Photos of Firenze [Florence]

The duomo peeks above buildings in Florence.

After spending a short time in Milano we took Trenitalia south to Florence. It's about a two and a half hour train ride with one stop in Bologna. For the rest of our trip we had a home base in Florence and took day trips to Siena, Pisa, and Lucca. We had exactly one week in Florence/Tuscany - which was a nice amount of time, but we still have lots to do when we go back again. (I can hope, right?)

I LOVE Italy! and this trip was MAGIC! Three years ago, we went to Rome and Orvieto. After studying about the Renaissance and art history in college, I HAD to go to Florence. I was really disappointed that we didn't make it to Florence that trip, but Jon promised we would go some day. And he made good on his promise and Florence did not disappoint. I was so impressed with the city - the size, the architecture, the history, the food and the art was just so... wow... MAGIC. 

This post is only about Florence, and is quite long. I've added a jump to save blog space. Also, the bold words mostly lead to wikipedia, in case you're interested in learning more about the sights and history of Florence. 

Pushing Back

Bonjour! I didn't want to let a day go by without a post, but today was busier than I planned....

And there may have been naps involved...

And I may have watched this beautiful movie...

I'm pushing back my posts for Italy until tomorrow. 

Get it? 

Ciao

365 Photos: Day 42 - 48

Every Sunday Monday I will post 7 photos for my 365 Photos project. All of my photos are taken with my iPhone, until I can save some money for a nice "real" camera. Let's see what this iPhone can do...

Day 42: Feb 11

Back to the school grind. In Dutch class early Monday morning. I miss my Italian coffee!

Day 43: Feb 12

It was a pretty uneventful day. I bought snacks for school.

Day 44: Feb 13

 It was a friets kind of day. Total comfort food.

Day 45: Feb 14

Candle light dinner with friends.

Day 46: Feb 15

Beet's for dinner. What a delicious mess!

Day 47: Feb 16

Something I saw on my errands. I think there was a parade earlier, but I missed it.
He's wearing a skirt!

Day 48: Feb 17

I went to STUK today for the annual Artefact Festival here in Leuven. The theme this year is A City Shaped. I will write more about it later this week, but first I am dying to share my photos from Italy. That's my plan for this week anyway, starting tomorrow! 

Next week I will post my 365 photos on Monday. That gives me more time to play over the weekend. 

Have a great week! 

Make 52: Week 4

Every Saturday, for 52 weeks, I will post what I make that week.

4. A. I made a lot of coffee this week. I started my intensive Dutch class and it was so hard to get back in the swing of things. I might have thrown a tantrum, but it was because I was so tired! I am still going through my Italian photos and souvenirs. 

4. B. A few more valentines for my Belgian friends. 

4. C. Another batch of Rustic Cabbage Soup. I still think it's delicious. 

4.D. I made my Moleskine journal a 100%  better with fake, but brightly colored washi tape from HEMA.  

I bought my Moleskine journal on super sale which is why it's pink. 

4. E. A vision board. It's been ages since I made one of these. I'll write more about it later. 

Check out that fancy camera I hope to have. Something better than the iPhone.

4.F. I made Alfredo sauce from scratch tonight!

I combined a recipe from this website, and techniques and ingredients from this video. 

Now that I am back in classes, I think I will post my Make 52 project on Sunday and post my 365 Photos on Mondays. That gives me more time on the weekends to play, which is what I have been doing all day. 

A Happy Valentine's Day

Valentine's day was great! 

Jon and I just got back from an amazing trip, so I wasn't really expecting anything. But, he's such a romantic. He brought me beautiful orange and yellow tulips and the tiniest budding cactus. He's the best!

This year was the first time I mailed Valentine's to friends and family, and it was such fun.

This is wedding confetti. You can find it by the city halls in various Belgian towns. I would call it Belgian wedding confetti, but it's made in China. I think it's pretty regardless and I thought it would be fun to include in my envelopes.

One friend said her cat had a fun time playing with the floating fluttering hearts. Another friend decorated with the hearts.

Cute! 

I used the wedding confetti for inspiration, but also this wood carved stamp that I found at a shop in Antwerp.

I've collected scissors for a while now, so they are kind of my symbol.

I found some cheap paper and envelopes at HEMA and went to town. I made envelope liners out of the paper and used matching washi tape on the envelopes. I had been thinking about my Valentine line for a while now, I knew it had to reference the scissors somehow. Then one night it came to me. And just like that...

CRAFT EXPLOSION!!!

Here is a variation of my design. In the end, they looked a little different.

I even added pieces of yarn from my pom-poms. Another friend said they were so "touchable."

That was nice. 

This was the first time I have ever sent out big batches of cards. Even our wedding invitations were sent digitally. But, I loved the process, and in the end it didn't really take that much time once I got in a rhythm. I have even started to think of a design for next year's cards as well. 

xoxo

Let's Talk...

Happy Valentine's Day!

Santa's Back...

We have a house guest staying with us whose name is Santa.

His, or her name is Santa because we first met him/her last Christmas. We haven't heard from Santa in a long time, but I guess the demolition in the building next door made Santa want to come back for a visit... and some cereal. Jerk.

Jon set up traps, but this does not make me very happy.  It's kind of funny, because for our first Valentine's Day I made Jon this card:

My inspiration was a book I had read to my pre-school class, and the mouse that he had in his loft. 

And here we are 4 years later...

By the way, guess what the guy at the hardware store told Jon to place in the traps?

Chocolate!

Two Tired

I started Dutch class this week and my schedule is all out of whack. I was hoping to post a about our trip, but my two favorite photos kept coming to mind. 

These are two of my favorite treats from Italy. Well, besides gelato and cappuccinos.

Ferrero Pocket Coffee Espresso

Pear juice. This stuff is so good and tastes like the Roman holiday we took a few years ago. 

That's all for tonight. Hopefully I can get on top of my time management to get organized and write about our trip tomorrow.

Milano, Domenica 3 Febbraio

We had one night in Milano, which didn't seem like a lot of time, but it was enough to get a feel for the city and see some sights. This is good, because we still have plenty to see and do when we go back.

This train was one of two that passed us by that morning. Check out the snow-covered mountains in the background!

We were lucky to stay with a friend outside of Milan. She took us to Monza the night before where we saw the duomo and had a delicious dinner of appetizers.  The next  morning, we woke up early, had our coffee and headed for the train station where we waited, and waited for the train to take us into the city. I was getting a little stressed. We had 11:00 reservations to see the Leonardo Da Vinci's Last Supper at the Convent of Santa Maria della Grazie. We arrived in Milan at 10:46, then decided to get in a cab to make our appointment. We made it to the convent with only 2 minutes to spare. We even had our luggage with us inside the refectory. Serendipitously, a few nights before, Jon and I had watched a BBC video about the Last Supper. I was glad of that event when I realized we only had 15 minutes to be in the same room of this fragile mural. I was able to take in the sight, knowing the history and mystery of the mural, and was even able to make out little details that I might not have known about. It was awe-inspiring to see Da Vinci's work in person, and it was amazing that we made it to Santa Maria della Grazie on time. Whew!

View of the church of Santa Maria della Grazie. No photos inside the refectory,
but if you're curious... it looked like this,

After dropping our bags at the Central Station in Milan, we headed over to the other *must not miss* site of Milan  - the Duomo di Milano.

It's actually the Duomo de DKNY.  Just kidding!

The Duomo de Milano is known for the roof top sculptures and view. So despite my fear of heights, I ventured to the top.

I think it was €6 to climb to the top. I can't remember, but it was worth it!

Jon said, "It's like a forest of sculptures!" He was in heaven. I'm sure his pictures are amazing.

The view from the top. It's not so bad.

Our beautiful friend, Jimena.

The top was amazing with a spot to sit, sun yourself and take in the view. I took a cool photo, that I would like to turn into a painting. It had been so long since the sun had actually warmed my face, and I loved wearing my sunglasses! It seemed like ages since I had them on.

After the Duomo, we walked over to the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, the oldest shopping mall in Italy. Can you see why two architects wanted to visit it? It wasn't for the shopping, but it is a lovely space.

After a quick bite to eat, we went to La Triennale di Milano, a design museum in Milan. We were running out of time before we caught our train to Firenze, so we went headed back through the Parco Sempione, the park grounds adjacent to Castello Sforzesco. Milano was very nice!

caffè per tre
[coffee for three]

I am so thankful for the company of our friend, the nice weather and the appointment that we barely made to see the Last Supper. That would have been a tragedy, but this Italian story has a happy ending.

I know we are smiling, but we were so stressed when we took this picture in the cab to Santa Maria della Grazie.

365 Photos: Day 33 - 41

Every Sunday, I will post 7 photos for my 365 Photos project. All of my photos are taken with my iPhone, unless I note otherwise.

Day 33: Feb 2

Boarding the plane in the ice and snow. Easy Jet was great a great airline to fly.

Day 34: Feb 3

Giambologna's "The Rape of the Sabine Women" in the Loggia dei Lanzi in Florence.

Beautiful.

Day 35: Feb 4

Interior view of the stained glass inside the Chiesa dell’Autostrada, the Highway Church, just outside of Florence.

Day 36: Feb 5

Original store façade at the Il Papiro home offices, south of Florence.

Day 37: Feb 6

View of the Siena and the Tuscan landscape from atop the unfinished portion of the duomo.

Day 38: Feb 7

A car for one in Florence, Italy.

Day 39: Feb 8

Tourists try to catch the Leaning Tower in Pisa.

Day 40: Feb 9

Prosciutto and wine at All'Antico Vinaio.

Day 41: Feb 10

It cost 2€ to mail a postcard from Italy to the United States. Do you know which side to place your mail?