I want to make movies...

Italia: Castelfranco di Sopra, Siena, and Firenze

Ok, so if you think it's bad that I only took a few photos in Amsterdam, you are going to be disappointed with the results in these three beautiful cities. Castelfranco di Sopra was not exactly the village I was staying in while I was in Toscana but it was pretty darn close. I have to say that the countryside in Italy was absolutely relaxing and the village of Castelfranco di Sopra was exactly was I always imagined a tiny Italian village to be like. Thank you to my friend Andrea, who allowed me to stay at his vacation rental there. I loved exploring this provincial landscape and it was a great opportunity for me to speak Italian because no one in this village knew how to speak English (at least who I spoke to). 

Lucky for me, Andrea was my tour guide in Siena and Firenze. In Siena, I learned a little about its history and the famous horse races that take place each summer. When we got there it was night time and I didn't have a tripod :( but I still think you can see the beauty of the architecture of Piazza del Campo. In Firenze (Florence to us in the English speaking world), I visited the Uffizi which has some the most famous Italian Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque pieces. I got to see my favorite paintings, Primavera and The Birth of Venus, from my favorite Renaissance painter Sandro Botticelli. I also visited Galleria dell'Accademia where I finally saw the real statue of David by Michelangelo. Yes, Firenze is filled with art! I finally got to see all those infamous works of art that I have learned about in my art history courses.

Unfortunately, I didn't get to see everything I wanted to see but I figure it's ok because something tells me that it will certainly not be the last time I am in Toscana. I hope you enjoy the few photos I have of this beautiful region.

I love these random religious figurines located along the road.

An old abandoned elementary school building

Piazza del Campo

Andrea

Firenze

I thought this was so cute and I had to photograph it. It says, "Genio, I really hope that one day I can show you this dedication...and we can laugh about it...together."

More Ometepe

The last day on the island of Ometepe consisted of visiting Ojo de Agua, which is a quaint location where one can bath in natural spring mineral water (got that?). Anyway, it's a beautiful location and as you can see, the water is crystal clear!

Ometepe, Nicaragua Part 1

Do you want to see the Garden of Eden? Well, I officially have located it on the island of Ometepe located in the large fresh water lake of Lake Nicaragua. I don't think I have ever seen so much vegetation and natural beauty in my life. Technically, Ometepe is composed of two volcanoes, Concepción and Madera, which feels like two islands but really it's just one. I discovered petroglyphs and went to Ojo de Agua (which I will show in Part 2). Anyway, I will let the photos show you the beauty...

The view from the shore of Rivas

The dock on the island

The ferry we rode on

The busses to take you around the island (we had a truck we brought on the ferry).

My Tio David hold a parrot at the restaurant we ate at.

My Tio Daniel and my Dad holding parrots.

One of the many small churches located on the island.

Concepción

The room we stayed in that night.

Yasmin

On the shore...this lake has small waves.

Concepción again.

Maderas hiding behind a cloud

Running!

Yasmin and my niece Anita running!

Concepción once more

Sunset

My uncles and fathers watching some boys play soccer on the beach.

Yes, I am the nerd that did that...

See what I mean? Wouldn't you agree that  Ometepe is the Garden of Eden?

Masachapa, Nicaragua

There is nothing like spending a few days by the beach. My family and I rented a beach house with five bedrooms for three days in Masachapa. It is an adorable little beach town that survives solely on the local fisherman. It was probably the most relaxing three days that I had had in a very long time. I spent hours just on the beach or in the ocean bodysurfing. I met a lot of interesting people while there and I will give little captions about them below their photo.

This is where I sat to view the Pacific Ocean when I didn't want to be in the sun anymore.

My father

These are guys that I met as I was walking along the beach. The guy with the pink shirt, Marco, is a local and he was interested in who I was and what I was doing there. Turns out, he spoke a little English and was having fun speaking to me in English instead of Spanish.

This is the busy beach during the early mornings to sell the fish caught very early morning.

This man was the guard of the watchtower I took this photo from. We had an excellent conversation about the environment and socialism (Nicaragua is a socialist country).

The amazing view from the watchtower.

Fried fish bought from the beach that morning.

A marimba band we hired to play music for us for an hour!

I love his passion!

The men in blue...look at these very serious poses.