First Night in Italy - Florence

I write this from “Together Florence Inn”, our modern, yet typically European, hotel room. We had a beautiful first night, following an impressive drive through the Austrian Alps.

With views like this, you can only thank God for the glory attributed to Him by His creation.


We stopped for lunch at a McDonald’s which we decided had the best views of any McDonald’s in the world. After all, we sat at a window looking out at this as we enjoyed our McCafe Latte Macchiatos.


Along the way, we spotted this amazing monastery up in the alps on an outcropping of rocks. It was so cool that we pulled off the highway just to get a pic.


We enjoyed tunnels and bridges, and bridges and tunnels. The drive from Germany to Italy via Austria has got to be one of the best in the world. So much to see. So much to point out and exclaim about, “Check THAT out!”. As we drove through one green valley in northern Italy with mountains on all sides, the song “I Can Only Image” played on the iPod connected to the car stereo. It was like a slice of heaven.

Our first night in Florence included some Italian food at a Ristorante Pizzeria, followed by a walk down cobblestone streets decorated for Christmas.



We turned down one small street and caught sight of a massive building looming over the others. It dominated the night as we walked toward it and it came into full view. I look forward to seeing it during the day tomorrow… el Duomo.


We ended our evening stroll down by the river, where the lights reflecting in the water made for a magical scene. Most of my pictures did not turn out, but we still came to understand why Florence is considered a city of romance.

We kissed in celebration of it. /wink