Final Florence Day!

October 29, 2012August 31, 2013 by ericmistry ♥ 2 Comments

Today was quite an adventure-filled day! (Also, the sun came out for the first time, which felt incredibly nice after long days of rain.)

We started out enjoying the leather markets of Florence, which were vast and filled with tons of amazing items. I ended up getting a wallet and a belt, and even managed to get the belt customized to my waist. Another great find? I met an artist who did engravings of the city and picked out a beautiful print similar to the one in the picture set below. He matted and signed the print and even packaged it nicely for me.

After the market, we took a bus to the Piazza Michelangelo. It was absolutely breathtaking to see the amazing view. (Dad, you were right. It was one of the best things I've ever seen.) We took tons of photos, admired the view, and relished the sunshine.

Post-Piazza, we ventured back to the train station and caught our train to Rome. After a good amount of walking, we finally reached the hotel. We checked in, ate a small dinner at a nearby restaurant, and have crashed back at home. We will see tons of Rome tomorrow!

Enjoy the pictures below!

The Market

The engraving

By the Market

By the market

Piazza Michelangelo

View From the Piazza Michelangelo

Group shot!

The Classic Eric Self-Shot

Another View From the Piazza Michelangelo

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Florentine Days!

October 28, 2012August 31, 2013 by ericmistry ♥ 1 Comment

Today was another day of fun, slightly rainy still, but so much fun!

We adventured all around Florence, eating good food and seeing amazing art, including Michelangelo's David in the Academia and Donatello's David in the city squares. Another great find was the Medici palace. It was a fantastic lens into the past, and we recognized many of the artworks inside from our art history course on 14th Century Art From Florence to Flanders. Professor Nuttall, if you are reading this, be proud; we felt so knowledgable thanks to your course! We also saw the Duomo and tons of other fantastic buildings!

Tomorrow is another awesome day, with a visit to the Plaza Michelangelo (per the recommendation of the best dad ever, Bomi Mistry) and some leather markets in Florence. Also, as always, good food and plenty of photography.

In the evening, we will head to Rome! Stay tuned!

As usual, some pictures below…

Medici Palace Courtyard

I blend in…

Fantastic artwork in the Medici Palace

Amazing Room in the Medici Palace

Yet another amazing room in the Medici Palace

Madonna Di Filippo Lippi (Master to Botticelli)

Another courtyardin the Medici Palace

Duomo

Another View

Lunch stop- takeaway pasta or pizza for €5!

Lunch: Tortellini con Prosciutto

Square

Donatello's David

Michelangelo's David (the original in the Academia, not the copy in the square.)

Guardian Lion

River near sunset

Coffee break… (Note the subtle touch with the artistic leaf in the cream. Very nice.)

Dinner: Pizza and salad.

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Venice with a Touch of Florence

October 27, 2012August 31, 2013 by ericmistry ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Today, we began another day of adventure!

We woke up, got ready, and checked out of the hotel. We then made our way to the train station, put our bags in storage, and headed into the main city again.

After a night of rain and a particularly high tide, the streets were flooded! Luckily,pumping efforts were underway and raised platform walkways had been placed out. Unfortunately, San Marco's square was completely underwater by the time we got there, so we had to take a lunch break while the square was drained…

Luckily, a short while later, it was drained and all was well! We adventured through the square, saw gondolas and more glass shops, and even had some more gelato! (I can almost hear the gasps of surprise at that last one…)

Eventually, we made our way back to the train station, had some coffee at a nearby cafe, and boarded the train to Florence. In Florence, we set up base at the hotel, I ate some amazing gnocchi (with Gorgonzola cheese and pine nuts) and sausage pizza, we walked to the riverbank, and I even got a tiny cannoli to sweeten my taste buds.

Tomorrow is another day of adventure! Pictures below!