Florence Day 4

We left Rome this morning, first by bus to the train station and then a 1 hour 45 minute high speed train ride to Florence.  I say all of this mundane stuff because to us, it’s an interesting challenge.  Trying to figure out what bus to catch, what stop to get off, manouver around a train station.  These are all things we just never have to do.  Especially in a different country in a different lanuage.  Thankfully everybody pretty much speaks English, so there is really no language barrier….when you can talk to people. 

The train is an easy way to travel, but you really don’t see anything.  We had first class tickets, so managed a snack and water…wow….hey whatever….we’ll take it.

Florence is totally different.  We thought that Rome was small and congested.  It doesn’t have anything on Florence.  As soon as we were a block away from the station, the streets were smaller, more bicycles everywhere, less cars, more scooters.  The roadway blocks/cobblestones are larger. Tthere is a hustle and bustle to Florence unlike Rome. 

We didn’t expect the markets with so many vendors.  That totally suprised me.  Filled with foreigners…from what we can tell Indian and African traders, selling absolutely everything.  Florence leather is the highlight and the city seems to smell either of leather or sewage. 

I finally bought myself a scarf because they are so cheap, and I desperately needed one.  We have that lovely picture of me struggling with how to wrap it around myself.  I need some help, seriously.  My fashion sense is non existent, and I have to say that I am learning some valuable lessons from these fabulous people.  There is not only the boost to my fashion sense that this great scarf provides, but it also nicely hides the olive oil and tomatoe sauce stains on my shirts.  I will buy more for sure, so that I don’t look the same in every picture, and then I can wear the shirt with least damage.

I’m not quite sure how I feel about Florence yet, let you know, but I think that so far I’m a Roma girl.  I felt comfortable there right away.  Many times in our days I said that I could live there. Right downtown in all the action.  I loved the freedom it seemed to bring.  I’m not necessarily a rule type person, and I love the way they drive, the way they walk down streets, the attitude.  We’ll see, tomorrow will be a full day, and that will tell. 

And, we were at a piazza today, and an old guy with a few bags and a broom (I presume he was homeless but he swept the walkway) walked over to a fountain, and took a pee….now this was especially funny to us because as we made the comment about how we would think differently about drinking water from a tap….no sooner had we said that…when someone came along and took a drink….we laughed…maybe you had to be there.

Tomorrow, some galleries to see, and more scarves to buy.

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