Florence on Foodie Friday - Day 17Greetings to you from Firenze!! Well, I don't know about you, but thinking about food here in Italy is second nature so it's the perfect place to be on Foodie Friday! Hope you enjoy reading Incredible Crepes at Cafe Mambo, Westhampton Beach. Yes, so food is top of mind always on this wonderful trip! I am not going to think about it now, but when I return home, I will be getting immediately on my exercise regimen! But before I rush into anything, last night me and Gianna went across the Piazza Santa Maria and had some gelato. She had dark chocolate and chocolate chip and I had Melon and Cinnamon. It's no wonder that this adorable little shop, Gelateria in Piazza Santa Maria Novello is a Trip Advisor favorite!
The Duomo (The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiori) is our first stop today, but not before an early lunch at Cafe Scudieri. Located right smack dab in the middle of the Piazza del Duomo with a great view of the Baptistry and The Duomo, we decided to eat light. We haven't done much of that this whole trip!! Unfortunately, the Baptistry is being renovated so it was all covered, but it was still fun to be in the center of the square.
There was a long line heading into the Duomo but it moved very quickly. So beautiful inside and to think this was built between 1296 and 1436 is absolutely amazing. This Cathedral stands tall over the city of Florence with its magnificent dome designed by Filippo Brunelleschi. 
THE DUOMO - CATHEDRAL SANTA MARIA DEL FIORE
THE DUOMO ALTAR
EXQUISITE DOME
We finally took the kids on a horse and buggy ride around the city with a fun buggy rider whose wife was from Connecticut! A little shopping on the Ponte Vecchio where Mom finally bought her gold and garnet cross. So mad because my adapter for my camera card is NOT working!!!! GRRRR. So I am only able to upload pictures taken with my phone. Wanted to share some great shots of the Duomo, our shopping excursion and the amazing views from the Ponte Vecchio. I will upload at a later date when I'm back in NY. So happy to hear what a great time Tanya is having! I just may have to go with her on her return visit to The Cotwolds!! Till tomorrow, -E | The Cotwolds - Day 17Wow. Can you believe that it’s Friday already! My trip is going by pretty fast. We've been doing so much! Having an absolutely great time! We now have less than a week to go, and still have so much to see and do! Check out what’s left: -Stonehenge -London -Still got Ireland!!! -And to cap it off NYC! To catch you up: Yesterday was primarily spent in York. Went to the very impressive York Minister! Spent hours in there, and I could've very easily spent more. What an amazing piece of work, one of England's most popular attractions, voted one of the UK's Seven Wonders by visitors in 2002! This architectural and artistic masterpiece took more than 250 years to build! 
We climbed the 275 steps to the top of the tower, and let me tell you…”boy was I winded!” UGH What the heck?! I’ve climbed many a tower and just about anything and everything in between. I really enjoy going to the top of things, as well as climbing around like a monkey; but this tower had me huffing and puffing at the top! The steps were high, I was in heels, and I was being weighed down by all that I was carrying - but still, I should have had this no problem. No excuses. Boo me! :( Note to self: GET IN BETTER SHAPE! (Mud run coming up in October) The rest of the lovely afternoon was spent milling around the Shambles, shopping, eating, and being the little photo bug that I am! Turns out that I couldn’t make our reservation for GoApe yesterday, so instead I made it for today! I will get to be a monkey for a little while! But that will be after we have already gone hacking (horseback riding) through the ridiculously picturesque landscape scenery in the Cotswolds. I LOVE it here! Must must MUST return! This place is seriously like being in a fairytale storybook! After hacking, we’ll go biking, and do some general sightseeing in some of the small towns and villages that make up the Cotswolds! Later on, we’ll be moving onward to Bristol, and then Bath - where we will call home for the night. And last, but never least…does everyone have their appetites ready? Ready to wet your whistle? Then it’s time to check out Elisa’s Foodie Friday article that she has prepared especially for you! Don’t forget to Bon Appetit! Hope you have a fabulous Friday and I’ll look forward to seeing you back here tomorrow! -T |
