Travel smarter, travel light.
Do you have enough cash to travel the world on the luxury liner Queen Mary II?
No, neither do I but Ozbus is offering an alternative way to see the world travelling from Sydney to London. Board the Ozbus for a 12 week journey across SE Asia and the sub-continent to Europe. All you require is a sense of adventure, a desire to travel and willingness to pitch in your help with daily activities. Check it out.
Home Turf Media is hosting the Carnival of Cities #3, Urban Planet blog carnival this month, and Sheila included two of my recent posts in this wonderful and eclectic group of writers. I especially enjoyed reading CJCM‘s article about the mobile hair salon in Kuala Lumpur, reminding me of the many innovative entrepreneurs I met while living there twenty years ago.
Each week I post a few of my personal travel photos to inspire your travel dreams. This week I chose my favourite shots from Firenze (Florence):
Travelling to Europe this year, read Rick Steves‘ country by country travel update in the Seattle Times.
Florence deals with its floods of tourists and congested museums by requiring reservations to enter several of its top attractions. The easiest way to make reservations for the Uffizi Gallery (Renaissance art) and Accademia (Michelangelo’s David) is to have your hotelier do it for you; request this service when you book your room. Or you can call the frequently busy reservation line (from the United States, dial 011-39-055-294-883). Reservations (that you book on your own) are still required for the Brancacci Chapel (Masaccio’s frescoes) and recommended for the Chapel of the Magi within the Medici-Riccardi Palace. Good guidebooks come with the details.
If you find this article useful, I recommend his guidebooks for your next European vaction.
Firenze is the cradle of the Renaissance, the humanist movement pushed back the dark veil of the middle ages and advanced society and science in an explosion of discovery. My five favourite Firenze sights and activities:
1. Michelangelo‘s David, simply the most magnificent sculpture I have ever seen but book ahead to avoid long lines at the Accademia Gallery.
2. Take your lover to the Ponte Vecchio and place a lock on the ironwork and then throw the key into the Arno River to seal your love.
3. Michelangelo‘s The Deposition, is believed to contain a self-portrait of the aging Master as Nicodemus. Michelangelo smashed it after fault in the marble caused a leg to break off. A servant sold the pieces and the buyer reconstructed this unfinished masterpiece.
4. Shop for an Italian leather jacket at the San Lorenzo Market or a exquisite gold necklace on the Ponte Vecchio.
5. Sit on the steps opposite the Uffizi Gallery and enjoy a gelato while the human experience unfolds in front of you.
