Welcome to Florence.  Population, roughy 380,000 people.  (Incidentally, in metric the number is much higher.)  The metropolitan area holds 1.5 million people and was founded in 59 BC by Julius Ceasar.  As far as anyone can tell, it’s been crowded ever since.

We had a lovely flight from New York to Rome.  My combination of rum and Xanax proved effective.  Once airborne I tucked myself in and fell right to sleep.  I vaguely remember smelling dinner.  I woke up hours later as the breakfast service began.  That and my rear hurt from laying in one position for six hours.

Flying over Tuscany provided a lovely opportunity to take pictures of the country-side.  

Our home here is an updated medieval tower, located between the Ponte Vecchio and Piti Palace.  The inside is delightfully eclectic and unlike any place I’ve stayed.  Everything feels ancient, like the old wooden planking and stone masonry that, I think, used to be part of the exterior.  The smell, too, is unique — a romantic mixture of cool stone and time.  We are on the 4th (or 5th depending on how you count) floor.  Mom particularly loves the elevator, a cute little contraption that holds two thin people, as long as both are comfortable with their mortality and potentially dying in small spaces. 

The view from the flat is really neat. 

This area of town lies inside the La Zona Blue … translated as The Blue Zone.  Only buses, cabs, and certain private cars are allowed to drive here.  Thus the streets are full of people walking and the noise from vehicles is minimal.  I get a glimpse of what New York could be like and find myself dreaming dreams.  

We strolled around in Florence after arriving.  The city is more beautiful than I remember.  I understand why the historic center of the city was designated a World Heritage Site.  The Renaissance was born here, after all.  It still feels very much alive.

I am surprised by the amount of Americans here.  I hear English more often than Italian.  As a nationality we are easy to spot mainly because of our loudness.  In Passport Control, a group of retirees from Florida let everyone share in their presence and excitement.  Most Asians travel with these remarkably fancy selfie sticks.  I had no idea such feature variety existed in the selfie-stick product realm.

Lastly we saw this sign in the square adjacent to The Duomo.  When in Rome …. wait a second ….

Till next time.