Florence aka Firenze

We went to Florence today. We saw what we needed to see without going into any museums. Museums are closed on Monday, so that was not an option. In fact, I planned to take tours when the museums were closed as I thought they would add more confusion to the already lengthy 10 hour shore excursion.

I don't know what I expected but I saw a big city with ancient buildings covered with grime. The narrow streets were clogged with too many cars. The streets while relatively clean were used and dark. We had a gray day and that made it all seem darker.

Aside from that we did see the Duomo, the famous doors on the Baptistry, the huge ornate cathedral, the statues of David and Perseus and Neptune, the Ponte Vecchia and Santa Croce Basilica (where a lot of famous people are laid to rest). All of this was interesting. I learned about these in Art History too many years and it was interesting to see the actual "things."

It was a long day--I saw some interesting things--but I'm afraid I had a Mykonos experience. What is "it" all about? I missed something I'm sure!

Firenze is a monument to the past. It seems to be hanging on to it's past but I don't know where it is going in the future? I'm sure there is more to Florence than I saw but I'm not that excited to return to find out what "it" is.