Florence

Special shout out to our mothers!!!! Happy Mother's Day to my mom and sisters and Shannon's mom and grandmas!!!!!! We love you guys and wish we could be there celebrating with you today.

Hooray! I get to go first! I have decided that I like Florence better than Rome. Perhaps it is because I don't remember much from the last time I was here so it feels like I'm experiencing everything for the first time. Or perhaps it is because it is a smaller, less confusing city than Rome with its crazy side roads that may or may not appear on the map. Or maybe it is because that I got some good food, good company, and good art. The good food was because of the fantastic company of Lauren's aunt and grandpa who were also in Florence as part of their 2 week excursion around Italy. Let's just say they are travelling in more style than we poor college students. Luckily, they were kind enough to include me in their mini family reunion and we had some fantastic dinners with even more amazing desserts. Not that we had been living on only pizza and gelato before.... They also let us accompany their tour group to the Uffizi Gallery which has some of my favorite paintings. Botticelli's Birth of Venus and Primavera of course, but most importantly, Titian's Venus of Urbino. I can't really explain why I love this painting so much, so Google it and perhaps you can explain it to me. Perhaps it is because I find her look even more mysterious than the Mona Lisa's.

The first thing I did upon arriving in our small, cute and mosquito-ridden hostel was to throw open the window and shout in a dismayed manner to no one in particular "But, Charlotte, I thought we were to have a room with a view!" For those of you who do not understand this reference, please read A Room with a View by E.M. Forster. It is fantastic, and you will spend the rest of your life wishing to wander around the poppy strewn fields of Florence looking for your George Emerson.
Anyhow, a few kajillion mosquito bites later, Shannon and I met up with my aunt and grandfather at the Duomo. Prior to meeting them, we had explored the interior of this church while paying special attention to Brunelleschi's magnificent dome. Once outside, we saw them, and it was wonderful! Having not seen them in four months (which has felt like a lifetime) it was a wonderful reunion. Not only was I able to catch up on all the latest family gossip (just kidding, Webers!) but Shannon and I were treated to luscious lunches and delectable dinners. My favourite meal was most likely the one we had at Quatro Leoni at my mother and brother's suggestion. My meal was an interesting amalgamation of flavours consisting of pasta stuffed with cream cheese and pears and a sauce of asparagus and cream. It was different, but absolutely scrumptous. Substantially stuffed after this, I somehow managed to eat a large piece of pear and chocolate cake. It was FANTASTIC!
My fantastic family also let us accompany them on tours such as the Ufizzi (as Shannon mentioned) and Santa Croce church...which incidently plays a prominent role in A Room with a View. Laura and Grandpa also got us tickets to the Academy to see David. What a hottie petatie! You'd never think a sculpture could be so smokin', but he is. I think it's the forearms. They're all muscular and vein-y, but not in a nasty way like he does Tai-Bo twenty hours a day and has steroids for lunch. Despite David's charms, my favourite exhibit at the Academy had to be the musical instruments donated from the Conservatory of Florence. There was a Stradivarius violin and cello!!!! They were absolutely gorgeous and I was able to hear the sound they produce on a listening device the museum provided. Obviously it didn't compare to what it would have sounded like live....for that reason, and of course, simply wanting to touch genius, I had the strongest desire to break open the glass surrounding the violin with my own brute strength, and play it. Wouldn't that have been amazing? Gosh, gosh, gosh, it was a thing of beauty and I don't think I've wanted anything so badly as I wanted that instrument.
Anywho, Shannon and I had parted ways at the music exhibit, so after I explored it, I went on another church crawl and exploration of Florence on my own. It was a bustling, sunny, warm day, and a lovely morning for a stroll.

As Lauren said, we had our separate adventures today as I, for some strange reason, did not share her desire to go to Mass. Instead, I went to see more art. Surprise surprise. I can just see my mom reading this and laughing because I sound just like her with my raving reviews of all this fabulous art I've seen. So, I saw some more. I went to the Pitti Palace which was the home of the Medici Family when they were the rulers in Florence....which was for a long time. They collected a lot of art in that time, and the very last family member, before she died, legally tied all of the art together and gave it to the city of Florence where it must always remain. I was surprised to find that they had a painting that I like very much, Ruben's The Consequences of War. I also went in very fancy rooms that had been used by the Medici's and still had their grand furnishings.
Sadly enough, our next stop (Venice) will be our last stop as our trip is being cut short by the riots going on in Athens. We decided to play it safe and not go when it is so turbulent there. So we are heading back to London on Wednesday...oh darn. Another week in London. How will we ever bear it?

Andiamo a Venzia!
Shannon and Lauren