A week in Tuscany : Day 1 Florence
I have been enjoying three weeks of my parents visiting. To be honest, I think Soren has enjoyed it the most. Attention, playmates, and love 24/7, he's in heaven. But that also means I'm a little behind on the happenings in our life.
About a month ago we took a week long trip to Tuscany. Aside from it being a little cold and rainy, we had a wonderful time. We stayed right outside Florence, about a 20 minute bus ride away. Jennifer and Francesco were two of the nicest people, and most gracious hosts. If you are going to Florence or the area stay at Rocca del Palazzaccio. It's a 'residence' (we would consider it an apartment) we had a kitchen equipped with everything except an oven, a dining area, living room (with a fireplace!), a bathroom, and a bedroom. I've discovered the secret to traveling with kids with early bedtimes, staying in apartments! You can cook dinner (when nothing else is open in countries that eat later), you can put them to bed, and then enjoy some time not having to worry if your voice or movement will wake them.
The first day we went to Florence, and were able to see everything we wanted. The upside to going in January/February: no lines! Downside: some things are closed, the weather. We thought the pros outweighed the cons. Patrick went to see the David, and on the way to the Uffizi we made a few stops at other museums and sights. I tried to time our reservations at the Uffizi Gallery for Soren's nap, and luckily it worked out. We were able to make it most of the way through listening to Rick Steve's free podcast tour of the gallery before Soren awoke. Soon after that I was chasing a nearly one year old through the halls of the gallery, trying to keep his sounds to a very minimum.
This was our first trip with a little walker on our hands, which has started to make things harder. He wants to be down on the ground exploring everything, which makes it difficult when a) you're in a museum and quietness is valued; b) it's raining the entire time and all you've brought are moccasins so your kids feet get wet (Mommy mess up); c) you're in a country where they don't really have indoor play items for children. But honestly, all things considered Soren was a trooper, and we've been blessed with a wicked awesome traveler. It will be very sad when we leave this part of the world, and don't find ourselves sipping cappuccinos looking out over splendid piazzas.
About a month ago we took a week long trip to Tuscany. Aside from it being a little cold and rainy, we had a wonderful time. We stayed right outside Florence, about a 20 minute bus ride away. Jennifer and Francesco were two of the nicest people, and most gracious hosts. If you are going to Florence or the area stay at Rocca del Palazzaccio. It's a 'residence' (we would consider it an apartment) we had a kitchen equipped with everything except an oven, a dining area, living room (with a fireplace!), a bathroom, and a bedroom. I've discovered the secret to traveling with kids with early bedtimes, staying in apartments! You can cook dinner (when nothing else is open in countries that eat later), you can put them to bed, and then enjoy some time not having to worry if your voice or movement will wake them.
The first day we went to Florence, and were able to see everything we wanted. The upside to going in January/February: no lines! Downside: some things are closed, the weather. We thought the pros outweighed the cons. Patrick went to see the David, and on the way to the Uffizi we made a few stops at other museums and sights. I tried to time our reservations at the Uffizi Gallery for Soren's nap, and luckily it worked out. We were able to make it most of the way through listening to Rick Steve's free podcast tour of the gallery before Soren awoke. Soon after that I was chasing a nearly one year old through the halls of the gallery, trying to keep his sounds to a very minimum.
This was our first trip with a little walker on our hands, which has started to make things harder. He wants to be down on the ground exploring everything, which makes it difficult when a) you're in a museum and quietness is valued; b) it's raining the entire time and all you've brought are moccasins so your kids feet get wet (Mommy mess up); c) you're in a country where they don't really have indoor play items for children. But honestly, all things considered Soren was a trooper, and we've been blessed with a wicked awesome traveler. It will be very sad when we leave this part of the world, and don't find ourselves sipping cappuccinos looking out over splendid piazzas.
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| Our sweet traveler. |
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| He enjoyed the bus ride home! |
Hey Em! Yes, enjoy those treats and the views. Life here is great, but it sure is different than living over there. Enjoyed the photos and the recap! Miss you guys.
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