SMITH HEALTH REPORT:
At the moment it is 11.00pm and Ewan is sitting with his sore foot resting on an ice pack on the bed.
The re-emergence of the foot problem may have been caused by our extensive sight seeing today.
Here's the list:
Walked for 10 minutes to the Duomo ( our hotel very convenient to all the must-see places in Florence!) and waited in line admiring the ornate pink green and white facade before wandering around admiring the simple decor inside the church.
- Climbed the 432 steps to get to the top of the dome on worn spiral steps for most of the way, and admired the 360 degree view over the terracotta rooftops of Florence. Then staggered back down ( which really hurt Ewan's foot).
- Visited the Museo of the Duomo to see Michaelangelo's Pieta and the real golden Doors of Paradise. In some ways it was fortunate that most of the Museum is being rebuilt so there wasn't a lot to see!
- Climbed more stairs to get to the 16th century apartments of the Medici family at the Palazzo Vecchio including an enormous high- ceilinged painted hall, and rooms decorated to recognise the exploits of the family members. Apparently they were all strong, fearless and god-like judging by the frescoes, gold and artwork used. I particularly liked Elenora's apartment as she had superb frescoes and paintings depicting heroines of the Age.
- After a quick lunch - Yes! Some sitting down time!! - it was off to the Uffizi Gallery to make sure we arrived at the appointed time of 2.45pm. A few hours and many treasures later we exited and made straight to the nearest gelateria for some much needed sustenance: bacio, pistachio and hazelnut ice cream - delicious.
- Then to complete the sightseeing it was a quick walk across the Ponte Vecchio to admire the view, and the jewellery, none of which appealed as much too gaudy and sparkly for me.
- Finally homeward bound we walked through the shopping strip and had a quick peruse of the leather stalls at the market.
- But never ones to miss an opportunity to add to our lists of sights seen, and to fully utilise the Duomo ticket purchased earlier in the day, we stopped to briefly visit the Baptistero next to the Duomo. A chance to sit down and stretch our necks to admire the detailed golden mosaics in the dome.
So is it any wonder that Ewan has had to resort to the ice pack, voltaren, nurofen etc etc and a bandage to control the swelling??? No it is not!
We came back to the hotel and collapsed for a couple of hours before dragging ourselves to a very nice restaurant very nearby.
Gold stars for such a huge number of attractions seen today! But we are both totally pooped so it's off to bed!
your tired but content correspondent,
Dianne
No comments:
Post a Comment