City of Blinding Light

U2 - City of Blinding Light Pin It

Florence - Odds and Ends

I keep trying to find the words to describe my time in Florence, but keep coming up blank. I guess this is another reason to carry a camera and let the photos do the talking for me. It really was an amazingly beautiful city.

While I was in Florence, I caught up with an American who had moved there from Southern California. She'd been there a few years and it was great to hear about the city from someone who lived there rather than was there on holiday. Mostly it confirmed my opinion that it would be a great place visit, one that I'd like to go back to again someday, and that it would be a cool place to call home.

"A million miles of freedon, a million miles of road, but I still don't know where to start."

The Killers - The Heart of a Girl

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Florence Wandering

Florence was my favorite stop in Italy - I think perhaps because it was compact enough that getting around was easy - but it was also completely full of things I wanted to experience and see. Even with four full days there there as still things I didn't fit in and will have to save for the next trip, and I always want to have a reason to go back to a city I love.

The city was full of amazing architecture, there was something amazing to see at every corner. I think I could have wandered for another week and still found new to see each day. Of course it helped my wanderings to know that I could stop for amazing gelato at every corner, which I did more often than I want to admit.

It rained nearly every day I was there, which made for cold wanderings. I didn't enjoy juggling a camera, my bag and an umbrella every day, but being outside and experiencing this amazing city was completely worth it.

I packed expecting better weather, but also tossed in a few warmer items just in case, which was very lucky because I ended up wearing those same things almost the entire trip - making me doubly glad I was staying in flats with washing machines instead of hotels.

"It's just these simple things keep me holding on."

Amos Lee - Simple Things

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Almost Home

Mary Chapin Carpenter - Almost Home Pin It

Florentine Gardens

I skipped some of the museums in Florence in favor of the lovely parks and gardens - after months of seeing nothing but the inside of an office, I was craving a little nature.

I was there a bit early for the spring flowers to be out in full bloom, but the fresh air and vitamin D more than made up for the lack of flowers.

The easter holiday meant that Florence was bursting with the seams full of tourists, but I'm guessing because it was chilly, the gardens were much less crowded.

"I'll always remember you wild as they do come."

The Gaslight Anthem - National Anthem

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Churches of Florence

Not surprisingly Florence is full of amazing churches, this was my first stop in Italy so I hadn't hit "church overload" yet, which means I took way too many photos.

While there is no doubt the Duomo is stunning and enormous, but my favorite was the last church I visited, the Bascilica de San Miniato al Monte (the last three photos above.) It is an old church on a hill with amazing views of the city. It was dark and cool inside (a gift after a long hike up the hill to reach the church.) Better yet there was someone at the organ when I visited, nothing adds to the ambiance like music.

"You never cease to amaze my soul"

Kat Maslich-Bode - March

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Ruby Tuesday

Rolling Stones - Ruby Tuesday Pin It

Wheels in Florence

I know it is a complete cliche - but I couldn't stop taking pictures of bikes and scooters all lined up in Florence. More than once I found myself wishing I had one to ride around too - although since I was in town over Easter Weekend there were huge crowds and just getting around on foot meant a lot of weaving in and out, so I'm guessing a bike would have been a bit of a challenge.

A scooter would have come in handy the days I decided to trek up some of the hills of Florence to take in the view - it was a hike, but the views were worth it.

I'll admit there was a bit of me sad that my Italian holiday didn't include a ride on a bike with a basket full of flowers or on the back of a vintage Vespa...clearly I've seen too many romantic movies set in Italy.

"What a great big world, I better find a way to stay."
Band of Horses - How to Live


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A Dream Holiday

I started dreaming of a trip to Italy in 2001 - I was working on the Salt Lake Olympics - the job was hard and all consuming, and I promised myself an epic trip to Italy after the Games. After all, I'd be out of a job then. I bought travel book after travel book and dreamed of a long stretch of time in Italy exploring everything. Things didn't go quite as planned, I (luckily) found a new job before the Games were over and ended up not having a single day off - truth be told, the two jobs overlapped by a day...so my Italian trip got pushed back.

For years, I kept putting off the trip. I was always looking for a year when I had enough vacation time to spend 10-14 days there and had enough money saved to make the trip happen. I was waiting for everything to fall perfectly in place (not that I stopped traveling mind you - I do plenty of that - I just kept putting off this one trip I'd been dreaming of because I wanted it to be perfect.)

This past January I had an epiphany. The project I've been working in Istanbul would have a major deliverable at the end of March, which meant I could easily take some days off the following week or two. I'd already be in Europe so the trip would be cheaper than ever - and thanks to living like a monk for 6 months during a heavy work period I had some savings built up (The easiest way for me to save money is to be too busy to shop!) It was time to make this trip a reality.

I ended up with 10 days in Italy - 4 in Florence, 1 in Siena and 5  in Rome. I found fantastic places to stay and had all the time I needed to explore the cities. After spending months in an office, and rarely seeing daylight, I decided I would focus less on the museums on this trip - and instead spent a lot of time outside. The weather didn't always cooperate with this plan, but I stuck with it regardless, as all that extra vitamin d was good for my soul.

These photos are mostly from was my neighborhood in Florence, right on the River and very near the Ponte Vecchio. If you count the arches in the above building with the arches, along the river starting to the left, my apartment door was across from the 7th arch, you can't ask for a more perfect location to explore Florence. I am still digging through all the photos I took while I was there, but even if I don't yet have photographic proof - I can say this was one of the most beautiful vacations I've ever taken.

"I've been up, I've been down, I've been everywhere around for you."
Wolfrider - For You



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