Florentine Steak.

We couldn't leave Florence without giving it a try.

Florence Walking Tour

This Morning, I got up early and went to the breakfast room for coffee and croissants. When Deb was about to rise, I took her a coffee in bed (so what else is new). Then we both went up for our real breakfast. It was quite good, but we had to rush because our guide was waiting downstairs. When we met Laticia in our lobby, we quickly realized that this would be a tour specifically designed for the visually impaired. Our first stop was in one of the central squares with a carousel on one side. Here, we found a bronze three-dimensional model of the historic center of Florence. Deb used her fingers to explore the major structures.

A short walk took us to the Baptistry, where, until recently, all citizens of Florence were baptized. This is a large Octagonal building made entirely of gray and white marble.

Behind the Baptistry, we found The Duomo, the third-largest Cathedral in the world, behind St. Peter’s in Rome and St. Paul’s in London. The structure was built from terra cotta, but the outside is sheathed in gray, white, and pink marble. The details are incredibly detailed and beautiful.

Next, our guide cheated a little. She took us around to the exit door. Therefore, we avoided an hour-long line, and we were immediately inside. Here, we found a three-dimensional model of the cathedral and the baptistry. Deb was able to touch and really get a sense of the design.

The royal palace (Florence was once a monarchy) has essentially become the City Hall. Italy has become a republic. Here, in its original home, we found a copy of Michaelangelo’s David. The original has been tucked safely away in a museum to protect it from flooding, which is becoming more frequent. There were also a number of original Renaissance statues which were still outside.

The Old Bridge is the only pre-war bridge that was left standing. The Nazis destroyed the others when they departed. This bridge is wide and filled with shops on both sides. Today, the only thing you can buy here is jewelry.

The upper level on one side of the bridge is part of a secret passage that once went from the royal palace to a new palace on the other side of the river. The royals never had to step outside with the commoners. They never had to smell what was cast from the bridge. At that point in time, the businesses on the bridge were butcheries and fisheries. The waste went downstream to Pisa, which was then the enemy.

Florence Italy

Well, we have arrived in Florence. It is 4:30 in the afternoon. Deb is asleep and I did nap for a couple of hours. The time in Florence is 6 hours ahead of home time, so our bodies are telling us that it is about 10:30 in the morning. We left home at about one p.m. yesterday morning and we had slept only a couple of hours before arriving here.

The first flight from Toronto to London was wonderful. We flew business class so we had lots of room, and our seats could lay flat. We should have gotten a few hours of sleep, but it was a little early for sleeping. We were greeted with a glass of champagne and given a dinner menu. Our four-course dinner had at least three choices for each course. Deb and I both had poached salmon with asparagus, tomatoes and aioli. It came on a full tray along with a herbed roll and risotto. It seemed to me to be a complete meal in itself. Then came a lamb shank with herbed potato wedges and green beans. The lamb shank was actually chipped lamb sliced from a roll. It was delicious. I gave up. I couldn't even try the cheese tray that was meant to be the third course, nor the mixed pastries that were supposed to wrap-up the meal. Maybe we didn't sleep because we were too busy.

There was no difficulty getting Vera on the British Airways flights and it was easy getting through Heathrow airport. An agent met us with a sign so we certainly located her easily. Five minutes later the paperwork was done and we were on our way. We could not find the pet relief station until we were almost too late to catch our next flight to Florence. Then Vera refused to do anything.

The fight to Florence was on a much smaller plane with much smaller seats. Our bodies now told us it was bedtime, but we just couldn't get comfortable. Finally, we arrived (elevenish) in Florence. Here we found nobody to inspect our import papers for Vera. We simply walked out of the airport without any questions asked. When we met our driver I told him that I had to go back in so we could be legal. We went to an information counter, but they told us we didn't have to do anything. We had already escaped customs. Since I couldn't find "the right people" and Deb was in a hurry, we just left. We drove around Florence for a little while and then we were delivered to our hotel. Deb went to sleep immediately and I have been napping and puttering.

When I opened our room window, it was obvious that we were in an old section of town, just around the corner from the Duomo, Florence's famous Cathedral. I' going to have to wake Deb soon so we can find something to eat.

Oh, and these show the view from our window.

Italy

We are going on a new trip. This time, Italy is our destination. There will be more to come. This trip, we have a guide dog to take with us. The prep work is neverending.

Northern Lights in Peterborough

We got a message from Lily the other night which simply said, "Look outdise for the northern lights. Look through your camera." What????? We stepped onto the back deck and really could see nothing more than a slight glow in the sky. Looking through the camer, however, did show some lights.

Aileen took some pictures as well with a different camera.

Bus Tour of Mérida

Mayan Dancing