Florence!

Another easy and pleasant bus ride brought me to Florence just after noon today. The walk to the hotel was only about half a mile. Not overly easy with an overstuffed bag and hordes of people in the street, but not bad. The hotel was easy to find because it's just a block south of the Duomo. I don't have a view from my room, but you can see the Campanile at the end of the alley in front of the hotel.   I have a tour of the Duomo, Accademia, and environs tomorrow morning, so I headed to Oltarno (the other side of the Arno) for lunch. Yummy, as always. I skipped the museums and gardens at Pitti Palace (which I could see from my lunch table) and instead hiked up to Piazzale Michelangelo to enjoy the views. Rumor has it that it's going to rain tomorrow so I didn't want to miss the chance to see the city from afar. It was a tough climb - especially because my day bag is always heavier on travel day than on days I can leave stuff in the room (my room wasn't ready so I left my big bag but couldn't lighten the day bag), but well worth it!  Gorgeous views!!!  Resting my feet now because I don't want to be as miserable on tomorrow's tour as I was by the end of the Vatican tour, but I'll go out later for a bit more wandering and some night shots of the sights. To avoid formatting hassles, I add today's few pics to another post. Happy Veterans' Day!  I'm grateful to the many brave souls who made it possible for me to travel safely in Europe.