Florence

The three days that we spent in Florence were unforgettable, to say the least. The city is full of people, history, and famous landmarks and was so fun to explore! We spent a lot of time walking, sometimes knowing where we were going and other times a little bit lost, and it was a perfect way to see what Florence is really like.
My favorite day in Florence was our second day there, when we went on a bike tour right outside the city. I had been feeling a little sick of being "in the city" so it was reall refreshing to be out in the countryside. The tour lasted almost all day, and it included a tour of an old castle where they make wine and olive oil, lunch at a cute family owned restaurant, and biking though fields of oilve trees and little towns outside Florence. The weather was perfect for biking, and overall it was a great day!


One of the major landmarks in Florence is the Duomo, which is the second largest cathedral in the world. It is HUGE. There is a tower next to it that we climbed, so we got to see it from many different vantage points. We could even see it from our window in the Bed and Breakfast!




Michelangelo´s "David" is another thing that Florence is known for. It really is a sight to see! It was a lot bigger than I thought it was, and when you get up close the proportions of his hands and feet are really weird. I guess I wasn´t supposed to take pictures, but I just couldn´t help myself...





















One thing I loved about walking through the streets was seeing all of the street venders and artists. They were all over the place. There were people who would offer us paintings and also people who would offer to paint us! On the last day we gave in and got caricatures drawn. They more or less resemble us. :)
















The River Arno ran through the entire city and had lots of old, beautiful bridges over it. The streets by the river had all sorts of stores and restaurants, so we had a great time browsing and shopping.
















The streets are also full of motorcyles and/or scooters. Everyone used them! I tried to convince my mom that we should rent some, but she was not too excited about that idea.






















And of course, Florence had incredible gelato. Since ice cream is my favorite food, I appreciated this part of Italy very much!