Florence

From Riomaggiore we took an early train to Florence, we had to switch trains twice which was kind of a pain but we got some real local flavor, morning commuters, students heading the the university in Pisa and trains so crowded we had to straddle our bags so others could sit next to us (hey, we were lucky not to be standing!).

We arrived in Florence in the morning and found our "hotel". It was pretty sketchy but hey, the price was right, hotels in Florence were expensive (and no Marriott!). Next time (if I say it enough it will happen, right?) I would splurge a little more for one closer to town.

We started off at some gardens in Florence but, personally they weren't very impressive. Add that to the heat and the fact that I had a horrible blister from hiking and it didn't start off as the best day. After the gardens though it got better. We went to the Ufizzi museum where we had a Rick Steve's podcast to "show" us around. That was great because it helped us hit the major works and gave us some history to actually appreciate them, much better than wandering aimlessly around a museum. After the Ufizzi we went to the Academia which is where Michelangelo's David is housed. It was AMAZING! Really much more impressive in person than I ever could have imagined.

We had an ok lunch in Florence but our dinner was great. We had heard Florence was known for their beef so we got fliet and it was awesome! It was another meal to remember. We also did some good shopping in Florence, it was "the" place for leather so of couse I had to buy a few bags, Aaron did a GREAT job of bartering with the vendors! We spent a lot of time people watching as well, which was fun, there was a really funny street preformer in the main piazza that I could have sat and watched for hours.

Our sketchy hotel worked out fine and since we were only staying for one night it wasn't that big of a deal at all. And hey, it has AC which always makes me happy. :)

Aaron in front of the famous bridge the Ponte Vecchio

The gardens had great views of Florence

Fake David statue, the real one was much more impressive, but no photos allowed!

This was our awesome shower in florence. It was really just a shower head on the wall behind the bathroom door. So if someone was showering, you couldn't open the door, well you could but you would have smashed the showering person. Also, although there was a drain on the floor, the water still went everywhere, leaving the floor soaked. It was funny.