Time in Europe is different. A lot of shops don’t open till 10am, and the sun it up and people are out and about after 9pm; most evening functions don’t start until 10pm. However, even taking this into consideration, I have still been lacking sleep. Also thanks in part to Antoinette whom I’ve share the last two evenings with.
We arrived late in the night at our campsite in Florence with high expectations of it and we weren’t disappointed at all. It really was only campsite, though we stayed in cabins, but there was a pool, a really fantastic restaurant, three bars and a night club.
Our full day in Florence saw us dropped in next to the city and taking a walking tour. Florence has a really lovely vibe I think. It is intolerably overrun with tourists though. As part of our walking tour we visited a leather-making shop where they gave us demonstrations and I bought a nice wallet. I had it embossed with my initials later in the day, but had to return it later again because of a flaw in the craftsmanship. At least it had craftsmanship though, and hadn’t just come off an assembly line.
After the walking tour, Jan and I took a free guided tour within the cathedral (Duomo) that was taken by a nutbar of a girl who loved her job and didn’t let details like factual information get in the way of her saying what she wanted. She told us the story of the child-like figure in the fresco (at the bottom next to the skeleton) that was painted alongside a bicycle. Or at least that’s what she told 26 tour groups last week before she climbed the steps and saw for herself that it was actually a broken sword and not a bicycle (she actually told us all of this).
We took the time to line up and climb the dome which was worth it for the amazing fresco on the inside of the inner dome and the unobstructed view from outside the outer dome.
After, we followed some back streets to the “Old Bridge” – lined with goldsmiths and jewellers. We shopped for a present for Jan’s sister, found something perfect, then headed back into town for a cappuccino and a sit down.
Coffee in Italy is amazing. You’ve heard it before and I’m saying it now too. Never have I enjoyed any coffee so much, it is simply superb.
After a little while (hour or so) soaking up the local atmosphere we thought we’d chance the Uffizi gallery. Being so late in the day the queue was only 30mins long instead of the usual 2hrs. There are some truly magnificent pieces of art here; it’s one of the most famous museums in the world, and we had a whirlwind tour of it, realising only as we were running for the bus that we’d missed the “Birth of Venus” painting!
Our final night in Florence Lara and I showed off our moderate dancing abilities and she wound up with an old guy buying her drinks and making proposals, and I would up with a great South African lady.
We arrived late in the night at our campsite in Florence with high expectations of it and we weren’t disappointed at all. It really was only campsite, though we stayed in cabins, but there was a pool, a really fantastic restaurant, three bars and a night club.
Our full day in Florence saw us dropped in next to the city and taking a walking tour. Florence has a really lovely vibe I think. It is intolerably overrun with tourists though. As part of our walking tour we visited a leather-making shop where they gave us demonstrations and I bought a nice wallet. I had it embossed with my initials later in the day, but had to return it later again because of a flaw in the craftsmanship. At least it had craftsmanship though, and hadn’t just come off an assembly line.
After the walking tour, Jan and I took a free guided tour within the cathedral (Duomo) that was taken by a nutbar of a girl who loved her job and didn’t let details like factual information get in the way of her saying what she wanted. She told us the story of the child-like figure in the fresco (at the bottom next to the skeleton) that was painted alongside a bicycle. Or at least that’s what she told 26 tour groups last week before she climbed the steps and saw for herself that it was actually a broken sword and not a bicycle (she actually told us all of this).
We took the time to line up and climb the dome which was worth it for the amazing fresco on the inside of the inner dome and the unobstructed view from outside the outer dome.
After, we followed some back streets to the “Old Bridge” – lined with goldsmiths and jewellers. We shopped for a present for Jan’s sister, found something perfect, then headed back into town for a cappuccino and a sit down.
Coffee in Italy is amazing. You’ve heard it before and I’m saying it now too. Never have I enjoyed any coffee so much, it is simply superb.
After a little while (hour or so) soaking up the local atmosphere we thought we’d chance the Uffizi gallery. Being so late in the day the queue was only 30mins long instead of the usual 2hrs. There are some truly magnificent pieces of art here; it’s one of the most famous museums in the world, and we had a whirlwind tour of it, realising only as we were running for the bus that we’d missed the “Birth of Venus” painting!
Our final night in Florence Lara and I showed off our moderate dancing abilities and she wound up with an old guy buying her drinks and making proposals, and I would up with a great South African lady.
posted by Tim at 5:50 pm
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