Firenze, Italy

The next day after my Capri get-away, Eric and I said goodbye to each other and I left Sorrento on the train to Florence. I took the fast train, but it took about 3 hours to get there. I found my hostel very easy (a very nice place called Albergo Paola with free breakfast and internet) and got settled.

As I'd been going going going, I felt guilty about staying in and taking a nap, but I was feeling really tired. I ventured out, though... I found Florence to be quite small and cozy in comparison to Rome, and it was really easy to find Piazza Duomo... It's really really grand so with my dinky camera especially it was difficult to get the whole thing. But I must say, after small open places like Pompei, Sorrento and even Capri, I found Florence to be too crowded for my taste. I was surrounded by large groups of tourists everywhere I went. So I walked around as much as could to appreicate the buildings and the statues, but decided to not go inside the Duomo.

The artistic appeal of the city is quite evident all over, though. There are many American students walking around with their big cases for their drawings, going to and from their classes... There are young artists copying famous paintings with chalk on the streets... Such as this one, Michelangelo's "Creation of Adam" which was not yet finished... But very impressive.

This is Ponte Vecchio, a very popular tourist spot, where there seems to be nothing but jewelry stores that sell gold, gold and more gold... Right above the arch, there are local musicians playing guitars, or singing songs... I spent a very nice evening there, just sitting around and enjoying the music while watching the sunset and people on bicycles going by.

The beautiful sunset from Ponte Vecchio.

The next day, I ventured out early and went to the Academia to see "the David" which is how the owner of the hostel put it to me. I must say, it was very impressive to see the real thing. I don't think I ever understood its appeal until I saw it in person myself. You cannot take pictures inside the Academia, so this picture is just one of the copies in front of the Uffizi gallery.

After the Uffizi, I went to the Boboli gardens one afternoon, where you can see a nice view of the city of Florence. It was a nice garden, but I will always remember it as the place where I was being stupid and broke my camera (and had to buy a new one afterwards).

There's also a porcelain museum in there, which I must say I really enjoyed looking at. First, it was much cooler inside than outdoors, but also all the delicacies of the little sculptures and how old some of them are, and how well they've been preserved over the years...

And here's one of the most impressive things about Florence... Ladies, need I say more?

I would like to come back to Florence again, because I feel like I did not enjoy it as much as I should have. For me, it was too crowded and way too hot, I felt tired and homesick by this time... I would like to come back to Florence in the autumn because I bet it's the most beautiful then. It's not Florence, it's me...