Journey Home

Well, we had a great time, but we were both ready to come home. We decided we were tired of dealing with crowds, lines, and rude people. Lol

We had a wonderful time being together, seeing all the sights, churches, and artwork, and eating a ton of fantastic food.

Travel to Airport

Nothing too exciting today. We traveled to our b&b by the airport. Not much around here and I felt like I was starting to get a migraine so we only ventured out to get dinner.

Florence Day 5

Our last full day in Florence. Started with a nice lunch and visits to the Medici Chapel and San Marco  church along with a little shopping in the market. We had some gelato and walked around the city before stopping at the pub to watch some rugby and soccer. Got to FaceTime Papa. Then it was dinner and home to sleep.

Florence Day 4

We slept in super late today. Woke up for lunch and then went to the Accademia to see The David statue. We took a break and then went to Santa Croce and did a little shopping at the market.

Normally we pay about 2 or 3 Euro for a cup of gelato.. Today, we got ripped off at some place and ended up paying 16 Euro for 2 cups! Unreal. However, we went to Trattoria Katti for a nice dinner (suggestion I got from Nora yesterday), which was amazing. I had caprese, spaghetti alla carbonara, and house wine. Angel had a vegetable soup and chicken risotto. We also had water, bread, and I also got a bottle of wine to go and it was only 50 Euro. What a deal, and it was all sooo good! We're just gonna chill at our hotel and relax tonight.

Buona Sera.

Tuscany in a Day

Today started out rough. Something Angel ate last night made him pretty sick. I woke up and went downstairs for breakfast before hurrying us off to the train station to catch the bus for our See Tuscany In A Day Tour. Our "team leader," Nora, was an awesome guide! Our first stop was Siena where we saw the Duomo and the Piazza Del Campo. Then we went to an organic vineyard in the country side for lunch, wine tasting and a tour of their grounds. (Unfortunately Angel had to sit out from lunch because he wasn't feeling well.) Afterwards it was on to San Gimignano, which is known for its towers and prize winning gelato. After visiting the main basilica, I decided to do the touristy thing and wait in line for the world's best gelato. Our next and final stop was Pisa. We took a few pictures, visited the Baptistry and a small museum. Then it was back to Florence. No going out tonight.. straight to bed so hopefully we'll be ready to go tomorrow.

Florence Day 2

We slept in today; it was wonderful. It's a rainy day today. We ate lunch and then went to see Santa Maria Novella. After that we went over to see the Duomo, the baptistery, and climbed the Bell Tower. We then stopped by Orsanmichele Church, shopped at the market, walked over Ponte Vecchio to the Pitti Palace to visit the galleries. (The slow museum walk really makes my feet tired.) Then we had another tasty dinner, stopped by the hotel, and out for a few after dinner drinks.

Rome to Florence

Today we woke up and caught the train to Florence! We were able to check into our hotel just a bit early and make our way over the the Uffizi Gallery. It was a great start to our Florence adventure. We needed an afternoon nap before heading to dinner. I've decided my favorite dish is spaghetti alla carbonara. I ordered the dish on our first night in Rome and decided to order it again here in Florence; fantastic meal both times.. Angel had a wonderful mixed meat plate tonight. Then on our walk over to take some pics of Santa Maria Novella, I grabbed some gelato. We walked around the city center a little more, and then partook in a few libations at a pub before heading home.

Last Day in Rome

Our first stop today was the San Giovanni church, which had incredible statues. After lunch, it was on to VATICAN CITY! We started in the Basilica, then went up to the top of the Cupola, followed by the Vaitcan Museum and Sistine Chapel. Angel said today was his favorite day so far. Then we stopped back by to see our friend Sal at his restaurant before stumbling upon an Irish pub where we met some fun people and Angel got to kick some butt playing darts! 

Rome - Day 3

I think our bodies really just want some rest on this vacation as we had a hard time getting up in time for breakfast today. We walked over to the Borghese Gallery, but it was already sold out. Fortunately we were able to see the beautiful Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri on our way. We walked around and had some beautiful views of Rome before stumbling upon Piazza del Popolo. There we entered the Museo di Leonardo, saw a beautiful obelisk, and observed three churches.

We got hungry, so we stopped for lunch then headed back home for an afternoon nap. Following, we headed out to see San Pietro in Vincoli, where there is a famous statue of Moses. We tried to visit a couple other churches, but they were closed, so we decided to trek across town to try a recommended restaurant from one of our friends.. It was also closed, but we ended up at a wonderful little restaurant where we had fantastic food and got to spend time talking with the owner, Sal. We hopped on a crowded bus back home, stopped for a quick drink by our place and are going to turn in tonight at a decent hour. 

Ciao.

Day 2

We got a late start today but certainly covered a lot of ground. We started by going to the Coloseum and Roman Forum/Palatino. Angel got really excited as he saw the tops of buildings so we just decided to follow our eyes instead of our plan.

We passed by Altare della Patria before stopping for our first pizza lunch of the trip, then we headed to Chiesa del Gesu & Sant'Ignazio di Loyola Church, two important Jesuit churches. Afterwards we saw the Basilica di Santa Maria Sopra Minerva and the famous Pantheon. Around the corner we came to the Piazza Navona where we saw the Fountain of Four Rivers and Chiesa di Sant Agnese in Agone. The last church we entered was Sant Andreas di Apostole before we made the trek back to our bed and breakfast. We were going to try to take the bus, but every bus we wanted to get on was packed to capacity, so we just walked.

We rested our feet and cleaned up before heading out to the neighborhood blocks for dinner and drinks.

P.S. Everyone is trying to sell us a "shelfie" stick.. LOL! But I think we're pretty good at it without the stick.

DC to Rome

And we're off!

Following a one hour on-plane delay and a long, exhausting flight, we finally made it to Rome on Friday morning. We had to first take a much needed nap, but then we finally began exploring Rome by visiting Basilica Papale Santa Maria Maggiore, the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, and Palazzo Barberini followed by a tasty dinner and an early bedtime.