Catching up--Eileen and Aunt Dee

First off, happy July 4th! It is nice to be able to celebrate the holiday actually in the United States.

After spending my grand re-entry into the US getting to know Logan airport, I finally made it to Denver on Friday afternoon. My parents picked me up at the airport and we are staying with my Aunt Be (Amy) and Uncle Peter and my littlest cousins, Austin (4) and Angeline (7). Friday evening we drove into Colorado Springs for another cousin, Christina's, wedding rehearsal dinner, and the wedding was Saturday. More on that a little later--here are a few old photos from my last week and a half in Florence.

**some of these pictures are from our guests**

Lunch at home after returning from our trip to Chianti

Eileen and I went in for much overdue hair cuts at the salon around the corner. After 7 months since the last cut, it was time.

The great thing about getting a haircut in Italy is that you can drink coffee at the same time! This is similar to Australia, where people drink beer while at the barber. That evening when we had dinner we joined 'the alternatives' on the steps of the church of Sant'AmbrogioSunday we attended a service at the only Lutheran church in Florence. I had gone to this church once before back in September, but the mass was in German and seemed to be mostly visitors, so I was too intimidated to return. However, this time it was in Italian and the congregation seemed much more welcoming. They even invited us to coffee hour :o)
Sunday out in the PiazzaThat afternoon we took the city bus to the nearby town of Fiesole for a picnic. Seth and I had gone here in the winter, but it was too hazy to enjoy the views its known for.
From the top of the hill you could see for miles!
Aunt Dee finally got a close-up look at one of Tuscany's famous cypress treesDowntown Fiesole
The following day I caught up with Eileen and Aunt Dee at the Pitti Palace to walk through the Boboli Gardens
A very comical statue

Buontalenti's Grotto

There were some really spectacular views from the gardensThat evening we had our final dinner together at Le Campane, a trattoria around the corner (next to the hair salon). After walking by it nearly every day, it was fun to finally try it out!