Days 23, 24, 25: Florence

It's 4am and I'm writing in the airport, about to get my plane to Madrid!

It's been nice taking some breaks from writing for sleep, but I also hope that I can fully recall everything I'd like to from the past 3 days! One of the main reasons I decided to write was so that I could always go back and remember and reflect on this incredible trip!

Day 23: What a full day! We started with a self guided tour of the Galleria Accademia. This is where Michaelangelo's David is. The statue is so insanely beautiful. I didn't think I'd be so attached, but as soon as I left the room I already missed it. Of course there was much more in the Accademia, but David takes your breath away.

After the Accademia, we had a guided tour of the Cathedral called Duomo as well as the tower, and baptistery. The outside of the cathedral is insanely ornate and the dome and tower are impressive. They can be seen from anywhere in the city.

The Duomo Muesem also had an impressive collection of art including Mary Magdelan by Donnetello, and another Pieta by Michaelangelo (my favorite Pieta is in St. Peter in Rome).

After our tours Alley and I went to a great little restaurant where Alley had her favorite food of the trip. I had pasta with wild boar. The wine and food were both incredible. Then we started working our way towards our pasta making class! We stopped at a few bars on the way there to kill some time.

The pasta class was soooo much fun and there were two couples there from the states that we made quick friends with.

We even went out with one of the couples after the class. Overall a full and fun day!

Day 24:

This day was a little rough for me from the get go. I may have drank a little extra wine at pasta class that set me up for BAD motion sickness on our bus tour to Sienna and San Gimignano. After the curvy road up to Sienna I was not feeling too well.

It didn't stop me from absorbing everything I could from our tour guide and the beautiful city of Sienna. We got to enter the cathedral there which is so beautiful. I even had a few minutes of silence to myself in a side chapel for prayer.

After Sienna we drive towards San Gimignano but stopped at a winery to taste test wines and eat pasta! The meal and wines were so lovely.... I wished I could eat more, but my tummy was still pretty uneasy. We did have a blast meeting our table mates at lunch. They were all so friendly and were trying so hard to help me with gum, Dramamine, and anything else that I might need.

After lunch we went to San Gimignano, the Manhattan of Italy. It's called this because there are so many towers. The city was small, beautiful, and had plenty of panoramic views of the Tuscan country side around it. That was my favorite part. On the way back the tour guide, Lorenzo, let me sit next to him in the front seat of the bus. It was so interesting getting to know him better and learn a bit about his life in Italy. Thank goodness my lunch stayed down.

I napped when we arrived back at our Airbnb and that was a life saver! I woke up with an appetite so we went out for Pizza! I forgot to take a picture..

Day 25:

Thank goodness yesterday felt SO much better. Both of us were so excited to have a free day to relax and take in more of Florence and do the things we hadn't done yet.

We started out with a fresh squeezed juice and a pastry. We walked with our little breakfast around the huge Mercado Centrale looking at all the fish, cheese, meat, and mushrooms you could ever see. After the market we stopped at a couple more churches that I wanted to see/enter before we left. I was greatful because there was multiple churches with a separate prayer area that you could enter for free.

We also got to take a better look at the statues in Loggia and the Ponte Vecchio bridge. After wondering the city for the morning we at the famous sandwiches at All Antico Vinaio! There's always huge lines at the restaurant, but they shuffle you through so quickly. We were both happy with our sandwich decisions.

After lunch and a small break at the Airbnb we decided to conquer the Giotto Tower. 439 steps later we had incredible views of the dome and the whole city and even the surrounding countryside. It's a long and tough climb, but 100% worth it. We rewarded ourselves with a cocktail at a bar right next to Dante Alighieri's former residence. You may know him as the author of the Divine Comedy, which is a favorite of mine. After our break I was able to enter the Duomo from a side door and attend confession. It was a great experience and the Priest gave beautiful counsel. He told me that the reason I'm drawn to sin is human, but the reason I'm drawn to confession is the Divine calling. It was beautiful to reflect on this in prayer and realizing how this whole trip and the desire to go on pilgrimage isn't just a whim that I made up in my head, but a Divine calling for a true encounter with the Lord. I'm so grateful it worked out for the times, and there was even an English speaking priest available.

We slowly made our way all the way back through the city to reach the Piazzale Michaelangelo. We were recommended to make it to the top of the hill for sunset. It did not disappoint! Watching the sun go down past the dramatic clouds and then seeing the city slowly start to light up was magical. You could also see the Tuscan hills in the background making the view even more special.

After soaking in the sunset we made the walk back towards our Airbnb. We stopped for supper and had house wine and delightful pasta. I had gniocchetti with shrimp and pea sauce. So good.

If you made it this far with all my grammar and spelling errors, kudos to you! I know a lot more people have joined my trip, due to Mom posting on Facebook! I love to have people following, I ask that you keep us in your prayers as we start this incredible journey! Also, I'm not a skilled writer at all, so bare with me :).

Visiting Alley and exploring Florence has been great! Again, I'm eager to continue on to the next leg of the trip, and perhaps the most life changing. I'm also excited to be back in Spanish speaking country!