Saturday 17 November 2012

Florence.

I'm sorry, but I really have been the worst blogger EVER!
I have been so crazy busy! It's ridiculous! Working full time shift work again is like a slap in the face after having four months travelling. Oh the post Europe depression is an actual illness. I have a job interview coming up which could mean really good things for me so things are starting to look up. I also found ridic cheap flights to Asia... I'm desperately trying to convince Gonz I need another holiday but it's not going down so well! I love holidays. If the choice were mine I would holiday forever.
Our room... complete with air con THANK GOD.

Anyway,
I am going to show you Florence.
Beautiful, charming, boiling hot Florence.
We continued to try and speak Italian wherever we went and it made our experience that much better because the shop owners (or whoever we were trying to talk to) were way more receptive to us and even tried to speak a little English.

If we thought Rome was hot, we certainly weren't prepared for Florence. Holy shit, 47 degrees. I wore no makeup for like 2 months as we were in Italy and Spain because otherwise my Tshirt would end up with more makeup than my face. Seriously you... just... sweat!!!!
Imagine lining up for three hours in the heat to get a ticket to see the painting "The Birth of Venus" and then lining up for another hour to get into the gallery.
"Birth of Venus" by Botticelli. I actually really wanted to see this. 



Fake David. 

The square where you see the fake David statue.
We tried but we just couldn't! If you go and you are desperate to see either the "Birth of Venus" or Michelangelo's "David" then I suggest you suck it up and sweat in the line, buy a reservation for the next day which means you don't have to line up for the ticket (this option is about double the price but totally affordable if you are on a shorter holiday.) Or you just go out in the public square and look at the replica statue of David. 


There are two main attractions that I was excited to see and they are the:

  • Ponte Vecchio (some people call it the Jewelry bridge because these days the bridge is covered with jewellery stores and merchants. 
  • The Duomo (cathedral) which is properly called the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore. 
Ponte Vecchio 
The Duomo at night.

Looking at jewelry on the bridge. 
Florence is so beautiful. There is so much more to see. 


We went on a half day trip to the Chianti wine region, famous for its red wine. We stopped off at two Tuscan villages which were absolutely beautiful. It was so nice to see the Italian countryside. 






We did a day trip to Pisa. Seriously go take a picture and leave. It is quite fun, and funny to see everyone doing it! But do not bother to book accom in Pisa. It is one hour out of Florence by train and there is nothing else there really. 



We met a girl from the USA who had been studying in Florence for a few months. She told us at sunset to go up to:
  • Piazzale Michelangelo. It is a little bit of a steep walk, but it's worth it. The view is great and you get a completely new view of Florence. There are little kiosks up there and it is common to buy a beer, or take your own wine, sit on the steps and look at the view. 
Can you see the Ponte Veccio



Food wise, Florence was much better than Rome. 
We managed to find pasta that was freshly made. Keep an eye out for Florentine steak! It is HUGE! 

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