Tuesday, April 03, 2007

Reminiscing

I am having a great time "following" Donna through Europe. Today she is still enjoying Florence and I have been living vicariously through her. I even dug out my diary from my time in Europe, more specifically Florence. I was there on Friday, June 17, 1988. It is shocking to admit that it was almost 20 years ago, OUCH! Here is what I wrote as a young 22 year old:


We arrived in Florence with no problems-trudged through an open market place with our heavy luggage to find our hotel (Hotel Europa). It is a great place and a great location. We were off to discover Florence. We found the Duomo and Basilica and were amazed at the size and beauty (a lot of construction going on though). We went across the street to a museum and saw Michelangelo's Pieta- it is a statue of Nicodemus holding Jesus with Mary Magdalene and Mary. Awesome!! Next we were off to the street markets to find some good deals on leather jackets, gloves, purses and bags. They were everywhere! I purchased 2 pair of gloves for L52.000 which equals $40.00. Great deal. We grabbed dinner at a pizzeria- had pasta- bad waiter and off to explore more of Florence. We found delicious gelato and roamed the nicer streets of Florence. Then it was off to Hotel Europa to catch some zzzzzz's.



Michelangelo. Pieta. c.1550. Marble. Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, Florence, Italy




Italian Gelato!

9 comments:

Dana in Georgia said...

Oh, this is great. I love reminiscing with you.

Dana in GA

Anonymous said...

Now that is my kind of 'salad' bar!!

Wow. Beautiful stuff.

I would be shuddering to go back and read anything I wrote when I was 20! (Your writing produced no shudders, dear Janet.) Fun to reminisce, isn't it? Did Janice keep a journal, too? I wonder if Donna has walked by your hotel today.

And, I wonder if she'll have a moment to pop in again before leaving for Rome. Hope so. :)

Do you still have those gloves?

Janet said...

Lynn, I will admit to you that some of my writing might embarrass, as the Lord had just begun His miraculous work in my life. I was sensitive to spiritual things as noted in my awe of The Pieta but still God was drawing me to himself.

I have no idea where the gloves are and I doubt I ever wore them
:(

I was so surprised to find the hotel on the web. It was the nicest hotel we stayed at on our trip. We usually crammed in to hostel type places.

Anonymous said...

Lynn,
If I kept a journal, it is packed in a trunk, under lots and lots of boxes in my garage.

J-
Was it in Florence where we asked for double sccops of Gelato and had the hugest cone ever?
Great trip down memory lane and be thankful for being able to say 20 years ago...think of the alternamtive!

Janet said...

Good point Janice :)

I thought everyone was laughing at our double scoops of Gelato in Nice. I'm pretty sure that's where we were. Oink. Oink.

Anonymous said...

Hey! This is how I'm rewarded for my addictive, stalker-like blog-checking habits--nice digs, Janet! This place looks great!!

Congratulations! (And you didn't even tell us it was about to happen!)

Janet said...

I am a member of the stalker-like-blog-checker club! No worries, Lynn.

Isn't it a beauty? Jules at "everyday DESIGN" designed it and installed it for me! More later.

Donna Boucher said...

Oh my gosh!!!!
Your blog is beautiful!!!
You little stinker!
I absolutely love it!

The gelato is displayed so beautifully.
The David was remarkable.
The noise in our hotel room is 10 decible all night long. It has made for two very difficult nights of sleep.
I hear Katie is well. No sad missing mommy episodes.
But I am having one of those sad missing Katie episodes this morning.
I could cry right now...
But I will try not to.

I think the girls like the river and sitting on the bridges...and people watching.

Off the Roma today.
It should be nice train ride.

The Sistine Chapel and the Pieta await us. Will we stand in another three hour line?

Miss you all!
And Janet, you blog is really pretty!

Love you and miss you,
Donna in Florence

Dana in Georgia said...

Love! the new look.

Dana in GA