Breath taking art, leisure dining and Pinterest worthy fashion are a few phrases that come to mind when I reflect on our time in the beautiful city of Florence.  I’ll admit, when I boarded the high speed train from Venice, to Florence, I felt a little sad.  I had fallen in love with the beauty of Venice and all of its water ways.  I wasn’t quite ready to say goodbye.  I wondered if Florence could even come close to capturing my heart the way Venice had.

Sitting across from my husband on the train and seeing the excitement in his eyes gave me hope.  As usual he had camera in hand just waiting for the perfect photo opp.  Not long into our journey he was duly rewarded.  I looked out of the window as his camera clicked in rapid succession.  Rows upon rows of  gardens and lush green country side flashed by.  Vast sprawling vineyards covered the landscape.  Classic Italian homes perched on hills overlooking the masses of soon to harvest grapes.  This forced me to change my mind.  It was truly love at first sight!

Immediately, after exiting the train station, I could feel the shift in how people moved and behaved surrounded by water, versus land.  The sounds of honking horns, sirens, and people moving in mass, hit me like a ton of bricks.  A little of my skepticism returned.  I needed a moment to process.  My husband and I headed to a little cafe next to the train station to grab a buttery croissant and cappuccino.  This little ritual had become our temporary norm.  Once we got our bearings, we set out to find our hotel.  On the walk, I couldn’t help but stare at the way people dressed and carried themselves.  Men wore beautifully crafted leather loafers, with jeans or dress pants.  The women passed by in flowing dresses with heels, well cut suits and beautiful scarves.  I recall looking at one silver haired woman and thinking she has to be 70+.  She was dressed immaculately and walking in sling backs better than I had in my early 20’s.

For the next few days my husband and I reveled in slow, lazy lunches that often lasted two hours.  We shopped and toured the city, never growing tired of all that Florence had to offer.  The day before we departed, we visited the Galleria degli Uffizi, which houses some of the most incredible art.    My husband, an accomplished artist himself, was in 7th heaven.  We viewed the most amazing art my eyes have ever beheld (don’t tell my husband that:).  World renowned artists were represented such as: Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Corriggio (Seriously, all the ninja turtle came to mind as I typed this)

Some of my favorites were artists I had never heard of.  I have a vast array of pictures to share with you.  I hope you enjoy them as much as we do.  Our time in Florence was a beautiful whirl wind.  We loved every minute.  The hotel we stayed in was wonderful and perfectly positioned near the city center.  This particular hotel provided breakfast daily.  We were also impressed by the hospitality of the staff!  At the end of our stay, I was saddened to leave the sweet locals, gorgeous landscapes  and great food.  Goodbye inevitably came and we were off to our final city; Rome!  We could not imagine leaving Italy without visiting such an Iconic and historical city.  Meet me in our next blog and see what Rome offered the Jagwes!

© Until then, I wish you unshakeable faith, wealth beyond measure and laughter ’til it hurts.

Kim J.

Photos and text , all rights reserved.  To use with permission, contact Solomon Jagwe at www.sowl.com