Charmed

Florence is just spectacular.

The Ponte Vecchio, although filled with cookie-cutter gold and jewelry retailers and mobbed with tourist, is just so pretty I can almost forgive it for the crush of humanity on its deck.

Last time I was here, it was before you really used the internet to make dependable travel plans and do your homework on places, so I had totally just winged it. The best thing about the current state of the internet: you can buy your tickets to the Uffizi and the Galleria dell'Accademia in online, in advance. I waited for four very long hours on that line, with much need to pee for the last half hour, but the absolute unwillingness to give up my spot in line that despite the fact that it would lead to unhappy accidents if someone was to suddenly startle or try to tickle me. But yay, good to know, buy in advance and cut to the front.

It's not a very big city, but I feel you could spend ages exploring it as it's just crammed with gorgeous little squares and houses and windy streets and shops and galleries. Oh, and food! The food was excellent, and I wasn't even trying very had to pick out primo places. Just, "oh, this place looks good" and chances are, they served you something homey and comforting and absolutely crammed with the best tomatoes I could even imagine. I even had what I might even daresay to have been "very nice tripe", which are not words I have uttered before.

The people here, while a sense of tourist-weariness had crept in, were in general friendly and helpful, but with a healthy suspicion regarding binge drinking college students (why are the Americans always blamed? I feel like it might be time for the Belgians to own up to their behaviour).

Well, I did find out that I could sit in front of the statue of David long enough to start to feel like a total pervert, but also, the Duomo is till on of the most impressive sights to have been spied in travel.

When the afternoon light hits it, there is really no place you'd rather be in the world but right there.