Ciao Florence!

Finally Florence! I have wanted to visit Florence as long as I can remember. After a flight from Seattle to Heathrow (not Terminal 5, thank heaven), a bus to Gatwick, a flight from Gatwick to Pisa, an then a midnight bus ride to Florence.




I arrived in Florence at 1 am in the morning. I took a quick cab from the Florence train station to the Grand Hotel Minerva, on the Piazza Santa Maria Novella



It is a great old world hotel with a fabulous view. I looked out my hotel window early the next morning and saw this wonderful medieval church. It was the first of my WOW Italia moments. I first studied this church in an Art History class circa 1979 at Ucla. Up until this moment, I had only seen this church on a slide show during a lecture.




Now it's time to wander the streets of Florence on my own. A few turns through the winding streets and I catch a glimpse of the Duomo.



Standing in the piazza was truly breathtaking. This cathedral is soooooo huge that pictures can't capture its awesomeness. all of the great masters of painting & sculpture in Florence in the 13th, 14th & 15th centuries. I had to pinch myself that I was really standing there.