My Name is Lucca...

Monday, FEB 4th 2008

We finally decided to take a day trip outside of Florence. Decisions, Decisions!! We got inspired while I was reading the guidebook that Cindy let me borrow that said Lucca is an hour train ride away which is great for a day trip. It also has a 3 mile wall that is built around the city that you can actually walk on. Sounded a little China wallish but they said there were always people up on the wall so we were sold. It should also be mentioned that within this 3 mile wall radius that there are 99 churches...being from the Bible Belt I had to see this! AND...I got to sing "my name is Lucca" ALL day long! Even made up words since I could not remember the whole song!

Here is one of the portas into the city wall...

Once we were up on the wall we realized that it is basically a tree lined path around the city where young and old strolled, jogged, or rode their bikes. There are several children's playgrounds, lots of moss on trees and several water fountains. It is kind of a magical place. We walked around on the wall for a little while as the sun started breaking through the clouds and then decided it was time to check out the city within. We had heard that they did not allow cars within the walls but to our dismay there were cars and scooters inside. Once placing ourselves "inside the map" and finding one of the churches of interest (San Frediano) we remember that it is Monday and most places are closed. UGH! We make the best of it took pics of the outside and even snuck into the Pilazzo Pfanner which was closed for the winter. What they don't know won't hurt them. So I got a great pic of the Pfanner's courtyard. Then on to San Michele, over to Pucinni's birthplace, and then it was time for lunch. We were scheptical of the lunch in the little cafe but we were suprised with a delicioius meal of mushroom lasagne and tortellini with ham & cream. Next we decided to see their Duomo which had the most beautiful stain glass but we were not allowed to take photos inside. We strolled around the city some more and the back to the wall. All in all it was a wonderful day to walk on the wall and sing "I live on the second floor, I live upstairs from you, I think I've seen you before".

Here is my flickr link for more pics than I have posted here. http://www.flickr.com/photos/15000395@N06/sets/72157603859568085/

"Little Boxes, Little Boxes"

Oh My Goodness! On Sunday we had a veggie day once we finally got out of the bed around 1pm. :) Whoopsie! It is amazing how when you don't have english tv channels you find a way to watch something, anything non-italian. We caught up watching some episodes of Lost (3rd season) via iTunes. AND...I have a new love...WEEDS . What a great show! OMG!!! I'm hooked! Here is a pic of our "TV" lounge...notice Julia's baby Mac on the chair!

Angie's Pub

There is the most interesting pub in the Santa Croce district called Angie's Pub. The clientele ranges from students to punks to intellectuals of all ages. There is always good music playing from their speakers and it is always dark inside. Plus the bartenders are hot "blobs".

Julia and I met up with Julia's old roommate Lexie for a pint (or two). Here are some picks with the flash...

Always the Gracious Host

I've been waiting on the day to get back to one of my favorite cites...Florence, Italy. It just so happened that I start my new job on the International side of Pricing on the 12th and I have to finish most of this years vacation ASAP so of course my first thoughts were to go see Julia in Florence. Jules is always the gracious host always welcoming you to come visit. I jumped on the plane on JAN 31st, flew to Milan, and took our codeshare flight to Firenze. I have to say that I might not get paid much but the perk to just go get on an airplane whenever the flights look good is a wonderful thing!!!

I got into Florence around noon, got caught up on the going ons here, took a little nap while Julia went to teach English, and then Luigi came by for a welcome dinner. We had the BEST Indian delivery dinner! Way too much food but boy was it good!!!!!