Firenze nudie run

View of Perugia

We had a quick tour of Perugia in the morning (to the end of our street and back) before we felt a few drops of rain and decided to head straight to Florence.  You can tell that you are having a scenic drive when you forget to turn on the radio; there is no need for conversation; and the only noise you hear is snoring and lips smacking to retrieve sleep drool escaping from little mouths in the back seat. The scenery was beautiful through the Tuscan rolling hills, and the 2 hour drive appeared to take minutes, (perhaps due to no altercation with our GPS advisor)?

We parked the cars in the public car park next to our hotel and arrived at the hotel balancing bags, on bags, on bags, on prams, with muffled sounds of children enclosed in there somewhere. We seemed to have more luggage than we started with; how?  Less food, less clothing as it was in washing bags in the car, same amount of children, ahhhhhh, travelling with more wine, of course! We walked towards the city centre and stopped next to the markets outside Bascilica di San Lorenzo for some Tuscan soup, Tomato soup and Spaghetti Bolegnese, (to be honest the first spaghetti I have tried in my 10 months in Italy, but well worth the wait)! The soup was deliciously different, my tomoto soup was thickened with bread and incomparable to the Campbell Tin variety I was expecting, (and I think my father was actually enjoying it until my mother described it as "yummy soup with soggy bread").

Spaghetti "Get your own" Bolognaise

Tomato soup



Tuscan vegetable soup

  After exploring the markets and cleaning our hands, (I mean feeling the fabric), on several scarfs, we had a quick look in the Bascilica and then continued on our way.  I love Florence.  It is my third visit, and I still can not tell you why I like it so much, in the words of a spoilt teenager, 'just because'.  Down the street, turn the corner, SLAP!  Right in the face.  "Ta Da!" the Duomo.  I actually said "Ta Da" (to fullfill my tour guide duty) my parents did not react, so I said it again, a little louder with less vigour, "Ta Da!  Sorry the queue is too long, we will enter on another day perhaps?" (Bet you wish you reacted to my first 'Ta Da' now?) Scarily, I am even amazing myself how quickly I am jumping in and out of my tour guide role.



"Ta Da"......"Hmmm hmmm"......"Taaa Daaa!"



We walked on to catch up with my mate Dave, and was quite releived that I was not seeing him under the same circumstances as our last meeting.  Which for your information, was when our GPS advisor took my husband to see 'Statue of David' through the busy pedestrian only Piazza della Signoria; I think she took soul mate literally when he mentioned the statue, (after all, there was no GPS button stating "in the vicinity of, with a nice park for a car larger than a 'smart car' that would not cost more than 20€ an hour, (please), (thank you)".    Apparently my husband is on some sort of quest to enter the Guiness Book of Records for 'Most driven pedestrian only piazzas in Europe'.  You can do it sweetheat, (but preferably not with me in the car)!




Parents with my mate Dave

 

Next stop was the famous Ponte Vecchio; a medievil bridge over the Arno River, noted for still having shops built along it,  butchers initially occupied the shops but now present tenants are jewellers.  Yes jewellers.  Great jewellers. Mmmmmmmm.  Gelati on the way, some had smaller gelati than others, then some serious window shopping.  The sort that had the shop owners following me with windex to remove the drool stains from the windows.  I can dream can't I? 



Double waffle, gelati and chocolate sauce equals 4 pilates sessions!

Little bit of bling.

hhhmmmmm.......



Children told to dance in the street, (bit of busking), so mummy could get a ring!



After drinks in the hotel bar for happy hour, a shower followed by a naked run up and down our hallway, (children not adults), another glass of wine, (adults not children), then bed. Impetuous Italian tour is almost at its conclusion, and I am feeling a little victorious and somber. Yes, it is possible to be happy and sad at the same time. (Kind of like the whole chicken or egg conundrum?)

Nice bar, and children managed entry without fake ID (passport).