Florance: David and the Ponte Vecchio

Watching CBS Sunday Morning and their story about the Ponte Vecchio got me thinking of our family trip to Florence, Italy. We live in Germany and were stationed there in the early 1990s while in the Army. We went on a camping trip to the Army Base near Pisa. We stayed there for a week and visited the sites in Northern Italy. 

We camped at the Army Base Camp Darby near Pisa, a logistics hub for the US Military in Italy.  We had a fantastic week touring Pisa, Northern Italy, and Florance.   It was an amazing time in our lives stationed in Europe with young kids experiencing the world and all it had to offer. 

I remember this trip with great fondness. We took the train from Pisa to Florence. While there, we walked across the 15th-century Ponte Vecchio Bridge, stood in line, and saw Michoanglos David. Although the kids were little then, they appreciated the chance to grow up in Europe.

On the trip, we also visited the medieval town of Lucca, near Pisa. This city, with its defining city wall and fortress, changed little in 2000. It still has its original Roman street plan.

Of course, everyone knows the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the area's main tourist attraction, but there is so much more there.

Thinking about this trip and living in Europe made me realize what a great life we have had.  It's not over yet.  We will continue to hit the road and the airports to see as much of this world as possible until our dying day.