I had a terrible night, there is a rooftop garden on the 5th floor. My room was on the 3rd floor and I think the vast space outside my window made the rooftop garden noise echo and seem louder because I'm trying to get to sleep and all I could hear was music and yelling and thumping and thudding. I ended up ringing reception and asking what the noise was, was it the usual noises from the street???? She said no, it is coming from the 5th floor, there is a party. I told her the noise was ridiculous and she said she would ring them and ask them to quieten down. I was waiting for quieter, waiting, waiting, waiting and then around midnight it started to get quieter and about an hour later ... peace.
The view from my room on the 3rd floor
I was disappointed with my room being so small, the panoramic (not) view, and the noise from the night thrown in really didn't endear the whole place to me. I was going to suck it up though because I am here for seven nights and then I move on. However, when I walked past reception this morning I stopped and asked the guy there if it would be possible to change rooms because of the noise etc etc. He attempted to look horrified that I had been inconvenienced. I told him that if necessary I would pay a little extra for a different room and he waved at me saying "No, no madam, that will not be necessary!". I told him that I was on my way to the station so I really didn't have much time to hang around while he checked the system to see if they had another room and that I would check in again tonight to see if I could change rooms but no, he said that if I was going to change rooms they needed to know this morning so they could clean my room. So, I went back up, threw everything into my case and bag - literally threw everything into my case and bag - left them in the room and left, got on an empty bus - how does that happen in Rome? An empty bus??? It was the roughest bus trip I have ever had. Maybe that's how the empty bus happened ...
I got to termini, had coffee, hung around watching people and holding onto my bag, got on the train and off we went. It was a 'fast train' and it was travelling at almost 250kms. It didn't feel like it was travelling that fast until we went into tunnels and my ears had to pop. We went past one place and it had been snowing, I got some pictures but for some reason they won't download, I will add them when I can.
"We are travelling at 243 km/h"
We passed snow on the way
We got to Florence about 1.5 hours later and it was FREEZING! It was 3 degrees when I left Rome and it was definitely colder in Florence.
I found the market without any problem, walked past the monastery I had stayed at when I was there three years ago, walked through the market and couldn't stay there long because all that was there were leather bags and coats and scarves. The leather is just dead animal skin and it repulsed me, so, disappointed in that I went for a walk to the Duomo. The Duomo is The Duomo is The Duomo - there's nothing more you can say. It is just The Duomo. Magnificent. I did look at it different since watching The Medici, but it is just a magnificent building.
First glimpse of the Duomo
Brunelleschi's Dome
Christmas tree in front of The Duomo
The Duomo
Front of The Duomo
I kept walking past The Duomo, around to the back of it and up the road that runs beside it, up to the Art Studio where I bought a painting off Undici three years ago. I wouldn't have been surprised if the Art Studio wasn't there any more because artists don't earn much money in Italy but it was there and it was open so I went in, and bought two small paintings similar in style but different to the one I already have.
The Art Studio where I buy my art in Florence
I left there and walked around the block and found an artisan paper shop, went in and bought myself a 2018 diary then kept walking, back past The Duomo and to Basilica di Santa Maria Novella where I thought the Christmas markets were but no, they are obviously somewhere else and I didn't really have time to find out because my train was leaving in an hour so I went into a restaurant, ate delicious food, had a piece of tiramisu for my birthday cake, an Aperol spritz, caffe then walked back to the station and back on the fast train into Rome.
Chocolate shop in Florence
Florence
Nativity in front of The Duomo
Strada in Firenze
Where I ate lunch today - Purgatorio
Ravioli
Aperol Spritz
Birthday Tiramisu
The Christmas tree at Termini
Better view from my new room
That's my window
I have been out for a walk, but it is really cold out there so I went into the caffe next door and had half a pizza, couldn't fit the full thing in, and am back in my warm room, about to have a cuppa, shower and hit the hay.
Christmas tree in Piazza Venezia
Under the Christmas tree in Piazza Venezia
I have had a great day today! How lucky am I to be where I am!
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