Leaving Monterosso and on to Florence

Bryan on our 2nd floor little balcony. Gathering everything to pack and go meet the train to Pisa, then Florence.

At the Monterosso train station. Looking through the station to the Mediterranean Sea.

The train station is between two tunnels. Much of the rail line along this coast is tunneled to protect from landslides.  A rather warm day.

My last peek of the Mediterranean Sea before we boarded the train. Wow.

We had to go down stairs and under the tracks and back up the stairs on this side to be able to board our southbound train. The colors in the villages of Cinque Terre are so pretty.

The tunnel looking north with all the people getting ready to board. We all look like tourists. :)

Grams was able to find a seat. Hats are a good thing along the Mediterranean.

From the train window, the next village in Cinque Terre, Corniglia. Multi-lingual signs abound.

Manarola, the next village, has a much older sign.

Bryan and Alex couldn't find seats so they are guarding our luggage between the train cars. They have a good view, when we aren't in the tunnels.

Alex enjoys a bit of a breeze while we are stopped and the doors are open. By now it is VERY warm.

The train stops at all 5 villages which are all within a day's hike of each other by foot. The train stops rather often for this stretch of rail. Alex and Bryan stayed between the cars with the luggage for the majority of our trip today.

After we changed trains at Pisa we were off to Florence. Bryan and Alex were able to sit down and we have lunch from the station which included Pringles.

Grams' dinner, chicken with veggies, our first night in Florence. After our train and searching out our hotel while maneuvering our rolling suitcases over narrow sidewalks and cobblestones, it was time for dinner in a nice restaurant. Grams and Bryan rested in the hotel while Alex and I walked around looking.

After about 20 minutes we found this wonderful place. From the street it looked like there were about 5 crowded tables, yet it opened up to have a spacious room in the back off the street.
My dinner, 1/2 chicken with potatoes. 

Alex's pasta. Sorry for the blurriness. My flash was turned off most of our trip. Sneaky pictures don't always turn out clear.

Bryan had a very tender, medium rare steak with flakes of a wonderful cheese on top. Yum.

This beautiful, cool, restaurant.  Loved the water glasses. Notice the "bag" of bread.

Our bill for this dinner. About $1.33 per Euro when we were there. Notice at the top "4 cover charge" has the tip built in.

The next morning we walked to meet our tour bus for our 3 hour tour of Florence. The first part was on the bus, the second part was a walking tour. Not enough space for buses in the interior of this very old, small city. 
This is the church right across the street from the bus stop. The train station we came in on, is to the right, out of the picture.

Train station to the right, a red and white city bus. Cobblestone streets lined by vendors hawking their wares to all of the tourists. Some things appeared to be really nice, some things not so much.

As our bus drives past the train station in the background, there are plenty of places for bikes out front.

Additional cable car tracks around the train station that is up the steps.

From our bus this is our first view of the Orne River which runs through Florence, Italy. 

Bridges looking the other direction while crossing the Orne River. The second bridge has shops along the sides of the bridge. At one time, prior to the de Medici family's rule, the shops were all slaughter houses and the unused "remains" were tossed into the river. Ick. After the de Medici family gained control of Florence, they moved the slaughter houses and only gold and silver establishments could be in the shops along the bridge. Wonderful shops. :) Think jewelry.
The Ponte Vecchio in Firenze.

Our bus will go through one of the archways that at one time was in the wall that surrounded the city. The city has grown since that time.

The gates are open. Three sizes of transportation go through a different gate all at once. Motorcyclists all seemed to be fearless.

Small, stubby cars and motorcycles. Even though they are small, they don't park IN the parking spot. Notice even Florence has graffiti.

I love the tree lined streets. Their trees are in the middle, ours back home tend to be along the side.

Setting up shop along the street. Green chairs will fill with patrons as the day progresses.

Alex watching the view of the statue in the circle of green with a round about surrounding it. The city wall in the background.

This statue is carrying a stone statue on her head. There is a park in the background.

Our tour bus took us to the overlook above the city of Florence. We are at the "Piazzale Michelangelo". This is a copy of "David".

From the Piazzale, the city wall is somewhat evident as it goes up the hill. Really old city on the right, newer on the left. We're talking centuries, here!

Another view from the Piazzale. The Ponte Vecchio with the shops on the river. Tile roofs everywhere.

Again from the Piazzale, the Duomo. The dome topped cathedral in Florence. More later. Whitish bell tower, Giotto's Bell Tower, to the left. Orne River in the foreground.

A beautiful landmark, but alas, I can't remember its name.

You may be able to tell these buildings have all been here for centuries and were built fairly close together. After our bus tour, we will be dropped off a few blocks from the Duomo and will begin our walking tour. 

You may be able to see the people at the top of the dome on the outside terrace. They are way up there! We did not hike up the stairs.

An angular contrast to the Duomo's style.

The Ponte Vecchio and its shops perched out over the river. The windows above the shops flank a covered walkway for the Medici family to cross the bridge in olden times. Tourists may pay a fee to cross like the wealthy did back then. There are people (probably tourists like us) looking out from the archways in the middle.

A garden along the road our bus traveled. It looks like lunch may be served under the umbrellas behind the wall. An extremely warm day.

From inside the bus (notice the reflection) our last view from the Piazzale toward the Duomo. Tourist venues along the parking lot sold many touristy things.

Another part of the old city wall.

Bridge view looking toward the Ponte Vecchio. The nearest bridge is filled with traffic.

We think these might be apartments connected to the city wall at the left side of the photo.

The old next to the new.

A close up of artwork lounging along the wall of a building. Wow.

The wall of the building it adorns.

Grams, Bryan and Alex in the midst of our now walking tour group. Room for a few vehicles.

Now it is strictly a pedestrian walkway. We will be going in the "Galleria dell' Accademia" to see "David". Notice the attire of the group.

All the beautiful doorways. Shutters above. The address is a small number in a square near the door.

A triangular building. I love the detail over the windows and archways.

Our walking tour heads towards the Duomo. The people near it are dwarfed by its size. Only bikes are allowed on these cobblestone streets.

When "David" was commissioned, he was originally to stand o the terrace on the top left  near the small red dome. That is why he is larger than life, he was to be viewed from street level.

The walkway in front of the cathedral. Pedestrian traffic. 

Different colored marble. Gorgeous. Amazing. Beautiful.

More colors of marble. Paintings in the archways, rosette windows. Statues near the top are life size. So many details.

A close up of the doorway. The figures in the archway have gold halos. So much detail. Incredible.

The statues and rosette window above the door. 

The nearby Giotto Bell Tower. It stands a couple feet away from the cathedral.

The Bronze Doors of Paradise, the Baptistry across the "street" from the cathedral.

A bit closer. It is actually a copy. The original is protected somewhere else.

The statues above the bronze door.

Another street view of the Duomo.

The 7 white pieces along the edge of this building have significance. 

The flags indicate who resides at each building. I think some of these are embassies. 

Our tour guide passed out our tickets to go in to view "David". No photos allowed inside. :(

You might be able to see the space between the cathedral and the bell tower. So much colored marble. Oh my gosh...

A horse drawn carriage tour!

The central plaza in Florence. A carousel and vendors.

An international assortment of booths. Large stones provide protection of sorts.

Need anything made of leather?

Street artist.

A spot to stop for lunch. Shade near the construction. The name of this alley is up by the lights on the left.

Shops, segues rubble along the cobblestones, little balconies above.

Lace and embroidery for just about anyone. Need a gift for a golfer?

After our tour and a rest, Bryan, Alex and I walked around and went to the Ponte Vecchio to "shop" a little. These are the shops along the bridge.

Jewelry stores with the three archways to the right. 

We went into Pandora and added to Alex's bracelet. Nick had been here the September before us and purchased her gift in this original bracelet here. I purchased a Pandora bracelet and Alex and I did get the same charms. Great memories.

The view of the Orne River and dwellings near the edges from the center three archways.

The archways with the covered pathway above.

More jewelry shops on the bridge.

Here the bridge meets the street. 

Alex and Bryan to the left near a street artist. 

People everywhere. The Duomo above it all straight ahead.

Shops, flags, flowers and signs. Oh and yes, tourists.

Large horses pulling this carriage.

Restaurants with outside seating. These are covered and somewhat gated from the street. Menus on sandwich boards.

This sidewalk seating is covered AND has misters!

Can you say dessert?

Bikes, motorcycles, pedestrians and flower decorated window boxes. 

Pretty bikes.

Back at the Duomo.

The crowd has thinned out across from the Duomo. It was very, very crowded when our tour group was here in the morning. Our tour guide let us know if we wanted to go inside the Duomo the line would be much shorter around 4:00 (in the heat of the day). 

I went inside. Huge. Beautiful. Stunning. 

The center area had very few people in it.

The marble floor. I imagine if the crowds were here it wouldn't hardly be noticed. I love it!

Some of the stained glass windows.

A side section of the cathedral.

The alter in the center, an enormous pillar is also decorated.

Salem, Oregon is 45 degrees North, Florence, Italy is really close to our same latitude. It was very warm here.

Grams and Alex's sleeping situation. These are like roll away beds. The window near Alex looked out to a wall across about an 8 foot expanse.

Bryan is trying to find something on TV. Alex and Grams are to the right. Love our filmy curtains! 

Looking out the window. 

A fizzy beverage our first night in Florence.

Chilling.

The walls are decorated with paintings and plates. Through the archway and to the right is an outdoor seating area for the restaurant that was in high demand. It was full when we arrived.

The other end of the room. Tables were close together, but it wasn't noisy.

Our bathroom in Florence. Notice the shower handle and the lack of a shower curtain. Yes, I was able to soak the entire room. A tall skinny tub that was an adventure in itself.

The morning we are packing to leave Florence (Firenze) and will head to Rome. Grams and Alex's little cubby is to the left by Grams. 

This shows a pretty good idea of the roll away nature of Grams and Alex's beds.

At the Firenze train station. We FINALLY found a mailbox so mail our postcards back home. Most of them made it to the States.

After Alex and I mailed the postcards we took one last walk outside the train station. I loved this tourist's umbrella. It was a very warm day.

Returning to the train station. Waiting for our crosswalk light to change. Construction around the train station has things in a bottle neck.

We go inside and wait among the crowds and then HUSTLE to get to our train car. This has been our second to the last city on our great vacation.