Exploring Florence So..... we are on day 4 and living out of a suitcase is really pissing me off!

I knew that travelling would involve doing just that but the reality of it is a colossal pain in the ass!!! I can’t find anything and in the process of looking end up moving things around, then I forget where things were and so I end up taking everything out of the case and re-packing....... it is doing my head in big time!!!! Apart from this small fly in the ointment we are having a wonderful time by the way !!

Today we woke up to cloudy skies and within a few minutes of leaving the Hotel it started to rain, we dived into a cafe and bagged a table just in time..... the heavens opened and all hell was let loose as the the total

population of Florence attempted to take shelter in a space the size of a small living room. A party of Japanese tourists( I know I refer to them often but percentage wise they take first place wherever we have been)

completely blocked the entrance, not sure why they didn’t brave the rain as they were all pacamacked up, with matching head gear to boot!!! Having found a table we felt very smug and proceeded to stuff our faces with a bread roll and a delicious coffee whilst a around us chaos and mayhem reigned.

As the rain started to ease the cafe emptied and we set off for the Mercato Centrale..... a covered food market. Any foodie would adore this place, fresh meat, veg,fish flowers and charcuterie all beautifully displayed on a dazzling array of market stalls. We wanted figs and a very naughty stall holder ( he definately had a twinkle in his eye!!!) sold us some beauties... he also tried to get us to buy about three kilos of plums.....

when we said no ( boy did I have to be firm with him.... he was very persistent) he gave us some free.... well I did have to kiss him in exchange!!! Good job we didn‘t want melons.... I might have had to marry him !!!!

Provisions purchased we made our way through the leather market. Just the smell alone is amazing, if you are in need of anything made from the skin of an animal then this is the place for you. Just don't look any of the stallhoders in the eye or you will be there a week and come away considerably poorer!!!

And so back to the main square and another fight to get through the throngs of tourists wandering around the Duomo. I wouldnt mind, but they are all looking up at the tower and not where they are going so they aren't paying any attention to what is happening around them. Heartfelt thanks to the massive American who almost broke my arm with his camera bag and to the Japanese couple gazing lovingly into one anothers eyes exactly where we wanted to walk.

There comes a point in every day when refreshment is called for( quite often in my day !!) so we left the sightseers to it and found a bar. Two glasses of chilled rose ..... well we had glasses but each contained a thimbleful of wine..... just about a mouthful on my normal scale!!! We did get some olives though..... although I would happily have forgone them in order to have had a bit more wine!! Either way said tiny drinks were served by a very cheerful young Asian boy/ girl.... we weren’t sure which... preparation for Bangkok perhaps.....

And so back to the hotel where we enjoyed a lovely bed picnic and drank our free bottle of Chianti.....( no half measures of that I can assure you) and it was delicious.

Tomorrow we are off to Siena......after I’ve re-packed my case again!!!