We are Off and Day one in Firenze

 So our long awaited trip...2 years in the making to Italy....finally begins.  This is the first post of my blogs about our trip. I will try to do a daily blog for each day.  This was the most amazing trip I have ever been on in my life.  There is absolutely no where that I have travelled before that I felt this comfortable and happy and relaxed and blessed.  From the moment we set out until the moment we got back to our home there was nothing I would change.  

So let's begin the journey!

We left for Toronto on the 19th.  The drive was amazing.  When we searched for ticket we found that it was literally half price for us to fly out of Toronto to Rome then anywhere else.  So even adding in gas, tolls and parking for the 2 weeks it was still so much cheaper.  It was also a direct flight.  

Getting the the airport was so easy and they are so nice in Toronto.  I wish traveling was always as easy as it was out of Canada.  Checking in was pleasant, even TSA was pleasant.  We got to the gate and there was a neat area to sit in and order food and drinks while we waited for the flight.  The flight was a little rough because there was a small child that was really stuffy and crying all night.  But when we got to Rome...it was all fabulous.  

We got through immigration and customs relatively quickly and then grabbed out baggage to get the train to Firenze.  My absolute favorite city.  

Once there we had to find our hotel.  As was the theme of our trip, we got lost trying to find the hotel but eventually got there just walking the streets.  What was amazing was stumbling upon the Duomo as you round the corner.  

So the hotel- Aqa Palace- it was beautiful.  So clean and they were so nice.  It was also very safe.  We got changed and started to walk the city.  We found a place to eat- Tre Amici.  The food was fabulous- as we would find all food in Italy is fabulous.  

The Braceria was adorable.  We started with bruschetta and salmon carpaccio.  I had a Tuscan salad and Ronnie had mushroom soup.  They initially brought him onion soup.  Both were amazing.  And of course our drinks, beer and aperol spritz.  

 

Behind Ronnie is the case with the famous Florentine steaks.  And to top things off they sold wine made by a Mazzi!  I thought it was cool even though that is not my Italian last name (my grandfathers name was Mazzaferro).  I would come to find as we travelled in Italy.  Anywhere we went they would see my name and say, oh, you are from the north, that is a northern name.  

Of course our evening would not have been complete without pictures of Il Duomo and outside of the Uffizi.  Buona Notte until tomorrow.  

Fountain of Neptune

David

The Irish pub in the piazza

Selfie

My captions so I remember names of churches