap, we headed out to explore Florence.  Our host gave some recommendations for dinner and told us, “If you’re looking for good pizza, fugget about it.  These Florentino’s don’t know pizza.”  He did tell us he know of one place that serves real Napoli pizza, the only in the city, so we went there for dinner after exploring for a few hours.  While exploring, we got to see Boboli Gardens, the famous Ponte Vecchio Old Bridge, and lots of little shops selling their wares.

Lindz & Jenna with a strange statue at the Pitti Palace:

Boboli Gardens:

Us at the Boboli Gardens:

Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge):

Margharita Pizza, Napoli-style:

Our delicious daily habit, Gelato:

We sat an enjoyed our evening gelato in the Piazza Santa Maria Novella:

The next day, we went to go see Michelangelo's David, numerous other fine statues, and art that was stunning to say the least.  David really was remarkable.  Unfortunately, photos were not allowed, so instead people sat and relaxed in the presence of this masterpiece.

Later that day, we spent some time wandering the square where the Duomo was located.  The line to enter the Duomo, and the price, were a little too large for our tastes, so we decided to climb the tower next to the Duomo, and we were pleasantly surprised by the views.  Not only was this the best place to see the splendor of the Duomo, but we could see the entire city and for miles in every direction.  I loved being this high up, and took advantage of the chicken wire surrounding the top of the tower.

Piazza del Duomo:

Views of the Duomo and the rest of Florence from the Bell Tower:

The next day we gathered our possessions and made the trek back to the train station.  Traveling by train seemed easy to us by now, and we felt more at ease for the journey.  Our final city on our trip was Venice, the floating jewel of Italy.  Stay tuned…

~Blake

Italy – Day 1 through 4 – Rome

Long before anyone should have been awake we said good-bye to Cooper and were driving to London Stansted airport in the dark on nearly empty roads.  It was still dark as we parked in Zone N of the Long Stay Car Park.  A bus took us to the airport and after standing in the wrong queue for check-in, we found the right queue and checked our two bags for the flight.  We flew Ryan Air, a budget airline in Europe, in a Boeing 737 for the 1.5 hour flight to Rome.  The flight attendants were Italian and could speak English very well.  We saw our first Italian double cheek kiss there as the two male attendants greeted each other.

After we landed in Rome at Ciampino Airport, we took a bus through what seemed to be the shady part of town and as we neared the central part of Rome, the neighborhoods started looking better.  At Termini Station we stopped and walked to our rental apartment, Alex Penthouse.  Our friends Mike and Jenna arrived the day before and were meeting us at the apartment at noon, so when we arrived early and rang the bell for the apartment with no answer, we were a little scared that something happened to them and panic mode nearly set in.  We followed a random woman into the complex after she got buzzed in by another resident and we wandered around awhile before heading up to the 5^th floor and started knocking on random doors.  Mike answered the first door we tried and our group was united.

We dropped off our luggage and prepared for our first trip, The Vatican.  First we went to The Vatican Museum and wondered around for a few hours, following the tour path that ended with the Sistine Chapel.  After that, we rounded the city walls towards St. Peter’s Square and his Basilica.  We stopped that night for dinner at a restaurant near our apartment, followed by a stop at our first gelateria.

One of many pizza stops during the trip:

Ceiling painted by Raphael in the Vatican Museum:

Ceiling of the Sistine Chapel:

St. Peter's Basilica:

Vatican Swiss Guard:

Us at St. Peter's Square:

The four of us inside St. Peter's Basilica:

Rays of Light from the dome in St. Peter's Basilica:

Ornate ceilings and more rays of light in St. Peter's Basilica:

A nun in St. Peter's Basilica:

St. Peter's Basilica ceiling dome with afternoon rays of light:

Afternoon light coming through the sanctuary stained glass:

The next day was reserved for ancient Rome.  We started with the Palatine, an ancient complex of various buildings that were reserved for the social elite of Rome, mainly Imperial officials and the high-upper class.  It was also referred to as the Beverly Hills of Rome.  We continued to the Roman Forum, where ruins of important government buildings lined the paths.  Next, we walked by the current Capital of Italy, towards the Colosseum.  In my opinion, the Colosseum was the high-light of Rome.  It was a 2000 year old stadium that seated 50,000 spectators that has mostly survived fire, earthquakes, war and even stone looters.

Us on Palatine Hill:

The Stadium on Palatine Hill:

The four of us at the Palatine:

Temple column remains at the Roman Forum:

Temple column remains at the Roman Forum:

Triumphal arch in the Roman Forum:

Us under a triumphal arch at the Roman Forum:

Outside the Colosseum:

Inside the Colosseum:

Inside the Colosseum:

The next day, we visited the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, and the Spanish Steps.  After approaching the Spanish Steps, Mike and I decided to race to the top, like a couple of crazy tourists.  While he held the lead for most of the race, on the final tier, I seized an opportunity and took the lead until the finish.  We then did as most people do, and sat on the steps to enjoy some people watching.  We shopped for a while near the steps, and then found a lovely restaurant to celebrate Mike and Jenna’s second anniversary.  During the wait for the restaurant to open, we stumbled upon the Piazza del Popolo and got to see some more amazing architecture.  After dinner, the subway was closed so we braved the public bus and made it back to Termini, near our apartment. 

Crowds at the massive Trevi Fountain:

Trevi Fountain

They say throwing a coin over your shoulder into the fountain will ensure you return to Rome... or lead to romance... or just bring luck!

Mike and Jenna at Trevi Fountain:

Outside the Pantheon:

The Spanish Steps:

Mike and Blake racing to the top:

Piazza del Popolo:

The Twin Churches at the Tridente:

Interior of one of the Twin Churches:

Anniversary dinner for Jenna and Mike:

The next day, we made our way back to Termini where we boarded our train to our next destination, Florence.

~Blake
p.s. tons more photos on Lindsay's photo site!

Saturday in our Garden

It's a beautiful day here in England, and we've spent most of it in the garden.  Blake did some mowing and pruning.  I did some weeding, watering and planting.  Cooper is a 'sun-worshiper' like his grandma Lisa, and especially likes to bake himself on the hot landscaping rocks.  And Barkmann, who's visiting for the weekend, enjoys rolling on his back and chewing on sticks.

New to the garden this week: cucumbers emerging on the plant I started from a seed, and passion flowers which randomly popped up in the overgrown hedges (boy are they strange-looking!).

~Lindsay