The city is beautiful with it's old churches, palaces, a fortress and stately homes. The day's were unseasonably hot and because of that the evenings were comfortable. We are stayed near the train station and we took it very easy. We slept late every day.  The first few days were really hot so we stayed inside during the afternoon.  The early evenings cooled it down enough so that we could begin our explorations of the city center and try the local cuisine. 

We wandered up and around to the other side of the river for Gelato and a sandwich.  Then we followed the river up to the next bridge and in towards the Duomo.  The Duomo itself causes you to just stop and take a deep breath while absorbing the complexity of it all.  We went inside and it was some of the most beautiful tile work we had seen anywhere, maybe the most beautiful ever.  Nearly in shock, we wandered inside and around the plaza looking for treasures in the marketplace and little shops.  Finally, hunger got the best of us and we began to look for places to have dinner.  The pizzas looked very tasty so we set our mind to having one.  We did and it did not disappoint.  Some friends had said there wasn't any good food in Italy.  We're picky eaters and didn't have a bit of trouble when we went a little out of the way and off the beaten track.  We still can't figure out why people don't like traveling with children.  Maybe our little girl is different?  All we know is that she was busy entertaining the waiters and we used that time to relax into our first pizza of many in Italy.  The Italian people are so loving towards children that we sometimes can't hardly get a block down the street without someone wanting to hug or kiss Asha.  It really takes some getting used to but we're learning to trust.  Certainly perfect strangers wanting to pick up, hold, and take your child around the restaurant, bar or hotel isn't commonplace in the US or Canada, but it is here and when in Rome... or rather, Florence, do as the Florencians do!  It also affords you both a moment to eat.. together!  We always keep a watchful eye on her though, guess we're just being parental.  

The next day we did a quick grocery trip and hid out in the apartment until the evening.  We did a bit more clothes shopping and then wandered towards the Fort.  It's tall tower is a Florence Landmark and can be seen throughout the city.  Underneath it sat the statues of Neptune and David.  We are pretty sure they are replicas but some of the others are not.  The statues are in an open courtyard where people can hang out and listen to the nightly entertainment of American music, of all things!  We were kind of wondering when the impromptu opera was going to begin, but it did not.  A karaoke machine and the Beatles won out the night.  Hopefully there are other acts, but all the evenings we were there we only heard Rock and Roll in that plaza.  On the edge of the plaza is a restaurant where we had spaghetti with meat sauce that we could swear was his mother's recipe.  There was no difference what so ever.   He always enjoyed Mom's pasta sauce.  She makes it for him religiously when we go back to Canada to visit. 

Our last full day in Florence consisted of wandering about checking out the statues in the daylight, heading across the river on the two level bridge for a meal while listening to string instruments playing in the street.  It was a hot, beautiful time in Florence.  We will definitely hit the museums next time and plan to get reservations earlier as we missed seeing the original David and some others... but we had to have a reason to come back, and what a great reason it is!