M and V Life So Far: florence

we left venice early in the morning. florence awaited us.

venice was completely different at 7am - with no crowds, a soft cooling wind and we could actually hear the

waters lapping onto the buildings and sides.

i have to be honest, when we got off the train in florence i was not impressed. it didn't look or feel as if i were in italy. right across the street was a giant mcdonald's and it looked like any big old city. but, i was completely wrong. florence is super charming. the city is small enough to get a good feel for in one day but also has so much to see, visit and admire if you're staying for a few days. what i thought was interesting, was that by mid-day we familiarized ourselves with the city and barely needed a map for the rest of our time - which gave it an intimate and cozy quality. in the end, we truly enjoyed our time and it was, at this point in our trip, our favorite quality time spent as a couple - we didn't feel rushed, we walked and talked, we held hands, leaned over the Ponte Vecchio in the night and just stared at all the lights and watched the sun set, we drank wine and shared a pizza at the Piazza della Signoria while chatting about the future and our house and the dreams we have for the next five-years and more.

o florence. you outright surprised me!

planning and eating. two of my favorite pastimes - not in that order and that does not exclude my love for buns,

polka dots and fancy pens - cause i love those too.

i could barely get the husband out of this place. he would have set up camp next to the giant mortadella

*not pictured here* if i did not oppose.

walking to see the florence cathedral - Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore.

each city we visited had a duomo, the italian word for cathedral, that i was always super excited to see. the cathedral was positioned in the Piazza del Duomo with hundreds of people surrounding it, photographing it or waiting in line to go inside and countless little poles protruding in the air to signal a tour guide group. simply put, the cathedral was amazing. the intricacy. the details. the colors. the magnitude of it. something you have to totally see in person. because it was positioned near other buildings and restaurants it looked to be a part of the neighborhood and elements and yet, it was so awkwardly large and out of place. it was clearly the star of the area.

the facade of this duomo was made of white, green and red marble and simply stunning.

i could not believe that i was actually looking at it and seeing it in context of it's location - especially after flipping

through so many pictures of it.

the inside was cold, hollow and massive. it surprised me how small it made me feel.

inside the dome. various styles of alfresco paintings of The Last Judgement.

Giotto's Campanile next to the florence cathedral.

this was probably one of the few things in italy that we did not climb!

the David by Michelangelo.

i could not get over the fact that i was looking at something that the Michelangelo touched and sculpted and it is still existing today after hundreds and hundreds of years. (this is the only picture i have because technically we were not allowed to take pictures, shhhh. but i only snuck one in without the flash - how could i not? i'm only in italy once! but hey, out of the 200 people looking at the statue i think 198 were taking pictures too.)

v - always resting his tired feet.

this picture makes me laugh. v first took a close up of me by the Fountain of Neptune - because everyone needs a picture by the fountain, it's only natural. but then he zoomed out to capture what the scenery really looked like - yup - two other girls taking the same exact picture, in the same exact pose - what can i say, i'm so original. i wonder if i'm in their picture too?!

the David statue in the Piazza della Signoria in front of the Palazzo Vecchio. here you could take all the pictures
you wanted - but, it's not the real thing…just sayin.