italy, day 4

duomo of santa maria del fiore









battistero di san giovanni

hercules (rear view) & cacus

fountain of neptune

equisterian statue by giambologna

day 4 consisted of:

• taking the train to florence, where we were stopped on the platform by 3 uniform-wearing officials, who asked for our documents and proceeded to write down all of our information and make phone calls to whomever they make phone calls to, meanwhile telling us this was "normal" procedure. . .
• being bombarded by tourists as we reached the streets of florence -- not too pleasant on a hot summer's day
• taking the obligatory "tourist" photos of: duomo of santa maria del fiore, battistero di san giovanni, and various statues, including david, neptune, and hercules; and making our way to the street market -- known for it's sumptuous leather goods, cashmere, pashmina, and silk (of course i had to but a cashmere wrap. . . and now wishing i'd bought some leather)

. . . needless to say, i was anxious to get back to lucca after a day in florence.

{ oh, and i want this -- i had coffee from 1 of these every morning, and now my drip-maker just doesn't compare }

* t