Florence

Florence. It is a city that you hear much about. It's considered to be absolutely beautiful and was an epicenter for the Renaissance movement. This is reflected in the architecture. Because Florence is known for its architecture and location in the famed Tuscan region, it is a tourist mecca. Upon our arrival in Florence we heard more English than Italian and saw two McDonalds in a matter of minutes. The Italian guys speak English for their pick up lines. Yes, the cheesy "Hey you dropped something.... my heart!" was used and no it was not effective. Honestly, the city felt a little flat. Perhaps this feeling was due to the overcast skies, the massive tourist industry and the feeling that everyone was out for your money, and our predominately carbohydrate yet delicious diet was starting to weigh us down.

Doumos
We took a day trip to Siena. I thought it had a much better feel. We walked through the medieval streets until we got to the Piazza. In the summer, a massive horse race is held in the center of town called the Palio. Apparently it is a smashing good time as the neighborhoods compete in a rather exciting race and horses careen around the square. The city and the Palio are featured at the beginning of the James Bond movie, "Quantum of Solace." Siena is home to a fantastic doumo. If you can only see one cathedral in Italy, I would recommend the Doumo in Siena. Way better than Florence. The facade is fantastic but the inside is incredible. Inlaid marble scenes cover the floor and there are sculptures by Michelangelo and Bellini. When I first read about it in the "Lonely Planet" I thought, "Wow, it's so lame that they have talk about the floor" But no, I gazed at the floor for ages and it truly is very impressive. We went to the Doumo in Florence and the outside is incredible. The detail is intricate. You could stare at the building for days and still be surprised and awed by something new. After Siena, the interior was lack luster. It was originally built to fit all of Florence in it. Now, it only has 202 chairs for its parishioners. Its incredibly sad to see that 202 chairs is all they need for the church. An elaborate facade that echoes emptiness inside. I thought of how that can be representative of our lives. We too build elaborate facades to make our lives look a certain way but sometimes, the heart is aching and echoing emptiness. I felt that the churches we viewed got so caught up with being and building a church that they forgot why there was a church in the first place, forgot that it all centers around Jesus. That too can happen in our lives. Fortunately, the beauty is that the emptiness can be filled with joy, peace, grace and love through Christ.

Cooking Pasta in a Kitchen From Another Time
Melissa and I went on a wine tour and tasting and a cooking class in the Tuscan hills. Once we got out of the city, we finally realized what the fuss of Tuscany is all about. It is beautiful! The rolling hills are covered in terraces. The region is famous for its wine. We were actually in the Chianti Rufina region. There are subgroups of the larger regions based on towns nearby. The slightly higher elevation affects the grapes and it is known for having unique wines. We were in a group with two couples, each celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary. One man was from New York and stated that he wasn't a wine snob. But when you start talking about tannins and earthy undertones, you're pretty much a wine snob. Another couple was from Longmont and quite nice. Stating that she was a "huge foodie," the wife said that they enjoy wine but she was excited about the prospect of cooking. She was also very motherly and wanted to adopt us for the day. We went to a small vineyard and toured the facility. Wine making is an art and has evolved into a science as new technology is developed to get more precise measurements of the wine during the aging process. The vineyard also has olive trees and was preparing for olive harvest. They were putting the olive press together. I did not know that olive oil is best fresh and should be used within a year of harvest. That made me wonder about the massive gallon jugs of olive oil that are sold at Costco. We got rather generous tastings of the wine which I wasn't going to complain about. The bread in Italy is actually quite disappointing. However, we learned that if you sprinkle salt on it and drizzle olive oil over it, like the Italians do, it improves immensely.

After the wine tasting, we loaded up into a van and were driven down narrow, winding, bumpy, dirt roads to the farmhouse for the cooking class. I'm not gonna lie, I was a bit buzzed. But once we donned aprons and rolled up our sleeves, I felt quite confident and relaxed to make pasta. I had made pasta once before, mostly because one cannot find bow tie pasta in Gordon, Nebraska and I had my heart set on making bow tie primavera. That experience was nothing like what I enjoyed in that tiny farmhouse. We gathered around a massive table in a stone building that was almost 1000 years old. We made ravioli and fettucini. We were told that the ravioli filling was ready when the spoon stood straight up in the bowl. I love directions like that! We then trooped upstairs to the living quarters. A darling Italian mama had been cooking lunch for us and prepared the sauces for our pasta. I have learned on the trip that simplicity is best when it comes to food. Let the ingredients speak for themselves. Keep it simple Stupid! The spinach and ricotta ravioli was topped with a butter and sage sauce - that's right, it was only butter and sage. Christiane laughed at us when we were incredulous that those were the only two ingredients in such a delicious sauce. "Americans, they always want to make it more than it is." The fettucini was topped with a garlic, tomato and pepper concoction that had a bit of a kick and was simply divine. I'm so inspired to get home and into the kitchen. Throughout our travels, I have written down dishes and their ingredients in detail, whipping out my journal in the middle of restaurants, to get ideas for cooking at home. Whenever I feel that I'm in a food rut, I will just pull out my journal. The cooking class and wine tasting was definitely a highlight. Melissa is planning an Italian Christmas dinner. Her family has an awesome tradition of picking a country every year and making a traditional meal for their Christmas dinner. Her menu sounds pretty fantastic.

Perhaps it was the wine and food, or that we knew where the original gelatoria was in Florence but on our return to the city, we felt quite content as we walked up the hill to Piazza Michelangelo. The city was absolutely beautiful. There is a bronze replica of "The David" in the plaza. We stood next to the green David and looked out at the city at sunset. Quite pretty and it was then that I understood why people enjoy Florence so much. The following day, we went to see "The David". After you see it, all other art looks insignificant. It is absolutely beautiful and the detail is phenomenal. It is the first statue that I've seen that really evokes emotion and seems to have a soul. David is also incredibly hot. Wow, what a body. Rock hard, if you will. Michelangelo wanted to depict David after he had slain Goliath. But there is a sense of humility, that he knows he is just a man, that it was only through the Lord that he was able to be victorious and in that moment, there is a sense of vulnerability and humble strength. I really can't express it very well. There is simply nothing like it. Michelangelo completed "The David" at the age of 29 from a single piece of marble that was left over from a church construction project. It was placed in the main square of Florence and the city loved it. Not only because it is truly a masterpiece but because  it was a symbol of hope. They were surrounded by enemies and it was reminder that David defeated a much larger enemy through his faith in God. David still has the power to encourage and inspire today.

Things I Did Not Expect When I Woke Up
Florence Edition
-Give up on my search for rocking awesome leather boots. How can I be an independent woman if I need someone else to take the boots off for me?
-Eat a delicious yet ridiculously overpriced gelato and waffle sandwich.
-Watch a soccer game, excuse me, football match in a bar full of Italians.
-Have our travel plans change three times in an hour. Scratch Morocco. Scratch Avignon. Fly to Barcelona? Go to Portugal? Go somewhere else?