Italy, part II

Time to finish this trip with pictures!

We spent our one full day in Cinque Terre meandering around the 5 towns by train instead of hiking, due to the rain. And we spent a lot of time admiring these lovely doors. Definitely a staple in all towns. Here are a few of my favs.

We sported this all day

and had fun taking pictures. I mean, there's only so much shopping and sightseeing in the rain you can do, right?! :)

The unbearable and endless cigarette smoke led me to this on multiple occasions.

I could sit on the beach for hours with this view

We trained to Florence from here and spent our remaining time there before coming home. It was probably the best leg of the trip, for sure.

We spent the first day hiking to the overlook of the city at Piazza de Michelangelo and just enjoying the city. It was perfect.

And then we took a short train to San Gimignano the next day, which is another one of my favorite towns. So many cute shops, places to eat, and of course, delicious gelato. maybe the very best Ive had yet. It has such a quaint feel to it and it was practically empty while we were there.




One of our most fun days was spent with our friends, Ryan and Laura who are currently living in Florence, spending their time serving others and serving God. And they are really doing some amazing things with people there! They were so kind to take us around for a special tour one day and it was so much fun. Even in the rain!

We were able to see parts of Florence that I don't remember seeing while studying there, a really cute stationary store and some great gelato! They also introduced us to one of their artisan friends and I have worn the bracelet I bought from him almost everyday.

Then we ate at an American restaurant that took US dollars and it was perfect. This pregnant girl was tired of Italian food and chowed down on a nice American cheeseburger!

Grant and I had no idea before we planned the trip that Italy would be celebrating its 150th year of unification the night we were with the Stephens, but so glad we were a part of it! All the buildings were lit with the Italian flag colors (red, green and white) and it was so pretty.

This is where we kicked ourselves for not having our camera. It was raining and Grant was tired of lugging it around before we started the adventure and we just didn't think we needed it. But check out Laura's post for more pictures from the celebration!

We ended the night on the roof of our hotel waiting for the fireworks that we were told would start at 1130pm, but really started an hour after. The Stephens waited as long as they could to see them before having to catch a bus home. And unfortunately, this is the best shot we got. The smoke was just too much. But the view is incredible!



I was sad to leave this time. I knew this was probably the last time I'd be visiting this beautiful place. Unless I take a 7 month old to meet Grant next summer. Ha. We shall see!