K.REYNA

Golden Gate Park is one of my main hangout spots in San Francisco. Most people don't realize how large Golden Gate Park is, and because of this, they miss out on a lot of unique experiences the city has to offer. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I love the area surrounding the de Young Museum (the Music Concourse, the Academy of Sciences, the Japanese Tea Garden, etc.), but this area isn't all there is to GGP. There is also Stow Lake, the Botanical Garden, the Rose Garden, the Conservatory of Flowers, various playgrounds, fields, and even a carousel. If you want to get the most out of your time at GGP, I suggest you find a parking spot near the de Young Museum area, use that as your center point, and explore outward from there. There is something to explore in every direction!

One of my favorite places in Golden Gate Park is the Conservatory of Flowers. The Conservatory is basically a greenhouse that contains a variety of plant species from around the world. You have to buy tickets to enter the building, but students get a discount, so I only had to pay $6 as an entry fee. When I went, there was a special butterfly exhibit happening so I was able to sit in a room filled with fountains and plants while butterflies flew around me (would recommend).

Though the inside of the Conservatory of Flowers is beautiful in itself, I think the outside of the Conservatory is what really makes this site a unique must-go. The lawn outside the Conservatory contains dozens of flower beds; there is even a flower bed clock (go, and you'll see what I mean) on one side of the Conservatory. The area outside of the Conservatory of Flowers is the perfect summertime picnic spot. Grab a friend, or 5, a picnic blanket, sandwiches, sodas, and $6-$10, and make a day out of your visit to the Conservatory of Flowers/Golden Gate Park. I suggest going on a warm July day like I did, but, of course, bring a jacket because it's San Francisco, and that fog is always unpredictable, even during the summer months.

ALSO, every night this summer (until October 21), the Conservatory of Flowers will be illuminated with different colored lights/designs. Apparently the best viewing areas are along JFK Drive (where there is also parking), and it's FREE.

P.S. To any couples out there, pls take your s/o here. Perfect date spot, day or night, amirite? (Thank me later)

Below are some pictures I took during my visit to the Conservatory of Flowers, just in case you needed further convincing to go.

Summertime stroll through a greenhouse

Flower Power🌸🌼

Symmetry

The Conservatory of Flowers, Golden Gate Park

A shady spot

Spotted some lily pads

Tryin' 2 play Mother Earth over here

We had lunch at a restaurant called La Taverna dei Monti which is known as a favorite by locals in Monti and for its old-fashioned Roman cuisine. It is located on one of the side streets adjacent to Via Nazionale, and is run by an sweet old Italian man who provides great service to his customers. We ordered a margarita pizza, salad, and a salmon dish (had to take a break from the pasta for a day). Everything, including the salmon, was fresh and delicious!

After lunch, we booked a tour bus through our hotel's concierge. I know, tour buses may seem touristy and unappealing, but in all honesty it is a smart way to get around while traveling to a big city, and even though we had already visited a few of the landmarks on the tour, the tour provided us with further explanation of the significance of each site, which I found to be really interesting. Another pro to booking a tour on one of these hop-on hop-off buses is that you get an opportunity to see neighborhoods you might not otherwise have visited. This allows you to get an idea of sites and areas you feel require further exploration, and areas you feel aren't worth your travel time. The bus also provides great views for photo ops throughout the ride!

Bus Stops

1. Termini Station

2. Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore

3. Colosseo

4. Circo Massimo

5. Piazza Venezia

6. Vaticano

7. Fontana Di Trevi

8. Piazza di Spagna

9. Piazza Barberini

Later in the day, we traveled to different hotel rooftops to get views of the city. We went for dinner near the Trevi Fountain where I had pesto pasta and Jocelyn had fettuccine with a cream sauce, we also shared some focaccia bread that was seasoned with sea salt and rosemary. Afterwards, we sat on our spot on stairs across from the Trevi and watched the sun set on the fountain.

Some tips regarding tour buses & more

1. Book your tickets through your hotel

2. After certain times the tickets are cheaper, ask your concierge about this before booking

3. Go on a tour on one of the first days of your trip. This way you can get an overview of the entire city, and plan your trip around which sites stood out to you the most.
4. Be cautious when eating at restaurants surrounding the major tourist sites, many will be overpriced and unauthentic
5. If the restaurant serves spaghetti and meatballs, it isn't authentic (this is an American dish, the Italian alternative is spaghetti with meat or bolognese sauce)

Views of the Eternal City

The Colosseum!!

Lunch in Monti

Fountain of the Naiads

Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore

Altare della Patria

Roman ruins

The train to Florence from Rome takes you through a beautiful Tuscan countryside. Vineyards and small Italian towns were visible for most of the train ride, which kept me awake for the one and a half hour journey. The train served cappuccinos and pastries to the passengers, and the ride was very comfortable, which I was happy about.

Once we arrived in Firenze, we followed the crowds of people leaving the train station, hoping to run into il Duomo along the way. On our walk, we passed tons of small street cafés and restaurants as well as street markets and vendor stands. Our first stop was at a café near the Cattredale di Santa Maria del Fiore. The church is big, beautiful, and so incredibly detailed. It definitely was one of my favorite monuments we encountered on our entire trip. After we finished drinking our coffee and examining il Duomo, we explored a bunch of hidden side streets, stopping every once in a while in a church or a courtyard to take a break from the heat (we even ran into a wedding party in one of the courtyards we visited!).

We made a stop to explore the Uffizi Gallery. I loved the Uffizi because it wasn't too large or overwhelming yet it still had some really incredible paintings and sculptures from artists such as Giotto, Botticelli, and Michelangelo. It also had some amazing views of the Arno River and the buildings on the other side of the river from the Uffizi, and there was barely a line to get into the museum!

After the Uffizi, we decided to grab some street food. We went to a deli called All'Antico Vinaio, which was packed with customers (a good sign). It was about a 2 minute walk from the Uffizi Gallery. I didn't understand the menu at all so I just told the guy behind the counter to make me the most popular sandwich on the menu. I ended up with a fresh salami sandwich on focaccia bread with spreadable cheese and olives. It was incredible. The salami wasn't hard, overly-salted, or dry, like the salami I am used to, but instead, it was soft and smooth and amazing. We sat on some steps near the deli to eat our sandwiches and later went for some chocolate gelato.

Though Florence is fairly large, it does not have the same big city feel that Rome does. It feels more like a town and is much less commercialized and touristy than Rome (in my opinion). Though there were tons of tourists, there did not seem to be as many stores dedicated to souvenirs as there were in Rome. I prefer buying things from unique little shops rather than throwing money away on meaningless plastic souvenirs at tourist hubs, so it was a lot easier for me to shop in Florence than in Rome. I ended up buying a one-of-a-kind, hand-painted plate for my mom from a short little Italian woman in a shop we found on a side street. I also bought a yellow leather purse and a small painting of the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore.

Everything about Florence is charming; from the old, rustic buildings, to the tile roofs and shutters found on each house, to the grand churches, the plazas and courtyards, and the the gardens and gelaterias. I couldn't think of any reason for someone not to fall in love with Florence.

Some tips for your next Florentine adventure
1. Florence cannot be seen in one day, it deserves a few days of exploration.
2. Go to the Uffizi Gallery! No line, not huge, yet still has incredible art!
3. Book your trains through italiarail.com
4. Eat like a local and try street food!
5. Take time to shop in Florence, you won't be disappointed

Snapshots from Firenze, Italia

il Duomo

Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore

The streets of Firenze

An Italian Celebration

Statue gallery outside of the Uffizi

Galleria degli Uffizi

Floral Ceiling

The Arno River

Views from the Uffizi

Munchies

Gelato Shop

Florentine Courtyard

La Ménagére, Firenze

Cooling off on a balcony

Firenze, Toscana, Italia

Diary Day 3!!

Because we headed out to the Spanish Steps around lunchtime, we decided to stop for some pizza on the way. This was my first pizza in Italy and it did not disappoint, AT ALL. I got pizza with prosciutto and a bellini. One of my favorite meals of the entire trip for sureee.

Once we were done with our pizzas, we walked a little more and ended up at the top of the Spanish Steps, in front of the Trinità dei Monti church. We took a while to enjoy the view from the top; you get a view of all the designer stores that populate the sidewalks, and of course, all of the tourists surrounding them. Afterwards, we walked down, took some pictures, and then headed out to window shop.

The area surrounding the Spanish Steps is filled with a bunch of designer stores including: Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, Fendi, Prada, Cartier, Celine, Chanel, Miu Miu, etc. The clothes were adorable, but the shoes...the shoes had me in love. In between stores, we stopped at Magnum to grab some ice cream. I had a vanilla ice cream bar dipped in dark chocolate, sprinkled with coconut and edible flowers, and drizzled with milk chocolate. It was pretty rich but oh soooo good.

A few lessons I learned this day

1. Order the prosciutto pizza

2. The vendors surrounding the Spanish Steps are the most aggressive. They will literally shove a rose or a water bottle in your face and will follow you around with it until you buy it (other than being extremely annoying though, they are pretty harmless). Just tell them no, give them a mean look, and run.

3. Some of the stores don't allow you to take pictures, and the security guards at these stores will yell at you if you try.

4. You have to ask for the check at restaurants in Italy. The waiters won't automatically give you the check when they think you are done. This is nice because you don't feel rushed, and I've heard that the slower the service, the better the restaurant (creds @ Rick Steves).

A little fashion

My dream shoes found @ Miu Miu

Miu Miu

Fendi Purses

A set in Dolce & Gabbana

The sights

Cute blue shutters I found on our walk to the steps

Italian eats

Ya, I ate the whole thing

Cocoa pleasure

Our second day in Rome was spent in Vatican City. A taxi drove us from our hotel to the Vatican around 11AM. We found a little restaurant near the entrance, and ended up sharing a plate of lasagna there before picking up our audio guides and heading inside the museum.

Our tickets allowed us entrance into the Vatican Museum as well as the Sistine Chapel. There were a lot of different sections within the museum, so it took us a while to get through all of it. All of the artwork and sculptures were so interesting and intricate, and the entire experience was just amazing. There was so much going on on each wall that it was hard to understand everything, but my 12 years of Catholic schooling definitely helped me out since many of the paintings were depictions of biblical scenes that I was familiar with (s/o my religion teachers). One thing that stuck out to me the most about the museum was the section of the museum dedicated to the ancient Egyptians and their religious practices. I thought this was random since most everything else in the museum was dedicated to the history of Catholicism.

Once we got to the Sistine Chapel it took me about 5 minutes to realize that I was actually in the Sistine Chapel. Imagine asking, "Sooo, when are we gonna get to this place?" just to get the response, "Uuh, look up." LOL. I had imagined it to look completely different, so I was surprised when I was told that I was actually in it. I had imagined it to be a building with a dome-shaped roof with Michelangelo's famous painting of God and man touching hands painted all across the ceiling, but instead it had a rectangular-shaped roof, and that painting was no larger than any of the other paintings across the ceiling. Also, the Chapel was not as gaudy as I had expected it to be. In fact, other parts of the Vatican were much more flashy than the Sistine Chapel, but the detail in each painting on the ceiling and each of the walls is absolutely insane.

I definitely recommend visiting the Vatican, whether or not you are Catholic. The art presented in the museum was definitely the most interesting artwork I've ever seen because of all of the hidden meanings and the symbolism involved in each painting and sculpture. Not to mention that the Vatican itself is filled with historic and artistic significance. Definitely a must-go attraction in Rome!

A few tips before your visit
1. Buy tickets to the Vatican online beforehand. I bought ours just a week before we went and I didn't have a problem finding a time/date that worked for our schedule.
2. Make sure to buy your tickets directly from the Vatican's website (https://biglietteriamusei.vatican.va/musei/tickets/do?action=booking). Third party websites may overcharge/scam you
3. If you are a student, or a person 18 and under, you are eligible for a discount on your tickets (I got our tickets for about half the price of 2 adult tickets because of this discount)
4. You absolutely must have some sort of tour guide. We paid for audio guides, which weren't expensive (with our discount), but I would recommend a tour with a real tour guide if you want to get the most out of your experience. There is no way you're going to understand everything on your own.
5. Girls, make sure to wear clothing that covers your shoulders and your knees if you plan on going into the Sistine Chapel. There are guards that monitor the entrance of the Chapel, and even though I didn't see anyone get caught for inappropriate clothing while I was there, it's better to be safe than sorry!
6. You aren't technically allowed to take pictures inside the Sistine Chapel, but I didn't see anyone get caught for using their phones to take pictures, sooo just keep that in mind...

Pics from Vatican City