Our Honeymoon: Fun in Florence

We disembarked our cruise ship to a rainy Venice.  Fortunately, we didn't have to go far to get to the train station where we would board our train to Florence.  We waited for a couple of hours there before moving on to our next adventure.

On our way from the train in Florence to our hotel, we passed by a bakery.  It smelled so good that I had to stop.  We found THE most scrumptious pistachio cookies at that shop just down from our hotel...and went back each day for more!

We didn't have a chance to see all the sites in Florence, but we did manage to spend some time inside the Duomo.  It is absolutely stunning and SO big!  It is actually the third largest cathedral in Europe.  We spent part of the next day (after a quick trip to Pisa) climbing the 414 steps up the bell tower for some amazing views...breathtaking...literally!

We stopped for gelato on more than one occasion and managed to have two delicious Italian dinners while we were in Florence. So tasty!

When we decided to visit Florence, seeing the David was top of my list in terms of things to do there.  We didn't waste any time heading over to the Uffizi Gallery to check out all the artwork and see the David up close and personal...only the David is NOT there.  What a fiasco!  It was already pretty late in the day by the time we'd roamed through one too many rooms at the Uffizi without discovering the David.  Finally, I asked a guard where we could find the piece we desired to see.  And then proceeded to sort of freak out that we weren't going to get to the other place in time.  The Uffizi was the most difficult gallery to escape...especially in a rush!  Eventually we made it out and began to trek all the way across the city just in time to make it to Accademia Gallery...and see the David.  We were so befuddled by the time we arrived that we even left our bags in the bins at the check point when we entered!  Immediately, I asked the first guard I saw where we could find the David.  She gave me a little smirk and pointed just around the corner.  And sure enough, there he was in all his glory.  For those that haven't been there, the David is pretty much the only thing to see so my question was pretty ridiculous.  Ah, well.  At least we made it!

We loved exploring Florence!  It is definitely a place that we hope to return one day.  We enjoyed wandering along the streets both during the day and in the evenings. 

After a full couple days (day trip to Pisa included), we headed back to Venice via train.  Our flight to the States was calling our name...but not without an adventurous layover first!

Andrea :)