Feelin' the Change in Firenze

Our dinner in Rome was all that we had hoped for and more. It was a truly authentic experience with the restaurant located in a random basement in a questionable area of town. The eatery was one of those where as soon as you walk in the door you feel as though you had been transplanted from far beyond the curb you were standing on moments before. Our meals were prepared in huge cheese bowls with the pasta tossed in flames of oil to melt the cheese ensuring that every last low fat bite was covered with flavor. 

Besides a mild stomachache from the huge portions of cheese-covered pasta, the morning was relatively uneventful. We packed up our bags and headed to the train station for our trip to Florence (this time making sure to reserve our seats). The voyage was aboard a high-speed line and only took 1.5 hours to cover the distance from Rome to Florence.

Once in Florence, we checked into our quaint hostel and walked up four flights of stairs to our lovely room with rooftop views toward the city center. Once again we were pleased with how accommodating and friendly the staff were at yet another hostel. 

The weather today was exceptional with partly cloudy skies and very pleasant temperatures. We took advantage of the weather and spent most of our day walking throughout the city and soaking up as much sunshine as possible while enjoying the beauty of Florence's antiquity works of marvel. It is quite interesting how much the style of buildings change when moving just a few hundred miles from Cinque Terre or Rome and into Florence. The cities were obviously built in very different periods, yet the monolithic trademark structures of each community share very little in common.

In addition to bringing in the sites we searched for a motorcycle to rent for our next leg of the trip into the Tuscan and Umbria regions of Central Italy. After a few headaches we settled on a nice Honda that I think will serve us quite well.  I'm hoping that Jennifer is as good at riding a motorcycle as she say's she is... but I'm not anxious to find out so I will be holding on for dear life.

After securing a motorcycle for the next few days, we headed over to the Duomo Cathedral and climbed to the top of it's dome for a 360 degree view of all that Florence has to offer. The hike to the top was well worth the exhausting 500+ steps as the view was truly breathtaking.

Before capping the night off with another authentic Italian meal of barley and vegetables, Jennifer found a salon to give her a fresh new look as Mrs. Semingson. I think she looks lovely although she seems to be having a little trouble embracing her new refined look.