Exploring the Places No One is Talking About
When you think about the skyline of Florence, the impressive dome of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore first comes to mind. The masterpiece of the Italian Renissance, a master of architecture and engineering by Brunelleschi. The magnificent dome is not the only thing to rise above the homes in Florence, so to does
If you are ever in Italy in June make sure to be in Florence when they play the Calcio Storico in front of Santa Croce. The home I stayed in during my study abroad in Florence was less then a block from Piazza Santa Croce and it was with curiosity that my friends and I
The East doors of the Baptistery of San Giovanni were called by Michelangelo, upon their completion, the Gates of Paradise. Ten panels depicting the Old Testament in images laid in gold. Even if you do not go into the Baptistery itself it is difficult not to stop and stare at these magnificent doors and the
On my first or second morning in Florence my home-stay roommate and I climbed the Bell Tower next to Florence Cathedral (Duomo). The 414 steep steps tried to kill me. The view is worth it at the top. The structure is beautiful, white, red, and green marble. Building began in 1334 and was completed in
I can’t do much for others with the current pandemic but I can write and I hope that my words can bring some measure of comfort. On that note, I’ve actually written a short blog post for the outdoor gear company Hiker Hunger to help get us through these turbulent times. If you are curious
We all have a lot of down time at the moment and I have decided to be creative with mine. I am working on creating an easy to use list of hiking trails. Not just trails that the guide books say are good but the ones that the local think are good. This list will
When I was studying aboard my friends and I visited Pisa on one of the few free weekends we had. Most weekends had trips scheduled like to Siena. My visit did not do justice to the city. The day was really hot and I did not drink enough water. I’m pretty sure I ended up
Since none of us can travel at the moment I am going to go back a few years and discuss my study abroad trip to Italy that I took to Florence and some of the other Italian cities. I have discussed most of this trip before and you can see the links to those posts
After visiting the Grapevine Museum we headed across the road to visit the Grapevine Vintage Railroad. From here you can take a train to the Fort Worth Stockyards. At Christmas time the Vintage Railroad turns into the Polar Express! If you like trains check out these other train related posts! Colorado Galveston Frisco I hope
After our camping trip and a bit more hiking around Eisenhower State Park we were starving and decide to grab some lunch but we had Bear with us and didn’t know any place that was dog friendly. A quick internet search and I found Cellarman’s Pub and Brewery. Smoking is allowed on the patio, but
McGee Travel Tales 