Florence, Italy

Florence was quite nice as well, also very crowded with tourists. The Duomo was really great, the biggest cathedral I have ever seen, the inside wasn’t that impressive and was a disappointment compared to the outside. The picture of the views of Florence were taken from a tower next to the Duomo. The 6th picture is of the long line outside the Ufezzi Museum and the 7th picture is of a guy writing my name with colors; we were waiting in a line to get inside the Duomo and there were several different people offering different products and he was one of them. The most common thing being sold is fake purses and bags (Fendi, Gucci…etc) by African immigrants, they seem to be everywhere and they are quite persistent and demanding when they think that you are interested in buying. However, there are signs warning that being caught with a fake bag is illegal and you could face a 10,000 euros fine. The odd thing is that when the police come, the sellers pack their stuff in less than 10 seconds and just stand there (which the police knows about) and 2 minutes later once the police is gone, they open up their things again (look at the last picture).

 

Venice, Italy

I went to Italy this past week, spending 3 days in Venice and 2 in Florence. I was too lazy to write anything about it but since Josh mentioned it, I will say a bit about the trip.
Venice was absolutely gorgeous, simply amazing! I don’t think that there is anywhere in the world that is at all similar to it. Tiny little streets, canals, the gondolas….etc.
Gondola rides are much more expensive that I though they would be (120 euros for a 50 minute ride). The third picture below is of Piazza San Marco and in the background is Cathedral Di San Marco. I do agree with you Josh that the pigeons can be a bit annoying but not that much … i though it added to the character of the place. Kristine is of the same opinion though… she was petrified of them.
All in all, really nice place to visit; the only annoying thing about the place is the other tourists: they are everywhere, they crowd the place, they lead to having long lines and there is soo many of them even though it was low season when we went….etc. On top of that, Italians seem to have a genuine dislike of tourists and hence are not the least bit helpful when it comes to asking directions or any information.