*Spotlights on the Parliament Building. February 2022.*

Spent the evening walking along the banks of the Danube River in Budapest two nights ago. I wanted to try out some handheld night photography with the new Tamron f/2.8 28-75mm G2 lens. The riverside monuments are beautifully lit at night, making for some really neat shots. Also had fun trying different adjustments in the RAW files. Let me know if you have any questions or comments, and which is your favorite!

*Moon above Szent István Bazilika. February 2022.*

*Buda Castle and Europa Boat. February 2022.*

Definitely one of my favorite cities. More to come from Buda and Pest!

*Hungarian Parliament Building, the Danube River, and Buda Castle. February 2022.*

How to sum up one of my favorite cities in the world? Firenze was one of the first European cities I ever visited, taking the train up from Rome way back in June of 2017. I was on a solo backpack tour for two weeks, and fresh off of a few days of jet lag adjustment after flying from Los Angeles to Reykjavik to Dusseldorf to Rome. After spending hours and hours wandering around Roman streets, it was time for a change of scenery. I booked a train to Firenze and a low-key apartment a few blocks from Santa Maria del Fiore.

The train ride was a relatively short and incredibly beautiful ride through the Tuscan countryside. A quick 15 minute walk from Firenze Santa Maria Novella brought me to the small (but cheap!) room I was to stay in for the next two nights. Then it was time to see the city!

The Basilica Santa Maria del Fiore is one of the most iconic buildings in the world, and with good reason. To this day it (and its neighboring tower and baptistry) is probably the most impressive and beautiful building I have ever seen.

Duomo

Campanile de Giotto

The Basilica Santa Maria del Fiore, known more simply as the Duomo, is a great place to hang out. It is right in the center of the city and is surrounded by pizzerias, gelatterias, and even an Irish pub! Many of the places have outdoor seating so you can sit outside and admire the amazing pink and green marble while enjoying some of the most amazing food in the whole world! Also Peroni!

With a full belly and a nice buzz, it was time to wander around Firenze!

*Statua equestre di Cosimo I de' Medici facing the Duomo. June 2017.*

Vespa

Santa Maria Novella

Column in Piazza Santa Maria Novella

Stupid Tower

Concert in Piazza della Signoria

David in front of the Palazzo Vecchio

Ahh, the Palazzo Vecchio. Built by the wealthy Medici family, for some reason they couldn’t figure out how to center a tower on top of a building. So it is probably my least favorite building in the world. See how ridiculous it looks? Grrrr….

Moving on! to one of the more famous bridges in the world, the Ponte Vecchio. At Sunset! (see also the first image in this post above). For reference, “ponte” means “bridge” in Italian. and the bridges in Firenze span the River Arno.

*A Boat Ride in Front of Ponte Santa Trinta and Ponte Vecchio. June 2017.*

*Chiesa di San Frediano in Cestello, across the River Arno. June 2017.*

That’ll do it for the throwback to my first time in Florence. Many many more posts to come, because I just love going back! Ciao!