So my hotel hotel room was 101. Finally not on the third floor but maybe any room number was luckier than this one. I awoke around 10:00 AM and got ready to explore Florence. I
looked at the map and tried to decide on a plan of attack. I figured the Duomo
was the most logical place to start and from there I would basically do a
circle.
The Duomo is a huge church right in the middle of Florence.
Directly opposite and facing the Duomo is an even bigger cathedral. All the
streets around this main square are filled with designer shops and restaurants.
It’s a really amazing area. It reminds me a little bit of Vienna but with a
better atmosphere. There are always thousands of people wandering through this
area. Just like in Venice, there are lots of street merchants walking around
selling fake Gucci and Prada bags as well as other items.
Shopping for designer labels doesn’t appeal to me, but I
really loved this square mostly for the above mentioned atmosphere. For the
next 4 hours I basically wandered around Florence taking in the sights. It’s
easy to get lost, but it’s small enough that if you keep walking you will
eventually find your way back to something familiar.
As I walked around, I couldn’t help but feel very
comfortable. It just felt like I belonged here, I don’t know why I felt like
this, but I just did. After walking around the city, I went back to the hotel.
It was about 2:30 in the afternoon. I slept a little because I was still tired.
When I woke up I decided to try the other restaurant the receptionist told me
about.
The city, like most cities has a river flowing through the
middle with beautifully decorated bridges. There were lots of parks too. There
were a lot of apartment buildings and houses away from the more touristy areas.
Florence is also home to Michealangelo’s ‘David’. I was going to go see this in
the museum near the hotel, but when I got to the museum, there was a huge line
and for me it wasn’t that important.
When I was on the way back to the hotel, I found a tour
office and went in. I wanted to visit Pisa while I was here as it was only an
hour or so from Florence. I spoke to the woman and arranged a tour for the next
day. It was 29,00 Euro for a bus to and from Pisa with a guide, but when I got
there I would be on my own to explore. If I wanted to climb the tour and have a
guided tour of Pisa, I had to book 2 days in advance for some unknown
reason.
I followed the directions that he gave me and found a
restaurant with a name that sounded like the one he told me. I went in and
ordered some Bruschetta and Tortellini Boscaiola. The bruschetta had mushroom
on it and it was very nice. The Boscaiola was different to the ones I had eaten
in Australia. There was no bacon and it was a lot less flavourful.
I paid the check and went back to the hotel and got a few
beers from the bar. I drank the beers while I watched some more of The Walking
Dead. I think I went to sleep around midnight.
