It’s 1 AM on Sunday morning and I can’t sleep for some reason, so I am taking this time to catch up on my writing.  It is currently raining and it’s lovely to hear it on the roof. The Saturday night party goers were out on the streets earlier singing and making noise however they could and the rain must have sent them inside because it is quiet out there now.  An occasional die-hard wanders out, probably from a pub nearby, singing at the top of his voice but he quickly quiets down.

We had a wonderful first day exploring the streets and taking in all the sites and sounds of the city.  Situated only steps from the Arno River, we began our walk there, walking along the wall and stopping every now and then to watch a long, sleek boat or two slicing through the calm water.  The early morning was cool but had warmed to a nice temperature by the time we got out which was a nice welcome from the heat we had experienced in Spain.  A young couple, newly married, stood on one of the many bridges that cross the Arno, getting their pictures taken by a photographer some distance away near the road. We continued walking until we reached the Ponte Vecchio Bridge where, standing with Joey, we had our picture taken in the exact spot I had it taken with my friend Micki five years previously.  It’s a beautiful spot, right in the centre of the bridge, looking down the river framed by all the yellow ochre and tangerine orange buildings on either side.  I got a lovely shot of the serene river reflecting all of these colors in the water and I think I may have it printed and framed when I get home.

We walked by the Pitti Palace and through the piazza and then up and down the narrow streets where hundreds of tiny stores crowd side by side along the cobblestone roads.  Every type of merchandise can be bought here from high-end clothes, purses, and jewellery to cheap souvenirs such as magnets, statues, and postcards.   Of course, every third or fourth shop had tubs filled with every type of gelato I could want and believe me, I want them all,  or any type of bakery item you could dream of. Paradise! We decided to stop for a break at a little cafe and had a very strong cup of coffee and shared a meat and cheese sandwich.  The Italians like a very dry, hard bread in their sandwiches so it’s all I can do to get through half before my jaws start to ache.  It was tasty, though. We were visited by a tiny wren who eyed our lunch hungrily, hoping for a morsel to come his way.

We made a big circle and came back to the train station where we had begun last night. People were busy trying to get to where they were going,  many pulling their suitcases along, and like us, just beginning their stay in Florence.  Our goal was to get to the information centre which we found easily and as in Spain, the information agents were not too interested in giving us much information.  The lady who helped us  looked bored with her job and a smile was not something she was giving up easily. We walked away with a couple of maps and went looking for a coffee shop that I had read about that sounded nice.  It all looks easy to find something on a map, but when you come to a piazza and four or five roads spider off in every direction with no street names on the buildings, it’s easy to make a wrong turn and that’s what we did so never did find the cafe.  I’ll look again another day. We did, however, enjoy an open market with so many wonderful smells hitting our noses.  We had a bit of a laugh when we watched one vendor put together a delicious looking Nutella crepe.  Is there anyone out there that would like one, Jocelyn?  We are still thinking of you. The chalk “painters” were out on the street again, as I remember them and what they draw from a painting is amazing. It’s sad that the pictures will be gone within a few days, sooner with this rain, but nice knowing the artists will be back making new pieces.

The chalk “painters” were out on the street again, as I remember them, and what they create from is amazing. It’s sad that the pictures will be gone within a few days, sooner with this rain, but nice knowing the artists will be back making new pieces.

We were getting a bit tired so we started to make our way home.  We stopped at a small grocery store or two to pick up some things we needed. We will try and find a larger, more modern store later as there wasn’t a big selection or no selection at all. We took some time at home to catch up on e-mails, have a cold drink and watch a bit of TV.  Far below in a small piazza down the street, a group of people had organized some sort of rally.  We had seen them setting up a huge tent and stage earlier when we left for our morning walk, thinking they were setting up a market.  It turned out to be a referendum on something and many speakers took to the podium and their voices boomed through the streets and up into our ears!  It was deafening to listen to and made even worse by not knowing what they were saying. It went on for several hours. We needed to get away from it.

Joey had supper planned and needed some more ingredients, so we headed out again.  Once we got to the other side of the building, the noise from the rally died away nicely. We laughed about going out a second time as, when we were in Spain, because of the dreaded stairs, we only went out once a day as nobody wanted to walk those stairs more than once.  Now we feel free to come and go as often as we want with our tiny elevator to save our legs and hips.  It doesn’t take much to make us happy.  With our groceries in hand, we walked a few extra blocks to check out what was in the neighbourhood.  In one block, on one side, we counted five bakeries and walked into most of them, finally choosing a dessert for tonight’s dinner – not an easy task I must say! We also bought a long thin loaf of warm crusty bread to complete our pasta dinner. We walked toward all the noise from the rally and police cars and policemen and women stood around keeping an eye on the crowds that had formed but no incidents occurred that we were aware of.

Trying to have two of us in our tiny kitchen is not easy so Joey did all the cooking tonight and I got in her way only a couple of times to get dishes to set the table and together we cleaned up.  Good thing we like each other.

My evening was rounded out by a live chat with Jason and LJ and the twins.  Those little girls are almost eight months old now and couldn’t be any cuter.  I was rewarded with smiles and even got a typewritten letter from Isabella as Jason let her plunk on the keyboard as she sat on his knee and she hit the send button a few times.  My first e-mail from her!  I’m sure there must be some hidden meaning in what she wrote.

It’s now 3:15 and I need to get to sleep.  Joey will have me up early and we plan to walk further into the city tomorrow starting with a coffee and goodie at a nice sidewalk cafe somewhere.  Great way to start the day!