Florence

Days 8 and 9 - A stop in Pisa and then on to Florence

Our stop in Pisa was quick. We took the cliche pictures pushing over the leaning tower and then we headed on our way. The truth is, it was plenty of time in Pisa, and in the end we would rather have gone straight to Florence.

The Duomo of Florence

When we arrived we had a delicious Italian dinner, and then we spent some time walking around Florence with Eric, hearing stories about some of the characters that played such a key role in the renaissance. Among other things we visited the famous Duomo (pictured below), and admired the gates of the Baptistery. Eventually we headed back to our hotel and admired the view of the city from our hotel window.

In some ways our hotel in Florence wasn't much to brag about, but this view from our room was amazing.

The following day we took a guided, walking tour of the city. We were able to see the homes of Michealangelo, Gallileo and the Medici family. We saw great works by Michaelangelo, Rafael, Da Vinci, and the likes at the Uffizi Museum. It's a shame that classes like art appreciation are taught entirely from texts, because time and time again we were struck by how much more awe inspiring and beautiful these works of art are in person.

The Rape of the Sabine Women located in Loggia dei Lanzi in Florence. An absolutely amazing sculpture, despite the subject matter.

As great as the art was, Jen may have been more impressed by the Gelato. The look of childlike pleasure and self-content on her face in the picture below says it all.

We ended the day by taking a walk to a hill overlooking Florence. It was dusk, and we were able to look at over the city at sunset, while relaxing and taking it all in. It was a very nice way to end our brief stop in Florence.