| Erin's Florence Journal #4 4-13-02 Saturday was still rainy, but we girded up and went out anyway. First stop: marketplace. We are always amazed and impressed with the immense hustle of these places, as well as the variety of offerings. The main floor of this mercato centrale was the meat and cheese section, with some grisly sights that made me want to be a vegetarian! But so fresh... The veggies and fruits were upstairs, and my mouth was watering. Strawberries the size of my hand caught my eye, as well as some huge green grapes. We ended up buying several items for snacks as we headed out to explore. We then made reservations for the Uffizi gallery, recommended as one of the top sights for Florence. The lines were running several hours, so we made plans to go on Wednesday after being told the gallery was closed for a strike on Tuesday, and was normally closed on Monday. Afterward we roamed across the Ponte Vecchio, the famous bridge across the Arno which Hitler left standing during his WWII bombing of the city. (But he bombed everything else around it!!!) We'd found the Palazzo Pitti across the river, but didn't go in that day as it was getting late and cold and rainy, so we headed home to the hostel to dry off. There, we met up with Shayne again, and she and I went out to pick up some Chinese food to bring back to the hostel. Then we watched movies and chatted with travelers. |
| The food is so fresh, and so beautifully displayed, that we go to the local marketplace every chance we get! |
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