(L) Time to once again move on so we were up and ready to go by 9am. We had a great run in to Florence with only one stop to get a little bit of petrol, just enough to get us back to the car hire place! I had paid the €65 for fuel so we could return the car empty as I never know how hard it will be to find somewhere on the drive back in..... especially after our experience in Athens!

As it turned out, coming in on the A11, you go through the toll plaza ( €15.30 it cost us this time ) then just after there is a service centre and not long after that there is an overpass... just before the overpass is a tiny street which is where we turned, it hooks right and you're in the street for the car returns. I must say none of it is very well marked or signed, not like Brisbane Airport! 

We had decided to just get a taxi into town, too much hassle getting the shuttle to airport then train then walking to find Hotel!! €22 fixed price + €1 per bag but for some reason he charged us for 3 bags, anyway luckily our room was ready so we were all checked in by 12! We had talked about stopping at Pisa on the way but it was just all too hard and we just wanted to be in Florence - no mucking around. 

A quick cuppa and we were off for a wander around Florence. During my research for this trip I had done nothing at all on Florence because Deb spent a week here 15 years ago and has always said she wants to come back so this one is hers - I'll just follow!

We headed first towards the Duomo where we encountered the most people on this entire holiday - it was awful!! We moved on towards the Ponte Vecchio and took a few photos along the way but agreed that we should try to get out first thing in the morning before all the crowds. We checked out St Marks Anglican Church which is where our Opera is tomorrow night then continued past the Pitti Palace and had a wander through the Boboli Gardens. Unfortunately we were both a little weary so probably didn't get our €10 worth but it's a lovely spot. 

Just on the opera, we had originally bought tickets to an Opera in Siena and had planned our entire trip based on being in Siena for those nights however they had sent us an email saying it had been cancelled. Next we booked in Rome and then that was cancelled..... 3rd time lucky, hopefully!!

As we were walking back to the Hotel we were crossing a bridge and noticed 2 blokes taking photos... one had jumped over the side and was standing, posing on a platform that protruded into the river. I made eye contact and smiled at them so then they asked me if I could take a photo of them "but please don't run away with my phone"!! Hahaha .... I said something about having walked too much to do any running and Deb said "well only if you promise not to fall in the river". They offered to take a photo of us out there but we politely declined the offer!

Not much more for today - we got back to the room around 4 with good intentions of getting some photos uploaded for the blog but I lay down and fell asleep. I only really woke up for long enough to eat some pizza that Deb had gone out to pick up.

(D) So happy to be back in the beautiful city of Firenze once more. I don't understand why it is that while some places you can be meh about or even perhaps like but not passionately, there are others that just immediately grab your heart - for some reason this place stole mine 15 years ago and I've been looking forward to a return visit ever since. I have no doubt it's partly the buildings and architecture and also the colours and the light, whatever it is I honestly just love being here - it brings a smile to my face and joy to my soul.... maybe it's just being completely surrounded by beauty..... I could seriously look at the Duomo all day long - it is the most amazing building I have ever seen and the more you look at it the more you see, what an absolute marvel of a structure it is!!!

I have no great "to do" plans, no research or list of activities - just wandering and absorbing the gorgeousness of it all for as long as I'm lucky to be here again!