Day 3 - For The Sake of Pictures...

I was told (by Greg) that there were not enough pictures in the first blog. Someone wanted to see more of: the inside of restaurants, the street, the people, the... well... everything...

So for the sake of time, because I slept in until noon today, and due to a lack of words, because I drank some wine last night, I shall post some pictures below and update them later with the accompanying stories.

A.K.A.: A Two Part-er.

Outside My Bedroom Window

 

 Our Room Upstairs

Our Front Door

Where I Do NOT Live

Flea Market Outside Our Front Door

Street View

Mom at Lunch

Lunch.

Piazza della Signoria

Palazzo Vecchio

Michelangelo's 'David'  (This in not the real David. The actual sculpture has been moved inside for preservation purposes.)

Galleria delgi Uffizi 

Part 2:

So yesterday was a lovely day. We saw many historical areas on our hunt for schools. Trying to locate these schools is very difficult due to the terribly labeled street numbers and the fact that the city has no basic structure. Unlike the state, there is no grid-type pattern. It's easy to find your way and also easy to get turned around. Paradox.

Above are a few pictures of things we did yesterday. The few pictures of the room, where we finally figured out how to keep warm, are pleasant. Each day, it begins to feel easy to adjust to. Mom and I frequent the flea market outside our fourth story room. We were able to converse with a very nice lady and purchase some unique wine glasses which I promptly broke on our way up the cold, stone stairs to our room. Major bummer. Mom was not happy with me.

We began our journey in the Piazza della Repubblica, which is basically the center of town. We combed the area for English speaking schools before heading to Piazza della Signoria. This piazza is one of the most famous in all of Florence. Dating back hundreds and hundreds of years, this location was used as a giant assembly hall.

 Piazza della Signoria

Piazza della Signoria

After venturing around this piazza, we took a trip out and bumped into the Galleria degli Uffizi, a gallery housing some of Europe's most famous art from the Renaissance. 

Galleria degli Uffizi

Just beyond the gallery is the River Arno. It divides the city and attaching the two side are muliple bridges. The most popular: Ponte Vecchio. 

On the sides of the river are chains to prevent pedestrians from street traffic. However, the chains have been over run by locks. Locks of all kinds. Each one represents the hope of a lasting relationship. It's quite beautiful.

OH! And don't forget the gelato!!! 

We headed out to dinner at a charming restaurant (all of the restaurants are charming though, so it becomes a rather undefined characteristic).

Dinner: Mom had a pork chop. I had gnocchi.

It ended up being a great day of exploration. We learned a lot about the city and its sights. More to come tomorrow. I'd put more words down now, but this girl needs some sleep.

P.S. For all who were wondering, we bought an industrial corkscrew and Mom got that wine bottle open. It was quite the task. Opened another bottle tonight... : )