A Case of the Mondays

I set off early for the Boboli Gardens, first getting lost trying to find the local tobacco shop to buy bus tickets. When I eventually get to my destination, it's closed for the day. One of the hotel staff had said that there was another garden nearby that is even nicer, so I grab a gelato and head up a steep hill to that one. Which is also closed, but at least the sign says it's the first Monday of the month. As I head back down, I warn off another tourist making the same steep climb and we walk down together. She is also Australian, spending 6 months in Europe, planning to hike across the alps after a couple days in Florence and a few other brief stops. I tell her I'd have to quit my job to take a 6 month vacation, and she says that's exactly what she did.

I spend a bit of time shopping on this side of the river, which is supposed to be less touristy. I stop in a leather shop to try on a colorful jacket to replace my blue Christian Siriano since I damaged the collar, but the proportions aren't quite right. The sales lady has me try on a couple of other styles and then disappears for a bit. She returns with two jackets that don't look like anything else in the store. One is a black leather not-quite trench and the other is orange with a frilly collar. Both are leather on one side and suede on the other, fully reversible with pockets. The black looks nice and is quite sensible. The orange I am in love with. I ask about other colors and am told that any color in the shop is doable. I kind of like the orange, though. And I got rid of my orange trench recently because it was a bit snug. When I ask about pricing, it turns out that the two coats she brought out were special orders from a woman who later changed her mind, so I can have either of them for half price. They should be shipping me the orange one closer to my birthday - though not like I'll need it for a few months.

Next up is a stop at an attraction that is actually open: Museo Galileo, a building full of exactly the kind of science junk I love to gawk at.

From here, I head to SE:STO on Arno, the rooftop restaurant in the Westin hotel. There is a Ferrari parked out front, and every surface, including the ceiling, in the bathroom is marble, so I'm surprised that lunch includes a main, dessert, wine, and coffee for €35. And the food is pretty good. But really, this place is all about the view.

I spend the afternoon walking around, finding an adaptor that will let me pull images from the camera, repacking my bags, restocking on sunscreen, and eventually make my way back across town by bus to Piazzale Michelangelo for dinner at La Loggia. Also with a view.

After dinner, I walk down the slope, enjoying the changing scenery and catch a late bus back towards the hotel.