Yesterday I said goodbye to Amanda & Jack in Rome and jumped on the high speed train to Florence – impressive – 90 minutes later I was walking through Florence – an amazing medieval city imbued with masterpieces of architecture, painting, inventions, design and sculpture that formed the heart of the Renaissance. It really is quite amazing how concentrated the innovation was..
Th Duomo is a classic example of Florence’s architecture combining art, engineering and design. The story of the building of the church and the engineering challenges that needed to be solved are fascinating.
The Duomo taken from Piazzale Michelangelo
Amazing Bad Florence
So today Sunday was final preparation day and I was challenged by finding a last few items as on Sunday all the camping stores and hardware stores … yes all of them are closed in Florence.
And while I am on the subject of store opening hours – Last alcohol sales at bottle shops at 2130! Not funny when you arrive at 2135.
Now this trip is a big change for me …. the average cost of my accomodation over the next month is about EUR 60 per night. The 5/6 star luxury is taking a back seat.
My single room at the Eden Hotel is a major reset of expectations
And another adjustment … no maid and no outsourced washing service. I quickly realised that if more men washed they would make faster machines.
36 minutes wash cycle and another 24 minutes for drying – where is Tim the Toolman.
Exploring the city
Lots of good energy – just no room left in the bag.
After eventually purchasing a few kilo of trail mix, protein bars and some fuel for my Trianga stove I headed into Florence for a long walk – a warmup for the days ahead.
I spent a many hours exploring and marvelling at the great architecture of one of the most beautiful cities in the world Florence! and went on a long walk around the city. Here is a visual of it.
In the end a massive day where I walked 40,000 steps today – about 36km. I found this great walk which I highly recommend which linked major sites and markets.
Here’s a glimpse of some of the sites along the way.
Old and New – glimpses of the new Sacristy – another Michelangelo design – against the backdrop of modern advertising
The Duomo – a really difficult building to photograph – massive and surrounded by quite a small piazza.
Can’t go past the Piazza Della Republica with a copy of Michelangelo’s David.
Glimpses of Medieval Florence around every corner
And the famous bridges.
Ponte Vecchio covered in luxury shops similar to an Abu dhabi shopping mall
Reflections near sunset of St Trinity Bridge
And Don’t Forget The Good Cause
in honour of the great work Black Dog institute are doing in helping many families, corporate organisations and communities create awareness and support to deal with the pressures of life, I am raising money for this important cause. I am close to my $3,000 target – no amount is too small.
https://teamblackdog.everydayhero.com/au/walking-the-st-francis-way
If interested, you can read a daily debrief of my walk and see some pics on my blog: www.youcanlive2.com Its still work in progress and you can subscribe at the bottom.
Ciao till tomorrow.
Go well Darren – sounds like you are going to be carrying 20Kgs+
Yes – it is a major exercise managing the weight. I am sure I will get better as I progress.
Haha bit of a change from first class! Trail mix looks yum. I love Florence