Day 294: Touring Florence and Having Dinner in Tuscany

This morning everyone was up and going fairly early. We got up, dressed, and made our way down a few stores from the apartment to a cafe that served crepes, waffles, bagels, and coffee. We filled up and then made our way to the Duomo. 

The Duomo was beautiful. The clock above the entrance was designed in the 1400s and the dome was painted in the 1500s. We took our time seeing all of its beauty and walked back to the apartment to get our luggage and turn in the keys. 

The walk back was fun, as we detoured a few times into leather stores. The leather was beautiful, and definitely made me contemplate getting a few more items. 

After we picked up our bags we walked down to the water and saw some of the bridges. It was very nice, but not the prettiest of sites. 

We passed a few amazing pieces of architecture and found a place behind the train station for lunch. We enjoyed the atmosphere and food and then made our way to the bus station. 

Mr. America 

This is how we roll. In addition, I carry Maddie, the camera bag, and my purse. My next invention: the lazy kid carrier. 

We arrived at the station and purchased tickets. Multiple times we were told to get on the "rapido" bus. After getting on that bus and going more than half way, we learned we were on the wrong bus. We went past our destination of Poggibonsi and made it to Siena before we could catch another bus back. 

So, after arriving in Siena, we took a ten minute break as we waited on the next bus and the loaded up all of our stuff and found seats. It wasn't a terrible ride, but definitely longer than we hoped for. 

Our ultimate destination is a vineyard about 5 miles outside of San Gimignano. This place came highly recommended and we couldn't come to Italy and not stay at a vineyard. 

When we found the right location, and finally made it to the vineyard, we checked in and got ready for our 8pm family style dinner. This was one of the things I was most excited for and I certainly was not disappointed. The views were breathtaking and we couldn't have asked for a better scenic location. 

The food being served was all organic and came directly from their farm. We started with appetizers, salad, and then pork loin as the main course. We enjoyed their vineyard wine and the dessert was great as well. We sat at a table with other couples celebrating anniversaries. Daniel happened to be wearing a UGA shirt and the other couples happened to be fellow SEC fans. I think that made dinner an even better experience and added to the conversation. We thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience and couldn't have dreamt of a better experience. 

After dinner, we made our way back to our room and turned in for the night. 

We plan on doing a tour of the farm in the morning and we'll then go back to Florence. We've been amazed so far with the sight of Tuscany; it'll be hard to top it. 

Goodnight all. 

Day 293: Venice and Florence

This morning we woke up and got all of our luggage packed and left for breakfast. We found a great coffee bar in Saint Mark's Square and we stopped there to enjoy crossiants and cappuccino. 

We walked down by the water and shopped for souvenirs. We shortly boarded our boat and made our way down to the train station. 

When we arrived to the train station we checked out bags and found a place to eat lunch. We walked down a few ally ways and came to a quaint area with a few restaurants and enjoyed a lovely lunch. We had various types of pasta and salad, and enjoyed some wine and a lot of water. It was quite warm outside, which was so nice since the sun is hiding from Warsaw. 

After lunch we made our way to the train station and waited on our train. Once it arrived, we found our seats and got prepared for the two hours we had to go. 

The train ride was nice, and Maddie took a nice nap. We arrived a little later than expected, but we found our way through the station and took a taxi to our apartment. 

Once we arrived we put our luggage where it needed to be and asked the landlord where a good place to get steak florentine was. He told us, so we took a taxi there. 

When we got to the restaurant, Perseus, I noticed the Polish pottery on the tables. It was a nice surprise. The original waiter, I say that because he sold us everything and then never came back, recommend some of their popular dishes and which vegetables would go best with them. 

As you enter the restaurant you could see all of the meat in the case as well as the cheese and vegetables. I knew I couldn't face it (thanks to my slaughter house childhood), and I knew deep down they wouldn't cook my steak how I wanted it. After ordering the food, I asked the question of how well the steak could be cooked and the man replied, "it's only cooked to rare." I was disappointed, and banked on eating a lot of vegetables and bread.

When the steak came, the guys were happy to see the anount of steak being offered, and Rhonda and I were excited to take it home and cook it some more. I did try a few bites and it was good, but it was pretty raw and that's definitely not for me. 

The men ate a feast and the rest of us soaked in the atmosphere. At least the wine was delicious! I wouldn't trade the atmosphere or experience with anything, but I can't help that I want the food cooked the way I want. That's just the American in me. 

After dinner we took a taxi back to the apartment and took showers and got ready for the next day. Rhonda cooked up the steak that we took back and we ate some of the steak from dinner, cooked to our preference. It was pretty tasty! 

We decided to call it a night since it was so late, and I crashed as I was getting Maddie down. 

We have a big day tomorrow, but we have definitely enjoyed Italy so far. 

Day 292: Gondolas in Venice

This morning we slept in just a bit and then found our way down various alleys taking in the beauty of Venice. We stumbled upon Saint Mark's Square and got a quick bite before we began our aimless wandering. 

We went down by  the water and also visited various vendor shops for souvenirs. It was a perfect day, with the sun shining and the weather hovering in the mid 60s. 

We decided to purchase a day pass for easy transportation and it would get us all around until we left the next day. The pass definitely came in handy. We began by taking the boat down to the Rialto Bridge and doing some shopping close by. The bridge was built in 1587, and continues to be a very popular tourist attraction. 

We decided to stop for lunch as soon as we got off. We had a delicious lunch of pizza, lasagne, and gelato. Gelato has been a delicious dessert after each meal so far.  

After lunch, we began our journey shopping.  We stumbled upon a family owned leather shop and spoke to the owner for quite a while. Daniel and I definitely found a few pieces we couldn't live without, and Rhonda and I decided to purchase a duffle bag for the souvenirs we bought along the way. 

Here's a picture of them. 

We continued our walk among many stores and vendors and I found myself in a jewelry store, known for its Venetian glass. I bought this cute bracelet for myself and a small necklace for Maddie. We both left happy! 

We had no agenda and walked around throughout the day. We soon found a place to enjoy snacks and a drink. It was exactly what was needed while Maddie napped. The sunshine was perfect and the view was priceless. 

After our snacks, we found a gondola and checked off an item from my bucket list. Caleb was extremely happy to check this off of his wish list, too, as this was the "only" thing he wanted to do in Venice. 

We loved the gondola tour! 

Here's Madison and I with the gondola driver/guide. 

When we finished up with our tour we wandered a bit more and then took the items we bought back to the apartment and found our way to dinner. The restaurant was great, but I wasn't in love with the calamari pasta dish I ordered. I shouldn't have gone out of my comfort zone, but I did, and can now say I tried it!   

When in Venice, drink German beer. 

After dinner, not much was left open (it wasn't even 9pm yet). We had planned on eating gelato, but the shop we had visited was closed. So, we pouted as we walked back to our apartment. 

When we arrived, the kids and I got our showers and I packed up our suitcases for tomorrow. I then laid down with Maddie as she went to sleep and then made my way back to the living room and played cards with the family past midnight. 

We had a wonderful day and truly enjoyed the sunshine and beauty.