Our introduction to Florence, or shall we say Firenze since we're in
Italy, was not the best. We missed our 8am bus from Rome - Florence. We
organised a train ticket online and headed to the Metro and then train
station. We met a nice Italian family on the journey, and we had a
conversation with our limited Italian and their limited English. We
exchanged snacks and laughs. Once we got to Florence we had to find our
two bus connections to our Hostel. We finally arrived at our most social
hostel we have stayed at, not to mention there was only about 20 people
in the whole hostel. We had dinner and then drinks in the park with half the hostel, so
nice! We had some interesting entertainment in the park, as the father of the Italian girls will not allow them to bring their boyfriends home, and the Italian boys don't bring girls home to their mama, they end up being very public with their public displays of affection. Wow is all that is blog-appropriate!
After much investigation of the markets, Rick invested in his dream leather man satchel and I discovered an amazing check man shirt in a second hand stall... It's all about the man clothes!
We had a great lunch with a couple we met in a cafe, we had a two or three hour conversation with them about our trip and their lives and about Albania where the woman was from. I also discovered my taste for artichokes, so so good on toasted bread with Ricotta and a sly glass of Red on the side. Times like these is why we quit our jobs.
We signed up for a tour of Tuscany, with a day trip to Siena and San Gimignano. Postcard views and heartbreaking architecture, it was exactly what we imagined. We finished the day with a wine tasting, the old Italian man who ran it was hilarious!
We had a great lunch with a couple we met in a cafe, we had a two or three hour conversation with them about our trip and their lives and about Albania where the woman was from.
Another revolution was the book that Rick picked up from the hostel, which he read in six days. This from a man who has never been a reader! Goes to show we are craving to learn again, and to entertain our brains.
Next stop was Milano! I'd dreamed of walking the high fashion streets for so long, and we were finally there! Crazy to see Giorgio Armani's full block of shops... Complete with his multiple fashion lines, homeware range and the Armani cafe. This guy!!
We continued on with an incredibly scenic train ride into Switzerland. Beautiful crystal clear lakes and amazing yachts, and the mountains reminding us of home. We arrived in Zurich and grabbed tickets to Winterthur, where Rick's friend Ben from NZ is living. We stayed with him for the weekend, and partied with the locals at the annual Zurich Street Parade, where we were told to dress in our best "bi sexual" outfit. Not something you generally pack in your 75 Litre backpack, but a bit of trusty yellow paint, and Rick became "Senf Man", that is "mustard man".
The rumours are true; we found Switzerland to be unbelievably expensive. We're talking 11 Francs for a diner kebab. That's NZ$15!! We spent about $300 on train tickets in one weekend, luckily we had the generous hospitality of Ben, so accommodation was free for a couple of nights.
After Winterthur, we trained to Lauterbrunnen. Again a stunningly scenic trip and stayed a few days in the valleys between two mountains. Delicious fresh air and beautiful snow topped peaks, we'd love to go back in winter!
Xx Jaz
After much investigation of the markets, Rick invested in his dream leather man satchel and I discovered an amazing check man shirt in a second hand stall... It's all about the man clothes!
We had a great lunch with a couple we met in a cafe, we had a two or three hour conversation with them about our trip and their lives and about Albania where the woman was from. I also discovered my taste for artichokes, so so good on toasted bread with Ricotta and a sly glass of Red on the side. Times like these is why we quit our jobs.
We signed up for a tour of Tuscany, with a day trip to Siena and San Gimignano. Postcard views and heartbreaking architecture, it was exactly what we imagined. We finished the day with a wine tasting, the old Italian man who ran it was hilarious!
We had a great lunch with a couple we met in a cafe, we had a two or three hour conversation with them about our trip and their lives and about Albania where the woman was from.
Another revolution was the book that Rick picked up from the hostel, which he read in six days. This from a man who has never been a reader! Goes to show we are craving to learn again, and to entertain our brains.
Next stop was Milano! I'd dreamed of walking the high fashion streets for so long, and we were finally there! Crazy to see Giorgio Armani's full block of shops... Complete with his multiple fashion lines, homeware range and the Armani cafe. This guy!!
We continued on with an incredibly scenic train ride into Switzerland. Beautiful crystal clear lakes and amazing yachts, and the mountains reminding us of home. We arrived in Zurich and grabbed tickets to Winterthur, where Rick's friend Ben from NZ is living. We stayed with him for the weekend, and partied with the locals at the annual Zurich Street Parade, where we were told to dress in our best "bi sexual" outfit. Not something you generally pack in your 75 Litre backpack, but a bit of trusty yellow paint, and Rick became "Senf Man", that is "mustard man".
The rumours are true; we found Switzerland to be unbelievably expensive. We're talking 11 Francs for a diner kebab. That's NZ$15!! We spent about $300 on train tickets in one weekend, luckily we had the generous hospitality of Ben, so accommodation was free for a couple of nights.
After Winterthur, we trained to Lauterbrunnen. Again a stunningly scenic trip and stayed a few days in the valleys between two mountains. Delicious fresh air and beautiful snow topped peaks, we'd love to go back in winter!
Xx Jaz
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