UK - York

During autumn break we were visiting Leeds - our main reason being we wanted to attend the concert of Andrea Bocelli in the First Direct Arena there.

As we were there before, it didn't take too long to re-explore Leeds itself, and so there was time for something else. We decided to take a train (about 20 minutes) to the city of York.

Leaving the railway station in York, it is not difficult to find your way into the town center. It's clearly shown and not very far on foot. Walking into the center, you immediately come across the famous Minster.

And from there, you walk directly into the Shambles, the very narrow medieval streets full of little shops. We visited a peculiar little museum there, where Roman baths were excavated.

After lunch, which we also took in bistro in the Shambles, we decided to visit Clifford's Tower, a remainder of the times of William the Conqueror. You have a great view over York from the top.

We continued our walk along the ancient walls that surround the city and had a warm coffee with some cake to warm up, as it was a pretty cold day.

Conclusion: there is more than enough to see and do in York, even for a short visit.

Italy - Florence and surroundings

I've been neglecting this blog for some time, while my sister and I did travel since my last entry.

At the beginning of July, we made a trip to Florence (or Firenze, in Italian). We stayed in a magnificent palace (owned by the Marchess of Camugliano) for what I think a reasonable price (300€ a night, which is not too much for a sumptuous suite). The service there was impeccable and all food came directly from the farms on the estates of the marchess.

This aside, the town of Florence is well worth a visit. We arrived around noon, so still had an afternoon to go exploring. Our first walk (the palace was right in the town center) we already came across the magnificent Duomo.

Later that afternoon, we went to visit the Gallerio dell'Academia, where you can see the magnificent statue of Michealangelo's David.

On our second day, we walked to the Ponte Vecchio, which is one of the landmarks of Florence. Pretty crowded, you need to be aware of pickpockets there. People who were also staying in our hotel had their i-phone and wallet stolen there. I always wear inexpensive jewelry when abroad and keep my purse close to my body, with my hand on the zipper.

From the Ponte Vecchio, we continued via the Uffizi to the Palazzo Vecchio, where we visited the state rooms and later the Boboli gardens.

The following day we did a day trip which brought us to San Gimignano and Siena. Tuscany is a beautiful area to explore. From Florence it is not far to other places, like the ones mentioned. San Gimignano is purely medieval and (for the lovers) also has a museum of torture.

And Siena is famous for the horse racing, which takes place in the center of town.

And of course, a visit to Pisa could not be missed. Pisa equally is not too far from Florence, and can be reached by train if you like. Wanted to see the leaning tower with my own eyes!

For me, July is a good month to travel to Italy. Nicely warm (I love temperatures around 30°Celsius!) and dry. Wonderful to sip an Aperol Spritz after a long walk, and enjoy a leasurely dinner at some fine Italian restaurant. Life can be good!