Day 5–Florence

A casual start to the day with breakfast and then check out followed by a short taxi ride back to Siena railway station.

Check the board for my train and spent the rest of the time reading and talking to some other tourists also waiting on the train.

As departure time approached my fellow travellers informed me that that train to Florence had changed tracks and I’d need to make haste to another platform.

I jump aboard with plenty of time to spare and with plenty of time to spare and was pleasantly surprised to find that this regional train was air-conditioned! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord. No complimentary sauna today folks.

The train was much more crowded than the one I caught a few days ago to Siena but there was still plenty of room. So I grabbed a seat and settled in for the trip.

The trip was uneventful, with even the conductor making no fuss about my pre-booed ticket. Achievement unlocked!

Having been to Florence station previously I knew where to exit and headed from the station into the blazing Italian sun for the very short walk to my hotel.

I checked in and then settled in for my regular afternoon snooze to avoid the heat.

First stop was check out the Duomo or as it is clearly also known ‘tourist central’. Florence reminds me of an earlier trip I made to Venice in that fact that the place is just overwhelmed by tourists.

Now I know this is the height of the tourist season and Florence is high on everyone’s must see list but honestly for me, the sheer number of tourists ruins the experience for me totally.

 

Not only is the place full of tourists but all the shops are upmarket boutiques catering to this market. The place is also full of street vendors hocking all kinds of wares to these same tourists who think they are getting a bargain.Sigh.

I continued on through the throng and the heat trying to tick off as many sites as I could this afternoon.

From the Uffuzi to the

To the Ponte Vecchio was just wall to wall tourists.

I continued walking the streets snapping shots until it all got too hot for me and I headed back to the hotel for a break.

Around 7pm I ventured out once again to enjoy another great Italian dinner and then I called it a night.

I’m glad I’m not going to be here long because with the heat and the sheer number of people I’m pretty sure I’d go crazy. Given that tomorrow is Sunday and the Duomo is closed for half the day I think I’ll head to the Galleria dell’Academia where the status of David is, mainly because it opens early. From there I might do a ‘jump-on-jump-off’ bus tour to catch the main sights before heading to the Duomo in the afternoon and no doubt standing in a queue for hours.

Let’s see what pans out tomorrow.