Day 2 - Florence

More thanksgiving to God on Day 2!

I was trying to buy the train tickets from the machine but it was faulty and I had to buy the tickets from the counter. I looked at the long queue and prayed that it will move quickly. We had about 10 minutes before the train arrived and we still had to do the underground passage ritual complete with steps, pram and luggage to get to the platform on the opposite side.

"The train will be delayed for 15 mins."  The lady at the counter broke the good news.

Never been so happy about a train delay! Feeling all light-headed, I forgot to do the most important thing before you board an Italian train. I was walking away from the counter when a lady shouted out a reminder to validate the ticket. Wow! What are the chances that a random tourist, a complete stranger would tell me the thing I needed most when I didn't even realize I needed it. 

Thank you, God. You take care of the little details too.

Florence, here we come!

I'm glad Florence was our first introduction to an Italian city. It was charming and I think it would have been romantic if not for the two kids we had in tow. My only gripe about Florence was the weird weather we experienced when we were there.

It starts to rain and by the time we get the kids dressed in their ponchos, the rain stops. We take the ponchos off (the kids weren't too excited about them) and after walking for a few minutes or so, it starts to rain again. And we have to dress the reluctant kids in their ponchos once again. This rain pattern happened a couple of times and it was quite annoying. 

We walked a lot. I didn't even realized how much we walked until my legs felt like they were about to give way when we had to walk back to our hotel at the end of the day. On the way back to the hotel, E said,"I wished a bed would appear in front on me right now!" My sentiments exactly and we both looked enviously at C who was fast asleep, snuggled in her pram.

Aches aside, it was a lovely walk. Here are some of my favourite moments in Florence.

Kids chasing pigeons with sheer delight at one of the many piazzas in Florence

We were a little lost, turning into this alley and that. Then it appeared before us. I didn't expect the sheer size of it. The Duomo which made my heart skip a little.

 

Melt in your mouth tortellini

Carousel ride after dinner

One of the many fake Davids in Florence

Enjoying a street perfomance in front of a church

Another beautiful facade

The romantic Ponte Vecchio at night. I'm missing a kiss and I don't mean from these two.

The area near Ponte Vecchio is so atmospheric at night. People sipping wine on the streets (think the restaurants allow you to bring the glass out) while enjoying the music.