Arriving in Florence was a nice change of pace after spending such a long time in Rome. There is WAY less people: less tourists, less street vendors, less creepers. Florence is also amazing because it’s so walkable.
After relying on the metro and buses to get around, it was nice to do things on our own schedule and path. We got off the train around 11:00 and strolled the 8 minute walk to our hostel. It wasn’t quite ready for us, but we were able to change our clothes and wash our faces in a bathroom before heading out to explore the city. Monica’s friend spent a semester studying in Florence, so we had the inside information on where to eat on our meager budget. We stared in amazement at the Duomo (which means main church of the city) before our bellies rumbled, reminding us of the amazing sandwich shop we were originally headed for. After meandering through some more windy streets, we arrived at the Oil Shoppe, a sandwich shop, a quarter of the size of any Subway and full of amazing smells. We stood in awe of the giant menu posted out front, made our selection, the changed it 4 or 5 times before actually approaching the counter to order. A sandwich filled with lots of vegetables, prosciutto, and freshly grated cheeses and a can of Coke only cost 4 euro… a god send after 10 and 12 euro lunches in the days past. After inhaling the giant sandwich of greatness while further inspecting the menu, we debated sitting and waiting to be hungry and order again, they were seriously that good. The final decision was to order another one to take with us hiking the next day.
After relying on the metro and buses to get around, it was nice to do things on our own schedule and path. We got off the train around 11:00 and strolled the 8 minute walk to our hostel. It wasn’t quite ready for us, but we were able to change our clothes and wash our faces in a bathroom before heading out to explore the city. Monica’s friend spent a semester studying in Florence, so we had the inside information on where to eat on our meager budget. We stared in amazement at the Duomo (which means main church of the city) before our bellies rumbled, reminding us of the amazing sandwich shop we were originally headed for. After meandering through some more windy streets, we arrived at the Oil Shoppe, a sandwich shop, a quarter of the size of any Subway and full of amazing smells. We stood in awe of the giant menu posted out front, made our selection, the changed it 4 or 5 times before actually approaching the counter to order. A sandwich filled with lots of vegetables, prosciutto, and freshly grated cheeses and a can of Coke only cost 4 euro… a god send after 10 and 12 euro lunches in the days past. After inhaling the giant sandwich of greatness while further inspecting the menu, we debated sitting and waiting to be hungry and order again, they were seriously that good. The final decision was to order another one to take with us hiking the next day.
After leaving the sandwich shop, we headed back to the church to actually experience its greatness without interruptions. The outside was made with colored marble, resulting in beautiful patterns that are uncommon in monochromatic churches. The highlight of the church was the family of ginger children sitting on the sidewalk across the street, sketching their own versions... SO PRECIOUS!
Next, we ventured to another church where Galileo and a bunch over other people are buried. We didn’t pay to go inside (trying to spend smart) but ate gelato while we appreciated its beauty from the plaza. After the gelato, we crossed the river and headed to the Garden of Boboli. This is a gigantic garden full of statues, fountains, ponds, and amazing plants. It also didn’t hurt that there were movie quality views from certain points, overlooking the Tuscan countryside. AWESOME! The parks were a lot hillier than I had expected, which resulted in some sore muscles later.
After a nice low-key day of exploring, we grabbed dinner at another recommended restaurant. The highlight was the panna cotta dessert topped with fresh strawberries. After all of the pasta, it was the perfect after dinner snack. We stopped at a supermarket on our walk home, to buy things for breakfast (the hostel had a kitchen!) and more snacks for the hike the next day, then turned in early for our long day hiking the Cinque Terre!
No comments:
Post a Comment