Buona Sera da Firenzi

This is part of my room at the hotel, are you ready, Pitti Palace. The room is square, compact and very efficient. I couldn't capture the desk and closet with the mini-bar and the bathroom with an actual tub. This is a bona-fide hotel unlike the one in Rome. While it was clean and the people very nice, it was still only on 1 floor of an apartment building! I managed to turn down the room they wanted to give me - right behind the concierge desk! Anyway, it didn't really matter because it was within walking distance of everything I wanted to see ... except for the Coliseum ... I guess I'll just have to come back LOLOLOL!!!!

My taxi ride back to the train station only cost 15Eu ... I guess the distance to the hotel is longer by 20Eu than the trip from it. I was going to purchase a rail pass but the ticket agent talked me out of it and ended up saving me 200Eu by selling me all the tickets I needed to finally end up in Rome again for the trip home. I was very grateful. I think one of the new Grandkids will have to be named Gianni!

Well, as you all know, I'm directionally challenged. Even with the map in Rome I always seemed to end up going in the wrong direction! I eventually found my way around and probably ended up walking twice as far as I needed to.

Apparently, I can't find the right train either! I did get on the train to Florence ... but it was the wrong one. Luckily, since I couldn't find my coach number and asked, I was directed to the train going to Venice sitting on the track opposite. My lucky day! I found my coach and seat as per my ticket and felt very lucky that this particular train was late. It was supposed to leave at 12:30 and I didn't see Florence posted on the departure list until past that and the announcement said it was leaving at 12:57. When the ticket lady came by, she pointed out that the train I was supposed to be on DID leave at 12:30 and it would cost me an extra 8Eu. The train was moving, what were they going to do, throw me off? Not wanting to chance it, I paid the extra and wondered how I was supposed to know that if I was going to Florence I had to get the train to Venice. Oh well, no harm, no foul.

The picture below is the entrance to the Ponte Vecchio which I snapped from the doorway to my hotel - how great is this! This should be renamed Ponte di Bling-Bling. All but 2 of the 40 or so shops are jewellers. All real and all expensive. I saw a Breitling watch in one window - the price tag was over 16,000Eu. If I won the lottery, I wouldn't waste my time shopping in North America. The quality and the style of the goods here, including clothing for both men and women is incomparable. I have drooled over luggage made of such fine leather you would want a slightly larger cheap suitcase to carry it in!

At the middle of the Ponte Vechio is an observation area. The next picture looks across the Arno River toward the Uffizi where I'm going tomorrow.

My hotel boasts a roof-top restaurant half of which is on a covered terrace. This is the view from my table as I had dinner last night. They also serve a breakfast buffet.

Ciao for now Dahlings!