10/03/2010 Florence Day 3 – Day of Roaming

Day 3 in Florence was an extra day because we expected that we’d enter a lot of museums. Instead, we found out that entering all museums would cost us a fortune and entering only a few didn’t take too much time. So in the end we had 1 extra day to roam around.

 Started off by passing by the Tempio Maggiore

Then we passed by Piazza dei Ciompi where there’s the Loggia del Pesce (shown in picture)

We then walked through the flea market.

There were vegetables and fruits on sale

Awesome looking apples

The Basilica di Santa Croce in which you can find funerary monuments of some famous people including Galileo, Niccolo Machiavelli and Michaelangelo. We didn’t enter. Silly us.

Street along the front of the Basilica

Side of National Central Library of Florence

Pizza as usual (2.50 Euros)

Looks awesome. Tastes awesome.

National Central Library of Florence. Me munching away

We arrive at the river again

Ma Jie likes taking photos on random streets

I like Haribo

and pastries

We crossed the river.

Went to Forte Belvedere

Unfortunately it was closed. Somebody had to kill himself and make the police do an investigation.

We walked along Via di San Leonardo and from above the fences on the side you can see this awesome view.

Via di San Leonardo is a really small road and you gotta stand parallel to the wall when cars pass by.

We took a random route

and arrived at the Piazzale Galileo. I took a picture with this lamp post cause it’s interesting and it’s all around Florence.

Piazzale Galileo

We then headed back and walked along Via Nicolo Machiavelli to

this random place where I later found out is called Convitto Ecclesiastico La Calza

We found some cheap and good gelato there

which cost me 3.50 Euros for 3 scoops and a piss in the toilet

We then passed by the entrance to the Boboli Gardens but decided not to go in due to the lack of time and the unsuitably cold weather (probably no flowers).

We also walked by the Palazzo Pitti. Didn’t go in though. Anyway regarding this place, I just saw a post on facebook saying that someone’s money (100 Euros) got stolen by the cloakroom staff here.

Continuing the journey, we crossed the river via Ponte Santa Trinita

and reached Via de’ Tornabuoni

Here I found a shop which aroused my interest

Bang & Olufsen (low value for money but great design)

LV was just around the corner and there were two mannequins, or was there just one?

Had some entertainment at Piazza della Republica

After some strolling, the sky darkened.

We went back to the hotel to play cards, preparing our legs for the long long walk the next day in Pisa.

Hiatus from trip to Italy: 4th and 5th Arrondissements of Paris

When France was ruled by Napoleon, he divided Paris into 20 arrondissements with the first in the centre of Paris, where the Louvre and Cathedral of Notre Dame are located, and the rest spiralling out from the centre.

Yesterday I went on a self planned tour in Paris, concentrating mostly on the 4th and 5th arrondissement.

Took the train to Place the la Republique

Walked from there to next destination

Cirque d’Hiver

Then we took the metro to Place de la Bastille

July Column commemorating the ‘Storming of the Bastille’ during the French Revolution

Opera Bastille beside the square

Walked to next destination along Rue Saint Antoine

Temple du Marais

Entrance to Place des Vosges

Place I’m heading to

Louis XIII Square in centre of Place des Vosgues (built under King Henri IV).

Statue of Louis XIII

Place des Vosges was a residential area where some famous people lived

Victor Hugo for example (Maison de Victor Hugo)

Eglise St Paul St Louis

Christ in Agony in Garden of Oliviers (direct translation) by Eugene Delacroix

Walked to next destination. Great great weather.

Eglise St Gervais St Protais

Historical organ in the church

Used by Louis and Francois Couperin

Next up, Hotel de Sens (medieval building built between 1475 and 1507)

Garden in front of Hotel de Sens

Walking to next destination

Rue de Rossiers (Jewish area)

Place for lunch wasn’t open

Decided to go to Ile de St Louis. sorry for weird expression. The sun was too bright.

Eglise St Louis en l’Ile

St Louis (King of France) and Crown of Thorns

Church from outside

Next up, Memorial of the Shoah, which refers to the extermination of 3/4 of European Jews in World War 2.

Unfortunately it wasn’t open on Saturdays. Good thing is that entry is free and we can go any other day.

Wall on which names of those who are righteous (Mur des justes), referring to those who helped out the Jews during WW2.

L’As du Fallafel wasn’t open yet so we decided to walk around somemore.

Passed by Zadig & Voltaire

In which a leather vest costs 590 euros. Gila.

Turns out that the shop wasn’t open that day so we just moved on and ate bread for lunch. Next stop, Ile de la Cite where Notre Dame Cathedral is. The bridge in the picture is called Pont Neuf, oldest bridge in Paris passing over River Seine.

On bridge, with statue of Henry IV behind. The bridge was built under his reign.

Passed by Palais de Justice

Finally, the famous Notre Dame which gained increased popularity through Disney’s Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Statue of Charlemagne, Holy Roman Emperor

We didn’t go in because the queue was too long.

Note to other tourists, go on the first Friday of each month. You can see Jesus’ Crown of Thorns from 3pm onwards.

View from across the river with Batobus passing by.

Walked along the Seine River to the next destination

Statue in front of destination

Jardin des Plantes (Garden of Plants). Largest botanic garden in Paris

Very big indeed. Probably nicer later in Spring.

Forgot the name of this building

Next up, Arenes de Lutece. Ancient Roman Arena, now just a place for outdoor activities.

Nothing pretty or spectacular. It just feels cool to be here.

From there, we took the metro to Musee de Cluny in which there’s an ancient Roman bath and a series of 6 tapestries which are one of the most significant works of art during the Middle Ages.

We then went to one of the old campuses of France’s top engineering school, Ecole Polytechnique. Note that the street is named after the school.

The old campus.

Next up, the Pantheon which I’ve been in once. This is the resting place for many significant French, from politicians to artists to writers to scientists. Marie Curie rests here.

We then went to La Sorbonne, one of the oldest universities in Europe. This area is also called the Latin Quarter, probably due to the extensive use of Latin by scholars in the old days.

We then went to Jardin du Luxembourg (again actually). There were TONNES OF PEOPLE there. Anyway that’s Palais du Luxembourg in the pic.

Palais du Luxembourg (with a hot chick in the middle of the pic)

Amazing crowd in the garden.

Fountain of Medici

The original model of the Statue of Liberty

Bocca della Veritas

Next up, Eglise Saint Sulpice, under restoration. Second visit.

Organ in the church. Largest instrument built by Aristide Cavaille-Coll.

Last stop: Abbey of Saint Germain des Pres

Tomb of Rene Descartes

Interior of the Abbey

And that’s the end of the day. I have kept this post (almost) free of words. Hope that you enjoyed the photojournal almost as much as I enjoyed the day.

Ciao.