Lip Service

We just woke up. It's 10am our time. I tried to post late last night, but the hotel does not allow internet usage past midnight. We should have been back by then, but...well read on...Here is a recap of day one...The first thing that we had to do was grab espresso and a light snack. On the recommendation of Katiana from the hotel, we stopped off at her favorite cafe for cappuccino and panninis. The crazy thing is, if you stand at the bar, your drinks are 1.5 euros. Sit down = 4 euros. We stood while we watched our barista expertly pull shots and steam milk on a La Marzzocco machine. It was poetry in motion. The cappuccinos were exquisite and the sandwiches hit the spot. It was cool watching patrons grab a doppio and venture off into the streets. We forged on...The clothes, shoes and leather goods are amazing. We couldn't just walk straight ahead without window shopping or stopping at a cart with leather goods to check out the homemade wares. The architecture is like nothing that we've seen in the states. The Duomo is massive and a mecca for tourists and locals alike. One could get lost (a future theme) among the street carts, shops and art if you don't know where you are going. We have one knapsack with tour books, so we are prepared for anything (or so it may seem). We head over to the Uffizi gallery (home of the Venus Di Milo), but it is not enough time to tour. We will make reservations for next week. We head over to the Ponte Vecchio, which is a beautiful bridge over the river Fiume Arno which connects Oltarno to the main part of the city. The most gorgeous jewelry shops line the bridge as you cross. We realized that we haven't had any wine yet, and head over to a cafe. It's looks empty so we randomly pick a small bar down a winding ally. A few glasses of Chianti later, we are giggling with delight. The bartender brings bruschetta, olives and other bar bites to our table. We can't get up. We leave and decide to walk across the city along the Via Porto Rossa. All the shops are closed, but cannot keep our eyes away from the windows. The stationary shops and shoes are tantalizing. We end up at the Frescobaldi Wine Bar and sit outside. We people watch, eat prosciutto, crostini, percorino and each enjoy a wine flight of chianti and white wines. Truly amazing. The food is so fresh and the wine is indescribable. Our conversations get even more personal so we decide on the phrase, "What goes on in Florence, stays in Florence" in between our laughter. We need one more glass of wine, so we head over to Gustavino. It is a small family shop lined with wine bottles and tables. We sit at big table in the back and split an amazing bottle called "Le Masse Di Greve - Chianti Classico Reseva 1996". Greve is the city that we will be visiting on Friday for the wine festival. We are in big trouble :) We now need gelato, so we go to the best called Vivoli. The shop is bustling with people and it's past 11pm! I had a riso (made with rice) flavor while the girls partake in the chocolate. It is like nothing that we have ever had before in our lifetimes. We're beat so it's time to head off to the hotel (or so we think). Apparently, three well educated people with four tour books can find there way back. No. No. No. We end up somewhere and slowly retrace our steps on a map. We find our hotel 30 minutes later, but we are so happy, we don't care (except that Linda really had to pee). Whew. We slept like rocks and now for day 2...