Florence

We rolled into Florence later then we wanted, but Venice was so great! TomTom was good until we got near our hotel (as usual!). When it indicated we had reached our destination, there was no hotel in sight, just apartment buildings and a car repair garage. I pulled the car up onto the sidewalk a bit so I could get out and check address numbers to try to figure out where we were. The number of the hotel was found on the garage, so I was thrown off by that. I looked down to the street we had turned off of and across to the other side and saw what looked like a hotel sign. It was our place! The street name was the same on both sides. I would come to find out later that in Italy, they separate residence and business numbers that confuses a western guy like me (and apparently navigation devices)! I drove to and parked out front of the Hotel Enza, which was listed in Rick Steves travel book. I went inside, checked in, saw our room (wincing a little), and came back outside to gather Radhika and our baggage. The place was a disappointment, especially after such a nice stay at the Delfino near Venice! It was very dark, old (old can be charming, but this wasn't THAT kind of old) and worn out. It wasn't bad enough to find another place, so we just accepted it as it was and focused on everything outside the hotel. I asked the guy at the front desk about parking, but it seemed a major hassle to park on the street, paying, and moving it for the street cleaners, so I inquired about a parking garage. Not being too clear on where he was directing even though he used a map, we decided to use a garage we drove past as we neared the hotel. It's one of the problems of driving in Italy. The hotel was in a convenient location to the major attractions and art, but parking can be a big issue, which has expensive daily charges. It's one of the several reasons why I prefer to stay outside places like Rome or Paris if driving. It's less expensive accommodation, the car is not a problem, it's quieter, cleaner, and generally a more relaxed atmosphere. But, we were here, the car was taken care of, so we just crashed (with me chasing a few mosquitoes around in the room) and thought about tomorrow.

You want art? - - Go to Florence!! Man, after 3 days I had it oozing out of my pores! It was very cool to read and learn about the history of the city through the frescoes we viewed. And an impressive sight to behold with your own eyes in person is Michelangelo's "David". Fourteen feet tall and every bit perfect! The Galleria degli Uffizi is loaded with paintings and sculptures of Florentine masters. But speaking for me, my head was spinning after the 100th "Madonna And Child" or other constantly repeated religious themed pieces contained in this building (and city). I enjoyed the earlier work especially, seeing them grasp distance and perspective over the years, using light in new and dramatic ways. The buildings, churches, architecture are all fantastic. We went up to the top of the bell tower for a view of the city near sunset. It's quite lovely, even with the little drizzle of rain/mist towards the end. We were the last visitors of the day so that was nice. We walked around the city visiting some pretty sights over the next 2 days, and came away feeling pretty satisfied of the time we spent in Florence. Our next stop was Siena, just minutes south of Florence, but again we got a late start as we were getting our last glimpses of Florence from the park above the city on our drive out. Next stop - - Siena!