Florence museums

Well we survived the night and our hosts provided a very nice breakfast….still a little bereft of personality but they have become almost friendly – I think they realise we are not spies from another ‘family’.

A nice warm day in Florence today.  Did two of the museums – the Uffizi – containing the ‘Birth of Venus’ by Botticelli and the Academia – containing the statue of David by Michelangelo.  Both well worth the visit.  I didn’t realise the statue of David is over 5 metres high – it is very imposing and it has a special place in the museum.  No photos are allowed in either establishment – so we have a lack of photos today – I know that will disappoint after yesterdays overload!!!  The Uffizi has exhibits there which have been in the museum since about 1750 – makes the recorded history of Australia seem so young.

The warm weather has brought out the tourists, we couldn’t get away from the crowds today.  We walked along the Pont Vecchio – the bridge which has jewellery shops all along the sides with housing above the shops.  Pam couldn’t find anything she liked so we didn’t spend any money on the bridge….shame really…. I was looking forward to spoiling her after the interesting day we had yesterday. 

As luck would have it, we had a very nice restaurant lunch at about 3 o’clock near the cathedral.  Very hard to get a photo of the (again all marble) cathedral with its’ associated buildings around it.  The inside of the cathedral itself is 155 metres long and 90 metres across and it sits right up against the city centre.  We will have a closer look at it tomorrow.

Ended up doing our laundry and sitting in a café with a cold drink to try and rejuvenate….that didn’t work so we headed home about 6.30 with a light tea and a bottle of wine.  There was one little episode…when I went back to the car park to get the laundry out of the car I took the lift up to the car.  The lift in this case is more a box on a piece of rope.  When we got in it to come down I had to stand sideways in it because it was too narrow, when Pam got in I had to squash to the back corner so the door would shut…so it is small.  Being a hot day and when the panic set in at being stuck inside, the place became like a sauna box, and I thought, in all likelyhood, my coffin.   I pressed every button, even the alarm button.  Eventually the lift moved and finally opened, I’m never getting in it again!!!!

Vernon with Pont Vecchio in the background

The view from Pont Vecchio.

Looking down the Arno River.

Pont Vecchio from the window of the Ufizi Museum.

Typical shop on the bridge.

Crowds just starting to build.

The Cathedral in Florence.