Italy

7:46 AM

Since I can remember, I wanted to go to Italy. 


Then my husband's job brought us to London...only a 2 hour flight from the romantic cities I could only dream about. Let the adventures begin. 

 The Church of San Lorenzo. I was surprised at how many people there WEREN'T trying to get into this central church. Maybe because it sits on the edge of the shopping district and very plain on the outside but it was a steal of a deal for €4,50. It was amazing to see this spectacular ceiling and learning about the Medici family, many members of which are buried nearby. Not only is this beauty hundreds of years old but it houses some of Donatello's last work: two brass pulpits depicting Bible scenes of Christ's life. I wish we had known about it to get in with a tour and hear more about the history of a church consecrated in the 900's and rebuilt in the early 1400's. The history is mind-blowing. 

Sneaky pics. Shhh don't tell. 


Outside the church, just two girls, ecstatic about being in Florence!

Entering a massive leather market. 

We received a recommendation to see the Michelangelo viewpoint at night by our host at the hostel. I don't think we were rested enough to grasp what she was talking about. We napped for a couple hours and got up, braved the rain like the inner Alaskan girls we are and headed to the other side of town. It was a lovely walk and even though carousels freak me out, this one was enchanting. 

Museum-on-the-go. This is in the same square as the church and fountain below. Never figured out which square we were in. I'm telling you, we played hard without resting hard so I was too tired to remember to memorize this stuff. 

So many naked men statues...

We came to these stairs and almost turned around. We couldn't see an end and we were soooo tired and had walked for an hour just to get here. But we powered through even though one of us was insanely grouchy about it. ;)

Getting to the top was worth it!!! It really wasn't a terribly strenuous staircase up but it sure felt like it before the view made us forget how much our feet hurt and how heavy our eyelids felt. 


Walking back to the hostel, we purposely walked a little further to not cross the Old Bridge so we could,get a picture of it at night. 

The more appropriate side of the David. It was surreal to behold this in real life. So much bigger than I thought it would be but breath-takingly life-like. Someone had pointed out the veins in his arms and feet and how perfectly real it makes the David seem. We waited in line for 2 hours to get in and it was completely worth it. 

Duomo. Most beautiful exterior in all of Florence. 

We got the universal ticket to get into the museum, church, tower and dome but I had to fly home to London in the evening to get home to Utah for Grandma Lucille's funeral so we prioritized: go to the highest height! There are tiny baby windows all along the winding staircases that seem to last FOREVER. But the sneak peaks of the views give you the extra boost to keep going when the stairs don't end and the heat starts getting to you. 

Inside the Duomo on the first level of the this inner balcony type thing gives a very short respite from the stairs. 

I'm obsessed with stained glass. I took the picture of the dome and then turned in place (it's a super tiny space where you have to walk) to get this picture of the window. 

Stairs, stairs, stairs. 

Forever and ever 

But this is the reward! 


I loved Florence. And I'll always miss the endless gelato. 


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