Europe, Back to Novosibirsk

In the afternoon we have the flight home. So, there was pretty much time to get to the airport by train. The airport is enormous, and it is easy to get lost here. However, we reached the check-in desk and, having stood for about half an hour, we received our boarding passes. 

Again, I have the seat in the last rows. Just my luck! At least, I have a window seat. 

Another frontier is passing through passport control and inspection. And now we are ready for the final shopping in the duty-free shop.

The flight was quite good. We experienced the turbulence just a little bit. Though the landing was successful.

Europe, Munich Again

In the afternoon I am flying back to Munich, where my friend is already waiting for me.

I did not have enough time for morning strolling, so after having my breakfast I headed straight for the main station. I made only one meaningful photo for memory with this typical landscape of Tuscany and said goodbye to Florence.

I hope to see this land once more, but not early in spring. Probably, the best season for visiting this fabulous place could be the beginning of summer or early autumn.

So, I go to the international airport of Florence by bus. We were very quick, and at the airport we arrived in 25 minutes.

I move to Munich with Air Dolomiti, which is the partner of Lufthansa. We fly on Embraer E-Jet aircraft. The flight takes about 1 hour 15 minutes.

Again, I can see the breathtaking views of the mountains from the window. The old land of Bavaria is waiting for my return, and I look forward to seeing it as well. Beer, pork and pretzels...

Surprisingly, they provided us with a sandwich and some drink to choose from juice to wine, absolutely for free.

When I arrived in Munich I bought a day ticket which would be valid until 6 o'clock in the morning. The ticket cost me 12.80 euro.

For this time we are staying at the hotel Verdi, which is close to the Central station. Moreover, there is a fruit market under the windows of the apartments. So, you can buy fruit here for the cheapest price.

After a short rest my friend and I had a nice walking around the city. I was kind of a guide for my friend, so I tried to show him the most valuable things in the central part of Munich. My short program included visiting Marienplatz, Frauen Kirche, Neues Rathaus, Viktualienmarkt and Hofgarten.

We had the supper at the traditional restaurant Schneider Brauhaus, located close to Marienplatz. I visited this restaurant two weeks ago. And again, we had the same dish, which I tried before. Actually, we went for Munich roast pork with gravy and white-bread dumpling worth 9.90 euro. Delicious!

I realized that one week is simply not enough to get to know Munich. Even now I discover so many new and remarkable places. I even have not visited such famous spots as Munich's Residenz, English Garden, Deutsches Museum and National Theatre. Moreover, there are numerous interesting attractions around Munich! So, I would be happy to visit Bavaria once more and many times.

Europe, Top of Florence's Duomo

Again, with the bus №1 I am in the historical centre. First, I decided to visit the open air gallery Loggia della Signoria and to admire all these sculptures once more. And later I headed towards Piazza del Duomo.

Only one attraction is left from the Museo Del Duomo ticket. It is Cupola. The thing is that you have to book the entrance into Cupola in advance.Yesterday all the reservations were taken, so I went today to reserve my place.

The height of the Dom is more than the bell tower. The entire climb consists of 463 steps. And it is much tougher to get to the top, because the corridors are narrow and the steps can be steep. It took me about 15 minutes to reach the top. And the pulse at the end of the climbing was 127.

Before you went out the cupola, take time to admire Giorgio Vasari's frescoes of the "Last Judgement" up close.

Then I went on the left bank of the Arno river to see the Pitti Palace. Here the impressive garden Boboli is located; it is the typical example of an Italian garden. The park is enormous (about 4 hectares), and it has so many sections with some remarkable features. All over the garden you can discover centuries-old oak trees, large ponds, fountains and sculptures.

It was an exhausting walking around the Boboli gardens, so I thought that I deserved some treating. I went to Piazza del Duomo and took the table at Don Nino cafeteria. I ordered a cup of coffee and Canolli tube. Canolli is the dessert of ricotta cheese in waffle dusted with pistachio and other nuts. Definitely, I recommend to try this Italian sweetness to everyone!

This is the last night of my staying in Florence. Certainly, I have not seen much of the city, but now this city have a strong association with such things like beauty, art, tradition, culture, refinement and finally good food with excellent wine. I want to grasp as much of the city as possible, therefore I continue my observing at night.

In the end, I have collected the series of photos from the magnificent garden Boboli.