FLORENCE 2 & 3

Sunday morning we got up early to grab breakfast and meet our group for a walking tour. The tour required these walkie talkies and ear pieces. Mahlon was clearly excited to wear it.

The pigeons were the most exciting thing Dexter saw all day.  Dexter calls all birds chickens.  

The tour took us all the way across town.  It was kind of boring, honestly, and it was hard to pay attention. Here's the Medici house on one side of town.

When we got to the Duomo the bells started ringing in Giotto's tower.  Dexter and I were listening.

We walked all the way across town past Dante's house and heard some of his stories.  Then back through the Piazza della Signoria.

...back by Ponte Vecchio...

...in the middle of Ponte Vecchio...

...and finally to the other side to see the Pitti Palace, the other Medici home.

The legend is, if you rub the boar's nose it guarantees you'll return to Florence.  So I guess we'll be back!

After I rubbed the boar's nose Mahlon got a text from our friends Hollywood and Jen from North Carolina!  They were on a cruise and were in Florence for the day so we had planned to meet up.  I'm mad because I didn't get a pic of us all together.  Jen did though, so when she sends it to me I'll post it.  We had a very nice time with them.  We had lunch and went to Accademia to see the famous statue of David together.  Then they got back on their boat and sailed away.

We were meeting friends at Hard Rock Cafe for dinner.  On the way we saw the Pinocchio shop.  Pinocchio is from Florence.

Mahlon wanted a pic with Donatello, since he is Mahlon's favorite Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle.

After dinner at Hard Rock we headed back to the hotel.  Monday morning we slept late and missed breakfast at the hotel.  That's ok!  Florence is full of good breakfast!

We decided to see Santa Croce, a beautiful church where a lot of famous Florentines are buried.  Here are Dex and Mahlon with Galileo.  Michelangelo and Dante are buried here too.

Here's the outside of Santa Croce.

After that we made the rounds and just looked at everything again...all the beautiful piazzas and Ponte Vecchio.  We stopped to say goodbye to Pinocchio.

Monday afternoon we left bella Firenze and went back home.  Here's our last view of the River Arno on our way out.