FLORENCE - FIRENZE

Well arrived in Florence - its wet and cold and windy
In fact b****dy freezing - here i was expecting it to be WARMER than UK - n its NOT

Ponte Vecchio - wet n raining but still beautiful

Arno - a brown muddy river

Anyway enough of whingeing like the POM I am - the architecture and art are all brilliant and ii is wonderful to put all my art background into context - all those lectures on Renaissance Art are now in context ......................

So pics to follow ......................and some amazing revelations - so watch this space

Revelation1 - Ponte Vecchio - well renown for its goldsmiths - some of it rather gaudy n not nice - other shops have gorgeous stuff  and/or antique pieces - needless tosay teh windows with not-a-lot in were the best ditto the ones with no prices ie if you have to ask you cant afford it ........needless to say those were the ones I liked

DH has the most wondrous ablity to walk down the middle of streets with anything resembling a shop where i might spend money .....but veers toward foodie shops and restaurants .................... he needs to be trained .................oh dearie me

The city centre is chokkah with leather n shoe n bag shops - so much so it puts you off buying anything ................... every other shop sells leather jackets bags belts - even t market stalls

AND how the Italian shoe designers can expect customers to wear vertiginous heels on such uneven pavements is beyond belief!!!!!!!!! I keep falling over in flats!

So despite foul weather - am happy if very footsore and achey and I know will pay for it when I get home - but it will be worth it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I keep telling myself that as I soak every night in steaming hot bath - trying to soothe aches n pains ................. despite all the wondrous things to see - still struggle like the devil to get up and walk about ........... had to be carried home this evening and last night was a pizza in teh room as in toooooooooooo much pain to even walk across the street to a restaurant ..................anyway am off to bed now
Feet up on heap pillows and hope I can sleep - the sleep of the righteous - seen enough religious paintings/icons/frescoes for any defaulting human