Day 6 – Sunday, June 14 – Munich, Germany to Florence, Italy

The day started again at the breakfast buffet, with our table having the reserved sign on it again, but they quickly put it away and brought coffees with them (starting to feel like regulars here now). Filled up on another delicious breakfast, and then started to get ready to go. We cannot overstate how amazing the breakfast was.  The pastries, juices, fruits, meats…. Never seen anything like this ever in the states.

We ran back up to our rooms to make sure we were packed up.  Braden had been collecting our old soda and water bottles and wanted to turn them in for euros, after he had spied that there were machines that would give you money back. So far unsuccessful, we headed into the train station to find one of the automatic return machines. The one at Yorma’s was out of order, but we managed to find one at the back of the grocery store in the train station (yes, the German train stations have grocery stores, and everything is pretty cheap, too – seriously the train station was our favorite place). We joined the line of many other people returning bottles, most of which were bringing in bags they had collected overnight (who else is returning bottles Sunday morning at the train station?  Let’s just say, not tourists). Braden was able to return his small collection and get 1.3 euro before we headed up to the train. 

We took the DB train out of Munich and we were in first class and it was WONDERFUL. Large seats, large windows and a waiter/porter who took our lunch order and brought it out.  YES we were living the good life.  Definitely the way to travel through the Alps. Amazing scenery around the train, steep mountains, green valleys, rivers and houses built up in the mountains. You could even see the ruins of several castles and forts on some of the hills as we passed by. 

Sarah’s favorite view of the trip was the Durst building shortly after we entered Italy. Apparently they manufacture photographic equipment.  She has never reached for her phone so fast to take a picture EVER!

Gradually, as we got farther into Italy, the landscape changed from the German-Austrian alpine mountain-look and into the vineyards and Italian style houses. We took DB as far as Verona, and got off there into the much hotter temps (oh and by the way?  Munich was sunny and beautiful of course on the day we left.  FIGURES). The station is all open-air, with the platforms at ground level and tunnels and restaurants underneath. We walked around the small station (no grocery store here) for a bit before buying two Americanos and Orange Fantas and sitting into the small food court for an hour while waiting for our train.  Everyone else there was doing the same thing, huddled about and avoiding eye contact while staking out their tables.

The Italian train was a little rougher than our nice German one, but it was a bullet train so we’d get to Florence quickly. Upon boarding, everyone got their seat but Matt, who had someone sitting in his seat. Through a quick conversation with google translate, he had been moved there by the conductor because of an air conditioner problem in first class. Fortunately, the seat next to him was open, so Matt squeezed into the window seat with three other Italians around and quietly read while they talked. Sarah and the kids played cribbage, and everyone had snacks pretty much thrown at them by the train attendant with the snack cart. Noah tried to say no, but he had veggie chips, cookies and water thrown at him anyway.  The car was full of people talking and yelling, and Braden got pinched by a little Italian toddler running up and down the aisle, who then slapped his sister.  Thank god it was only a 90 minute ride from Verona to Florence (Firenze as it’s called in Italy) and only two stops, so it went by really quick.

The one bit of drama happened right at the end – as we were walking down the platform,  Zoe realized she had left her favorite sweatshirt on the train. The train was still sitting there, so after a couple of seconds Matt ran several cars back and jumped on, praying that the doors wouldn’t close trapping him on the train as it left. It was a quick and frantic conversation in very broken Italian with the elderly couple that had taken our seats, and Matt crawling under the table and then the seats to retrieve the sweatshirt and jump as quickly as he could off the train. Crisis averted. 

Our travel planner (basically a lady that we had been hooked up with through Sarah’s friend Kelly who makes hotel and activity recommendations and books them all for us, but is not a travel agent per say – best money we had ever spent, she is amazing (retired Italian physician) had setup a driver to meet us at the train station, and there was nothing quite like seeing a fancy man holding a sign that has our name on it, and getting into a Mercedes minivan/SUV, to be driven to the hotel. Kind of embarrassing haha. 

We are staying at the Palazzo Guadagni Florence, which is in a building that is from 1505.  The hotel is on the 3^rd (and 4^th) floor of the hotel, so we took a very tiny elevator with our luggage up (we had to make 2 trips for all of us) and checked in. While we were checking in, the lobby was full of people going to the rooftop bar, and they were way better dressed then we were.. way better, especially considering we had just been on a train for 8 hours.   Turns out the rooftop bar is on some list popular with influencer types (most of the people showing up were getting turned away due to lack of reservations, this place was HOPPING!).  It was humbling to be checking in at 6:30 pm, exhausted from slumming it in 2^nd class on the train (seriously people, it was like we were coming on the Ellis Island train), to be brought to this lobby that doubled for the hotel and bar, and everyone was dressed like they were going to a night club.

For what it’s worth, the staff is amazing, and we ended up with two rooms – one was right off the lobby and ultimately we gave that one to the kids.  The view from it was spectacular and the ceiling had to be like 15-20 feet high.  Like amazing!  It also had a small cot/bed set up in front of the fireplace, so we decided kids could have it.  Our adult room was up some narrow winding stairs and has two windows that can be opened, overlooking rooftops.  It is fabulous.  AND air conditioned.  AND there are coffee machines in the rooms.

We were starving and asked for restaurant recommendations from the front desk man.  He gave us some, and ultimately we went down the street he had recommended and found a little pizza place called Antica Pizzeria Regine.  We settled in, parents had Refino beer and kids had sprite and juice, and we each ordered a pizza.  The place was cute, filled up quickly while we were there, and we brought our leftovers back.  Ready to rest up and hit Florence tomorrow!

Day 7 – June 15, 2026 – Florence

Beautiful sunny day and clear skies.. and we got to sleep in! No early tours, so we lounged around until 8:00 before heading to breakfast. Breakfast is next to the lobby, an expansive selection of pastries, sausages, fruits and salads and coffees. But the best part is you can eat on the open air “rooftop” balcony (the one that’s a bar at night) overlooking the city.

We relaxed for a little longer, and forced the kids to watch a Rick Steves video on the history of Florence, (Zoe huffed and rolled her eyes the entire time) before heading out for our walking tour of the Duomo, the cathedral in Florence, and the 8^th largest church in the world.

We had been signed up for a “skip the line” tour with a tour guide, and had perhaps 15 people in our group.  It was the English speaking version and a variety of different people were on it, but suspect mostly Americans.  Our guide walked us over to the Duomo and Cathedral and we stood outside in the sweltering heat while she told us a bit about the history.  Then all the women had to cover their shoulders, men and women had to have knees covered, and we were escorted through a side door, skipping the long line. It was pretty cool, not going to lie.  We then were behind the roped off areas, and given a tour of the Cathedral, and escorted up into the dome.  The Duomo has an enormous dome (construction on cathedral had started before they knew how to finish it, as the dome building technology had not been figured out yet but they were confident someone would). There is a fresco of Dante’s Inferno painted on it (which the guide reiterated multiple times was not the Biblical version of hell)).  A sensitive person might get nightmares from this fresco.  We have so many questions.  Why is a salamander shaped demon hitting a man with a rock in a bag?  And that’s just the PG related question. 

Anyway, we then started ascending multiple steps up.  MANY.  We then were given a tour of the terraces outside (really just got to go on the roof of the church), then we ascended further up into the dome, then popped up on top of it, overlooking the city.  It takes 463 steps to get up to the top.  It was beautiful.  But sooo hot.  And we had no water.

After the tour, we collapsed in the plaza outside the church with some gelato and water (gelato does solve a lot of our problems).  We then were reinvigorated for round 2, the Crypt.  Apparently our tickets for the Duomo got us into the Crypt for free (Zoe:  NOOOOO) and there was no line that we could see as we watched from our bench, eating gelato.  Us adults, never one to turn down a deal, happily marched us all over there and got in line.  It was…. not what we were thinking.  We thought, crypts, maybe piles of bones, skeletons, who knows.  It was an archaeological site with a bunch of stone crypts.  Either way, it was cool down there.  Also, the only way to exit was through a gift shop.  It appears every castle and museum we have been to don’t allow you to leave unless it is through a gift shop.  So we will come home with more magnets for our collection at least!

We popped back to the hotel and rested, and then got ready for our food tour.  We signed up for a Florence Food Tour.  You visit several restaurants, and a guide talks you through everything.  WELL, turns out our food tour had 16 people, and we were all from within 120 miles of each other.  Because, of course.  One couple was from near Chicago IL, and a large group of two families was from Wauwatosa/Brookfield.  Of course.  And they grew up camping at Hartman Creek State Park and fishing on the Chain.  Because that’s the way us Midwesterners roll.

The first restaurant we went to was Antico Ristoro Perditempo (which translates into Ancient Stop for Timewasters).  We had a charcuterie board with Prosecco with cheese and meats and breads (Florentine bread is typically made without salt), two peasant type dishes that both had bread in them and were warm and soft, like a thick soup?  Also cheese with balsalmic vinagrete on it that was delicious. 

We then walked over to a wine window from the restaurant Babae, and we had wine that came out of a hole on the side of a building, then went inside with our drinks (YES, we made Noah try sips of everything, NOT B, who desperately wanted to) and had bruschetta and roast beef on crostinis.  This is the restaurant where we all figured out we were Midwesterners. 

(pics of wine window)

We then traveled on to yet another restaurant for pasta with truffles (kids got theirs with meat sauce) and steak Florentine.  Lots of wine to go around as well.   

We then ended at a gelato place and had dessert.  It was a wonderful night, the guide was great, good company.  We got back, and us parents joked about having a cocktail from the bar upstairs – Matt asked in the lobby and the guy working was like, I can seat you right now in the bar if you want!  Before we knew it, we were out on the rooftop balcony watching the remains of the sunset and having cocktails, the kids safely tucked in their room around the corner.  What a great night!

Day 8 – June 16, 2026 – Florence

Breakfast on the balcony, cappuccinos, delicious.   Seriously, the breakfast had varying fresh fruits, meats, eggs, little jars of yogurt with stuff written in Italian in them so you knew they were good, carafes of juices, pastries, still AND sparkling water in bottles.  We will dream of these breakfasts when back in the US.  Also, as soon as any of us left the balcony, pigeons showed up to peck off the plates until they were shooed away.  Zoe loved it.

Today was our “museum day” (Zoe was like, this is the worst), and we had tickets for the Uffizi and Accademia museums – timed entry but no tour guide, just us and Rick Steves.  He is amazing, and we downloaded his app and free audio tours, but then just looked at the written transcripts for them when in the museums.

We made our way across the river to the Uffizi (or “Offices” – which is in the building that used to hold the Medici offices).  Who are the Medici?  Why, they are the family that controlled EVERYTHING in Florence for a couple hundred years.  And damn, did they love the arts, dumping tons of money to artists back in the day (don’t worry, they all died, no direct descendants, Sarah checked).  The Uffizi museum is in a huge U-shape with a piazza in the middle, which is where you enter through. Finding the right line, going through security and getting in was actually pretty quick (looked super confusing until we just randomly got in a line and went with it) and then we made our plan to do the “Classic” tour (there was also a “Complete” tour, but the kids voted that one down – it all cost the same, it was just looking at the length and which rooms and pieces of art were covered).

We took the stairs to the top floor and started around the U, which was filled with grand halls with statues and painted ceilings along one side, and winding rooms full of art off of the hall.

The paintings start before the Renaissance, as Rick Steves described them “flat” and not yet 3-dimensional, and then you can see how painting essentially evolved over time.  To be clear, none of us came in with a clear understanding of art history, or let’s be honest, art of any kind, or an interest in either, if we are being fully honest.  But it was really cool to follow the progression of different styles of painting, and Rick Steves pointed out little things about the paintings that we never would have noticed otherwise.  Overall, it was really enjoyable.  BUT.  BUT.  It was SO CROWDED.  We have never been anywhere as crowded as this.  EVER.  Like packed in like sardines.  We frequently had to find benches and just sit down to get out of the crowd.  The one thing Sarah got out of this is that Rafael was Michaelangelo’s pupil AND became is competitor, and was “influenced” by him, AKA stole his ideas.  She is firmly team Michaelangelo.  Just saying.

We ended up popping out into the piazza with a couple hours before the Accademia, so we did the natural touristy thing and found a café near the Duomo to eat.  We just wandered until we found Café Duomo and landed at some tables in the street, listening to a violinist and other tourists, watching the millions and millions of tourists.  Sarah got a Sarti Spritz as rumor had it that it was the new spritz of the season (verdict: eh).  We got a mish mash of burgers and Italian food and enjoyed sitting outside for way too long – until we were running late to get to the Accademia.

Now the Accademia?  What is there?  Another museum, but the primary piece is Michaelangelo’s David.  This place was a mess to get into.  You were in a crowded alleyway with lines of people, no discernible organization, and eventually you just slid in there with your paid entrance ticket.  In theory, we had a timed ticket for 1 pm.  But who knows, it was just lines of random people who might have the same timed ticket as yourself.  Also, in trying to figure out what random line to be in, Matt stepped on beautiful artist prints that an artist had laid out in the road.  The man was devastated and Matt had to pay him.  Kidding!  Matt did step all over his stuff, but it’s a total scam and the guy was doing it to everyone.  Funnily enough, the Policizia showed up a few minutes later and the guy was long gone.  Go figure, haha.

We paid money for the narrated audio tour (you plug in numbers and hear a blurb about the piece you are standing in front of – eh, not worth it.  Not a big enough museum for this, the Uffizi would be a better deal).  Michaelangelo’s David was AMAZING, and the other sculptures he did in the same gallery were stunning.  Anything by Rafael?  Eh.  We wandered through the smaller rooms (compared to the Uffizi) and then some room that was literally full of sculptures of heads.

We then wandered into some “Musical Instrument Museum” that was strangely attached.  WOW!  The oldest Stradivarius instrument in original condition was there (a viola, thank you very much) and other interesting instruments in a few rooms.  The kids came to life and were all about this place.  Wish it was a bit bigger. 

We staggered back through the alley ways to our hotel.  Nothing like climbing up 3 flights of stairs to get to our rooms after that.  Woof.  We desperately needed to do laundry by this point (Rick Steve’s method of washing out clothes in the hotel sinks didn’t go great in Germany (specifically the drying part), not planning to try again) so Matt popped down to a laundromat he had found and did a load.  It seemed like there were mostly American college students in there, weird.

Plan for the night was to get kids take out pizza (which was from Gustapizza near our hotel) – when there picking it up, Matt recognized a couple from our first class train ride from Munich to Verona, haha.  Guess we all end up in the same places eventually?

We ended up having dinner and dessert and cocktails on the Loggia, which was not as enchanting as the night before.  It was packed which was cool, and the weather was great, but we were seated next to the loudest group of Americans (turned out to be a bridal party).  Everyone around them and their waiters looked miserable.  One of the guys had unbuttoned his entire shirt – dude, just no.  A couple at the table next to us was from New Zealand and lovely to chat with and eventually the bridal party cleared out and it was perfect.