Florence and more damn tourists

Well, I hadn't forgotten one thing about camping in the summer - you can't get a lie-in:it was like a swedish sauna by about 8.30am.  So it was a quick shower and then off into the city centre.  I decided to walk it rather than taking the bus, and actually managed quite well not to get lost.  I found the ponte Vecchio dead easy, and had a mosey across to check out the shops.  Apparently it used to be lined with butchers shops, but the city council decided that jewellery shops would be a bit nicer, and less smelly.  So that's what lines it these days.  From the end of the bridge it was a quick hop to the Uffizi gallery and the rather large queue, I hadn't listened to the advise about buying a ticket in advance and stupidly ended up spending almost 2 hours queuing, thankfully not in the sun though, that would have just been torture.  Then I spent about an hour looking at all the pictures and marble heads.  Ok, so it was a little bit more grand than that but museums really aren't my fortè, so I probably aren't the best judge.  The Botticelli ones were good though. 

Another view over river

Then it was time for lunch and time to try out my Italian, again, but this time I got laughed at by some guy, dammit.  I can't pronounce minerale correct.  Never mind.  I headed down to some piazza, and got a nice surprise, noticing the fountain and heaps of other statues, one of David.  Sweet.  So, the obligitory picture taking ensued, and then it was on to find the Duomo.  I took the long way around so I could feel a little lost, just to be authentic.  There was yet another queue for the Duomo, so I was a cheat and took the €6 ticket to walk 414 steps up some tower next to it, man what a slog!!  Thought I was having a heart attack on the way up, had to take regular stops.  There were about 3 levels where you could get get views over the city and of the cathedral dome, lovely.  I chilled out a bit at the top, a well deserved rest I thought, taking a few more piccies.  Managed to spy a park in the distance, so thought I would check that out later, turned out to be some gardens that you have to pay €6 to get into, so thought I'd save that for Thursday.

Duomo

So I headed off on another wander around the city, and then as my feet got more swollen, over ponte Vecchio back to the campsite.

(I still have loads more piccies to upload to this.........)

Fountain in piazza

Galileo outside Uffizi

Just off ponte Vecchio

Looking sinister

My tent

Replica of David

The church

View over Florence from Campinile

View over the Ponte Vecchio