FlorenceITALY:
Florence & L'Isola d'Elba PAGE 1: Florence, Bologna and Fiesole |
Theses finally done and the girls and I needed a break... desperately! Our getaway destination was one that we had held in our hearts and memories over the summer and finally returned to after a grueling writing experience. Armed with baggage (way too much for Alishya, as usual) and our cheap RyanAir e-tickets, we plowed off to Florence and the island of Elba. Florence was exactly as we remembered it and we went to all our favorite hotspots (overwhelmingly consisting of culinary cuisine) - Za-Za's, Vivoli, Danny Rock, the International Studio (for waxing purposes), and dozens of others. It was, by far, the most relaxing trip I've ever taken (except, of course, for that initial welcome when Alishya got pooped on... probably by the same damn pigeon that got her some months before). We lounged, walked, rested, and saw people we knew in the oddest places and at the oddest moments (Leonardo, the Phone Man, the twin David by the Standa, Bea & Joe, the gelato girl, the bum at the train station, etc.). It was awesome and we stayed in a fab hotel which Katie found on the internet... of course, that was before we saw our shower which was IN our room (with no walls), the Virgin Mary directly outside our door and Caesar and his lover on the wall, the NO FLUSH rule where NOTHING could be flushed (including the toilet paper) and Nikki, the deaf and blind dog that apparently couldn't move in any direction. We also took some day trips to Fiesole for the "punto panoramico" and Bologna for the tortellini. It was an awesome time spent in my favorite Italian city. Thank you, Missy and Katie, for giving me so many wonderful memories! |
Florence
The Ponte Vecchio
After waxing, I walked over to see the bridge made famous by so many movies. I stared at
it for a while, and left with a smile.
Us at Za-Za's... They have the most AWESOME food here!!
One of our most awaited rendezvous' was at our professor's house where we saw just how big
little Joe had grown (seen here with David and Jill) and how cute big Bea had become
(pictured below). We ran around the little ones, ate pizza and were exhausted with
happiness by the end of the night. Thank you for everything!!
Kevin and Bea... who seems absolutely ready for some Teletubbies and oddly in tune with
the couch and lamp decor. :)
Look at those cute little hands and those great big eyes!! Hehe
Bea escaping the bidet... cutey!!
The great statues of Florence continue to amaze me...
Fiesole
Punto Panoramico!!
Fiesole is a cute little town on the hills next to Florence that offers the best views of
the city. It also contains some Roman ruins that we traipsed through (regardless of the DO
NOT TOUCH signs all over that you couldn't read unless you were already touching the
ruins). There was also a museum that had some nifty looking artifacts, as well as security
guards that followed on your heels diligently like we would really break through the glass
and steal little man figurines...
Included in our walk of the Roman ruins was the ancient theatre which we walked all over,
again regardless of the signs which we never really did see until later.
Ancient stoves and grills and whatnot...
Alishya and Katie under the 'Romanesque' arches... not touching the ruins. Nope, nowhere
near. :)
After a time, we left the ruins and went into the cathedral of Fiesole - a dark but
intimate church which I really liked. After a time, we decided to find a view of Florence
and we followed signs that said 'Punto Panoramico'. After a steep hike up a hill (and a
stop for some shopping), we reached the top. It was beautiful, of course, and I looked
down upon the wall that we stood upon. Beautiful ivy covered it, and I thought I'd get a
photo... not realizing that someone's shoe padding was down below. Hmmmmm. How that got
there is a great mystery.
Bologna
Our decision to go to Bologna was based solely on their delicious and infamous
tortellini.. Unfortunately, we couldn't find a to-die-for restaurant, but it was yummy
nonetheless. We saw the Cathedral, ate the BEST pineapple gelato we've ever had, and spent
a nice day racing about the city. I've always loved the paving in Bologna...
peacock-style cobblestones.
Katie and Alishya near the famed Neptune Fountain
Missy and Katie outside the Duomo di Bologna
Bologna has it's own set of leaning towers - the small one has some SERIOUS leanage, and
although no one seems to be concerned, I'm always careful when walking underneath.
This was at the train station waiting for our train to arrive and looking down at the
tracks. It made me want to get out a vacuum and do something about the mess. Italy has
NEVER been known for supporting those who don't smoke.
<:)