Mom and I left the kids with Dave and headed acroos Europe for a little sightseeing and shopping. This was Helen's 3rd trip to Dublin, so I fiquered it was imperative to get her out of Ireland for some different sights and sounds.

We started out the day after Christmas, flying throught Paris and landing in Florence, Italy. We spent our first full day up a the crack of dawn on the train to Pisa. After we finally got on the bus going the right direction, we made it to the Piazza Del Miracoli (Plaza of Miracles.) There we climbed to the top of the Leaning tower for a grand look over Pisa. It made for a tiring day so we wandered the streets of Pisa back to the train and then back to Florence.

Our second day was even better, besides sleeping in a bit, the weather was great. The sun came out and made our open top bus tour all that much more enjoyable. We started the day seeing the Statue of David in the Accademia and then caught the bus for a sweeping tour of the city.

We spent plenty of time window shopping along the Ponte Vecchio, shop after shop of diamonds over looking the Orno River. We wandered around town taking in the small cafes and handmade leather. It was all so fabulous. I am glad we were able to do so much in such a short time