In June, my mom and Betty Emmerich came over for almost 2 weeks to visit. It was mom's 2nd trip to visit us and Betty's first time. It was a fun trip and I hope the really enjoyed their time!!
They got in on a Sunday, it was beautiful weather and a good sign for their trip. After getting refreshed and unpacked, we headed over to Broc and went to the Cailler chocolate factory, which was yummy as always!! From there, we headed to Gruyeres...where Betty determined that Gene was trying to kill them by walking us all up the hill. :) There were some amazing views that made it worth it. We decided to call it a day so they could get some sleep.
On Monday, I had to work part of the day. I left shortly after lunch and we went down to the water front here in St-Prex and enjoyed the views and weather again. It was very relaxing. Then, I had to catch the train to the airport and fly to Hamburg for the rest of the week. The next morning, Gene got Mom and Betty on the train for their Italian adventures. They spent Tuesday and Wednesday in Rome. They headed to Venice on Thursday and was there on Friday. On Saturday, then we all met up in Florence.
Gene and I arrived in Florence, much later than originally planned. During the weekend before, there had been a fire in one of the tunnels in Switzerland, so trains were not going through it. We had to switch trains 3 times on the way to Milan. We got in just a bit later than scheduled and we went to buy tickets to get to Florence, but the next 2 trains were sold out and we couldn't get tickets. So, we were going to be late. We finally made it about 4 pm and Mom and Betty were waiting for us. We headed to the hotel and got checked in. Then, to see Florence!!
We first walked to see the Ponte Vecchio and get some gelato. :) We walked across the the Arno River and enjoyed the views from the bridge. Beautiful, as usual. One of my favorite views in the world and very relaxing! We then walked along the Arno and in to the town. We just walked around and saw some of the sites in town, the Duomo, the Uffizi and the statues around the square next to it. Did some souvenier shopping and then grabbed a fabulous dinner at the brand new Hard Rock Cafe!!!! :) Mmm...nachos! On the way back to the hotel that night, we saw a gelato place that had lines out the doors but were too full to stop.
On Sunday, we caught the Hop-on Hop-off bus tour. The best way to see the city in a day. We first went up to Fiesole...the small little village on a hill overlooking Florence. Once again, Betty thought Gene was trying to kill them with the hill. But, there were some rewards at the top of the hill...the amazing views and of course, Italian purses! From Fiesole, we headed back to Florence. We stopped at another overlook of Florence, from the opposite side and a bit closer. Amazing views of the Arno, Ponte Vecchio, Duomo and the city. We took the bus back down to the city and got off near the Palazzo Pitti. We grabbed lunch at our favorite pizza joint. It is life changing...at least for me. I always get the Quatro Formaggi (4 cheese). Yummy! We then had to start walking to the hotel so we could grab our bags and head to the train station. This time, we ran across the same gelato place and decided to stop. Again, life changing!!! It was fabulous and inexpensive gelato! Worth every Euro. :) So, then to the train station.
This time, we were smart and had bought the tickets the day earlier when we were in Milan. We stayed the night in Milan and got in about 8 pm. We grabbed dinner in the shopping mall area near the Duomo. We took lots of pictures of the Duomo and then headed down the shopping street to the castle. There is a fountain in front of the castle that looks like a wedding or birthday cake. So, took more pictures there. Then decided it was time for bed.
The next morning, we caught the train home and got back to St-Prex around 1 pm and decided it was nap time. It had been a very exhausting, but fun weekend.
On Tuesday, Gene, Mom and Betty headed to Montreux and then to Signal de Bougy - where there are some great panoramic views of the lake. I had to work. :( They picked me up from work that evening and then it was time for them to pack and start to get ready to head home. It was a great time!
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