It was a very foggy start to the day and we debated what we would do and where we would go. It wasn't cold but it was overcast so we decided to wear our coats in case it rained.
Our first stop was to be the Gates of Paradise, which we had missed on an earlier visit to the Bapistry at the Duomo. We were going to take the bus to the station but that would still have meant a longish walk and the end of it anyway, and walking all the way was not much longer. During our 45 minute walk, down past the Accademia, the sun began to struggle out and the temperature to climb.
The crowds were not as bad, and the line not so long, at the Accademia, which we passed on our way. We were heating up by this time so had to take our coats off. We'd brought fold up bags with us so it was no trouble to bundle them in there. By the time we reached the Bapistry the weather was clearing up rapidly and the crowds increasing. We managed to reach the gates and took a couple of photos, although the steel fence and iron bars rather spoil the effect. We moved around to the side of the building and got some better shots of the doors there, although these were badly in need of cleaning.
We had a couple of paperback books we wanted to swap at the English Bookstore, which was supposed to be nearby. Typically, the map we'd downloaded didn't name all the streets and we circled around a bit, trying to find, the street we wanted. There seems no rhyme or reason to the numbering system either. We ended up in a little street behind the Duomo, studying our map on a narrow footpath and in danger of being wiped off by the passing cars (how anyone can drive in the historic centre is beyond me), when I looked up and saw that we were standing right outside the bookshop! It was 10:30 am, their advertised opening time. We pushed on the door but it was still locked. We could see someone inside but were ignored. A man came along and also pushed on the door. We hovered around, the corner for about 10 minutes and finally, the door was opened. Browsed for 15 minutes or so and chose a couple of books. Our 2 paperbacks got us €11 credit (about $15), which is much better than we would receive in Australia.
Out in the street again, we decided to take advantage of the lovely day to visit the Boboli Gardens. We battled our way through the crowds, across the Ponte Vecchio, and walked up to the Pitti Palace, marvelling, at the huge structure. The cost of entry (to the gardens only - we weren't interested in the rooms of the palace) was a very reasonable €10. There were a lot of people about but the gardens are so large that thousands could have been in there without our noticing.
We were rather hungry and thirsty by this time, so went straight to the little cafe in the courtyard before exploring the gardens. It costs much more in Italy to sit at a table and be served, but we thought we'd splurge and experience it just this once. We bought a bottle of water each, I had coffee with my fruit tart, and Lindy chose a prosciutto and cheese panini - total cost €22.50 (about $34).
We spent the next couple of hours roaming through the gardens. I had quite forgotten and hadn't warned Lindy, that it's a monstrous climb up through the terraced levels. We arrived at the top eventually, after many stops along the way to catch our breath, and also to take photos. No matter which way you turned, there was a photo opportunity, from the layout of the gardens, and the many statues, ponds and water features, to the red roofs of the city spread out below. On the other side were the hills, with lovely Tuscan homes and pencil thin trees.
(I could spend a lot of time here, writing a potted history of Florence, but I don't want to sound like a travelogue; if you want to know more, just google the place names you read in here and you will learn much more.)
We visited the bookshop and the grotto (very nightmarish) on our way out and then set out to walk back to our apartment. On the way we came across a cafe that sold gelato. Praise the saints there was also a large sign out front that said 'no extra for sitting'. There was a little area - common in Florence - that had been sectioned off from the road. The traffic just flowed around it and Lindy grabbed a seat for us at a little wooden table while I ordered our gelati; pannacotta for Lindy, pistachio for me. The cones were large and filled with more than 2 scoops of ice cream. They cost €5 each but worth it (and we thought that maybe they got their 'sitting charge' through those sort of prices anyway). We sat and rested and enjoyed them, and the rest, immensely before continuing on our way back to our apartment, which was beginning to feel very much like our home.
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