On to Firenze

Well, after we departed Rome. we took the Eurostar train to Firenze (Florence). It was a beautiful ride through the Italian countryside and we were bubbling with excitement as we knew we were getting close to seeing Mary Beth. We took a taxi to our hotel and then went walking to her apartment which was only 5-10 minutes away. We found the street but did not know the exact # so we finally had to find a phone booth (and figure out how to work it) and called her. It was thrilling to see her running down the narrow street toward us. On a side note, since she has been there she has gotten more beautiful, more confident and glowing. After seeing her apartment and meeting her roommates, we got some K-Bob's for lunch and then walked over the Arno to the Medici gardens. They were large and beautiful and we also went into the old palace (now a museum) and we got to catch up on things. That afternoon we boarded a train and headed out to the Cinque Terre (more on that later).

We got back from Cinque Terre late the next evening and went to bed. Mary Beth had class all the next day, so Luana and I went to the Accademia and once again got to be awed by Michaelangelo's David. Unfortunately you can no longer take pictures but we stood there for a long time taking it all in. Then we walked over to the magnificent Duomo and walked through that beautiful Basilica.Then I let Luana do some shopping while I took the 430 steps up to the top of the Duomo which offered a 360 degree view of Florence and the weather was perfect.

We then got some lunch and opted for a relaxing afternoon of lounging on the grass by the Arno River and reading. Then Mary Beth met up with us and she took us up to the Piazza de Michaelangelo for another overlook of the city and an amzing sunset. We capped off the evening with a wonderful dinner with her good friend Meg. We then said our goodbyes and headed off the next morning to Venezia.