Italian Excursion Take 1 - Rome to Florence

Wow this past two months have been crazy!!!  I finally am calmed down enough to write about it  :-) 
First I spent 2 weeks in Italy (one week for work in Rome, and then one week adventuring up to Tuscany and beyond).  Then I came home and got ready for my parents visit, they were here for 3 weeks and traveled around Denmark and Italy themselves (I met up with them on the weekends).  Now I will attempt to sum it all up!

Lets first start with my own personal love affair with Italy.  I LOVE that country  :-D

After Amsterdam I headed to Rome for work for the week.  Sue (my coworker) and I spent the evenings wandering around the city and eating amazing food!  Artichokes were just coming into season down there and I got to have a delicious artichoke for my starter most nights.  LOVE AFFAIR!!  num num num num.  Think I may have scared a couple people with the relationship I was having with my food.  I just couldn't help myself, even thinking about it now is making me want one so bad....

I mean really, how can you not just be in heaven when you walk up to a restaurant and this is out front? 

Wandering... 

 Spanish steps, always crazy!  People singing and just playing around, I remember this from my last visit too, last time there was a "football" (aka soccer for those Americans) game in town and the steps were crazy busy with people in their respective jerseys singing war songs  ;-p

My absolute favorite thing about Rome, all the fountains, every time I visit I wander looking at them all again.  Every time I love them  :-) 

Vatican City 

Inside the St. Peter's Basilica 

Piazza Navona at night 

 Sue took off on Friday morning so I went and worked from the office for the morning and then went to the Colosseum and roman forum in the afternoon.  My last trips I didn't make it into the Colosseum so this time I was not going to be deterred.  Once I was down there I found out that the weekend was going to be the end of "culture week" so the main state museums were free of charge.  I thought it would be fun to take a tour though so I paid a little to have some guy talk a group of our ears off.  Not ideal, he talked forever outside of the Colosseum and then once we were in he sat us down and rambled on and on about how "tough Romans are, and how men still have roman-like tendencies".. Not worth the money,  I kept wandering off bored with what he was talking about, as very little of it had to do with the actual monument.  Oh well, I spent a long time wandering around after that just soaking in the magnificence of the place.

It is a bit brutal to think about what really actually went on in there, that felons were forced to fight for their life against unknown beasts/ opponents.. and if they happened to survive they became "gladiators" who then got the opportunity to do it all over again  ;-o  Walking around you can see the chambers/ pathways which were where the animals were brought in and raised up through ancient elevators to attack.  Not very humane for the poor animals either  :-(  But I am sure would have been quite a wild show.

Afterwards I wandered around the Roman Forum until they kicked me out at closing time 

There was a little mini orange garden in the middle

Everything in Rome is just so grandiose 

Cool elephant I found one night wandering around (lost once again), seemed to get lost just about every time I started wandering in circles, but it was mostly an ok lost.   

Two nights I did hail a taxi to take me home after realizing either how far it was to get home, or not really knowing where I was at.  Some guy I walked by was about to get on his moped and offered to take me home, very nice offer, but a bit sketch. So I declined, and he went in a circle and came back around and offered again as he was not convinced I knew where I was going  ;-p

Now on to the new adventure to places I have not  yet seen... Florence being first stop.  Each stop this trip I go somewhere a bit smaller, winding my way down before heading back to laid back Denmark.  ;-)

Man with it still being the end of culture week it was a MAD HOUSE in Florence.  Well that is what I am blaming it on but really I think it might always be that busy there.  I just am not used to the crazy crowds anymore.  I wandered around the city center the first day, wondering how on earth people could stand in line for HOURS to get into Uffizi museum.  I mean, I like art and all, but I just really would never wait that long to get in to see the famous paintings housed within.

I had a much more enjoyable time wandering around the less popular museums.  Then I could stroll at my own pace and look as long as I wanted without people breathing down my neck.  And really I think I like statues better a lot of the time anyway.  I am in awe of how intricate they are, I have no idea how long it would take to carve something out of stone and make it look so detailed.  And there are thousands of the statues everywhere!  A life's work.

So gruesome 

All of a sudden there was a drumbeat and there was a procession of people parading out of the museum and through the square..

At the end of the day when the crowds had died down a bit I came back to the bell tower and started the 400-ish steps to the top for some city views.

View from inside the bell tower

And a little bit higher 

Everyone below looked like little ants 

The last day I saw them again!  They must parade all around the town  :-) 

Onto some of my favorite statues from the trek 

 My favorite thing about Florence was wandering out of the city through all the little streets... away from all the people, but through very pretty places. Flowers blooming everywhere at the start of spring!!!

Olive groves lined some of the paths 

Old city wall lining the city

I love all of the door knockers everywhere, it just adds a bit more flair to the city.  No clue why this one had one big knocker and two mini ones on the side, but it was for sure my favorite.  I like things a bit off  ;-)

Last night in Florence I got to listen to some amazing street performers giving everyone a soul wrenching performance.  Was bone chilling, and absolutely beautiful.