Italian (and Dutch) Excursions

We made it! Here I am in Florence in our cozy igloo of an apartment. I bet you never knew there was such a thing as a cozy igloo. But there is. I will try to backtrack and fill you in on the past few days. We had an eight hour layover in Amsterdam, and though AMS airport is cool and all, it's not exactly capable of producing eight fun-filled hours. Ergo, we took the opportunity to explore the city. Amsterdam was surprisingly pretty with its canals and beautiful architecture. After much searching, we found the Rijks Museum and enjoyed viewing giant doll houses, Delft china, Rembrandt, and Vermeer. Note that we didn't actually view Rembrandt and Vermeer themselves because that would've been freaky and gross. We did, however, view their paintings. Then we enjoyed a miserable mixture of rain, sleet, and snow on our trek back to the airport. We were glad to leave Amsterdam!

Here is my very favorite building that we saw in Amsterdam (the picture doesn't do it justice). You can't tell from the picture but it is right on a canal! Notice the ballooning window coverings. They look like skirts. This building is obviously a girl, and her name shall be Marguerite. I'm sure the owners won't mind.



After arriving in Florence, we spent a safe and quiet night in a hostel (no, I haven't seen that movie) and then got the keys to our apartment.

Exploring Florence has been amazing!
The most famous landmark in Florence is the Duomo, a Renaissance cathedral. Construction on the Duomo began in the late 1200s; the facade wasn't completed until the 1870s! I guess the Duomo wasn't built in a day. Neither was Rome, remember? I guess Italians are slow.

The Renaissance artist Brunelleschi performed the feat of creating a dome for this massive structure. I'm assuming he had help... but you know, those Brunelleschis get all the credit. When I paint this dome, I will subtract the construction... as charming as it is.

The front of the Duomo is also amazing (though the domed side is superior, in my opinion).




As we stood in the piazza in front of the Duomo, we literally turned around, and there were Ghiberti's famous baptistry doors! I realize this is less impressive if you have never heard of Ghiberti's doors, but I was pretty floored... not literally, though it's possible... they're huge. These aren't the original panels, by the way. Hopefully, you aren't crushed... which, again, could be possible if you are in the way of the doors. Those suckers are big.


We meandered from the Duomo down to the Ponte Vecchio, the 14th century bridge over the Arno River. Sounds so carefree, huh? *meanders* The bridge is lined with leather and jewelry shops. This is the view from the Ponte Vecchio.


Next, we hiked (which is significantly less carefree) to the Michelangelo Piazzale, a hill overlooking the entire city. By this time "wow!" and "that's cool!" were beginning to sound trite. We'll have to come up with some new exclamations of wonderment. Recommendations are appreciated.




Florence has three "Davids." The original (by Michelangelo) is in a museum, another is in the Piazza della Signoria, and this one is in the Piazzale Michelangelo. The distant, shadowed effect is for your well-being.



And today we enjoyed our first gelato! Pistachio gelato is pretty earth shattering. It marries well with nougat... just ask the Italians.

Nota Bene: Anyone ever seen those Geico commercials where a customer tells their boring, just the facts story and a celebrity reinterprets it in a much more exciting way? Well that's kind of like this blog. I don't have much of a knack for writing (that would make me the boring customer), so my editorially skilled friend Hannah is adding her pizazz (that would make her Little Richard). Hope you enjoy the fruits of our combined efforts!