We had a great time, along with my parents and his. I’m not really a gambler at all, but it was fun to see all of the casinos and check out the general craziness of Vegas itself.

I can say it was fun to have been at the real Eiffel Tower and the one at the Hotel Paris within two weeks…

I brought my camera along for a tiny bit and took only a couple of shots, but here they are anyway.

Dying for some predictable American food, we ate lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe in Florence, adding another Hard Rock to my list. Courtney, her roommate Laura and I enjoyed nice burgers and potato skins, all of which were much needed.

After refueling, I decided then head into the city with intentions to climb the Campanile. It was probably not the best idea being sick and all, but it was totally worth it.

After the long climb to the top, I arrived just in time to watch the sun set. The weather was probably the nicest on this last day throughout my entire stay, so I really did luck out.

The day was also Courtney’s 22nd birthday. I felt horrible that I was not very energetic, but we still looked around online for a nice restaurant to eat at in celebration.

Just across from the Santa Croce, we ate dinner at a nice calm restaurant and enjoyed a very long meal for our last night together for four months. We had delicious cheese plate with various Italian cheeses, none of which we really knew. We pretty much filled up on cheese and could not even finish our dinners.

After some nice conversation and good food, we decided to call it a night.

I knew that leaving her would be very difficult, because this will be the longest that we have been apart since we met. In over four years of friendship and just over four years of dating, this new experience will be so different for the both of us. I know that the time will go fast, especially for her, being in a new city, a new country, and with new friends. I’m so excited to have gotten to be with her on the journey to Florence and I cannot wait to hear all about her new experiences.

I said goodbye to her the following morning and hopped in my taxi to Florence’s airport, thus completing an unforgettable experience, traveling together, learning new things about each other and growing closer.

I always enjoy just simply wandering around a new city and seeing what I come across rather than having a planned out schedule. I ended up eating lunch at a little pizza stand, which ended up being much less expensive than the restaurants that I had become accustomed to.

There was one thing that caught my eye, a tall hill across the river from the main city. I made way for that area and found myself in for an incredible view. After walking for quite a way, I found an entrance to the roads leading up to the top of the hill. After a short walk, I found myself at a beautiful open area that had a panoramic view of the city. There is a large set of stairs that overlook the view. After snapping a few photos, I made my way to the steps and purchased an Italian beer to sip while enjoying the late afternoon sun.

I had a nice awkward (due to the language barrier) conversation with an old Italian man who did not speak any English (and I only a handful of words in Italian). We were able to easily talk cameras and have a nice little exchange, regardless.

After heading down the hill, another hill across the street caught my eye. I knew that the Medici villa was on top of this one, but I wanted to see what I could find. I climbed a fairly hellishly long steep hill along the city walls for what ended up being nothing too crazy. I did enjoy a nice walk down admiring the high and colorful Italian apartments lining the streets.

I found a couple of cool looking doors on the walk. Whenever I have been in Europe, I always enjoy admiring the old and unique doors around the various cities. It is always cool to see a very old building with a more modern door buzzer or something on them.

I crossed the Ponte Veccio and found a bunch of locks attached to a railing, which I imagine is supposed to be similar to the fence in France.

After arriving back in the main city, I found out that there was a large parade happening to celebrate Epiphany. At the Duomo, I caught the tail of the parade, which included a bunch of people dressed in old clothing, complete with armor, clergy attire, and the whole works.

I eventually got to meet up with Courtney again and enjoyed a nice glass of wine and late dinner with her and two of her roommates. We sat and ate right outside of the Duomo and were shocked to see the amazing view that lurked just outside of the restaurant window. The Duomo was surprisingly less crowded at night. Apparently the holiday brings in a TON of people from all around the enjoy the festivities. Courtney’s apartment is just minutes away from the Duomo, so we went back there to relax and enjoy her new place.

We were not yet sure where in the city it would be, but we soon found out that she totally lucked out. Her placed is located just about a two minute walk from her favorite gelato in the entire world. She was more than happy to find that out…I half expected her to make her little “yum face” just seeing the place on the map (by “yum face” I mean how she ever so slightly and quickly sticks her tongue out of the side of her mouth when eyeing a dessert).

Arriving at the apartment, we soon found it to be incredibly artsy. There is a large wood door on the street from which you enter with a key, then climb some stairs and find yourself at another large door with what seemed like fifty different locks to bring you into her colorful new apartment. The walls are orange, with paintings of flowers, some soft window light, three rooms, a nice sized kitchen, a living room, a outside patio, and two bathrooms.

She quickly made her room choice and got the one with a beautiful view of the Santa Croce.

We moved her into her room and unpacked her belongings in her new home. She was so happy with the place and it was great to see how quickly it came to feel like home. Its cozy, feels italian, and quite trendy.

Her three new roommates were great. We met two of them in the hall coming up and the third arrived shortly after. Courtney immediately made friends with all three and especially one of them.

I can honestly say that I think the months ahead for her will be incredible, life changing, and will help her grow tremendously.

After enjoying her apartment for a little while, we went for a walk around Santa Croce and visited the old leather school. Inside, they had beautiful leather bags, wallets, desk mats, suitcases, and more. All priced well out of our range of course… Photographs of various world leaders, musicians, artists, and more were hung and signed around the rooms of people who had visited. I believe that President Eisenhower even commissioned this shop specifically to make his presidential desk mat and other things for his office.

We then went for a walk across the river to visit the Ponte Veccio. According to Courtney’s memory, the Ponte Veccio is a special bridge connection one side of Florence to the main city part. The Medici family had their villa across the river and would use this, along with other high class politicians/artists/clergy to reach the city of the Florence. The Medici villa sits on a beautiful hill overlooking the city. The city walls are just on the other side of it, protecting the city of Florence. The contemporary Ponte Veccio is now filled with jewelry shops and tourist activity. It was fun to see…although I think walking on it once was probably enough.

I tried my first Italian beer, but I cannot even remember the name of it. It was one of their major beers in the area…unfortunately it was not very good. I later tried a Moretti (I believe it was called) on the following day, which was not tremendously better. For the rest of the trip, I stuck with wine, which was incredible everywhere I had it.

Our first two days in Florence were great. I can rest easy know that Courtney will have an incredible semester ahead of her, surrounded by the art that she studies. I mean, how bad can a place be when Michaelangelo is buried just minutes away from your apartment?

We waited around in the airport for a couple of hours after the tiring haul with Courtney’s luggage (for her four month stay in Florence) first to Gare de Lyon (a central metro terminal that also has a train station, in Paris) and discovering that we were unable to get seats on the train we needed, we then made our way to Orly. After getting our tickets and getting booked for a flight to Rome, were found a crazy McDonalds. Normally, McDonald’s is a regular old fast food joint…this one in Orly however, has digital ordering stations, a built in McDonald’s “McCafe,” waiters that bring you food, whole wheat buns, free wifi, and power supplies at some of the tables. It also had a great view of the airport and tons of space. We posted up there for a few hours waiting for our 5:45 flight to Rome.

Once we arrived in Rome, we quickly took a taxi to our hotel and then went for a nighttime hunt for food. We originally planned on going to the Hard Rock, because I wanted at least one part of our day to be exactly predictable due to the stress that I experienced trying to leave Paris in any way possible. Even at 10 at night, the wait was over an hour, so we ate lunch at a little nearby cafe. The cafe turned out to be very unimpressive for Rome and we were disappointed and ready to go to Florence.

The next morning, we immediately headed out to Roma Termini to board our train to Florence. Roma Termini is a little confusing for us new travelers. After receiving some assistance and making a ticket change (to an earlier departure) we got on board a fast train to Florence. That ride only took about an hour and a half. It was a beautiful ride and we finally got some use out of our rail passes. Something we did learn is this; the romanticized idea of the train ride through Europe is much less impressive than you would be lead to believe. Maybe twenty years ago, things were cheaper and easier, but now trains are more expensive than flights around Europe, sometimes. You also should not travel on them with lots of luggage…that was not fun. You have to watch for pickpockets and people posing as train personnel who might steal your luggage or your ticket. It is slower and just overall much more stressful when going to countries in which you do not speak the language.

Enough about my train hatred…here are some shots of the beautiful ride.

Arriving in Florence was incredible. The city is just as beautiful as I remember it, even in the rain. Seeing the Duomo at night is a beautiful sight and really makes you feel quite small.

After eating a nice lunch at a place called Nuti, we went for a walk around the city. We just love to enjoy the small streets and beautiful old buildings.

Being with Courtney, there was one thing that was required that we do…stop for gelato at what has been claimed by numerous people to be the world’s best gelato. A little place called Vivoli has incredible gelato for a moderate price. It is not in the most obvious location, but once you go, you never forget it. So we each enjoyed some gelati and cafe espresso.

We decided to celebrate our 4 year dating-anniversary a day late in Florence and went to find a restaurant to have dinner in. After seeing that our originally planned restaurant was closed for the night, we found this little place off of the main streets and tucked back a little bit. After trying to figure out if the place was still open or not, we were brought inside by a waiter who then led us to the main seating area down a flight of stairs. It was a small little place, but it ended up being amazing. The food was terrific. Courtney had a truffled ravioli and I had a spinach-pasta dish that I cannot remember the name of. We left very satisfied and decided it was our second best meal in Europe, because the bangers and mash from London was still our top pick.

Here are some photos from the day. A few from the train ride and then a couple of the Duomo at night.

Enjoy.

Breakfast.

The Eiffel Tower was great to see. As we arrived, the lines were monstrous and never ending, we could not even find the end of the ticket line. We decided to pass on the horrible lines and just admire the tower from below. We then crossed the river and attempted to find the Museum of Modern Art, which ended up being closed down for some reason. Instead of modern art, we found a fair amount of trash, dirt, and remains of two skateboard boxes on the steps of the massive building.

Our next stop was the Paris Metro. Much like the London Metro, we were able to go anywhere we needed on the speedy underground train system. We made our way to the Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile and also decided to pass on the line and expensive ticket to the top. Seeing the places from the bottom was good enough for me, for now. This is my first time in Paris, so everything is new. We decided that it would be better to see more and explore more than it would be to wait a couple of hours in a line.

After the Arc, we rode the Metro to the Basilique du Sacre Coeur. This was by far the most interesting part of the day. The famous steps were packed with people, but it was surprisingly easy to relax on. A live musician played guitar and sang while everyone enjoyed the panoramic view of the city. Courtney and I ate a hot dog baguette thingy, which was a ton cheaper than the many cafes around the area and still tasted great. We walked around the little market, checked out a square filled with painters and other artists.

There was also this guy named Iya Traore (click his name to check out his facebook page) who did the most insane stuff with a soccer ball while standing on a ledge overlooking the city. He even climbed this super tall light post and continued his magic while doing a human flag pole. I was shocked, never seen anyone do anything quite like that. Here are some shots of that…

We did decide to climb the 300 stairs to the Basilique’s Dome. The view from atop there has to be the best in Paris. It was the highest point that I could see, rivaling the Eiffel Tower (I could not tell which was taller). It reminded me of the Duomo in Florence quite a bit but offered the unique Paris cityscape. Whenever I go to a new city, one of my favorite things is to find the highest point to view the area with. It might be my fascination with maps or maybe it just helps to put all of the locations into perspective. I loved being up there and so did Courtney.

It started to rain as we headed back to the Metro and made our way to the Notre Dame and the Sainte Chappelle. On our way, I was brave and tried to “hot wine.” It was surprisingly good and did not taste like how I thought it would. It was more like a warm cider, but grapes…obviously, I guess. We also walked by some French kids playing soccer against an apartment building.

We found that the Sainte Chappelle was closed for the day (yes, even at 4 in the afternoon) but still got to walk through the Notre Dame. That was magnificent. It was much larger than I expected and probably the closest thing in my mind to St. Peter’s Basilica (maybe as far as the feel goes, although Courtney just called me dumb for comparing the two because they are so different…but hey, I’m only a philosophy major).

After completing our tour there, we decided to head back to the hotel armed with some French pinot noir, some French cheese, and a baguette. From there, we spent the evening gathering energy, planning our next leg of the trip and enjoyed just a bit of wine along with the delicious cheese and bread.

Tomorrow, we are not sure what will come our way. We might be heading to Milan or maybe city in Southern France, all contingent upon trains. So for now, that’s all I know. I did book my hotel in Florence. I’ll be staying in this great hotel that I stayed in back in 2008 with the group from high school after our graduation. The hotel is an old monastery, so it looks pretty neat.

A ice skating area was set up in front of the Hotel de Ville.

On our walk back to the hotel.

On our walk toward the Eiffel Tower.

a little video I shot with my iPhone in London

Anyhow, today started with me going for a little journey on my own through the Buckingham Palace area before we began the rest of our day. I headed out coincidentally as the changing of the guard happened…I did not quite expect that. I heard that the palace got crowded when the change happens, but I had no idea how crowded. Maybe it was just because of New Year’s Eve or something, but it was pretty awesome. The guard change itself was not very exciting, but the crowd sure was. I could hardly see anything. I’m glad I did not make a big deal about it and plan my day around that event…regardless, it was still fun.

I then went for a walk around St. James’ Park, enjoying the birds and beautiful scenery.

After meeting up again with Courtney at the hotel room, we went to a nearby gastropub called “The Phoenix.” It was there that I had my first English beer, but the sad part is, I could not remember the name of the beer. When we sat down, the waitress asked me, “bitter or lager?” and I answered, “bitter, whatever is the most local.” It was tasty, whatever it was. I remember reading that they serve their beers a little less cold than we do in the States. It was also not as carbonated as most beers that I am used to, but regardless, it was great. Mixed with a huge burger and a football game the TV, we were in for a great lunch. Here are some shots from lunch.

After our lunch, we went to check out the Portobello Market, which ended up being not as exciting as we imagined. It was packed with people and just a little too crazy. We walked around for a while and then decided to take a double decker bus to Trafalgar Square. From there, we caught a glimpse of how our evening would work for New Year’s.

Here are a bunch of shots showing the day…

After that, we grabbed our bags and took the Underground to King’s Cross/St. Pancras and boarded an above ground train to Luton Airport, where we caught our cheaper flight to Paris. Believe it or not, the chunnel was crazy expensive, and it was cheaper for us to take a train to another city and fly to Paris than to buy a train ticket to Paris.

Now we arrived in Paris and we are going to see if we can find ourselves some wine and French food.

Speaker’s Corner

A cool older building amongst new ones.

The Brits had a great DJ playing music for a couple of hours before and after the show. This, combined with the alcohol that people carried around in the streets made for an exciting night. People were dancing all over, it felt very safe and all around happy. We walked by tons of police, both on horses and on foot or in police vans.

In front of us was the London Eye, which was the center of the fireworks show and then behind us was Big Ben, which also had its own time to shine. As Big Ben struck 12, champagne sprayed in the air and fireworks exploded in the sky. It was definitely my most exciting new years yet.

Court and I fist bumped a cool British dude who turned to us right when the fireworks ended and wished us a Happy New Years.

There was so much energy all around. I think we heard at least fifty different accents or languages in the area. It was pretty awesome. The mayor came on the speaker system and told us the world would be watching.

After the fireworks, Courtney and I had some champagne ourselves back at our hotel bar. We ended up staying much longer than we thought because of our awesome bar tender, Gregory, from Poland. He talked us into another round of champagne and then also hooked us up with two free rounds of it as well. He seemed to not enjoy some of the other customers as much as us and decided to keep a nice consistent chat going for the couple of hours that we were there. He was awesome and I’m glad that we talked to him for as long as we did.

Anyhow, here are a few photos from the nighttime portion of our New Year’s Eve. More photos of the rest of the day to come. But for now, we have some exploration to attend to.