Thursday, November 22, 2012

Florence, Italy 7
















       Florence, Italy 7

We left the Ponte Vecchio bridge and walked to the Piazza di Santa Croce where we were shown our meeting point.  It was the end of our tour and we had three hours on our own - at last! 

Some of you may wonder why I take tours when they are usually rushed.  First of all, the tours get you to and from a particular destination on time.  Cruise ships do not wait around ports waiting for people to return.  If people are late, it is their responsibility and the ship sails without them.  They then have, at their own expense, have to meet the ship at the next port.  If you are on a shore excursion organized by the ship, they will wait because it is their responsibility to get you to the ship on time.  We talked to a couple who decided to take a train instead of a bus tour.  Unfortunately they got on the wrong train and, because of language issues, couldn't find out how to get back.  Finally they found someone who spoke English and were lucky to get to the ship before it sailed.

Once we were on our own, we decided to have lunch near the large square.  Afterwards we wandered around the historical district at our own pace - much more enjoyable!  The photos I am sharing this morning were taken during our exploration of the historical district of Florence.

I included the photos of motorcycles and tiny cars along one of the streets to show you some of the means of transportation in a city with narrow streets.  I found it very interesting that they were all plugged into a charging centre.  Maybe this is a sign of things to come here in North America.

Photos of the Day are for sale as:

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