Today we did a whirlwind tour of the main sights of the centre of Florence. Two hours was spent on a walking tour of the city with a local guide. Seeing the Cupola del Duomo was probably the highlight. Not as decorative inside as some of the other churches and cathedrals in Italy, such as Milano, but beautiful nonetheless. I didn't have the time or energy to climb to the top of the Dome because I wasted so much time going to the Uffizu gallery to see Bitticelli's "Birth of Venus" instead.

I also ran out of time and didn't get to see Michaelangelo's real statue of David, and had to settle for the replica in the Piazza Della Signiria (one if the town squares). I did see however, the church in which Michaelangelo and Galileo were buried and saw one of the houses that Michaelangelo lived in as a boy.

Florence, like most of the Italian villages and towns we have visited is a pedestrian city, with maze-like street layouts that are very easy to get lost or disoriented in when you are there for the first time. I have to admit, they are starting to look a bit similar to me and I am quickly losing interest in taking photos! Especially of details. Hmmm...maybe I am just getting tired.

I came away from Florence feeling frustrated that I didn't get to see and do the things that I wanted to - this is mostly because of the planned activities that the tour company had organised for us. Too many valuable hours were wasted in the morning when I could have been seeing the things I really wanted to.