Next Stop -- Florence Italy

I have found that early September is a wonderful time to visit Europe. The hot sticky month of August has passed and the majority of summer tourists have already gone home. Hotel and airfare rates tend to drop as well, which is always a good incentive to travel.

I arrived on a Tuesday afternoon and was greeted by a lovely 80 degree day. Although I was jet lagged and yearning for some shut eye, the excitement of being away from home filled me with intoxication. The sights and sounds of Italy immediately filled my senses, giving me the boost that I needed. The bells of the Campanile were chiming, dozens of passersby rode past on their bicycles, and the narrow cobblestone streets greeted me like an old friend.

There is so much history to the architecture and the streets, it's hard to know how to begin to describe it. At all times of the day and night people are out and about - socializing, walking to the market or cruising down the street on their motorbikes. Off in the distance a church bell chimes, mixing with the sounds of live jazz from some cafe down the street.

Every nook and cranny is packed full of texture and charm. Just an ordinary bike leaning against the wall becomes fascinating in my eyes. The water fountains carved by masters make you stop and gape in awe. Even the gelato cones in the shop window turn extraordinarily artistic.


Theses seemingly normal images stood out to me and filled me with a sense of exhillaration. I definitely got some strange looks from the locals. They were probably thinking - what the heck is so amazing about that? If they could only have seen what I saw in my viewfinder.

Here are few images from my first days in Florence. I will post more soon.