Arriving in Switzerland

At the end of my program in Florence, I headed out on a solo adventure to explore beyond Italy.  I took an evening train into Lucerne, Switzerland, with a connecting train in Milan.  Turns out I should have left slightly earlier for a little more sunlight, because the views were absolutely stunning throughout northern Italy. There are these small cities built up the sides of the mountains, all of them with lakes at the bottom.  The train sped by for hours, passing these cities, and as the sun went down and lights were turned on, they seemed to sparkle, everything reflecting on the lakes.

I arrived in Lucerne dressed in denim shorts and a red, breezy one-shouldered blouse, and I was clearly out of place.  I really should have checked the weather forecast because the weather was rain, rain, rain, and the dress was sweaters, boots, and scarves.  I chuckled at my luck and decided to search for an ATM to get some Swiss Francs.  When I finally found one, the minimum I could take out was 50... which I ended up needing all of anyway, because if you are unaware and thinking about heading to Switzerland, just know that the Swiss have a way of emptying your wallet faster than you can say Guten tag!

When you exit the train station in Lucerne, you are greeted by a giant arch, similar to those all over the world like the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, or the Washington Square Arch in New York City, or the Arch of Constantine in Rome.  I'm beginning to think a city can't be a city without an arch of its own.  I had a great photo of this, but somehow in all of the madness of Paris, it got erased.  That, or it's lost in my laptop in cyberspace.

Anyway, so I finally grab a cab after standing in the rain with my colossal suitcase, and am whisked away through the city with tired eyes, sore feet, and very much in need of a rain coat and/or sweater. I arrive at my hostel just past midnight, and shuffle into a 20-person room to claim the last bed available... which obviously was a bit of a mess trying to be quiet and also drag a 50 lb. suitcase into dark room and proceed to dig though it for something to sleep in.

More on my Switzerland visit & photos to come :]

Fiesole

The city of Florence is situated in a valley in the heart of Tuscany.  In the summers, as I have certainly noticed, it can get really very hot because of the geographical location, so it was a real treat to take a day to explore a small town just about 5 miles north of Florence in the hills, Fiesole. According to my guidebook, the village was settled around 7th century BC, and there are still Roman and Etruscan remains here.  

I walked up to San Francesco, a friary founded in 1399.  Apparently, the last Pope visited the friary and it was a great big deal because there were signs (in Italian so I only got the gist of what it was about) posted around the area.

I found a great place to take in views of Florence, feel the breeze from being outside of the city, and sip on a Tuborg -- a beer produced in Copenhagen which I've found I prefer over the common Peroni Italian beer.  

From the largest photo you can see the Duomo dome very clearly and get an idea of exactly how huge it is.

Salvatore Ferragamo Museum

Sometime last week for my fashion illustration class we took a little field trip to the Salvatore Ferragamo museum here in Florence.  Actually, I live maybe a 2 minute walk from here!  As a lover of shoes the visit was very enjoyable, but my favorite part was seeing the wooden shoe lasts which were used to make shoes for a specific person...including my favorite actress Audrey Hepburn! I was able to snap a few pictures before I found out no pictures are technically allowed...so you better enjoy seeing these!  There are also lasts from other actresses and famous names of the mid 20th century.

The last photo is a shoe from the 1930's which is made of embroidered raffia on the top section (raffia is like a palm-tree-like plant).  This material became a good substitute for more expensive materials during the Great Depression and War times.