January 20, 2011 | Posted in Blog, Life, Photography, Travel

Day 2: Piazzale Michelangelo, Panoramic Views of Florence.

The second day in Florence, we took the Florence City Hop-on Hop-off Bus Tour that we have book through Viator Travel online. I know many places have these buses going around and I’ve always wanted to try the tour. It’s a good way to discover the city and the sights in a quick overview.When we’re in the bus we were given earphones and listen to a guide in the language we picked from the seat. The audio guide was pretty informative and tells you a little history on all the main sights.

My Florence trip isn’t complete without the magnificent panoramic view of Florence. So, we get off at the Piazalle Michelangiolo stop and the panoramic views from this piazza are absolutely breathtaking. It sits on a hill across the Arno river and you get to see the whole city of Florence. Another highlight is to see a bronze replica of Michelangelo’s David there. I did some souvenir shopping and enjoy the view that I see in many Florence painting. Next we visited San Lorenzo Market, another must-see and that will be my next photo essay post so stay tuned.

Related post
Gelato – A Sweet local Delicacy In Italy
Day 1: Arrived in Florence, The City of Renaissance
Day 2: Piazzale Michelangelo, Panoramic Views of Florence.
Florence for Foodies: Inside San Lorenzo Market
Pontassieve, A Medieval Village in The Heart of Tuscany.
Florence for Foodies: Inside San Lorenzo Market

(Me and my fiance on the bus)

(Admiring the building from the top view)

(I can see the detail up so closely)

(This building use to be a prison for Florence, not anymore)

(Ponte Vecchio)

(Crossing the bridge to the other side of Florence)

(Ponte Vecchio)

(You see art everywhere)

(We have arrived)

(My other friend Akito)

(Breathtaking views)

(View of the Arno river)

(Romance)

(Michelangelo’s David)

(Venders everywhere)

(Shopping time)

(Pinocchio pencil souvenirs)

(Pinocchio toy souvenirs)

(Beautiful mask souvenirs)

(More souvenirs that looks fun)

January 7, 2011 | Posted in Blog, Life, Photography, Travel

Day 1: Arrived in Florence, The City of Renaissance

As an art student, I grew up learning about Renaissance art along with many stories during that period. And from that experience I always wanted to visit Florence, a city of the Renaissance. After months of planning and saving, my fiance and I finally booked our trip to Italy. Our first time in Florence was incredible. My fiance and I arrived early on a Friday morning at 11am. We were so hungry and tired. The first thing we did after check in to our hotel was getting an Italian Pizza. We wandered into a nearby restaurant and it was quite delicious.

After our breakfast / lunch, we decided just to walk around the city with our map. We stopped by at The Basilica di Santa Croce located by Piazza di Santa Croce. It’s the largest Franciscan church in the world since 1294. After going through all the 16 chapels inside, we decided to move on to another place.

Related post
Gelato – A Sweet local Delicacy In Italy
Day 1: Arrived in Florence, The City of Renaissance
Day 2: Piazzale Michelangelo, Panoramic Views of Florence.
Florence for Foodies: Inside San Lorenzo Market
Pontassieve, A Medieval Village in The Heart of Tuscany.

(Just arrived in Florence, Italy)

(Waiting for our pizza)

(The Basilica di Santa Croce)

(I love dogs, even when I’m in Italy)

(Beautiful architecture)

(Nice strolls through the streets)

Next stop was the Piazza del Duomo, a small piazza surrounded by Duomo, Baptistery and The Campanile bell tower. All the cathedrals were quite impressive and the biggest highlight was looking down from the dome’s observation deck. I think I have to give myself a “you did well” sticker because I’m afraid of staircases and heights. I managed to climb up 436 steps with my fiance and saw the most breath-taking city view of Florence in a 360 degree perspective. After enjoying our stunning views, we went back down the same way we came. We then headed to the Piazza della Signoria before we head off to Uffizi Gallery.

(At Piazza del Duomo)

(Inside the Duomo)

(We finally made it to the top after along climb)

(See, isn’t this view stunning?)

(Another view form the top)

(I finally catch my breath)

(Palazzo Vecchio)

The last stop before our dinner was the Ponte Vecchio, a famous bridge in Florence. It sat on top of Arno River and lined with many jewelry shops. There were musicians that play on the bridge at night and the lights of the water reflect it’s true beauty. We finished our day with a nice Italian dinner. That night we learned so much about Florence and I have to say the city of Florence is home to some of the most beautiful art in the world.

(You see love lock everywhere)

(I can’t take my eyes off them)

(Many shops there)

(My appetizer – octopus salad)

(My entree – Seafood pasta)

(I love the night sence)

(Nice walk back to the hotel)

Following is a list of some of the most significant sites in Florence that you should see.

1 – The Basilica di Santa Croce, 2 – Piazza della Signoria, 3 – The Campanile, bell tower in Piazza del Duomo, 4 – Il Duomo – Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, 5– The Baptistery, 6 – Ponte Vecchio, 7 – Galleria degli Uffizi, 8 – Galleria dell’ Academia, 9 – Palazzo Vecchio, 10 – Piazzale Michelangelo

Florence, The City of Love

Florence, Italy from Sarah Wu on Vimeo.

August 3, 2009 | Posted in Blog, Designs

A CD and DVD cover arts showcase

In the digital era, we download music and store them in our ipods or iphones. When is the last time you remember buying a CD or DVD? I still buy dvd movies, but I don’t recall the last time I’ve bought a music CD. The reason why I brought up this topic is because I’ve found this really cool showcase site featuring CD and DVD cover art. Check it out at http://www.mixtapewall.com. Enjoy!