Clary's Adventures

Ok, so I'm still back in December of 2018. A time when travel wasn't stopped by a virus. A time when quarantine and social distancing weren't the norm. Today my Contiki tour was in Florence. The sun and brilliant blue skies also made a rare appearance on this winter European vacation. Today's included activity was a leather demonstration. Italy is famous for its leather goods. This was an opportunity to find out more, particularly how to spot fake leather. The most interesting thing we found out was the smell associated with leather is actually vegetable dye. Real leather doesn't have a smell. We also explored the shop. I did some window shopping while other people did some real shopping. Next we were taken on a walking tour of the city. We saw some beautiful buildings, including the stunning facade of the Church of Santa Croce, and the Florence Cathedral. The church was really working its angles.  Florence is home to many statues of historical figures....

Today (December 3, 2018) we were heading off to Florence. We loaded the coach, then our first stop was Vatican City. The Vatican is home to some impressive artwork. It also has a realistic 3D paint effect. After marvelling at the skill and patience required to paint the Sistine chapel, we checked out St Peter's Basilica. This grand church housed marble originally from the Colosseum. Our accommodation in Florence was at the Auto Park Hotel. Yep, the give you an old school key here. After dumping our bags in our rooms we got ready for a night out. We all gathered in the reception area. By this point of the trip we couldn't quite remember where we were, but knew we were somewhere on the Contiki European Trail. The Tuscan dinner was full of food, wine, live music, and dancing. Next we jumped on the bus. We were off to a nightclub. The party started on the bus ride. Then we arrived in Space and danced the night away.  The club had some banging tunes and was full of...