Florence!

We made it to Florence!

We caught a bus that stopped right outside our Hotel in Donoratico to the Donoratico train station. From there we caught a regional train to Florence. It was a pretty relaxing way to travel, everything was on time, and it was pretty fast. We got into Florence just after noon.

The hotel room is very nice and pretty, and against all odds, the staff got everything working, the air conditioner, the internet – OK we haven't tried the shower yet, but that's gotta work, right?

We spent the afternoon walking around Florence. It was a beautiful sunny day. We might get some clouds and rain before we leave, so we thought we would do our looking around in the good weather.

We returned to the hotel after dark, tired but happy to have explored an amazing city.

(The next morning) We slept well, awoke and tested the shower – it worked. We dressed and went down to have our Continental Breakfast. The phrase Continental Breakfast is one of the most fearful descriptions for food for most Americans. It is in fact second only to “You Deserve a Break Today” in it's ability to stir emotions that are in a combination of fear and depression. But, we are on the Continent, so a breakfast can and did include eggs, yogurt, several kinds of bread and rolls, cereal, cheese, ham, fresh fruit, pastry, juice, milk, and coffee. Another departure from American continental breakfasts was there was no sign that anything came out of a box with a picture of a clown or cartoon character. What were they thinking?

We are off to see a museum – the Uffizi this morning. It should be a great start to the day.

Florence

The Baptistery Ceiling

Pont Vecchio

Florence

Santa Croce

We hope you are doing well.

Stephen & Linda