Amsterdam to Florence...It's been a busy week

So last week I checked out Amsterdam and got my first real taste of travelling on my own. Even if Amsterdam is only a half an hour away from where I'm living. And this past weekend I took off to Florence for a couple of days. Though, on that trip I was in good company.

Amsterdam was good. I mentioned the boat tour which was great. I only learned just before I came that Amsterdam has more bridges than any other city in the world. The canal tour was a great way to see a lot of the city in a short amount of time. But the real characters came out when I got off the boat. There were a ton of tourists everywhere. Anyway I must look like I blend a little cause someone actually asked me for directions. And I knew where to send him...I think. He obviously didn't see me ask for directions just minutes before. I did make one 'friend' who took it upon himself to be my own personal tour guide. He got creepy, so I ditched him and hit up the Van Gogh museum on my own. My favourite piece of art was in the gift shop though.

Van Gogh head erasers. Can you believe it. There's a market for just about everything I guess. Though there were a few other great pieces in the museum. Very cool place. Other than that, I checked out the shops walked a lot , took a lot of pictures and took it all in. I dodged one more creeper at the train station and made it home in one piece. In one day I definitely got the bug to get out and see more.

This weekend I flew to Florence. My friends Paul and Amy were there for a bit and I met up with them for a few days. They had been there for a day already and are both experenced travellers so they got to play tour guide a little and did a great job. The first full day we did a lot of sight seeing. Checked out a couple of museums and saw the actual statue of David. It was pretty remarkable to see it in person, I had no idea how big it actually was. At least a couple of stories tall. You can't take pictures of the real thing, but there is a replica outside in a city square. We took a few dirty pictures ;) but these ones made the cut.

  

I can't seem to rotate the pictures, so sorry for the crick in the neck, but you get the idea. We saw some amazing things, including a brush with Jersey Shore. Can't be sure, but that's the story any way. We just saw them from the back, camera crew and police escort and all. It was all very exciting.

We also climbed hundreds of steps to the top of the Bell Tower of the Duomo. Well worth it for the incredible views. It was gorgeous to see the entire city from up there. Think the space needle but old and Europian.

After a full day of touristy stuff. We planned to go to Cinque Terre on day two. We took the two hour train ride to La Spezia to then connect to another train to go to Cinque terre. Unfortunatly when Amy and I visited the bathroom the last train left and all trains went on strike. Not in the plan, but the back up plan was pretty good. After much debate, we caught a boat to Portovenere. It was boasted to be a lot like Cinque Terre. One woman even said it was better. The boat ride itself was beautiful.

 When we got there the sights were incredible. So many paths and look outs to see the island from. It is just all so surreal. You just don't see things like this in Canada. A different kind of beautiful. A good alternative to the original plan.

Other than it being really hot and having to make a few connections getting back to Amsterdam, it was a great weekend. It was also great to be with friends who I know and love. It's nice not to have to make small talk meeting new people all the time. I love Amy and Paul and hope we can meet up again soon. :)

And an update on my driving, it has been good. I have been doing pretty well driving to and from school, but so far, I haven't had to drive through any busy areas. Though this Saturday I will be babysitting the kids. I will go to a wedding with the family and then I will be taking the kids back home after the ceremony. This means a longer drive and 5th gear! Here's hoping it goes smoothly.

I am missing everyone and everything back home, but I gotta say this is a good alternative. Until next time.

Ciao