Florence

It is Thursday morning and we are in Florence - arrived yesterday via train.  Richard, the leader gave us abit of a orientation and found us a great place for lunch - homemade pasta - yum! With tummys full, we explored Florence - walked the Ponte Vecchio keeping our eyes averted and our wallets closed - this is the bridge of jewelry shops - lots of pretty things there...  After pointing out the main sights we headed out on our own - I went to the Galleria degli Uffizzi to view the collection of paintings and sculptures mostly donated by the Medici family - beautiful and rather overwhelming.  Thankfully we were all meeting for a drink - Richard took us to a little hole in the wall where you grabbed a glass of wine and drank it in the street - here is the group enjoying the vino.

Today I head off to explore Florence - so far easy to get around - may even do some shopping... Here is a shot of the city hall in Florence and the piazza in front of the building - a wee bit different that Toronto City Hall and NPS...