Florence

Florence is no doubt my favourite city in the whole Europe. Gary and I went there for a week in March 2000. I simply fell in love with the place. Why? Well, if Rome is an open museum, Florence is then an open art gallery. Museums may be cultural and educational, but art galleries are almost spiritual. Wherever you go, you see beautiful sculptures, paintings, and architectures that take your breath away. All of them seem just naturally exist there. They are not decorations, but Florence itself. You then turn round a corner, and suddenly you see another little alleyway that is so enchanting that you gasp. You may think that if one has seen too many exquisite things, perhaps there may come a point when you stop being surprised by them. But you don’t. When everything surrounding you is so exquisite, what you feel is immense joy, serenity, and fulfillment.

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(We found a perfect guidebook to Florence. We don't usually take that much of a notice to a guidebook. But when we booked a wonderful hotel with the most reasonable price following the recommendation from this guidebook, we began to pay a little more attention. In the end, we did almost everything suggested in the guidebook and had tremendous fun.)

(Siena, a short train ride from Florence. A must-visit town. So charming...)

(Siena)

(Siena)

(Siena)

(Siena)

(Giardino di Boboli)

(I adore David, the most perfect sculpture I have ever seen...)