Awesome relaxing day on Saturday. Central Florida weather was great, blue skies and sun. Our dog nanny, Mindy, took us to the airport. Flew British Air and I think we were the only non-Brits on the flight. Flight was good. BA is set up with everyone having your own TV. I watched "Despicable Me". Cute movie. My Gluten-free meal arrived. I can say it was an interesting taste experience. David was pretty quiet during the flight, but you could see the stress melting away. Our flight connected in London Gatwick. The weather there was pea soup, slo foggy. The terminal at Gatwick, was fun. It was like a Mall with alot of shops. Of course David loves Malls, so we did alittle looking around. Good to get some exercise after the long 8 hour flight. Our ... read more

All laundry is washed and 1/2 my clothing is sitting out, ready to be packed. I expect some chilly weather in Florence for November. Forecast shows a fair amount of rain too. I have a nice Florida rain jacket. It is bright red, going to look like a tourist wearing that thing. Well time to stop fighting the thought of looking out of place in Italy. It is going to happen. Just like we can stop the foreigners at DisneyWorld, by the sunburns, fashionable jean brands and different sneakers. Also, have i mentioned that I had every intention on learning some Italian words? Well, that did not happen.... I organized a transfer service from the Florence airport to our apartment. I think after a long trip, it will be nice to see someone with a sign ... read more

So far, I purchased our airline tickets with British Airways back in August. We are renting an apartment in downtown Florence. Here is the link for the apartment called Il Giglio. There are pictures and a video. http://www.florenceapartmentscentral.com/?act=dettaglio&id=10 They have been really nice to work with so far. We were able to get a discounted rate because November is low season. I love the location of this apartment. It is close to the Duomo and next to a huge market. I look forward to shopping for our food there. I did purchase travel insurance with Travelex. Hopefully, we will not need it. In cases of an emergencies or interrupted travel, it would be a life saver. I also have Mindy, our dog sitter lined up. She will be taking care of Sherman and Nemo. Emily.... read more

Well, to begin for all that may not know me, I have been a travel agent for 14 years. Most of that time, I have worked in the Corporate side of things. So you are imagining that I am highly qualified to book my own vacation. Wrong. I feel like I am reinventing the wheel here. I have spent countless HOURS researching apartments, flights, tours, museum info, train and bus schedules, etc!!! I do enjoy it, however I am becoming obsessed with it. I talk to my husband, David, about it all the time. I offer him various options of which he is mildly interested. You see, we view this experience differently. For me, this adventure has already come alive. For David, he normally waits for the blurr of life to settle down and then he ... read more