Milan to Florence

Our delightful host, Simone and his errand person arrived at 9.15 to help us carry our luggage down the stairs. We were so grateful for the assistance of these strong, fit young men. Needn't have worried about a fainting spell but a little disappointed after the extra care and attention to the application of my mascara this morning.

Simone phoned for a taxi to take us to the railway station and we were delivered in ample time to ask all the relevant questions and make our way to the appropriate platform and settle into our comfortable seats.

The train pulled out of the station on time and was soon speeding

across the plains of Lombardy at 300k/h. About an hour later we glided into Bologna station which at first I thought was underground. However, when we recommenced the journey we remained in a tunnel and only had brief flashes of daylight as we sped through the Tuscan hills toward Florence. A strange experience hurtling through one continuous tunnel at 300k/h.

Arrived in Florence around 1.30. Got a taxi to our B&B which was just around the corner from the station. Settled ourselves in and then set off to explore this World Heritage City. It's still pretty spectacular but much more crowded with tourists than the last time I visited. Being a Sunday afternoon the crowds were probably swelled by Florentines enjoying their beautiful city too.

As Florence is a very compact, we managed to see quite a lot before

nightfall. Then John realised that the Wallabies had kicked off against Argentina so we began to look for a bar screening the game. Found one quite quickly and watched until half time when we decided to return to our room for the night.

We rather like this place. We are on the 6th (and top) floor (there is a lift) and our room opens onto a rooftop patio, so we have views over the city.

The weather is perfect. A lovely mild evening and a pleasant walk home.