Florence Sights

My hotel - Hotel Balcony actually has not a balcony, but a terrace.

Outdoor patios are not so covetted here because it is so blooming hot - better to opt for the air conditioning.

I am having real problems adjusting to the towels. They are more like linen tablecloths or muslin sheeting.

The view from Hotel Balcony - pretty fine!

My post card shot of Ponte Vecchio

There is lots of great shopping. I was trying to figure out how I mupight fit this in my back pack. In the end I decided just to take a picture.

interesting slow food joint - hamburgers and hot dogs. ... The small sign to the lower left said "The Best Fast Lunch". I guess they have all bases covered.

I am becoming a gelato connoisseur.

I went to the Accademia to see the (among other works) Michaelangelo's David. This pop art version was the only thing I could take a picture of.

There is a copy of David at the Piazza della Signoria. As many have, I marveled at the genius of Michaelangelo. I bought the Irving Stone biography "The Agony and the Ecstasy" and now have a book I am tucking into.

This is also a copy of a work housed at the Accademia - The Rape of the Sabine Woman. I also was fascinated by some of Michaelangelo's unfinished works which were on display. I quite liked the piece titled "The Awakening Slave".

I also went to the Uffizi Gallery. Of corse the must see pieces were Botticelli's "The Birth of Venus" and Leonardo da Vinci's "The Annunciation". My favourite was Tiziano Vecellio's "The Venus of Urbino". I found the following image on Google images.

Right alongside the wonderful shopping is the Duomo - quite a marvel and I shall climb the tower on Friday. Incidentally, I have done my share of shopping. I really like the clothes shops in Florence. I have blown my budget and now must stay away from any more shopping!

Tomorrow is my day in Tuscany, so I had better get some sleep. Arrivederci my friends!