A short tour of Florence, books and napping

Our second full day in Florence promised to be a good one, with sunny skies and a plan to see some of the great sites in the city. We began our day at the Duomo, in great spirits, despite the nagging cold and sore leg irritants. It's funny. I'm a big picture taker, but on this trip, I've done much less of it than I've expected. I think part of it has to do with Alex's travel style and part has to do with this overarching 2017 theme of living simply. Whatever the reason, Alex and I have spent much time watching others take pictures of themselves (selfie sticks!) than we have taking pictures on our own. Today, in a particularly silly mood, we began randomly posing as if we were getting our picture taken. Of course there was no one with a camera ready to snap a shot. Once, we happened to do it right when a family was prepping for a shot and they thought we were trying to be in their picture. Alex said, "oops, sorry, wrong picture." And we moved on. Most of our mornings are silly like this, and as the day goes on, we get a grip on ourselves.

So, on our AM adventures, we spied the Duomo (Florence's signature attraction), but didn't go in or try to climb to the top. Crowds made us run for the river, where we spied the Ponte Vecchio, another Florentine classic. We enjoyed the view of the river and the PV from afar. Then, the Specula museum was on our list. This is a very old and slightly creepy specimen museum on the other side of the Arno, that has really cool collections of insects, animals and other oddities. One major part of this museum, the wax human specimens, is no longer open for public display, unless you pay 3 extra Euro and go with a guide. It's a shame, because it's the most interesting part of the museum. Alas, we skipped it, but really, we were ready for a sit down and some food. Off to the Pitti Palace we went, to visit the gardens and museum. I have such fond memories of this place from when my mom and I visited in 2013. Our visit today was different, mostly because I was really feeling run down from this dang cold. We ate mediocre food and headed to the gardens first, where we found a place to sit (I was winded from a short bit of stairs??). After about 15 minutes, I admitted I wasn't up for touring today and we headed back to the flat to rest (again). I must have slept for three or four hours in the afternoon. Alex read and made a new book list.

In the evening, we were out long enough to have dinner and grab provisions for tomorrow's breakfast. And that's the day. Florence is the place where we've learned to stop and rest.