Day 51 Great planning fails!

Breaking fast in the hostel dining room with the roar of a hundred or so kids on their school trip really motivated me to get out quick! 

I'm heading for the farthest point in today's wandering and for once taking a bus.... Why not! 

It really worked out well for me the cashless payment system in the bus had failed meaning I got my trip for free!!! 

straight up to the Piazzale Michaelangelo a broad viewpoint as you can see showing the delights of Florence! With hazy distant snow capped mountains looking out of place on a day as hot as today nearly 20°C!!

You can smell spring in the air here! Descending through what I'm sure will be a beautiful rose garden I met Robert Burns an old Canadian with Scottish roots from America... we stood around complaining about society in true old man style! 

Eventually having not put the world to rights at all but satisfied with our dissection of the times I head down hill again, there's the old town wall just below with the Porta San miniato entrance into Florence

nice it's still in regular use.... Arrow slits above perhaps? It's quite a formidable wall! 

through and on to the banks of the Arne again and my route is towards the ponte Vechio, literally 'Old Bridge'

and under the rendered facade and rows of modern jewellery shops lies a medieval bridge, the oldest in Florence.

picture taken from the open mid point of the bridge... With a nice view westward ...... 

back into the old town and following my nose as usual find a rather beautiful statue a man and woman as the trunks of the world tree! Probably my favourite statue so far!

taking liberties with my viewing angle I rather enjoyed a play...

and already it's lunch! so I grab a nice snack and a nasty bottle of cheap wine.... That went straight in the bin...

enjoying the heat beating down on Piazza Della Signoria before heading towards the museum in front of me in the picture..... Which was closed!  every museum I tried today was closed! 

But with weather like a good English summer I couldn't care less, more than happy to plod alon here and there stopping once to plan my next few days in the sun another to pick up some light walking trousers keeping my usual trousers clean and dry enough to wear is  difficult! .... With that problem solved I head through the plaza Santa Maria Novella with it's twin obelisks resting on bronze tortoises.....🤔

Beyond the plaza a ragtag street blues band were playing King of the jungle funny to hear in Italian! 

I stood and listened chatting to a lady called Florentine both using Google to adequate effect... Nice lady I could have talked for hours but she was away to meet her fella so I'm off back to the hostel, I need to pack and grab some food. 

What else to do on my last night in Florence? Yep an Irish pub!! 

Days 49/50 North to wander!

Day 49

Up early again, it's a travel day !

Having packed last night it didn't take long to get ready, I managed a few farewells to my friends in 'Habari we Dorm hostel' I've not spoken to as many pretty girls in their beds as on this trip in a very very long time .... Ok ever!! 😁

The joys of dorms !

Out the doors and into the grid of roads , firstly in the wrong direction before I remembered Evi's route from the day before! 

Back on track and via a coffee shop I'm literally on tracks from sunny Bari towards Bologna! 

Today's travel is the longest stretch of track I've been on during this trip with the Adriatic looking enticing on my right! Which

 my usual train photo is barely adequate! 

To the left the terrain shifts between towns, hills, fields and distant snow capped mountains, before the track heads west inland.... An uneventful trip during its nearly seven hours! Then at Bologna as I change trains I have a giggle at another sign....before I'm on the train to my destination of Florence! 

Only an hour's trip but it's almost all in tunnels!! 

Luckily I was sat with a lady who enjoys travelling so we had a nice chat of shared experiences. 

Off into the sun at Florence and a short walk through the outskirts of town take me to the Hostel.... This one is huge.... And so is the number of people.... 

Still, nice reception staff and I'm into my room, there's a bar that does meals here so I save any venturing out for tomorrow.

Day 50

Breakfast at the hostel unlimited continental for 10 euro not bad! 

But I've heard too much about about Florence/Firenze to hang about!

And off into town the streets changing quickly from the slightly more moderninto a classic Italian plaza! my first place to visit is rather hopefully to see David! But the queues for those without tickets put me off! But I'm not missing this.... Online I spot availability at dinner time for buying an advance ticket, that's quickly snapped up! 

So I wander this town is perfect for doing this! Architectural eye candy at every turn!! 

The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore is another wow moment!! The queue once again putting me off entering for now! The wander continues.... Into another plaza with curious pink cloth sheets padlocked to a fountain each sheet baring the name of a lost soul... Another demonstration against the murder of women! 

Italy has a problem! 

This is the third such place after the two walls of dolls I've seen during this trip through Italy 🫤

Wandering on I pass through a church with a nice bronze statueto a piazza with another church with a modern art statue called the watcher!reminiscent of the architects from the movie Prometheus! 

So starts a few hours of statues of naked folk! 

Yep it's time to see David! 

Buying a ticket was certainly the way to enter the fairly small museum that holds this epic! I'm in and it only took 10 minutes of queueing!

The first hall holds vibrant art workand the first nude, some of the artwork being less vibrant this one of Mary Magdelane and John the Baptist, which had been part of a triptych the central panel of which had been destroyed in a bombing raid in 1945...the rooms to the right hold historical musical instruments only a hurdy gurdy catching my eye hereback through the first chamber and into the hall in which David stands,!

my first reaction? 

He's got a big right hand!!!

And I'm right! It seems this was deliberate to imply David having the strength of God on his side to defeat Goliath! 

This is one massive statue, my first photo not really showing this dimension....the following hall has an incredible collection of busts! lining the walls! 

I took a particular liking to the way the sun was catching the statue of a child/cherub(?) cheeky little chap! 

And that was this museum done like I say small .. But everyone is only here to see David! 

The Cathedral not being far away I walk back, the queue is only along the front of the building now so I wait admiring the incredible work put into it's marble façade stepping in I won't say it's underwhelming but after the gilded ornament of the cathedral and basilica in Rome this is really minimalist! the dome standing out in its beautyand the curious 24 hour clock !

i light a candle in Ruth's memory and leave...

wandering vaguely I find myself in the piazza Della signoria looking at the tower 'Torre di Arnolfo' both of which are on my visit list for tomorrow! I'll not detail them here...

Passing a display of statues with Perseus dominant holding the head of medusa i find myself at the river Arno.... Also on tomorrow's list! ......

I head north... It's nearing the end of the afternoon I need to get some groceries and clean up! 

A quick pizza (4/10 Rachel!!) at the bar with a beer and I'm off to bed!