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Published: August 16th 2017
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Hi again blog devotees!
I realize that I am writing the blog entries out of order. The reason for this, is that depending on what I remember most vividly at the time in relation to having motivation to write the blogs means that more recent entries seem to come before older ones. A fickle thing is my memory. We came to Florence from Sorrento. Our accommodation was in an excellent location in relation to surrounding attractions of the city which was great. The room itself had a rather annoying flaw, the fan had an incredibly loud ticking noise that got louder as the fan speed increased. Considering it was bloody hot in the evening with no air conditioning, we decided that the fan and its incessant noise was the lesser evil. Whilst I could sleep due to my noise cancelling headphones, poor Bex couldn't. One of the first stops in Florence was the Duomo, a shining piece of architecture that blew me away. I find the longer I travel, the more accustomed I become to stunning wonders of architecture. I am no less impressed by sights, but more acclimatizated to them. I don't keep saying "wow" repeatedly like I did at
the start of the trip. I internalize the wonder more often than not. The duomo evoked a wow though. Its gorgeous pastel hues, coupled with the intricate complexity of all aspects of the building in addition to its immense size made it quite the attractive building. Unfortunately the line and reservation booking was needed to get in, so I could sadly only enjoy the exterior instead. We also decided to climb the Palazzo Vecchio for the views at the top. Unfortunately, the steeple at the very top of the ramparts was closed for maintenance so our views were somewhat limited. It was still a magnificent view of Florence. We went along Florence's iconic colourful bridge, and saw the expensive jewellery shops all along it whilst crossing, insane! We also went for a walk to the "fake David" by Michaelangelo. Time restrictions meant I didn't see the real deal the museum. I will be back though, and to other museums as time simply didn't allow me the luxury of perusing museums for hours on end in this particular trip. Museums in London will be visited to compensate. The views at the top of the hill were wonderful and the surrounding greenery
and parks getting there were also grand. I have saved the best for last, and that was the best example of Italian cuisine I'd ever eaten. It was a genuine small and authentic eatery away from tourists that was everything I would ever want of Italian food. The atmosphere was pure Italy, and very cosy and with an aura of warmth, wine and old fashioned charm. I ordered a four cheeses ravioli with truffles and it was the best thing I've eaten. Italian food is my absolute favourite, so I felt in my foodie element. Bex had a divine quail risotto. As I write this, Bex on the hammock next to concurs the sentiment. Tonight we are actually having Portuguese dinner at the hostel, should be good to try. Back to Florence. We also made a day trip out to Greve in Chianti in the lovely Tuscany region. The landscapes were enchanting. The country scenery was worth the bus ticket alone (which was admittedly cheap anyway).We spent some time trying to find a particular winery without an address (internet failed us!), and we were unable to find it. I also learnt an important lesson that day, stay hydrated! In this
heat, I had not been having nearly enough water and got a case of heat strike. I felt so out of it and not in a good place. Eventually, I came right and we did some wine tasting in Greve instead. The wines were red, white and bubbly and I rather enjoyed them. We went back home that evening to "enjoy" the ruckus that was the fan for our last evening. The city was quite the charmer and won my affections. It was then off to Venice, the Menace. It's not really menacing, but didn't think of anything else that rhymed, so there you go. Goodnight all 😊
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