Florence, my Florence.

5{nt I cannot recall the words useful to describe how I am feeling.
I have 3 days left in the city that I have befriended and accepted and am leaving with a wonderful taste in my mouth.
Unfortunately I will not have access to the internet again before I leave, so I will only say that I remember every minute of every day that I have been here. I have explored a million corners and left nothing unturned.
Florence, for some reason, is letting me leave with a bang however.
I'll say it's stress. It's a squeeze.
Florence doesn't want to let my hand go. or maybe vice versa.
I spent one of my last nights (last night ER visit only 2 hours, after 2 hours in excruciating pain and Klajd rubbing my back, offering warm water, holding my hair back as I cry and tremble) in the Emergency Room at Santa Maria Nuova one last time. This time no waiting, and medics that were polite. Perhaps the third trip was necessary to clear up any previous misgivings about Florence's ER's...sly, sly, sly. A few weeks of splurging in Italy's delightful cuisine took its toll on my insides and I paid for it painfully. But Florence, my Florence, you know how to eat.

A stabbing sore throat and a very bad cold sore that only the salty sea of Elba cured.

A pulled muscle and pinched nerve in my neck for several days and continuing. Went to the Uffizi, skipped the lines and the ticket price at the graciousness of Lorenzo's wife who works there...and I gave a personal farewell and thank you to Fillippo Lippi, Giotto, Boticelli, Perugino and Leonardo. I held my neck and massaged the painful points, as I leaned to look at the tremendous paintings glorious and overwhelming and on our second visit, I could have sworn some of those 16th century figures were winking back at me...

I'll see you soon...




Adventure to continue in Venezia September 2005

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