In transit

Got to Bangkok after a long day of traveling. We stopped in Philadelphia first, then twelve hours to Doha, then finally six more hours to Bangkok. We landed at 7 pm, just after sunset.  The highlight of the flight was definitely seeing the Arabian desert from the air as we landed in Qatar. I watched Catching Fire, monuments men, saving mr banks, and anchorman 2, and read a book called the Paris time capsule on the way.  I got a little sleep, but pretty much stayed awake and them crashed when we arrived in Bangkok.  Our bags were here too, so we were able to just get to the hotel and sleep.  The Novotel was excellent, and breakfast this morning was delicious.  I tried rambutan and kiwi jelly as new foods for the meal.  Now we're heading to Siem reap and Angkor Wat! We stopped at the Bangkok airlines office and cancelled our other flights, and actually got back a lot of money! So far everything is going great.

Mother-Daughter getaway

It was a rough year at work, and not having a summer trip planned was quite literally killing me.  When I started looking for last-minute trips, my mother chimed in "You know, I'm retired now.  I could go away!"  We hadn't done a trip just the two of us in a long time, so it seemed kismet.  We toyed with ideas of cruises or Sweden for a while before finally deciding to go somewhere neither of us had been- Amsterdam.  What a great choice!

Everyone's first reaction to Amsterdam is usually pot and prostitution, but people, I was there with my mom.  We did not imbibe.  Our jaunt through the red-light district was brief and awkward.  However the rest of the time in the city was simply lovely.  What a bad reputation this place has!

We stayed at the Hotel Pulitzer, made of a series of old canal houses.  Our room was small without much of a view, but the location couldn't be beat.   We were only a block from the Anne Frank House on a beautiful canal.  I never realized Amsterdam was so similar to Venice.

We filled our week with typical touristy things: art museums, canal boat tours, and day trips.  One day we doubled-up, visiting the windmills and a wooden shoe factory in the morning and then Delft and the Hague in the afternoon.  It was a long day with temperamental weather.  The other day we crossed the border into Belgium to visit Bruges, because I wanted to see Michelangelo's Madonna and Child.  It's now checked off my "see every Michelangelo" bucket list.  I loved Bruges- the food!  The medieval city feel!  It was such a lovely day. 

Back in Amsterdam, we found that the central palace lacked any charm, and was quite dirty.  We much preferred the quiet canal neighborhoods to the bustle of the city center, and spent many hours wandering between shops and cafes. 

For a summer that didn't have a trip, Amsterdam turned into the perfect getaway.  The short direct flight made it easy to get there, and having one hotel to use as a hub made it much calmer than most of my travels.  By the time I headed home, I was ready to relax for the rest of the summer and gear up for the new school year.

Manual Antonio and Monkeys

Our last stop on the trip was Manual Antonio National Park on the Pacific Coast.  We had a lovely drive here, first crossing a bridge above tons of
 alligators, and then cruising down the coast.  Our hotel is the Costa Verde, and we've got an AMAZING view of the Pacific coastline from high up on the hill.  In the morning we saw monkeys right outside our hotel room window.

The first night we grabbed dinner at a barbecue pirate place.  You can tell this is much more touristy than the other locations, sort of honky-tonk beach town.

One day 2, we did a Mangrove tour by boat, something my parents had done on a cruise stop that promised a lot of wildlife.  It didn't disappoint.  There were SO MANY MONKEYS.  This was definitely my highlight of the trip. The guide was a local who seemed to know the animals well having grown up around them.  We also saw Jesus lizards and a scary looking snake.  We stopped for lunch on the way back and had the most amazing fried plantains.

We went to the beach that afternoon- I've never seen such beautiful water.  It was even purer than the turquoise of Cancun, even clearer than the stillest pond.  It was also incredibly rough surf!  We read and sunbathed in between swims and then caught a cab ride back up to the hotel (the walk down was a lot further than expected and flipflops were a poor choice).

On the last day we switched to a penthouse suite, which was just amazing.  The views were 360, even from the bathroom!  We did a guided hike and saw a few new things, including bright red and blue land crabs and a gorgeous blue morpho butterfly.  It feels like we could give the guided walk ourselves though by this point.


For the afternoon we went back into the park and hiked on our own up to a lookout (nothing special, our hotel room had a better view!) but then saw more lizards and got to stop off at the beach for some pretty scenery on the way home.  Overall it was a great last day.  There are lizards everywhere here.  By the end of the week, this was the conversation:

Do not want him in my bathroom!

"Hey, there's a lizard in the bathroom?"
"Big or little?"
"Little."
"Ok.  He'll find his way out then"

In the morning we packed it up and drove back to the airport in San Jose.  I definitely recommend Costa Rica for an ecovacation, especially to anyone looking to travel with kids.  It was affordable, adventurous, with good food and great people.  Pura Vida!

Cloud Forests and Rainy Days

The Monteverde Cloud Forest in Central Costa Rica is one of the most tranquil places I've been.  We didn't see much sun during our trip but the lushness of this place was uncomparable.

We stayed at the Hotel Belmar, which by far exceeded our expectations.  It was dark when we arrived, and pouring rain, but we got checked into our beautiful room and had a luxury meal at the hotel's restaurant.  It was one of the best I've ever had, honestly.  The room is all done in wood, with a private balcony.  It's an ecoresort but you'd never know it from the amenities.  Breakfast was included and had everything you could want, including some of the best blackberry syrup I've ever had.

We did a hike from our hotel the first day.  It was a private guided walk.  We went way up into the hills looking for a Quetzal, but didn't find one.  We did see some bell birds and a really scary eyelash viper.  It was a little too close to my bare legs for comfort.  Orchids grow everywhere here.

It rained as we finished the hike, so we had lunch in town and then went to some of the local art galleries.  Everything is so colorful here- maybe because the days are so grey and cloudy.  The sun started to come out as we drove out to the National Park to buy tickets for tomorrow and see the hummingbirds.

It rained more in the afternoon so we crashed at the hotel, hoping it would stop before our night hike.  It sort of did.  We were picked up in a cab, and I had the nicest conversation with our cab driver.  In Spanish!  I love getting to practice speaking, since I'm so very bad at it.

The night hike was pretty cool.  We saw a lot of bugs, and a very lazy sloth.  Leafcutter ants are weird, like something out of little Disney cartoons.  We also found a dink frog.  After hiking we ate at a tapas place- this is definitely not a country with a night life, everything was closing up at 8 PM.

Our final day we did a guided hike in the National Park and found the Quetzal!  It was a young one without the long tail feathers, but it still counts.  The rest of the hike was getting a little repetitive, but still beautiful.

As we pulled into the parking lot before the hike, we realized we had a flat tire.  (Mi coche esta pinchado!) A few efforts trying to change it ourselves led to the assistance of several guys from the park- good to know chivalry isn't dead.  We got it patched at the gas station by the hotel, then were on our way to the coast for the last part of our trip.

Costa Rica, Pura Vida-- San Jose and Arenal

A completely different type of trip this year- nothing historical about it.  My friend and I headed to Costa Rica for a bit a eco-tourism.

The trip was full of firsts for me: first time driving in a foreign country, first time seeing monkeys in real life, first time repelling.  There were some pretty scary moments but overall it was an AMAZING trip.

We started in San Jose, the capital, staying at the aLoft hotel.  It was a little remote, but having a car made it do-able.  We drove up into the hills for dinner at a great roadside restaurant.  I had some amazing chincharon, and some chips and salsa.  The place was totally local, which made it the perfect first meal. 

Downtown San Jose

Huge oxcart art

The first day we explored downtown San Jose- the cathedral and the museum, which was full of gold.  We had lunch at a little diner-style restaurant that was pretty good, and then hit the road for Arenal.  It was a long drive.  We stopped off in a local crafts Mecca for some shopping and to stretch our legs, and again to see some waterfalls at the side of the road.  By the time we got into the town of Arenal it was already dark.  We had dinner at a rather touristy restaurant, but the pollo alla plancha was delicious.  Then it was up the mountain, on a very long dirt road in the dark to the hotel.  We just made it before the office closed for the night!

Me, being brave

The next day was probably the best of the trip.  We went repelling in the
morning.  It was actually canyoning, which meant jumping down waterfalls.  It was the scariest thing I've ever done.  Jumping off high things is the one fear that I have.  But I did it!  I really thought I wouldn't be able to hold myself up on the ropes, but once I took that first tentative jump off of the top and realized I wasn't going straight to the bottom, it was all good.  I loved it- could have kept going for many more cliffs.  Afterwards there was a lunch, which was fine. 

One of the waterfalls in Tabacon

We spent the afternoon at Tabacon Hot Springs, the MOST luxurious place I've ever been.  The river has been diverted through a tropical paradise, where the volcanic waters tumble over rocks and falls creating an unearthly haven.  Some of the waterfalls act as natural massages.  Others were just lazy pools.  There were beautiful flowers everywhere, and delicious cocktails.  We spent a lot of time on the loungers in the adult area called ShangriLa.

It was another long dark drive back to the hotel.  The next morning we did a hike around the Arenal National Park with a guide from the hotel.  We saw monkeys and many different birds high up in the trees, as well as tons of exotic plants.  Then it was on the road again, the scenic route to Monteverde.  The ride was fine, lots of cows. 

Istanbul Pictures!

Here's the full set of pictures that I took.  I certainly don't meet my dad's record of over a thousand pictures per vacation.  Here are some of the sites I felt worthy of capturing.  Perhaps when my friends Julie and Andrew return I'll add some of their photos to the collection.

Day Five

Heading home today! I'm currently in Dulles Airport, waiting for my connecting flight back to Boston. I was delayed getting in here and missed my scheduled plane, but they got me on another flights happily. I got some dinner (OK, a pretzel and a frappucino, but really, I've been away for 23 hours now, this is about 5th meal of the day.)

Turkey was amazing. It was definitely one of my bumpier vacations, but totally worth it in the end. The language continued to baffle me but I was finally starting to get hello, please, and thank you when it was time to go.

I also met an 8th grade teacher, Vedat, who worked at my hotel. He's a history teacher too, and we are going to try to set up a letter writing exchange with our students. I'm excited about it as a chance for my kids to talk to someone who lives in a Muslim country, and he's excited for his kids to get to practice their English. What luck that we started talking as I waited for my taxi.

At the airport were a bunch of people heading to Mecca, dressed in the white robe of a pilgrim. I was already in a secure zone so I couldn't really talk to them, but they didn't have any carry on luggage except a copy of the Koran.

Day Four, wishing for more

Last full day in Istanbul, and I'm finally getting the hang of this city.  Of course that means I have to leave.  I'm starting to be able to pronounce words correctly from signs and from the guidebook.  I've figured out how to get from the hotel to the old quarter of the city where the sights are without getting lost.  Alas, that's what always happens.

We started at the Blue Mosque, along with the mass of tourists.  I have such a fierce hatred of big tour groups, and today didn't help.  They tend to ignore etiquette signs and block views from others, and there's such a sense of entitlement, that individuals can be shoved out of the way in favor of these groups who are trying to keep to a schedule.  We arrived in the giant crowd and stood in line, then had to cover heads and take off shoes before going inside.   Lots of people with no shoes meant that it smelled like stinky feet inside, not fun.  However, the tile work was beautiful.  The dome seemed impossibly high, with half domes blooming out from it like petals.  The colors were amazing- I wish we could have gone upstairs to see it closer, but I had to rely on camera zoom to do that.

After the mosque we went to the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts, which was blissfully uncrowded.  There were exhibits and artifacts highlighting the history of the Turkish people and the Islamic Empires.  My favorite thing there?  A yurt.  I love a good yurt. 

We grabbed a quick lunch at a place that was too touristy for my taste, but I tried pide, sort of a cross between flatbread and pizza, with ground beef, tomatoes, and green peppers.  We then headed back toward the hotel.  Julie and Andrew went to rest while I did some more shopping at the Grand Bazaar.  Then I headed off into the lower section of the peninsula to find some lesser sites.  I found a church-turned-mosque called the Little AyaSofya, with the help of a friendly restauranteur and a cute little old guy in a suit.  Inside it looks nothing like the bigger church, but the outside design was similar.  I also studied the remaining wall of the Hippodrome (called the Spheredrome) which now looks like a crumbling retaining wall, and found another mosque by Sinan that I could only go into the courtyard of because of prayers. 

As evening approached, Julie and I went up to the main street again and walked down to take some nighttime shots of the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia.  They were lit up beautifully and I played with my camera settings a little bit trying to get the best shot.  We then went back to the restaurant district by our hotel for dinner, and watched quite the show.  The roving Turkish bands were incredibly amusing with a group of Chinese tourists who were dancing and singing, then launched into a Chinese song.  They then moved on to a group of what looked like Turkish business men, who were downing the raki and having a grand old time.  It was a great last night there.

Day Three, Wheeeee!

Today has been FANTASTIC!  The rain finally stopped, our bags arrived late last night (right after we left a department store, which had just closed so we couldn't return what we'd bought), and we got into some amazing sites.  We started at the Chora Church, a site I hadn't really know about but it's one of the 1000 Places to see before you die.  The Church is full of nearly complete Byzantine mosaics depicting the lives of Mary and Jesus, as well as some cool medieval frescoes.  It's from the late Byzantine period, so it's better preserved than those in the Hagia Sophia.  We used the tour book to guide us around.  I couldn't get over the tiny, tiny pieces that were in the mosaics- I'd always imagined them small, but they were smaller than my little fingernail.  I can't even fathom how many pieces were in there.

 We had lunch at a restaurant called Asitane, which featured traditional Ottoman recipes that had been researched from imperial kitchens.  My chicken dish had apricots, raisins, and onions and dated back to the 1500s!  It was really good too.  Andrew had what looked like a prehistoric shank of lamb.

After lunch, we took a cab to the AyaSofia, which was simply amazing.  The scaffolding was DOWN!  Gone, gone, gone and it made me so happy to see straight up into the dome with no obstructions.  I was amazed by the size and how light it was inside.  The hanging chandeliers were numerous, but it was the natural light from the windows that were most impressive.  We read a lot about the architecture and how the weight of the dome was distributed through the arches.  We went to the second floor to see some of the mosaics and look down into the nave.  I was really happy to finally be at a place I've seen so many times in a virtual tour, to put together the pieces.  It looks just the same, from the ruins of the old basillica to the giant Arabic decorations inside the church (for the kid who asked what they said- Muhammad and Allah in the front, the four caliphs around the middle, and the name of two of Muhammad's grandsons who were assassinated at the back).

 

So, after AyaSofya came the disastrous Skype session.  I guess there were connection problems at the Ottoson end, which is so disappointing because I left it set up just ready to go, but something jammed over the long weekend and it had to be rebooted, and it just all got messed up.  I was able to connect and see everyone, and I think they saw me, but the sound wasn't coming through from Ottoson, and I don't know if they could hear me.  I tried a few times, then went to the ancient cistern while the kids were out of cluster, then tried again but it just wasn't working for me.  I'm bummed that the school's technology failed again.  It's such a continual issue that prevents so many cool things.

Anyway, I would have kept trying but people were giving me really strange looks, and the guards were really not happy with me standing in one spot with a webcam for hours, so I had to give up.  We walked through the Hippodrome, where ancient chariot races were, though no real indications of it remain except historical memory.  It was where the Nika Riots began.  Then we took the train to a funicular to Taksim Square, in the modern part of the city.  We wandered down through Ishtikal Street, which was all fun modern shops and restaurants.  Yes, there was Starbucks and McDonalds, but also lots of fun Turkish places.  We ate in a traditional restaurant, and I had Turkish ravioli, which weren't very good.  That's ok, though, it was fun to try something new.  We walked the rest of the way down the street, stopping in a few stores but not buying anything, then took a different funicular and a train back to the hotel.

So I'm still bummed Skype didn't work, but at least I tried and got to see everyone back home for a few seconds.  Hope you're all doing well.  Only one more day here for me- maybe I'll wear some of my new Turkish clothes tomorrow.

Much better now!

Have dry clothes and a grand plan for tomorrow including the Hagia Sophia skype. Can't wait!

Day Two, nothing new

Turkey is still very wet and I still have no luggage.  I'm getting really sick of the same pair of jeans and same sweater.  The airlines swear that the bags will be arriving in Istanbul at 4 PM today, but it was only after a lot of calling that we had to locate them and then alert the airlines as to where they were.  It seems that the airlines should have figured that out on their own.  I'm already penning the angry letter in my head.  Thankfully with trip insurance I was able to get clean socks and things, and my LLBean moccassins have held up incredibly well even in the wet.

Swords for sale- none for you, Remy!

This morning we headed out to the Grand Bazaar, which was happily indoors.  There was so much there, mostly pottery, textiles, rugs, and a few oddities like silver and musical instruments.  We wandered for most of the morning.  I have no patience for bargaining, so it's not really my scene, but Andrew got some great deal on new jeans (yay, clean!) and I ended up with a couple of pillow cases.  We ate lunch at an attached restaurant that had been recommended, and it was so good.  Andrew and I had this lamb thing mixed with vegetables under a cover of pastry and cheese.  There was also an amazing eggplant puree.  Julie had her favorite tomato and cucumber salad, but said it was more vinegary than in the States.

After lunch it had stopped raining so we walked to the Suleimanie mosque but it was closed for prayers.  Grr.  then we walked to the spice market, while it started raining again.  It was in a giant maze of pedestrian streets.  One shopkeeper let us try a few spices, and I bought a mix called Jannisary Blend.  Then we tried to find a cab back but we were in the middle of that huge pedestrian zone without knowing it so we walked until we were back at the Grand Bazaar, and eventually had to just walk to the hotel.  Now I am wet, cold, and sort of cranky, and really just want my luggage to arrive.

Day One, so much fun!

It's raining, it's pouring, I have no luggage, so I'm wearing free airline socks and getting wet because my umbrella was in my suitcase.  Great way to start the trip!  Apparently our bags are in DC and won't be here until tomorrow afternoon.  We stopped to get a few necessities (yay, trip insurance).

So today, we went to Topkapi Palace today, fording mid sized streams to get there and only getting slightly lost.  Thanks to the kindness of strangers at other hotels, we were redirected to the big open area where all the major sites (and tour buses) were.  Blue Mosque!  Hagia Sophia!  I had to marvel just a bit at the Hagia Sophia, taking a picture even though it was pouring rain.  It's just as impressive as I'd imagined, and yes, there is wifi nearby.  Skype plan is ON!

We got up to Topkapi Palace and got our tickets, our audio guide.  My mom said Istanbul was impressive but not beautiful and I could sort of see that there.  It's not restored much and while inside is very elaborate, outside was sort of blah.  But the treasury was AMAZING with tons of jewels and gold, and the reliquary was full of wonders including hairs from Muhammad's beard and the supposed staff of Moses (note to self: find decomposition rate of wood).  I love relics, I've said that before.


We went into the harem too, which was all fancy tiles.  It got a little overwhelming.  It was beautiful but sort of too busy for my taste.  All the patterns mixed together was dizzying.  I tried to zoom in on some close ups for pictures.

The archaeology museum had some cool sarcophagi but I was more impressed with a delicious Ottoman dinner - some beef on pita concoction after an appetizer of cucumber yogurt dip.  We got Turkish delight and baklava on the way home, along with a change of clothes for tomorrow since ours are still missing.

Arrival!

Made it into Istanbul safely after a delightful flight on Turkish air. Unfortunately, bags got lost.

Getting Ready

My bags are packed, my sub plans are done and photocopies, and after a quick stop at CVS for contact lens solution and another travel toothpaste, I will be completely ready!

Istanbul- everyone wants to know why I want to go there, and I don't really have a short answer.  It's an incredibly historic city, one that has migrated through several different empires and religions in its long life.  It's changed names, governments, and is the only city in the world that spans two continents.  It's a cosmopolitan city in a Muslim country, and known for its food as well as its sites.

So, I go, to adventure and explore.  It's supposed to be warmer than expected but raining on a few days, so the umbrella and raincoat are packed along with the sandals and sweaters.  All in all, I'm looking forward to the long plane ride as a chance to read, and the excitement that comes at the other end.

Florence, Part 3

Are you sick of Florence yet?  Not me!  I could stay here forever.  Even today, which did NOT go according to plan, turned out to be a great day. 

Strikes are common in Italy.  You have to just go with the flow when they happen, and they can mess with even your  best laid plans, like the tickets we'd reserved months ago for the Uffizi and the Accademia today.  The Uffizi was closed when we got there this morning, because of a guard strike.  We rushed to the Accademia only to find that it too was closing, but they honored our afternoon ticket and let us in to see David.  I think Judy may have gotten a little weepy.  It's an amazing statue, definitely.  You have to see it to understand the scale, the power of it.  But more fascinating to me are the unfinished statues leading up to David, the amazing figures emerging from marble that are sort of haunting.  I'd post pictures, but they don't allow photography.  But seriously, the nonfiniti are an amazing glimpse into the process of art, and the title "Prisoners" really gets at the captivity of the figure in stone that Michelangelo wrote of. 

And now I rant for a bit.  There was a student tour group at the Academia and the kids just looked so BORED.  Which, I get, when I was 16, a museum was not how I wanted to spend my summer.  But if you're lucky enough to be in the presence of possibly the greatest statue ever carved?  Turn off your iPod, stop drinking soda (seriously, why do you even have soda in a museum, are you a moron?) and at least look.  Pretend to be interested or something, because someday you'll be 30 and saying "Oh, I saw that, but I don't really remember it" because you were too busy listening to Katy Perry and chipping the polish off of your nails.

della Robbia's rondells

Brunelleschi's columns

Rant over.  After the Academia my travel companions completely indulged my Renaissance geekiness.  We went to the Hospital de Innocent, the first classical building since ancient times, the one that put Brunelleschi on the map.  Of course, since we were supposed to be in museums all day, I didn't have my camera, so you get cell phone pics withh this entry.  It was pretty cool, and definitely an out-of-the-way site.  Also, the rondels by della Robbia were gorgeous on the building.  They have some of those at the MFA. 

Check out the fence!

Next it was a short walk to the San Marco monastery, where the majority of Fra Angelico's works were housed.  Again, no photos, but that's ok.  The most famous of his works was the Annunciation at the top of the stairs, and it's such a strange place for a painting, but beautiful. I'll keep that design idea in mind for when I have a house, because I love how it just seems to rise as you climb up to the second floor.  What fascinated me about this painting was the fence in the background.  Yes, perspective, yes, classical, yes, realism, but look at that fence.  I had that SAME FENCE in my backyard growing up.  How is it that in 500 years people are still building the same fence?  Am I the only one who thinks that's some sort of amazing piece of human history?  It's the SAME FENCE!

At the leather markets

Ok, the rest of the monastery had scenes in the monk's cells, including Savaronola, who is one of my favorite crazy people in history.  Crazy monk, preached a lot, ruined Boticelli, for which I sort of hate him, and got killed about 9 different ways, just to make sure he was well and truly dead. 

After lunch we split up and did some shopping in the leather markets.  I went into San Lorenzo with Anne, which has more Michelangelos, but I wasn't as impressed here.  The tombs of the Medici were definitely the highlight, but overall I think I was getting statued-out.  So, more shopping, without much purchase this day, but still a fantastic love of the city.

Florence, Part 2



Michelangelo's tomb

Vinny has arrived!  Minus some lost luggage, we met up with him at the Hotel Silla and got to begin our adventures here in Tuscany.  While I was with Laryssa for dinner last night, the rest of the gang went up to Piazza Michelangelo for sunset views of the city.  This morning, we began at Santa Croce, the final resting place of Galileo and Michelangelo.  There were also these amazing frescoes by Giotto but they were covered in scaffolding, being restored.  There's always something, right? 

Anyway, Santa Croce was very impressive and I probably could have spent a day there studying all of the tombs. Ghiberti was buried here, an unexpected find, as was Lorenzo Bartolini (see: Letters to Juliet). They had some cool religious artifacts as well, and the Pazzi Chapel, one of Brunelleschi's masterpieces. 

After Santa Croce, we wandered up to the Bargello, a former prison that's now a statue museum.  That sounds so unimpressive, but this is the home to a huge collection of Michelangelos, Cellinis, and Donatello's.  You can't take photos inside, which I actually enjoy sometimes because instead of looking for a great pictures, I can just LOOK at the artwork.  I try really hard to look and not just photograph things, as I see so many tourists doing.  Using my imagination while taking in a piece of art or scenery makes me remember it better than even a picture will.  My grandmother taught me that- she used to look at my pictures and point out things I'd never noticed.  Now I try to look more.

Brunelleschi's tomb

Lunch was at a little hole in the wall with the most amazing wine and olive oil.  It was such a pure green, so extra extra virgin, so awesome.  After lunch, it was up to the Duomo.  We went into the church to study the interior, and to find Brunelleschi's tomb.  The poor man is buried in the gift shop!
After, Joanne and Judy climbed bell tower, and Anne and I went into the baptisery to see the medieval mosaics in the ceiling.  We also found an amazing workshop and thanks to Anne's Italian skills, the craftsmen invited us in to see their restoration work.  Very, very cool. 

Be good or the devil will eat you!

We rendezvoused for gelato (tris di chocolate!) and then the group split up for a bit.  I went with Leslie and Joanne to the Musee di Opera del Duomo.  I love this museum best of all, I think, because it's not crowded.  Have you even been alone in a room with a Michelangelo Pieta?  Or a creepy wooden statue carved by Donatello?  If you haven't, add it to your bucket list, because for most of us, it's the closest we'll ever get to truly understanding artistic genius.

Florence

Ponte Vecchio

If there is a city I love more in this world than Florence, I haven't found it.  There's just something about this place.  I've been here in rain or shine, and in both it just seems to have its own glow.  It's modern, but there's a history that just eminates from the stones.  Then, there's the art.  It's just there.  Art where is was meant to be, tucked into the niche on a church, painted unassumingly on the wall, standing proud in a piazza.  It's in the arches on the buildings, the rondells over the windows.  Your eyes will never get bored or tired in Florence, and your soul will never cease to be marvelled.

Statues on Orsanmichele

I'm glad Anne gets this.  When we got to Florence, most people were tired, but Anne and I were just itching to get out into the city.  We walked down, across the Ponte Vecchio and it's tempting gold displays.  Once in the city, it was past the Uffizi and the street performers entertaining those in LONG lines to get it, into the Piazza della Signoria.  Then there's David, ok, a copy, but he's there, announcing that yes, you are here, you have entered what was the center of the cultural world half a millenium ago.  There's amazing art in the loggia, and tourists snapping pictures, and I wonder if any of them feel like I do, like it was here that the modern world errupted from darkness and then called us back to bear witness to its creation.  I know, I'm being incredibly over profound, but it's FLORENCE and it's just that amazing to be there. 

But the Piazza isn't the end, or even the center, because you have to keep walking, keep plugging onward to the Dome, and then you're in the narrow streets connecting the two, in the shadows of the greatness you can't see yet, but you know it's coming.  Then, when you arrive, it looms larger than imaginable.  It looks like a special effect, because nothing could be that big, or that stark against the blue sky.  It won't fit into a one picture, it's that huge, and to stand in its shadow and imagine Brunelleschi designed that, without cranes or drills, with just oxen and pulleys and men climbing up the 400 steps every day to lay bricks.  I could stare for hours at the Dome, and still not see it all. 

Il Duomo

And you're still not done, because there in the shadow of the Dome are the doors, with their Gold panels and throngs of tourists who are just in the way, and won't let you see no matter how long you patiently wait your turn.  The original panels are gone, thanks to the flood of 1966, but the copies mark their place and you wonder how many eyes have lingered here, how many great popes or leaders learned their Bible stories from the bronze reliefs. 

San Lorenzo

Anne lived here, looking out at this, and I'm incredibly jealous.  We quickly ran to her old apartment and marvelled at the proximity.  Then we continued on, up to the markets of San Lorenzo with their leathers and purses.  I was so happy to see that the knock-offs are gone, replaced with original designs in all colors and sizes in a shopper's paradise. 

Florence could be home for me, and it is for my friend Laryssa, who moved their after college.  I met her for dinner at an amazing restaurant called the 4 cats, which also had my favorite meal in all 30 years I've been alive.  It's a pasta stuffed with pears and marscapone, served in a creamy sauce.  I had it in Rome in 2005, and have craved it ever since.  I found it two places in Florence, here and at a little cafe near our hotel, and it remains my favorite food ever.  This restaurant had the recipe on the website, so I will be making this when I get home!