Firenze!

it was a quick jaunt to Florence; a weekend away from the hustle and bustle of Amsterdam perhaps. this time of year the weather is cool and rainy; it did not deviate from the norm on my behalf.

so what does one do with only a weekend to explore a historic, art-filled city like Florence? well, firstly you throw open the windows of your home away from home for a view of your surroundings.

next you amble through the narrow streets

and at each turn you marvel at the Florentine statues and architecture

later, you climb the 414 steps to the top of the Campanile (aka bell tower) for breathtaking views of the the Duomo and Florence.

beware the bells, they do toll!

and finally, at night you walk again, this time to see the Duomo.

looking ahead

still have photos to throw up here and a story or two to tell but that will have to wait a bit. for now i am back in the city by the bay to wrap up a few things. soon enough though i will need to catch this blog up as i have new travels ahead and surely will have stories to tell. the dreary grey and rain that is typical this time of year has been a bit of a struggle as i have been spoiled by lots of sunshine the past few months. i find myself saying, "how do people live in this climate?!" ah how soon we forget.

after numerous conversations it has been decided that i currently live nowhere and everywhere. friends have attempted to introduce me to new folks but get caught up in where i live. it's a problem we should all be so lucky to have i suppose. for now though, when it comes up, i have been reduced to saying the location of wherever i am in the moment. that hasn't gone over so well with those in customer service , imagine their frustration when i say, "well where am i now? oh Puerto Rico. great, yes that is where i live."

i have started a packing list for the next trip, it appears i am returning to Nicaragua. it is easier packing for a place i have been and hopefully i will find success in bringing what will be the equivalent of 2 carry-on bags. now if i could only find the list of things i "should have brought" that i wrote while traveling through Central America just a few months ago...

let's start from the beginning

from AZ i went to NYC to see the Diva in her own phenomenal cabaret show. NYC has much to offer and we enjoyed it all for the short time i was there. one of the best moments (besides the fantastic performance) ice skating...

and then before i knew it i was on a plane headed to Amsterdam!

here are a few photos from the first day. this one is a street corner close to Cafe Americain which served a fabulous cup of coffee :-)

as a way to get to know the city a canal tour was in order.

it was a perfect winter day, cool and sunny with a few clouds.

Houseboats!

Bikes!!

February

ok ok i am so ridiculously behind on the blog. i offer no excuses other than to say that February looked like this:

Arizona (country #1)

NYC (still in country #1)

Amsterdam, Netherlands (country #2)

Florence, Italy (country #3)

Amsterdam, Netherlands (back to country #2)

NYC (back to country #1)

Puerto Rico (technically country #1 as it is a commonwealth of the US)

NYC (back to country #1)

Arizona (stayed in country #1)

all that in 28 days.

i will put up photos of the Feb travels in the next week or so and in the meantime accumulate new photos from current adventures. i am happy to say i have no plans to leave the country for the next month or so. of course by next week i will probably kick myself for having that plan!

can you guess where i am now???