Firenze

Basilica di Santa Croce

After a really long day of travel, we've started our Italian journey in Florence -- Firenze to the locals.  We flew to London first and then direct to Florence. Florence has a smaller airport with no jet bridges, so we deplaned on the tarmac and then rode a bus to the terminal building.  We rode the tram from the airport to the train station and then walked to our apartment.  Needless to say, we were quite tired.  But we still managed to walk around a bit to get a feel for the city                                                                                                    before crashing for the night.  

Galileo's tomb

Buongiorno Florence! Today was our day to explore and there was so much to see.  We started our morning at the 14th-century Basilica di Santa Croce.  Santa Croce is the largest Franciscan church in the world.  It is still a place of worship with a daily mass; however, it is jointly owned by the Italian government and the municipality of Florence.

Over the years, it has become a place where prominent Italians are entombed or remembered, especially Florentines.  We visited the tombs of Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli, and the famous Italian composer Gioachino Rossini.  We also saw remembrance markers for Dante and Leonardo da Vinci, but they are entombed elsewhere.  The high ceilings are ornately-painted wooden beams, some of which have the faces of Franciscan saints.  Outside the church are two lovely cloisters, serene green spaces to be contemplative before exiting to the bustling city outside its walls.

Michelangelo's tomb

After Santa Croce, we walked to the Galleria dell'Accademia to see Michelangelo's iconic statue David.  Created between 1501 and 1504, this marble masterpiece was placed outside in the public square in front of Piazza della Signoria.  Originally intended to be placed in the cathedral, it was placed outside to project Florentine strength.  It wasn't until 1873 that the statue was moved to the Accademia.  To me, the most impressive part of David is the realism Michelangelo was able to convey -- veins in the hand, fingernails, eyes, etc. -- carved from a single block of marble.  It's challenging to convey in words how phenomenal this sculpture is.

Incredible realism

We stopped for a late lunch at a nearby Osteria, eating fresh Italian food at an outside table -- the first of many al fresco meals I expect to enjoy during our trip.  After our meal, the Sextons headed back to the apartment to rest for a bit.  Mona and I detoured to the Duomo (cathedral) to see the interior and Brunelleschi's dome.  Filippo Brunelleschi was a founding father of Renaissance architecture and is most famous for the dome on the Florence cathedral.  His dome was the inspiration for Michelangelo's dome on St. Peter's Cathedral at the Vatican.

We finished our time in Florence meandering the streets, seeing and walking across the Ponte Vecchio bridge, and perusing the shops. Florence is so rich in history, art, and culture that we could spend multiple days here and still not see everything.  With only one full day to explore, we didn't attempt to see it all.   We wandered and soaked up the essence of the city.  And we ate well.....very well. 

Ponte Vecchio

Florence skyline highlighted by the Duomo

It's Finally Happening

We are leaving today for a long dreamed of trip to Italy with our friends Mark, Renee, and Annalise.  Mark and Renee are the parents, and Annalise is their daughter who just graduated college this past spring.  We've been friends since before Annalise was even born.  This is their bucket list dream trip that we weren't sure would ever happen. Why? Well it turns out two of the three have always had a severe phobia about flying.

I won't name names to protect the innocent, but let's just say that whenever the talk of travel came up, the thought of flying was always a "Hell No!" and that was typically the end of the discussion.  Something changed a few years ago and the door was cracked open.

We traveled to Florida together a few years ago to swim with manatees.  While we could have driven a really long time, the allure of manatees enabled us to get them on an airplane for the first time.  Mind you there were drugs, a little wine, and various incantations to make that happen, but we were able to take a direct 90-minute flight that was very uneventful.  

If you've never flown before, you certainly don't necessarily know what to expect.  I respect that.  Is it like a roller coaster?  A rocket ship?  Up and down like a bird flapping its wings?  Our descriptions could only do so much.  Until they experienced it first hand, it was always going to be a fear.  The flight down was so successful, the return flight was done sans drugs -- I think there were still incantations, but no drugs.  Success!!

The manatees were two and a half years ago.  Since then, we did another trip together to Nova Scotia with a slightly longer direct flight.  We had turbulence on the flight home, but we survived and they now know turbulence isn't so bad.

Which brings us to today.  Over two years to work through a fear of flying.  Are there some nerves?  I'm sure there are, but we're so happy they've met their fear head-on, realized it's not as bad as they imagined, and we're sharing a lifelong dream come true. Excited for the adventures ahead!

Waterfalls, Gorges, and Gorgeous Waterfalls

Bovec and the Soca Valley
our apartment building is at the bottom of the photo

We've been in the Julian Alps for the past several days, and it has been one spectacular view after another.  After long hikes at Lake Bohinj, we traveled to the Soča Valley and hiked shorter trails in search of waterfalls, gorges, and the iconic turquoise-blue yet crystal-clear water.  The Soča Valley takes its name from the Soča River, which starts high in the mountains and flows all the way to the Adriatic Sea about 90 miles away.

Slap Kozjak

We found a lovely apartment in the town of Bovec, with great views between two mountain ranges just out the windows and looking from the balcony.  Bovec proved to be an ideal base to explore the Soča Valley with nearby waterfalls, gorges, and local swimming places on the river shores. The Slovenian word for waterfall is slap, so it always made us chuckle when we saw signs pointing us to Slap Boka or Slap Kozjak.

Slap Kozjak

In addition to these two waterfalls, we also hiked at Soča Gorge, the deepest area where the river cuts through the rocky landscape as it makes its way to the sea.  Just upstream from this gorge is Šunikov vodni gaj, a nature preserve whose name translates to Šunik water grove.  Here the Lepenjica stream flows downhill, creating multiple small waterfalls, cascades, and crystal-clear pools of teal water before it eventually combines with the Soča.  This water grove wasn't even on our radar until we discovered a local recommendation.  It was truly a hidden gem that took us far from crowds and may be our favorite Soča Valley experience.

Soca Gorge

Sunik Water Grove

Sunik Water Grove

Slovenia and the Julian Alps

After dropping Doug & Laura off at the Split Airport, we drove north five hours into Slovenia.  We're spending a week visiting several places, with the bulk of our time in the mountains of northern Slovenia called the Julian Alps.  Our first two days have been in the alpine town of Stara Fužina next to Lake Bohinj.  It's a small village with narrow streets and perhaps 40-50 houses.

Mostnica Waterfall

We've done longer hikes each day totaling a combined 13.5 miles.  The first hike was up Mostnica Gorge to the Mostnica waterfall.  This was a great hike through the forest along the gorge formed by the crystal-clear Mostnica River.  The middle part of the trail then opened up into the Voje Valley, a beautiful U-shaped opening between the mountains with small homes and vacation huts.

Voje Valley

Our second hike was a complete circumnavigation of Lake Bohinj.  The first half of this hike was along the shoreline with wonderful views of the turquoise water and mountains. The second half was further from the shoreline separated from the lake by the main road. It was not nearly as picturesque but fortunately shady the whole way.  Europe has been experiencing a severe heat wave for the past week, and even though we're in the Alps, temperatures have astonishingly reached 90+ degrees each day.

Lake Bohinj

Stara Fužina has been a great base the past few days.  It lies within the country's sole national park, Triglav National Park, named for Slovenia's tallest peak. Tomorrow, we're off to the Soča Valley, also part of the national park in the northwestern corner of Slovenia.  During our drive, we'll pass where Slovenia, Italy, and Austria meet at a single point in the mountains.  We hope to make that a pit stop.

World Cup Mania

While we've been on our trip, the 2026 FIFA World Cup has been taking place back home in the US, Canada, and Mexico.  Croatia is one of 48 countries that qualified this year, and the pride is everywhere --- flags, jerseys, hats, and even covers for car side mirrors in the country's iconic red and white checkerboard pattern.

With the six-hour time difference, the matches have been taking place very late night or super early in the morning, depending upon how you look at it.  For our last night in Croatia, we went to the local watch party at the end of our block.  The fans here are passionate about their football, and the cheering started long before the match even started.   We watched and cheered with the locals, complete with hand clappers and thunder sticks.  Croatia won the match 2-1 over Ghana and advanced to the knockout stage.

We dropped off Doug and Laura at the airport the next morning for their flight home. We're staying another week traveling through Slovenia.

Split

Split waterfront and the Riva

After spending several days in Dubrovnik, we're now in Split, the second largest city in Croatia in the heart of the Dalmatian Coast along the Adriatic Sea.  Split owes its origins to the Roman Empire, namely the Emperor Diocletian (245-313).  He was a Dalmatian native and built a huge palace here for his retirement.  After his death and the fall of the Roman Empire, the palace fell into disrepair.  At some point in the 7th century, a medieval town took root.  The locals essentially set up their homes and shops in the former palace, and even today, you see the juxtaposition of modernity mixed with the surviving Roman architecture just as it was almost two millennia ago.

Venetian architectural influence

The Venetian Empire took over the Dalmatian coast in the 15th century, developing and fortifying Split, and with that came the introduction of Gothic-Renaissance architecture.  Today's Split is a modern ferry hub whisking people, vehicles, and supplies to many of the islands along the coast.  The main promenade -- The Riva -- is lined with palm trees, shops, and outdoor restaurants with nonstop views of the Adriatic Sea and the comings and goings of sailboats, yachts, and dinghies.

Dubrovnik is well-preserved and screams proper and historic, while Split is more blended and gives off a much more modern vibe.  It's been wonderful to experience both.

Cathedral and Bell Tower

Dubrovnik

The view from Fort of St. Laewrence

We've spent the past few days in Dubrovnik, at the southernmost end of Croatia nearing the border with Montenegro.  For centuries, Dubrovnik was a maritime power and an independent city-state that paid whichever empire was in power nearby-- Byznantium, Ottoman, Venetian -- to maintain its independence.   The thick medieval walls still ring the old city center as it enjoys its nickname still today: Pearl of the Adriatic.

Dubrovnik is remarkably well-preserved, but that history was nearly lost during Croatia's war for independence from Yugoslavia.  Dubrovnik suffered almost eight months of bombing before being liberated by the Croatian army.  Many buildings were damaged, but today, the most noticeable reminders are the bright orange tiled roofs, that show which buildings have been rebuilt.

The darker, browner tiles are roofs that survived the bombing campaign.

We're proud to say we hiked the entire city wall for great views of the old town.  We also ventured to the Fort of St. Lawrence that sits on a nearby bluff with fantastic views of the city with its walls jutting into the Adriatic Sea.  We've wandered the many narrow lanes and watched the sun set from the Buza Bar that sits along a rocky outcrop in the Adriatic on the outside of the city walls.  Buza means "hole-in-the-wall", which we literally walked through to access the bar.

We've also eaten gelato daily because gelato makes every day a great day.  It's easy to fall in love with Dubrovnik which we've done in our few days here. 

Gelato makes everything better

The city walls lit up at night