Florence was an absolute delight. I can officially say I had the best sandwich of my life there. Bold claim, but I will argue it to the end. The highlight for me was seeing the Statue of David. All the photos you see of it do not do the piece justice. It was breathtaking. It was a charming town that really felt like Italy to me.
When we originally planned our Paris/Italy swing, I was told by many people that Venice was skippable. It's a tourist trap, it's hot, it smells, and we wouldn't enjoy it. I scheduled two days there and got a bit nervous after hearing everything. However, I can say we both completely enjoyed the city. Two days was the perfect amount of time, and any more probably would have had us bored with the city.
It felt like we were walking on a Hollywood movie set. Alleyways that couldn't be streets were just that. Small bridges connecting to other small bridges leading to a row of restaurants and cafes that looked like they didn't belong.
There is no better sport to watch live than hockey. Figured while I was here I should check out a game. Since I don't get to go that often (especially to a hockey game in Europe), I grabbed a spot on the glass. Eisbaeren won 7-5 in a game that shouldn't have been so close. Of course, the refs ruined everything. My hats off to the fans, the arena was rocking.
My girlfriend came out to visit me while I am here in Europe. I met her in Paris to start our trip (Paris, Venice, Florence, Cinque Terre, Pisa, and Rome).
We spent our days strolling through the city, overdosing on coffee and croissants. Luckily when you walk countless miles every day, you are allowed a bit of leeway on your diet. We had a morning tour of the Louvre and we were fortunate enough to avoid the crowd. I highly recommend it. We had breakfast on the Champs Elysees, we went to the top of the Eiffel Tower, journeyed underground to the catacombs, and watched the madness that is the traffic circle around the Arc de Triomphe. After a great few days, it was off to Venice. Until next time...
