http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Tuscany/Florence/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Europe , Italy , Tuscany , Florence en-us Sat, 26 Jul 2008 07:55:40 BST Sat, 26 Jul 2008 07:55:40 BST Hi everyone We are here in Florence but we have been in Cinque terre and RapalloPortofino Kyle and I took a few trains and finally made it to our little town in Cinque terre. It is soooooo pretty there. We were walking down the main street with out huge bags and then a man came up to us and said are you Kyle and Annie He took us to our hostel but aparently the place was fully bo http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Tuscany/Florence/blog-304349.html As soon as we stepped out from our Florence hotel we were once more surrounded by tourists everywhere. Kev said the people all reminded him of the hundreds of rats which were walking along a dry river bed in Hanoi Vietnam when he was there a few years ago. ldquoThe only difference being that rats don't carry camerasrdquo he remarked Florence seemed to have market stalls everywhere and we http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Tuscany/Florence/blog-304027.html With just a week left until I return to the states I took one last big trip to Florence. The first stop was to the Chiesa di Santa Maria Novella which was built between 12791360 pretty damn old Inside is Masaccio's Trinity which was the first paintintg to use geometric perspective sorry wasn't allowed to take pictures Next I went to see who else but David in all his marble glory. I wait http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Tuscany/Florence/blog-303994.html FlorenceSO apparently we are all about stairs here in Florence. There is about 8 flights of stairs to get up to my apartment plus 8 flights of stairs to get up to the school. Sooo thats a lot of stairs. And no one uses elevators here because they are small and sketchy. We had also been going to Forte Belvedere a lot at night because there is a bar up there. That involves lots of walking up h http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Tuscany/Florence/blog-303542.html This past Sunday we got up early to catch a train to the Cinque Terre the Five Villages. The day started off cloudy but that turned out to be a good thing because then we didnrsquot have to battle the heat. We began our journey in the first village Riomaggiore. The hike to the second village is more like a leisurely stroll along the coastline. The trail is fairly high up but it hugs the c http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Tuscany/Florence/blog-303141.html FlorenceWoooow so I am really behind on this I've only been in Florence for two weeks but I have done so much already and been so many places And of course seen lots of art After finally arriving here we had two days of orientation. Extremely boring Luckily I got to get out of some of the most boring parts because I had already done the orientation in Rome. But so many of the people her http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Tuscany/Florence/blog-302712.html It turned out that EJ was not able to go sky diving on our last day in Switzerland due to the fact that the trips were completely booked. It was without a doubt the nicest day that we had there weather wise and there were parachutes opening above us all day. After leaving Gimmelwald we headed back to our previous hostel Balmers in Interlaken and used all of their facilities free of charge http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Tuscany/Florence/blog-302423.html We woke up really early today so we could have breakfast and get out of the hotel by 800. We went to the Uffici gallery which has many famous artists and we waited in line for about an hour but it was worth it for sure Even the building itself was spectacular but also the many different portraits of some famous artists what history After that we walked through the indoor market which s http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Tuscany/Florence/blog-301966.html Lauren Jesse and I woke up around 800 to have breakfast at the hotel which is free They served us fresh croissants and made any kind of drink that we wanted I had cappuchino After we had all gotten our fill we decided to go out and explore the city for a bit. We walked through the street markets again and then we waited in line to see the famous Duomo Lauren and I had to wear some kind o http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Tuscany/Florence/blog-301538.html Today we spent most of the day in Florence. We got there in the morning and Luigi took us to a spot that had great views of the city. We got our group photo taken there. We were then driven down to Santa Croce Piazza and given time to shop at a leather shop there called Peruzzi. We met up with the tour group after having a bit of a look around and went into the Cathedral which houses the tombs of http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Tuscany/Florence/blog-301131.html We woke up this morning around 900 to make breakfast and get ready to check out of our hostel in Cinque Terre. We then hung around the train station in Cinque Terre for a while and just played cards to pass the time. Around 1230 we left for La Spezia where we enjoyed some more Nutella sandwiches while we waited for our train to Florence. The train ride was only a bit over 3 hours and most o http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Tuscany/Florence/blog-301111.html I can't believe week two is almost over. This week went by a whole lot faster than the first week. The museums and Palazzos are starting to blur together and I'm doing the best I can to differentiate them in my head Plus it's hard when almost every church has the same paintings and same frescoes showing the same Biblical scenes. I can't tell you how many times I've seen The Annunciation of M http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Tuscany/Florence/blog-300994.html In 1975 I was able to live in Florence for five months. I had a semester off of school and I sold my car to finance a semester in Florence. I arrived in Florence six weeks before my semester began and I rented the room where I would live during the school sessions and left my luggage behind and took off with a small book bag with enough clothes for an overnight trip but I was on the road for the http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Tuscany/Florence/blog-300070.html After a week of perfect weather the rain came today. But lazy rainy Sundays are just as good in Italy as they are in the States. I didn't do much today I mainly worked on homework. I did venture out and get some groceries with a couple other girls. I guess this would be a good time to talk about what I'm actually studying here in Florence. My 5 weeks here consists of two parts. The first http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Tuscany/Florence/blog-299255.html We were a little late arriving in Cinque Terre because of a train strike so we only got to stay one night. It is a collection of five small towns along the coast of the Mediterranean. Both afternoons we spent at the beach and our only morning we hiked a 6 mile trail along the coast. The scenery was stunning Yesterday we spent all day in Florence. We went to the Galleria dell'Accademia to se http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Tuscany/Florence/blog-298272.html Wow. Irsquove only been here 4 whole days but it feels like a lot longer. So far in my classes wersquove been to the Ponte Vecchio the San Miniato Church the PiazzaChurch of the Santissima Annunziata the Hospital of the Innocents the Baptistry by the Duomo the Duomo Museum the Medici Chapels Lauretian Library and San Lorenzo Church and then finally Casa Siviero. Like I said before http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Tuscany/Florence/blog-298076.html It was on april. My italian friend proposed to a friend and me to come to her home at the same time she was our guide all along the Tuscany cities we visited in a hurry. First of all we arrived at Marco Polo's airtport near Venezia. Her aunt picked up us and lead us to her town Castelfranco quite near. We visited a near famous city called Padova. They selled really good tasting cakes with manda http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Tuscany/Florence/blog-297639.html 10 Oct 2007Got up early this morning to hike up to a viewpoint called Piazza De Michael Angelo. We crossed the river when the morning fog was just lifting and took some pictures of the calm water simply breathtaking. As we hiked up the hill we saw the beautiful city unfold before ushellipthis is the way to see Florence After we came back down we had some time for shopping we found this cute l http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Tuscany/Florence/blog-297599.html 9 Oct 2007This morning we traveled to Florence and arrived midday with enough time to shop and have lunch. We saw this fabulous openair market and decided to take a look around. And we were glad we did This market has the best deals on Pashmina scarves that we could find in Italy We talked the venders down and purchased multiple which also helped us to get a good deal. After shopping we work http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Tuscany/Florence/blog-297596.html Hey thereSorry its been a day or two. Things have been pretty packed there's alot going on in Florence and this hostel only has one computer so we all have to fight over it. And I'm a lover not a fighter.The hostel we're staying at The Emerald Palace is pretty nice. One computer but its less hot and there's a balcony and fridge. However the room we're in also sits right next to a very busy http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Tuscany/Florence/blog-297504.html Just after we blogged you the other day Bob and I arrived back to our hotel to find out that Bertha fell in the bathtub. She fell against a fixture in the tub shower. Her ribs hurt and she has a bad bruise on her back about the size of a fist. Her neck hurt her a lot the next day but all in all she is ok. It could have been worse and we are thankful that it wasnt.Ice was sent up from the fron http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Tuscany/Florence/blog-297103.html Friday 27th JuneFlorence otherwise known as Firenze is our excursion for today. It looks all set for another boiling hot day and another extortionate parking fee about 230 Euro for the day. Found the information centre and found our way to the 'fake David' and to the Cathedral before people split off into groups. Some went in the Cathedral quite plain inside until you look up into the dom http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Tuscany/Florence/blog-297097.html Palazzo Vechio and the Secret Passage. Centralia Barre. http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Tuscany/Florence/blog-297044.html On the Fourth of July instead of having a bbq near the beach I decided to leave Madrid for a quick trip to Florence. This was my first time in Italy and I have to say that it was a great experience I can definitely see going back many timesI was able to take some great pictures of the clouds prior to landing in Florence which was really neat too. Once we landed in Florence I definitely f http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Tuscany/Florence/blog-296730.html Irsquom officially in Florence Or as the Italians call it Firenze Irsquove only been here for a day and a half but it feels like a lot longer. I donrsquot know if itrsquos the time difference and the lack of sleep or maybe the fact that today was just jampacked with so much stuff.We started by moving into our student housing which is really nice. The whole place is decked out in http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Tuscany/Florence/blog-296690.html Greetings World Travelers The Eternal Watchers Winged Members of the JuryI write from Florence city of eternal love a veritable ocean of culture in which I have nearly drowned. As per request and as would be fitting in the town I will construct 'epic poetry' on the fly to document my journeys. But before I should make a quick note of my incredible Italian inventory.The trip was one of art http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Tuscany/Florence/blog-296486.html June 29 2008 At 4 am I heard everyone scrambling to get down the stairs and tossed and turned until they lefthellipthen I started crying. I could have never guessed how attached I got to my time here and the city. I just loved everything about it. I fell back asleep until around 630 showered finished packing cleaned and organized and then walked to the hotel with a few bags. I gave them the http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Tuscany/Florence/blog-296039.html June 18 2008Today was another good onehellipAfter masters and monuments Amy Deana and I went to Il Fratallini for a sandwich and then back to school because we thought we had a pop quiz in food so we needed to read. Turns out we didnrsquot so it was a great time to sit and relax and catch up on ldquointernet stuffrdquo. During food class we had a short lecture a 30 minute break and http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Tuscany/Florence/blog-296037.html Hello hello Sorry for such a long lapse between blogsWe are comfortably settled in our room in the HEART of Tuscany. We are surrounded on all sides by rolling hills trees and Tuscan houses. I Sara feel like we fell in to the book Under the Tuscan Sun. We had a heck of a time finding the place though and had to take one wrong bus and several wrong turns before we were on our way. But now we http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Tuscany/Florence/blog-295755.html Saapumiset ja ekat vaikutelmat...Aikomus oli tulla pikkuteit matkaavalla Toscanan maaseutua esittelevll bussilla mutta lhtpivnmme Sienasta teimme vhn mokat ja lysimme itsemme vrst paikasta suhteessa bussin reittiin... Nooh otimme sitten paikallisjunan ja tyydyimme nopeampaan ja maisemattomampaan matkustukseen... Elina suoriutui kuitenkin erinomaisesti ja nappasi useita loisto ku http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Tuscany/Florence/blog-295736.html