I arrived in Florence in the morning. It was soooo crazy! I paid EUR20 per night for the hostel (some people paid EUR10 or EUR14 per night) and guess what I got? An indoor heated swimming pool, sauna, Turkish bath, gym, a clean room with a few bunk beds in it and a bar at the terrace. Crazy!!!! I hated the place so much that I wanted to stay there for weeks!!!! 😀 And guess what I did after I checked in? I went looking for swimwear!! And of course, I did some sightseeing in the Florence city of course – the Duomo and a church. Argh!!! I finally found one shop that sells cheap swimwear but it was closed. I decided to go there again the next day. I was told the breakfast at the hostel was scrumptious and the portion was big. I wanted to try it – EUR6 for that but no need for lunch afterwards. Ok. Deal. Haha!!
The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. I think this was the view from my hostel. I only remember the sauna, the Turkish bath, the swimming pool that flashed different coloured lights – purple, red, etc. in the hostel but I don’t remember the view.
Eataly – it was like a food court or it was a food court where you could find all the different kinds of Italian food. I loved the cannoli – my favourite!! 😀
A church in Florence. I don’t remember the name of the church though. Can someone tell me?
The painting on the exterior of the church
The exterior of the church
The door of the church
The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore – it looked like Lego.
The interior of the church. I believe this is the dome.
The church itself is an art. This photo looks like a painting itself.
It looked unreal.
A plaza. I remember I was looking for a swimsuit and then I went into a department store and asked the staff there. The young lady didn’t understand what I was looking for. I then used the language which I thought was universal – body language. But she still didn’t get it. She directed me to another floor to look for that. I went there but couldn’t find what I wanted but I found a terrace. So I took a photo. Then the lady came and apologized for misunderstanding me. This time she directed me to the right store inside the department store but they were too expensive for me so I didn’t buy anything there. It was a pleasant surprise that I found this terrace though.
The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore at night.
I went past this building after I had a very good Italian dinner and on my way back to my hostel. The sky was so clear that I saw the stars that night.
The weather was so good the following day. I went to Siena for the whole day. It was beautiful. Siena still kept its Medieval town style. I am sure I come from the Medieval times. Most likely I died from the plague… or maybe hunger…, that’s why I like to eat in this present life. 😛 Anyway, Siena was somewhat like Mont St. Michele in France, or Cesky Krumlov in Czech Republic or Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Germany.
Anyway, the first thing I did in the morning was to go to the shop to buy the swimsuit I saw yesterday before going to Siena.
My feet were so sore after my day trip to Siena so I decided to try the sauna, swimming pool and the Turkish bath. What a good excuse. 😀 It was awesome!
Siena
This reminds me of a well mentioned in the Bible.
The entrance of a restaurant in Siena
It looks like a church… I don’t remember.
The exterior of a church. The arches looked so nice.
I think this is the centre of the town.
These stalls sold interesting things including chocolates. 😛
Interesting perspective. I took similar photos in Hungary too. This is my style. It’s very me. 🙂
The she-wolf – a symbol of the city of Rome and the ancient Romans
Another beautiful church
The top of the church
The church again – the front and its body. It does look like a body.
Hi! It was me in Siena! 🙂
The traffic light was so cute! It was just slightly taller than a door. 😀
View of Siena
So beautiful! I like little towns.
The town looked so structured.
Another beautiful view. The weather did play an important role.
The next day, I decided to walk around Florence. I started my day with a big breakfast at the hostel then walked to Piazzale Michelangelo via Ponte Vecchio and said hi to the replica of David. It was a long walk so I rested at the Piazzale for a while to enjoy the sun and the view of the whole Florence. Then I went to Piazza di Santa Croce. From there to Palazzo Vecchio and then to Uffizi Gallery. I kind of finished the whole gallery. I wished I started earlier in the morning. The gallery had so many treasures. After I ‘finished’ the gallery, it was already dark.
What a day!
Mona Lisa had changed her smile to a broad one.
The merry go round caught my attention.
Il Porcellino, the Florence piglet / boar / hog (so many different translations in English) – travellers believe that touching the snout of the pig will bring you back to Florence. So, one day, I will return to Florence… interesting. I wonder when that one day is. Maybe after I have travelled to all the countries in my bucket list. 🙂
Ponte Vecchio. They didn’t look real to me at all. It’s really interesting to see all these shops built on a bridge like this. I wonder if it was legal to do so… 😀
Florence. The weather also contributed to its beauty.
The church
Another church
Another view of the city. It was a very nice spot.
Hi David! 🙂
Let me check out your back, David. Can you see the sling on his back?
The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore on a clear day
Back to Piazza di Santa Croce
Hi David! This one is outside a gallery. I believe it was the entrance of Uffizi Gallery.
The birth of Venus
Primavera
The interior of Uffizi Gallery
Venus of Urbino
Ponte Vecchio at dusk. The shops on the bridge had their lights on.
Bacchus by Caravaggio
After a long day, of course, I indulged myself in the sauna, swimming pool and Turkish bath again. I met a teacher in the sauna room. They were having a school trip and the students and teachers stayed in my hostel. I chatted with the teacher. I asked her about an Italian writer (Masini?). She then told me about the famous story that he wrote.
When I packed my backpack that night, I realised I didn’t bring any spare memory cards for my camera. I also brought a spare camera but I forgot to insert a memory card inside that spare camera. What was I thinking before I left for this trip? I was probably too excited about this trip or too busy at work before I resigned. According to my journal, I worked hard on backing up my photos before I departed. I still don’t believe I made such a mistake back then!
17 – 19 March, 2015
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