All the Pretty Things

The orginal purpose of this blog site was to focus on travel and adventures. My goal was to document my time in Europe for myself and those of you that would like to live vicarously through me. I have seriously failed documenting all of my travels and for that I apologize. But I am going to try to make it up somewhat by blogging about one of my favorite places: Florence, Italy.



I just went on my third trip to Florence this weekend. Somehow I always find myself in Firenze in May with two other women. All three times this has been the situation and three times have been amazing.

 Trip 1- Emily J, Mama "Oh hell" J, and me May 2011

Now I might love Florence so much because my first experience was so grand. I went last May with Emily J and her mother. And we had an amazing time. We did a little shopping (not the amount that I have done in other visits) but had a great taste of the city. We laughed, we ate, we drank, we conversed about life, and we say many great views (many of them we had to climb to). I left wanting more of the city.

Trip 2- Gretch, Kelly, and I May 2011

So three weeks later, I went back with my sister and Kelly. Maybe I love Florence because this trip was also one of the best that I have taken. I still think about that trip and smile. This trip did more damage to all of our pocketbooks though because we pretty much just drank wine and shopped... and found out the dangers of combining these two activities. Italian wine makes everything better and it makes every purchase seem necessary.

Trip 3- Dana, Alexis, and me May 2012

After that trip, I needed a year for my bank account to recover. When the opportunity presented for Dana and I to go there and meet up with Alexis, I booked the ticket 30 minutes after I found out that it was an option.



Some of my fellow European travelers love to go to as many places as possible. And I understand this... each place has a different feel and something different to offer. And plus you do get a little sense of pride when you can talk about all the different places that you have traveled. I, on the other hand, love to revisit the places that I love. Florence, small town Ireland, Sardinia, Scotland, and Austria are places that I would go back every weekend if had the chance. So call me boring but I have a little case of monogamy when it comes to traveling...  I guess not really monogamy but I definitely have a few favorites.

There are so many great things about Florence.  The San Lorenzo Market is full of gorgeous leather products and amazingly colorful fruit, veggies, olive oil, cheese, meat, and wine.  So each trip started with venturing through the market.

Florence is also the kind of city you want to get lost in because the architect and sculptures are really something that I have never seen anywhere else.  They are just downright mind boggling.  And these were all done in a time when computers were not utilized.

And then there is the food and wine.  Dining out is really an art form in Italy.  The Italians definitely know how to make a party in your mouth and each dining experience is unique and very enjoyable.

Florence really is a city for the senses:
1. Delicious food that is an artform to eat
2. Beautiful amazing architect and art to see
3. Gorgeous leather to feel
4. The romantic Italian language to listen to
5. And the smell of lots of money leaving your wallet

Each trip allowed me to enjoy a different part of the city.  My first trip with the Jorgensen women really let me enjoy the art of the city.  We went to the Accademia and saw David and went to the Uffizi and looked at copious amounts of Renaissance pictures.  There are many things that I have seen in Europe and not been that impressed, but when I saw David it was more amazing than anything I could ever imagine.  It is large, detailed, and done in marble- little room for error.  Wow!  This trip also included enjoying the beauty of the city.  We climbed the 400+ stairs of the Duomo tower to see the city.  Angie got a glimpse of European towers because they are very confined and small.  She would turn the corner and see all the stairs leading up and the smaller and smaller space allowed and say "oh hell" over and over again.  We also went up to the Piazza Michaelangelo to watch the sun go down.  We learned there that many teenage American exchange students live in Florence.  

My second trip really was laid back fun.  The three of us really came, saw, drank wine, and shopped.  It ended with us having a "homeless moment" on a park bench for two hours drinking out of a bottle of Prosecco because we didn't have money to spend on lunch.  I would say that was a successful Florence trip.

This trip was just so much fun with Dana and Alexis.  We definitely bought a lot.  I went thinking I already owned everything from Florence that I needed and wanted.  I proved myself wrong and went shopping crazy.  I guess I can chalk it up to buying myself some grown up necessities.  We also got an inside scoop on the city because Alexis is studying there for two weeks so she had some cool things to share about the city.

So now I will admit to my purchases.. and here comes the time in my blog when you are allowed to judge. Because I left Florence with many souvenirs and all beautiful things that I can't believe I lived without for so long!!! Beautiful red leather bags, leather boots, a leather jacket, scarves and jewelry.... and some great life-long memories! I left with a happy heart and an empty pocketbook.  Til next time Firenze... Arrividerci!!!