Tuesday, January 22, 2013

January 4, 2013

January 4, 2013 -- Day 2 Florence

We got up early today. We had tickets for the Medici Chapel or Cappelle medici at 10:30 am and the Uffizi Gallery at 2 pm. Everyone love the Cappelle medici. The stonework is beautiful. We all loved the New Sacristy designed by Michelangelo. The statues within the Sacristy are amazing. Definitely one of the artistic highlights of our trip. (Sorry, no pictures were allowed in the Chapel). Before lunch, we went to the Basilica of San Lorenzo. For lunch we tried a hang out of Grandma Do and Pop's, Zá Zá, and then off we went to the Uffizi Gallery.

The gang in front of Zá Zá

I had a printout that pointed out 20 masterpieces that we should see along with information about the artwork. Chris, S and I made it to each masterpiece taking two hours to see them all. Christopher, enjoyed the visit briefly, but then made it clear that if you have seen one Baby Jesus you have seen them all. He is clearly more of a modern art fan. K and Alana enjoyed it more than Christopher -- not a difficult task -- but veered away from our little tour.

We all took a break before dinner, except Alana and Christopher. They headed out to explore Florence.

For dinner we went to one of the top rated restaurants in Florence, Cibréo. Everyone loved it. The menu changes every night. In addition, to a three course meal, the chef sends out a number a small dishes to start. These dishes among other things included a tripe salad, chicken liver, a nut salad, sausage and roasted peppers. I have to admit this is the first time that I had ever had tripe, and yes, it will probably the last time that I ever have tripe. Chris and Christopher ordered polenta for the first course and out came our waiter with a huge portion. Chris created quite a stir when he only ate half of the appetizer. The owner came over and asked him if it was o.k. Chris told him that it was as good as his grandmother's. Five minutes later the owner came over with a bowl of pumpkin soup (one of the other options for appetizers). Chris assured the owner that the polenta was wonderful and that he was just full. The owner insisted telling Chris he really wanted him to try the soup. We told Chris that he better finish his entry or he might be eating a second entree. After the entrees, the kids all ordered dessert. Chris and I passed as we were very full. Guess what? The owner brought out two desserts on the house. We all basically rolled back to our hotel.

It was quite a good day!

Ponte Vecchio

Basilica de Santa Maria Novella

Ponte Vecchio

Attempt at an artsy picture

They clean up nicely! The gang before our dinner!

Sunday, January 6, 2013

January 3rd -- Oh! What a Beautiful City!

January 3, 2013 -- Day 1 Florence

We arrived home to Germany yesterday, emptied some bags, did some laundry and packed again. This time for Florence, Italy.

We arrived around 11 am on Wednesday to a sunny sky -- this does not usually occur in Germany. We took a cab from the airport. Chris paid the driver and said danke -- I guess he really is a resident of Germany. We quickly checked into our hotel (an old convent) and headed out to explore. First stop, Mario's for lunch. This is a very small family owned trattoria where you have to share tables with other guests. Chris and C had rabbit, Alana, K and S had pasta and I had pork speidini. A good start to our trip.

After lunch, we walked around the city. C, S, K and Alana climbed the tower near the Duomo -- Campanario de Giotto. They braved the 414 steps for a wonderful view of the city and some great pictures. The highlight of the afternoon was seeing "The David." It is so impressive. No photographs were allowed. While I followed the rules, some in my family did not.

After the David, K, C and Alana had a cup of coffee while Chris, S and I headed toward the Ponte Vecchio. We made a stop at one of the hundreds of gelato shops. Then, S made a purchase at one of the shops near the bridge -- boots of course. We also ran into the Porcellino Fountain -- sure to bring good luck if you rub his snout. After exploring, we headed back to the hotel to get dressed for dinner.

On the way to dinner, C had another blog moment. The map from the Fodor's book was wrong so Chris asked a bus driver for help (he was parked near a stop). Before he knew it, two other gentlemen on the bus as well as the bus driver were giving him directions all in Italian. It was nice to see that C could make friends so easily in Italy.

Here are some of the pictures that we took on Day 1.