Florence: July 6-8th

After a few hours on the train, we finally made it to Florence. The first thing we did was to stop by the Academia, where the Statue of David is. It was so much bigger than I thought it would be! It was breath taking. You enter the building, turn the corner and there at the end of the hallway is David. After walking around the Academia we headed to the duomo, the local church.

Next, gelato and a rest. (Notice a pattern?) After our little siesta we went on a Renaissance walk that took us by the duomo, Palazzao Vecchio and the Ponte Vecchio. We headed back to the hotel again to make reservations for dinner. I looked up the phrase in Italian to say: "I would like to make a reservation for 3". I said it perfectly but then didn't think what would happen after I spoke to the guy in Italian. He of course responded in Italian so I switched to Spanish which he responded in a mixture of French and English. I got off the phone laughing and told Ben and Andrew that I had just made the reservation and that it took 5 languages to do it.

We went to Trattoria Tito for dinner. You could order "Fermani" which literally means "stop me." They bring you all sorts of different appetizers until you say "fermani!" We tried different kinds of salamis, cheeses, dried tomoates, brushetta etc. At the end of the meal, Ben and Andrew ordered some limoncello. I had tried it before and I do not like it so I had not planned on having any. However, the waiter brought out a 2 liter bottle of limoncello and four glasses, the fourth being for him. We thought that was kind of weird and waited for him to come back and pour it. He came back, however, and said "Hey! Why haven't you poured it yet!" He proceeded to pour some for all of us (I couldn't say quick enough that I didn't want any) and then we all drank it together. (I only had a tiny sip and then discretely passed mine off to Ben.) A few minutes later another waiter came over and wanted to have a shot of Limoncello with Ben and Andrew. I got away with not having any this time because I said I was going to take a picture.

Our second day in Florence, we took a day trip the Tuscan hill towns. It was a beautiful drive through the country side.

On our last day we woke up early, had breakfast and then headed to the Mercato Centrale to find food for the train. We met a very friendly man who gave us samples of different kinds of balsamic vinegar and olive oil. We also talked with a guy who was selling cow stomachs. Apparently the 5 stomachs of a cow provides types of meat and if you want to try them you can conveniently get a cow stomach sandwich. Needless to say, we passed on that.

Day 1: July 6th

Day 3: July 8th

Rome: July 4-6th

When school ended, Ben and I packed up our apartment and flew off to Italy. We met our friend Andrew there and started our European adventure.

We started in Rome, made our way to Florence with a day trip in Tuscany, then to Venice, Venice to Milan, to Cinque Terre and then to the south of France. We started off in Villafranche-sur-Mer. From there we took day trips to Nice and Monaco. Then we headed off to Arles and ended in Toulouse with a day trip to Carcassonne. We had an amazing time and got to see so much! We were also able to fit in some relaxation time. :)

I think Rome was one of my favorite cities. There was so much to do and see and so many historical Christian artifacts to see. It was awesome!

The first day we went to the Colosseum, which can evacuate 50,000 people in 15 minutes, the Roman Forum, where you can see where Caesar was cremated and fresh flowers are still laid daily on his grave, Capitol Hill, Arc de Constantine, Palantine Hill and saw the Circus Maximus from a distance. We also saw the Monumento a Vittorio Emanuele II; the statue that is in the center is the biggest equestrian statue in the world. The man who sits atop the horse has a mustache that spans 5 feet.

After some gelato and a rest back at the hotel we headed out to Trevi Fountain where we did the traditional coin toss over the shoulder into the fountain. We also went to Piazza Novana and the Pantheon. We got stuck at the Pantheon for a bit as we waited out a freak rainstorm. For dinner we headed to Trattoria der Pallaro where we had an amazing traditional Italian dinner. There is no menu and the cook serves what she buys fresh at the market in the mornings. It was delicious!

Rome day two we headed to the Vatican. As we wandered around we saw ancient Egyptian mummies, Etruscan chariots, poetry and weaponry, Etruscan tombs, Greek statues and busts, Rafael art and modern art. In the map room, we saw lots of maps and tapestries that depicted the history of the church and then we moved on into St. Peter's Basilica, home of the Sistine Chapel. In the basilica we got to see where Peter was buried which was pretty neat. Outside of St. Peter's Basilica we hung out in St. Peter's Square for a bit and then we headed off to find lunch.

After lunch we headed back to the Pantheon and went inside. The Pantheon has a huge hole in the top of the dome. It was used as a sun dial on the floor. It was also the first dome to be built. However, after Rome was conquered, the knowledge of how to build a dome was lost. Many years later architectures from all over came to study the dome of the Pantheon.

After more gelato and a siesta at the hotel we went to the church that has the chains that Peter wore while in jail. Then we headed to the church San Giovanni Laterano which is traditionally the most important church in Rome. It is kind of like the original Vatican. Just around the corner from this church is another little church that houses the marble steps that Jesus walked up when he went to trial with Pontius Pilate. You can go up the steps but out of reverence you need to go up the steps on your knees. The stairs are covered in wood with small spaces where you can see the marble steps. Many pilgrims have come here to go up these steps, so many so that you can see the indentations where thousands of knees have been before ours.

The morning before we left for Florence we went to a little church near our hotel that has the pillar where Jesus was tied to when he was flogged. After seeing this we hopped on the train to Florence.

Being in Rome and seeing all these amazing things, things that Jesus touched, things that his apostles touched. It was quite the experience.

Day 1: July 4th

 Day 2: The Vatican and around Rome

Day 3: July 6th