Spring Break: Florence, Italy

From the ridiculous to the sublime.....



One day after Fasching, we took off for Florence, Italy.  I had just read "The Agony and the Ectasy" - the story of Michelangelo.  Perfect pre-read for visiting his hometown. 

We were all walking from the train station to our hotel, bags in hand, when we stopped in one of the many Piazza's to check our map.  All of a sudden, I heard my name being yelled from somewhere.  It was our good friend Kari Graven from Brookings, who was on an extended visit to Florence.  She was a perfect host for our 3 days there.

Duomo and Bell Tower

River Arno

 

Kari and our Crew

After visiting the museum holding Michelangelo's famous David sculpture, we took advantage of the beautiful weather and took a bus above the city to M's very own piazza.  What a view from here.



View of the Arno River with the Ponte Vecchio





The view from Piazza de Michelangelo was stunning so we stopped at a restaurant that had a terrace overlooking the city.  We all got pizza of course.   





Duomo

This part of Italy is the "white sauce" part.... the lasagna is not tomato based, but instead has amazing white sauce.  There are way too many restaurants to try, but Kari managed to get us into the most crowded ones with her inside connections. 



Dome of Duomo


After visiting one amazing view, we took the long trip up to the top of the Duomo... all 367 steps.  Eventually you make it outside at the very top.  But just before that, you get to walk around the inside of the dome just below the paintings.  It's a scary walk not only because of the height but also because you get a close up view of the carnage depicted on the dome.  It's mostly end of days stuff....really scary hell depictions.  So much for uplifting art when you come to church. 



Portion of Dome frescoe



View from Dome

We talked to other expats here in Germany and many of them think Florence is the most beautiful city in Europe.  Many have been back 2 or 3 times.  There is so much to see and we were lucky it was off season.  The crowds were light and the hotels reasonable.   



This is Italy



Big Thanks!! to our good friend Kari for being our host - knowledgeable, fun, and always laughing!!

Ciao!



  



Spring Break: Fasching Fest

Our girls came to visit during their spring break.  Katie brought her friend Kate for her first trip overseas.  Our first adventure began Monday morning (Rosenmontag- Rose Monday prior to ash wednesday) when we walked down our hill, caught a bus to the train station, then met some other expat locals.  We then took a train to the town of Mainz, just over the Rhine river from Wiesbaden.  Mainz is known for having one of Germany's best Fasching Festivals and parade.  We wrote about it last year.  Everyone dresses up like it's Halloween. 

The floats have political themes or are just plain weird.  Each has a crew throwing out everything from candy to tissues to yes, sausages. 

It was a beautful day and we heard there were 500,000 people in the city.  This is Germany's version of Mardi Gras.  But it's very German.  There is of course, lots of drinking going on. 

 

Our crew seemed to fit right in.  We had a few pirates, many cowgirls with sparkly hats, a guy in a Julio silver suit, and a King.  This big guy on the float to the right is flashing some politician we think. 

The crowds were so huge, it was difficult to even see some of the floats...then you get hit on the head with candy or what-all.  Our crew had a great time.



                                                Locomotive Head next to Elvis

What's not to like when you can dress up, drink beer, sip wine, and watch a goofy parade with 500,000 Germans.  Hmmm, sound sort of like Hobo Day.

Tschus!