Day 3-4 Florence

I don't have any photos from Thursday, as Steph was at work and not with us. However, we spent the morning in the food market, which is an amazing place for your senses. The sights, smells, and visual overload you receive there is like no other. The Italians of course shop frequently for their food, as opposed to our American ways of weekly trips to WalMart/grocery store. Their food is fresh, and without preservatives. The vegetables, fruits, meats, and cheeses were like none other in this market. Dail and I bought food for he and Steph to cook later, which I am very excited about!

If I could summarize Florence simply, it would be this: A beautiful old city filled with Italians riding their bikes down narrow cobblestone streets where at the end, you can always see a church/cathedral/basilica in the not so distant sight. It is simply beautiful. The doorways are tall and have doorknobs in the middle of a massive 10 ft or larger door, the rooftops are red, the window sills either have flowers or someone's laundry hanging out to dry. The churches date back 800 years ago, to a time we can only imagine.

Anyway - after our market trip, we walked past the Arno (the main river artery that many famous Florence bridges cross) and then on to the Duomo (Florence's Cathedral that dates back to the 1300's). We chose to climb the 400+ steps to the top of the Duomo to see the city from up high. It was not a walk for the weary - my heart was palpatating out of my chest when we reached the top. But, the beauty from above was worth every step. The red rooftops, the churches, the gardens - all even more beautiful from above. We met Steph and one of her students for dinner afterwards- enjoying a traditional Napoli meal. Naples is known for their pizza, which has a thicker dough and more savory topping. We began the dinner with wine (as is every good Italian dinner) and pasta frittata (fried pasta that was to die for!). We were not bothered by annoying waitstaff wanting to give up our table to the next person, as is what happens in the states. Instead, we sat together and talked and ate for nearly 3 hours. Italians like to end their meals with a liquor called Limoncello, a digestivo (digestive) drink that aids in your body's processing food. It was like a strong liquid lemon drop. A long, brisk walk home topped off our evening!