Surprise! we're in Florence

Buongiorno from Florence! After considering so many options and despite our having paid for our 3rd night in the La Spezia apartment we decided to pack up early and get back on the train. There are less trains today with the holiday so we chose the next one on the ticket machine and left La Spezia bound for Firenze Santa Maria Novella. We had to change in Viareggio a mid-sized station with a 7 minute window, well our train was 6 minutes late and the chaos of folks getting off trying to get down the tunnel while other folks (us) were fighting our way to get onto their train was ridiculous. We made it and even found seats yay! but then it went a bit downhill. First we stopped on the tracks for 79 minutes due to unauthorised people near the tracks, then once moving again sooo many people got on it was over crowded (so pleased for our seats). It is Anzac and Liberation day today and we loved seeing the tracks lined with wild red poppies (sorry too hard to get a good pic).  

Firenze (Florence) is beautiful. When we decided to come here we both jumped on our hotel apps and Steve booked us into the Hotel Indigo, we love an Indigo they are art hotels with beautiful decor and this one did not disappoint. Close to the station Santa Maria Novella. Not cheap but this was an impromptu trip. My cold had developed into a full on headcold so after a quick 2pm lunch we found an open pharmacy and an english speaking pharmacist, yay. 

These pics - top left the Basillca di Santa Maria Novella, a glimpse of our room, the Arno (which is brown) and it seems you can park anywhere in this city. 

We quickly learned that the crowding in Cinque Terre was nothing compared with Florence. Yet one waiter we met told us this is nothing - it gets worse in the hight of summer, yuck. 

The old central city is just wonderful to walk around, and in many ways even better at night. However, there was a bit to learn. Navigating walking on uneven stone roads / footpaths, while avoiding cigarettes, strollers, dogs, horse shit and tourists who stop to take photos right in front of you, takes concentration. Then avoiding the hawkers, the paintings for sale on the street and the taxi's which remarkably are allowed to drive in pedestrian only zones (luckily they have beepers) not to mention the scooters - both hire ones and vespa style - while trying not to lose each others is another feat altogether. 

These pics walking the crowded streets, we spotted Irish pubs, a record store, a cannabis store, a shop that just sells duck toys and every high end brand you can name. 

Left. Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore - I can't stress enough how amazing this building is. Hate to think how much it cost, it took 200 years to make. The plaza it's in is just historic building wonder (no wonder it's a Unesco world heritage site) and the dome is the largest brick dome in the world.

Arriving with no notice we couldn't get tickets for anything in the two days we are here and we weren't sure we wanted to spend hours in the massive queues either so this was a walking tour hitting the highlights. 

I quickly concluded that the famous male sculptors were obsessed with the male form from Hercules' butt crack and balls as he wrestles a lion (in brass), to the abs on everyone, to the atomically perfect penis's everywhere you look (in marble). 

These are - replica David and friends (will get closer this morning for a better pic) where he used to be before they moved him inside. Neptune fountain (will also try to get closer) and Hercules wrestling a Lion. 

We started eating late but made up for it today. If it wasn't for the 20,000+ steps we're doing each day this diet would be soooo bad for the waistline. Starting with a local burger joint just round the corner from our hotel, which was an experience in itself, a tiny spot with 5 tables crowded with tens of people all yelling and happy - but we couldn't understand a word of the chaos. There we shared a bottle of prosecco too. Then 5pm Steve needed to use a bathroom so we stopped at a touristo restaurant and shared a salad and a zucchini omlette since I was craving veges, plus an aperol spritz here. Then at 9pm we shared the yummiest pizza and had one glass of wine each. The hotel has a complimentary mini bar so we've had orange juice and late night snacks. 

Look at our pizza top right, and our burgers. Bottom pic is from a huge market we went to looking for dinner - it was like food coma central, so many counters of amazing different foods. Didn't buy any!

It cooled down a bit this afternoon so I purchased a scarf from a hawker otherwise we have only spent on food and accommodation here. 

As is always our luck the major sites are covered in scaffolding, I guess cleaning them up in low season makes sense but not great for photographs. 

Our plan for the morning is to hit a few more monument piazza's then up to the view spot before we jump on another train to Roma. Ciao. 

Left - cobbled Streets, Catherdal at night, random sculpture we came across - modern and lovely, late night gelato. 

Below - The Bridge Ponte Vecchio, we didn't try to cross it yet was soooo crowded. The Uffizi Gallery which we couldn't get tickets to. Another random statue and the river Arno has beautiful buildings on either side.