Florence

On Friday, after a boring week of rain and indoor climbing in Arco, we checked out of our awesome Apartment in Arco.  Thanks to offseason pricing our huge 4 bed condo cost us each just a few Euros/night more than camping.  It was sad to leave as Arco had very much become a "home" to each of us over the course of two weeks.  Friday, we found a nice, inexpensive place near the outskirts of Florence.  Florence has a unique renaissance history and it was very interesting to spend the day (today) exploring the town's offerings.  We explored the Cathedral Duomo, which has an overwhelmingly austere interior, compared to other churches and cathedrals we have seen.  The "dome' itself is one gigantic frescoe and similar to the other frescoed interiors I have seen on this trip, I can not even begin to comprehend the outrageous amount of time, discomfort, and patience required to complete such a task.  After the Duomo, we made our way to the Santa Croce and saw a bunch of old dead people in a big old building with a fine collection of Jesus art.  It was actually very cool to see the burial grounds for such tremendously influential individuals as Galileo, DaVinci, and Michaelangelo.

Overall, it's been a great trip full of awesome climbing, good people, and tons of amazing sights/cities.  We are both sad to head back to the US...but are also excited for our coming adventures.  There will be two more trip-related posts.  One will describe the happenings and sights of Rome; and the other will discuss our favorite sights,days, places, and (my) favorite photos of the trip (once I can get them up on my big monitor and into photoshop).

Here are some photos for now:

Jesus Art

Galileo's Grave

Goodbye Arco!

Duomo

Florence

Caio