Today´s plan
1) A: walk down to the river, enjoy the views at a few Pontes (bridges)
B: walk down to the local bodega, get some fresh baked breads, local seasonal fruits, good cheese, and misc, bring back and put in the kitchen.
2) Uffizi
So fantastic! As it´s not October, when I´d still have been waiting in lines for 3 hours!, it´s so off-season, I can just walk in without a ticket having been previously bought. Just walk in. With no more than a 5 minute wait, if that! I am so excited, Botticelli is one of my favourite artists. To see these in person, up close, is just gonna be spectacular. And in the Uffizi, and in Florence. Wow. just wow.
3) lunch in a tiny trat.
4) One of the routed walked I marked on one of my maps.
5) Fika (espresso with a tiny pastry)
6) More walking! Will note later what I ended up seeing
7)whatever, plan on being out til late, then blog, add videos again and photos, as last night.
8) If I get tired of walking, will take a bus instead up to Piazza Michael something (sorry forget name this moment) EDIT: Piazza Michelangelo which overlooks the city. See the Roman wall, which you can walk up to and actually touch, and see the texture! Very excited about this. When I lived in England, one place I lived had part of a Roman wall as a garden boundary; and in London proper I got to see the remains of a Roman wall, and in other cities there Cambridge and Bath, got to see old walls like that. In Bergen, and Oslo, there are excavated bits of stone walls you can see, which they´ve built museums around--the one in Bergen is right in the middle of the city, a minute walk off the Bryggen fish market. You´d never know it though--people walk past it all the time like it´s not there. This Roman wall which I want to see here in Florence is outside, standing as if time stood still while a city was built and unbuilt and changed and renovated around it. Wow, to see a wall so old!
This is what I love about European cities!
ok ok, must go, it´s so late! Nearly 10 am.
I wish the kids and T were all with me though, as as much as I am thrilled to bits to be here by myself today, I am so excited and want to share all this with them too. If we´re ever lucky to have an anniversary big to -do I want us to come here, or New Orleans. But here is closer, 2 hour flight plus a 1 hour flight (was that right?), something like that. And I want us to stay in a room overlooking the city below, like in the French Quarter room we had, when N and E were babies, and I took them swimming at night in the hot air and warm water of the pool below in our courtyard. Miss them,)
Ok, must enjoy my single day as a adult, all by myself:) I´m in Florence!
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The lights here are all like in French cities: lights go on with movement, and go off soon after. Walking to the loo in the middle of the night, lights briefly go on, then nearly immediately off, with me frantically waving hands in air to keep the lights on,) chuckle. I must be a silly sight doing that if anyone were to see me. ha
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All my clothes are so warm. It´s about 60 out, and I have to figure out what to wear today, where I am not burning up! Like yesterday walkabout. Might wear my "indoor sandals" that I brought to wear inside, wear them outside instead, as it´s so warm, and my hiking boots are so heavy and hot in this weather. So lovely to have WARM weather!! this late in the year:)
Is already a bit balmy out, with high humidity, perfect day. If it rains, will just buy an umbrella somewhere. Clouds are slowly moving in, looks like it might rain a bit. Not sure if I should have brought my backpack, but am going out today with just a thin outfit, sandals, one small flat bag, with camera w extra batteries, Italian book, maps, Quatro (bus multi-pass for city bus), and a cloth grocery bag to get fresh baked bread, fruit, salad stuff from the markets.
