Places to Go (Vacation) - Europe 2017 - Part I - Florence, Italy

We started out this year's family vacation in Florence, Italy (unfortunately) during a heat wave.

We knew temperatures would be high in August, but 105 degree days weren't anticipated. Oh well, we tried to stay in the shade and make the best of it, but we also relaxed and napped.

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Before arriving in Florence, we spent 9 hours flying to Vienna. Then a 4 hour layover. Then another 1.5 hours to our destination. Needless to say, by the time we arrived outside our airbnb, everyone was exhausted.



Florence street art . . .



We stayed on the less-crowded side of the river, so in the mornings we'd cross the Ponte Vecchio to see more of the city. The views were phenomenal. The crowds were not.



I had a great time people watching (well, until the crowds became unbearable).







We spent our first full day touring the Uffizi museum with Context tours (LOVE THEM!). We saw some great art and even more cellphones. SO. MANY. CELLPHONES.



During our trip, I read a book on the Medici family, which kept emphasizing how ugly they all were. But the sculptures still took me by surprise. It's hard to believe this was both a real person and an incredibly powerful man.



Dan talked the kids into wearing hats to help with the heat. Like an Indian Jones family. Sort of. Maybe.



More people watching.



Driftwood sculptures lined the river. Clever.



Loved this art gallery. I had to do a double take as we walked by.





In the evening, we hiked up to Piazza Michelangelo to check out views of the city.



And then we walked back down and caught sunset over the bridge.





I'm such a huge fan of airbnb, Dan made a wonderful dinner and then we stayed up late playing Code Names.









We spent our second day wandering the town and shopping at San Lorenzo Market, where Dan bought fresh ingredients for another absolutely fabulous dinner.



Heat wave downtime.





At night, we sat on our rooftop patio and watched the sunset. Gorgeous.









We spent our final full day touring the Boboli Gardens and Pitti Palace. The gardens were somewhat run-down, which disappointed us (especially since it was so hot while walking through them). Luckily the palace had air-conditioning.



This guys's expression cracks me up.











Family selfie.



In the evening, we checked out Piazza della Republic's carousel and packed up for our morning flight to Sardinia.

More photos coming soon . . .