Day 10: Saturday, October 8, 2016: Florence, Paris
We have a free morning in Florence to visit the Duomo, Baptistry and Bell Tower independently. In the early afternoon we will have a private transfer to the Florence Airport to check-in for our flight to Paris. A local representative will meet us at the Paris Orly Airport and escort us to our bus. We will be staying at the Mercure Paris Bercy Bibliotheque. Dinner is at our hotel this evening (B/D)
Notes from the travelers (Jordon):
After a day full of sightseeing, walking, and gelato in Florence, we were excited for another morning in this beautiful city. After a lovely breakfast at our hotel, we headed for the Duomo and prepared ourselves to make the arduous climb of over four hundred steps to the very top. After making our way through what seemed like a never-ending spiral staircase, we emerged inside the church and had a moment to admire the beautiful, intricate artwork on the roof depicting heaven and hell before continuing our trek to the very top of the dome. While we were gradually climbing the stairs, it was amazing to think about the architecture of the whole church, how they had been able to nestle the stairs in between the walls of the dome and build the dome without any scaffolding or cranes. Finally, with sore feet and tired legs, we reached the top of the dome, and the view from the tallest building in Florence was not disappointing. The vast city sprawled out before us, a maze of red-roofed buildings stretching out towards the horizon.
After the Duomo, we entered the baptistery and viewed the gorgeous artwork covering every square inch of the building. Like the Duomo, the roof displayed an interpretation of heaven and hell. One couldn't help but be amazed by the intricacy of the patterns on the columns, be awestruck by the beauty of the gold leaf designs on the walls, and be overwhelmed by the complexity of the paintings on the roof. After a couple days of being inundated by impressively beautiful churches, cathedrals, and basilicas, I was struck by how much time and effort people in medieval and renaissance times dedicated to creating these exquisite architectural masterpieces. Each building possessed a mind-blowing level of detail and quality artwork that must have taken years and years to finish, and yet there were hundreds upon hundreds of these buildings all over Europe. Comparing this to the fast, quantity-over-quality, materialistic mindset of America, I was sad thinking that no one worked like this anymore. We as a society seemed to have lost the drive to create beautiful, long-lasting works of art for the purpose of glorifying God and instead have turned to making cheap, efficient products that "better" our lives.
After some shopping and walking around in the cold rain, it was time to say goodbye to the city of flowers and head for the city of love. Watching a very beautiful Parisian sunset, we made it to our hotel just in time for a very French meal of meat and potatoes. With stomachs full and hearts happy, we went to bed excited for a full day in the city of Paris.
We have a free morning in Florence to visit the Duomo, Baptistry and Bell Tower independently. In the early afternoon we will have a private transfer to the Florence Airport to check-in for our flight to Paris. A local representative will meet us at the Paris Orly Airport and escort us to our bus. We will be staying at the Mercure Paris Bercy Bibliotheque. Dinner is at our hotel this evening (B/D)
Notes from the travelers (Jordon):
After a day full of sightseeing, walking, and gelato in Florence, we were excited for another morning in this beautiful city. After a lovely breakfast at our hotel, we headed for the Duomo and prepared ourselves to make the arduous climb of over four hundred steps to the very top. After making our way through what seemed like a never-ending spiral staircase, we emerged inside the church and had a moment to admire the beautiful, intricate artwork on the roof depicting heaven and hell before continuing our trek to the very top of the dome. While we were gradually climbing the stairs, it was amazing to think about the architecture of the whole church, how they had been able to nestle the stairs in between the walls of the dome and build the dome without any scaffolding or cranes. Finally, with sore feet and tired legs, we reached the top of the dome, and the view from the tallest building in Florence was not disappointing. The vast city sprawled out before us, a maze of red-roofed buildings stretching out towards the horizon.
After the Duomo, we entered the baptistery and viewed the gorgeous artwork covering every square inch of the building. Like the Duomo, the roof displayed an interpretation of heaven and hell. One couldn't help but be amazed by the intricacy of the patterns on the columns, be awestruck by the beauty of the gold leaf designs on the walls, and be overwhelmed by the complexity of the paintings on the roof. After a couple days of being inundated by impressively beautiful churches, cathedrals, and basilicas, I was struck by how much time and effort people in medieval and renaissance times dedicated to creating these exquisite architectural masterpieces. Each building possessed a mind-blowing level of detail and quality artwork that must have taken years and years to finish, and yet there were hundreds upon hundreds of these buildings all over Europe. Comparing this to the fast, quantity-over-quality, materialistic mindset of America, I was sad thinking that no one worked like this anymore. We as a society seemed to have lost the drive to create beautiful, long-lasting works of art for the purpose of glorifying God and instead have turned to making cheap, efficient products that "better" our lives.
After some shopping and walking around in the cold rain, it was time to say goodbye to the city of flowers and head for the city of love. Watching a very beautiful Parisian sunset, we made it to our hotel just in time for a very French meal of meat and potatoes. With stomachs full and hearts happy, we went to bed excited for a full day in the city of Paris.