I've been away from here, quite literally, as I've been to Florence for a few days! I cant begin to describe how amazing it was and what a great time I had. My friends and my sister have both been there before and recommended it to me as somewhere to go, so off I went! I dont mind travelling on my own but the whole thing was made all the much better for meeting Liz and Jenny on the plane over, and spending some time with them throughout the trip.
Florence itself is really, really stunning, its is in fact almost so overwhelming you cant take it all in. If you stopped to stare at it all you'd stop forever, every view is a picture, and pictures dont do it justice. It was busy, loads of Americans (that's a whole other thread but i'll only get annoyed so best to ignore it and move on, though it did provide some amusing moments) and street sellers, but in fairness they dont really hassle you.
The Ponte Vecchio:
I thought I'd take the first day easy but in fact I spent the whole day out, walking to the other side of the Ponte Vecchio, up to the Boboli Gardens (amazing), through a gallery and back into town in the evening for a late meal then onto a bar till about 3am with the above mentioned company. It was a great start, and the next day Liz & I visited the Duomo. I'm running out of words that you havent heard before to describe everything. The fresco in the dome was a real eye opener, the experience bettered by the view from the top of the dome once you get outside. There you have a 360 degree panorama of, well, everything. I'm glad I didnt queue for the rest of the cathedral (there are seperate entrances and charges) as the dome was really the bit I wanted to see. However the whole building is the only place I've seen, having walked around a corner to be confronted by it, that was such an amazing sight that I spontaneously swore.
I walked in the evening over to the Piazzale Michelangelo which offers stunning views over the City. I ate there, then walked back via a bar for a few drinks and some unwinding, where I could sit and continue reading 'Pink Floyd - A Personal History' by Nick Mason. Its very good.
View from Piazzale Michelangelo:
I stayed out till about 1am and there was an amazing storm, really quite ferocious, but I sat in the arch on the steps of the Duomo cathedral watching it all go by, the heavy rain and thunder, and sudden fork lightning. Aided no doubt by the 5 beers and 4 glasses of port, together with listening to 'Echoes' (from Meddle, by PF) on the iPod, it was all actually a bit intense, especially being in such a religious place it was like seeing the power of God but the protection of God all at the same time, as I sat in the Arch completely dry and feeling very safe and relaxed.
Well alcohol usually seems like a good idea at the time until the next day (Tuesday) where I felt rubbish till the best part of the afternoon.I stayed local and started to feel that I hadnt done or seen enough as i knew I was going back to London the next day. It rained a little, but not much, and I visited the Vecchio Palace (home of the Medici family) which was ok, but I'm not a great one for spending ages looking at rooms or paintings I have to say. I did the necessary postcard writing and gift obtaining, and walked the rest of the city for a good while. Now that implies I really just wandered around and that was about it, but in actual fact I did do alot that day, and everywhere you walk you are assaulted by some part of Rennaisance history or amazing buildings and scenery. Statues of Dante, Neptune, a copy of David, numerous churches, piazza's and general history were all incorporated in my wander about. So it wasnt just a trip into town, as they say!
Felling much better in the afternoon and having made plans for going out later I went back over the Ponte Vecchio, via somewhere to eat, and up again to the Piazza Michealangelo, this time with new camera batteries. I got there to watch sunset over Florence on my last night there, and took some pictures which have come out quite well. Coming back into the City for about half ten there are a couple of guitar players that seem to perform on the Ponte Vecchio each night. It's abit of a tourist trap there I suppose but they were quite good, and for €2 played 'Wish You Were Here' continuing on the Floyd theme. I met up with the girls after that and we went out to Bar Slowly again. This is apparently the best bar in town and though not as busy then as when we went a couple of nights before, it was a good night and we had a wander about after. I got back to my hotel about half three, to be up at 7 to pack and get out to go to the Ufizzi.
The last day, Wednesday, was like a bonus. Before, I was concious that I was going back that day and that it all had to come to an end etc (ever the optimist) but it was amazing, a real free day and the most relaxed I've been for a long long time. I met with Liz to go to the Ufizzi gallery and we really went round in our own time. I'm really grateful to her for coming to the Duomo and the Ufizzi and being a bit of a guide, I dont know a great deal about art and history whereas she does, which helps! So instead of walking around and missing things, I had a much better idea about what was going on and why. So I'm now more interested in finding out about the paintings we saw and the stories behind them. We also were talking alot or sitting down waiting for the crowds to go and I dont think I looked at the watch once. The gallery has a nice terrace cafe overlooking the city, well worth a sit down and a coffee. Having met Jenny for something to eat and chatting for a bit, it was a nice end to the day and after saying goodbye, I had to make a move to head back to London.
It was quite a thing to leave Florence in the end, especially having had such an unexpected 'extra' day at the end. Some time away makes you rethink alot of things (and I dont think Ive thought like that for a long time), and Ive also got a bit of a better appreciation of things like art, and a brighter view on life - I hope I can keep hold of that to spur me on a bit when work is hard or I feel in a rut. Honestly I go away, and suddenly the whole worlds changed! A great place is also harder to leave when you've had great company, and there are more memories about Florence than this post can give justice to, and considering you're probably bored already I think it's the right moment to stop!
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My car looks perfect thanks to my best mate Rob spending hours cleaning, polishing and waxing it whilst I was away (unbenounced to me), plus practically bringing the wheels back to brand new. Cheers man!
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I'm going to see Keane tonight! Woohoo!
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World Cup starts today, going to a barbeque tomorrow to watch England's first match, should be good!
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Stop typing I'm running on!
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