FLORENCE! my favourite italian city whoopwhoop!
before the trip, i'm quite embarrassed to say that i actually had no idea what florence was all about.
typically when people talk about italy, the three main (touristy) cities are often lumped together and florence is always overshadowed by the floating city of venice and historic rome.
i mean, venice you have canals...and rome, the colosseum, pantheon...
florence? dunno.
well.
florence is the birthplace of the renaissance so the entire city is pretty artsy fartsy with art galleries, museums, sculptures and the likes.
after reading all of dan brown's books i was actually pretty excited to see the birthplace of galileo galilei and leonardo da vinci - both whom are heavily mentioned in the books.
hehe.
first day was pretty unadventurous for me...checked into hostel and the rest went for karaoke while lisa and i stayed back because i had cramps & she didn't feel like going out -__-"
the hostel we stayed in deserves a special mention because omg it's either hiking up the hill or taking the stairs EVERYTIME you wanted to go somewhere - a very hard decision to make because both are equally tiresome.
it's so super exhausting but everyone felt like it was necessary since we had way too much pasta & gelato for our own good.
mez: "how the FUCK *pants* are we meant to do this *pants* when we're all DRUNK? *pants*"
day 2 was far more interesting because we got to roam around!
after a leather demonstration, a couple of us went to look for food :3
while walking from the leather factory to the main square, britt, lisa and i passed by many road side stalls selling bags and stuff manned by italian men.
oooh did you know that you can get arrested/fined if caught buying designer knock offs from these vendors? you're welcome.
now, italian men are world famous for being charming, sleazy and apparently, super awesome at picking up chicks.
well.
we walked pass a street with a whole row of guys literally ogling at us.
i mean we're not like, butt ugly and plus, they're italian so naturally, the wolf whistling and cat calling was at a ridiculous volume -__-"
the whole time, britt, lisa and i were plotting what to eat and reminding each other of random landmarks so that we don't get lost - also, ignoring those guys.
then this guy yelled at the three of us: "hey girls you dropped something!"
we spun around quickly for fear that it could be our passports or purses only to be yelled at: "you girls dropped my number!"
-__-"
good god, really?
i expected much more from italian men i gotta say. that was so unoriginal.
anyway, i was on a hunt for coffee because it was gonna be a loooong day and let me tell you, the italians can do no wrong AT ALL when it comes to food/drinks.
my cappuccino came in an unassuming little plastic cup but it was SO DAMN GOOD. AND CHEAP.
man how vibrant are the colors?
okay intermission abit.
in italy, ciao is an informal way of saying hi AND bye with bonjourno and arrivederci being the formal greetings respectively.
ciao to me has always been bye because a couple of people i know say ciao when they hang up their phone wtf.
it was really weird for me saying ciao when i entered a shop wtf like saying bye only!
my favourite flavours - hazelnut, chocolate, coffee, coconut & mango.
we had a walking tour scheduled but midway, lisa, britt and i ditched it for some air cond/toilet break in a departmental store.
our tour guide just went on and on and on and everybody was visibly fed up and llisa was *this* close to slitting her jugular.
palazzo vechio...i think.
i am on wikipedia trying to match photos to location -__-"
next time, BLOG EARLIER BRENDA WONG.
ponte vechio - old bridge overlooking the river.
florence is a stark contrast from venice.
streets are wide and the whole city has like an open concept thing going on - i like.
basilica di santa maria del fiore.
buildings are pretty standard looking across the entire city so this majestic cathedral stood out like a sore (but very gorgeous) thumb. it was HUGE. i felt tiny just staring up at it. haha.
i love reading about basilicas, cathedrals and churches despite being nonreligious :3
basilicas are places for pilgrimage and are of historical importance and cathedrals...well a bishop is involved.
see big streets! great for claustrophobes.
the downside to wide roads is that vehicles also share the same path but they don't honk despite people walking slow, they'll just trail you closely -__-"
abit stress.
we went to the galleria de'l accademia which houses most of the renaissance work, specifically those of michelangelo and more specifically, the david from the bible.
it was originally placed in palazzo della signoria (the main square) but it's been moved so that all of michelangelo's masterpieces are housed in one central gallery.
a replica of david now stands in the main area, anyway.
we paid 15 euros for express entry because the queue was gonna take at least 2 hours.
actually, whenever there is an option for express entry, we'd always go for it. haha, so diva but so worth it given the amount of time saved!
we came to see this!
standing at an impressive 5.17m tall, the majestic statue of david :D :D :D
photos are not allowed but obviously nobody gave two hoots.
there's a guy in there who wasn't even trying to be discreet (flash photography, taking about a hundred shots) about taking a photo so he got shrieked by a female guard in italian.
asking for it man i tell you -__-"
it's easy to dismiss sculptures as "just a statue" but when i think about it, this is made by a man one fifth the size of this thing!
i wouldn't have a clue how to start wei. start at the feet and slowly make my way up? what if i forget to make grooves for in between the toes! have to start again? fuck that - no sculpture for you, medici.
the sheer amount of detail is just mindblowing - us three girls circled it round and round for 3 times and still, we'd be able to pick out something we've missed before.
"oh my god, look at the veins on his arm!"
"wow he's got big feet."
"i like his hair."
some random facts about david:
- the david symbolises culture, youth, calmness, strength and being ready for a war.
- he has a catapult slung over his left shoulder and rocks in his right fist, his eyes throw a warning glare in the direction of rome (apparently they have issues last time).
- his pupils are heart shaped; some say it's because he has a heart for god.
it was 15 euros well spent :)
ceiling also so detailed.
we walked around briefly in the galleria but we're all pretty satisfied after ogling at david so we bailed for lunch.
we chanced upon this little cafe hidden in one of the many alleys and it looks so cute we just couldn't go pass it.
the menu only had drinks and we weren't given a food menu and after asking for it about a thousand times, we decided to get the same thing wtf.
we actually ordered different things but the waiter tried really hard to tell us "no more" so whatever la.
the lasagna was amazing, as was all other food we had in italy (actually in all of europe).
girlies :)
bonjourno!
so yummy ermagerd.
we look damn hancur from a full day of walking.
street art.
loggia dei lanzi - an open gallery that houses antique and renaissance art.
i remember seeing hercules in there...pretty fascinating stuff.
pallazo vechio - town hall of florence.
can't remember what this statue is.
piazza del duomo.
after yet another massive day of sightseeing, we went back to the hostel and hiked uphill to our rooms.
our rooms open out into a little front balcony thing and became a hang out spot for everyone because it was just so. damn. hot.
we were all groaning and bitching about the heat the entire time we were in italy - it really was that unbearable.
everyone took turns to shower and then we're off again for an official group photo, a tuscan dinner and PARTAY! :D
backdrop for le group photo.
the wind and sun did nothing whatsoever for a good photo -__-"
we were told beforehand to not eat too much during the day because dinner is going to massive.
a complete italian meal consists of 5 courses of something ridiculous like that but i didn't felt too full also -__-"
then again i was sitting with a table full of guys wtf.
paul, one of the nicest guys on the tour :)
tom with a crooked mohawk.
in venice (ie amnesia party), tom got so drunk he peed outside a random cabin and this guy from that cabin thought that he deserved a mohawk from doing that.
this guy, is the son of the biggest drug dealer in australia who's being done for 70 years O___O"
i would have shat in my pants if i was tom.
after dinner, we went to discoteque space electronic!
instead of paying for drinks as you normally would, space gave us all a card that would be punched with holes everytime we went to get a drink.
after every 3 or so drinks, we'd have to pay and the whole cycle repeats again but if you lose your card, then you have the big burly bouncer (aliteration!) to explain yourself to.
a whole new card is given to you if there's no more space.
fantastic system, i had my card changed 3 times :X
gibbo!
we were on the dancefloor and i offered emily a sip of my whiskey coke.
she nearly threw up wtf, granted they didn't use the standard jack daniels which made it taste a little weird but i liked it :3
oh and the freepouring... :D
emily: "brenda, you drink the most DISGUSTING drinks."
hahaha.
mr big burly bouncer made me a glowstick flower and dropped it on my lap from the balcony naww :)
with yvette, will and ariana :)
diluz | lisa | B.
lisa!
bec decided to steal my flower -__-" mfft.
somehow in my drunken stupor, i managed the uphill hike.
*pats self on head*
the hangover was pretty bearable despite the 3 time card changing thing.
if i had to give someone a dollar everytime there's a photo of me with a drink in my hand, i'd be a beggar by now.
made out with someone from our tour and the next morning, everyone on our tour knew what happened -__-"
and people say girls have big mouths???
"timmy was bragging about making out with you."
me, i never kiss and tell ;)
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