We had already taken the bus to the train station and then the train to Florence, so we foolishly though that we knew what we were doing. However when traveling in Europe on a Sunday, all bets are off. We got to the bus station with plenty of time and there was even another would be passenger sitting in the bust stop waiting with us. Our first mistake was not to re-evaluate once that person looked at her phone and then left. Our second mistake was not to survey the bus station itself. Had we done that we would have noticed the temporary sign announcing a one day cancelation of service to this station. When our bus failed to show up, I tried to book a taxi but the service just kept spinning. Once we noticed groups of four and six people, all wearing the same shits, it was almost too late. A helpful Italian man showed us the canceled service notification and told to start walking. The look in his eyes when we told him the time our train departed added an extra kick in our steps. We had 35 minutes to walk to the station and the maps app said it was a 30 minute walk. Sounds easy and it would have been except this was the day for the Bologna Marathon and we had to walk right through the middle of it all. We had to dodge runners arriving, runners queuing up, spectators leisurely taking it all in and the assorted bike rider trying to get through the crowd like we were. We did not slow down or give way and with a wonderful stroke of good luck we arrived at the track just as the train was pulling into the station! The half hour ride to Florence was an opportunity to get some much needed recovery time. Once we arrived we went to the central market which is one giant food hall. Everything imaginable was there for out pleasure. There were the regional specialties; pasta, pizza, pan fried steak and little snacks. There were the niche items; vegan poke bowls, Asian roasted chickens and a noodle bar. Finally there were booths for desserts, wines and beers. We shared a table with two delightful ladies on their college graduation trip, Tanner and Lauren. Now it was time to show Laura the town of Florence
Arghhhh!
So many people in our way
Got to keep going
We have made it past the biggest crowds
We made it to platform as the train was pulling in!
Different levels of aged steaks
Cooking classes
The wine shop
Small snacks
At the table there was drink service
The market is a real beauty
Classic styling
Laura, Tanner, Leslie and Lauren
We took a new path
Saw some great sculptures
Large scale
Very nice
Team Leip
Acrobatic
Busy streets means we are approaching thhe Duomo
The not so famous doors
Still pretty nice
The famous doors
Very detailed
David and Goliath
Neptune
The bouquet the bride to be was posing with
David
Assorted beasts
Boars
Beauties
Crowds
Bridges
Riverside restaurants
Towers
Medieval contraptions
Fortified doors
Weiner dogs
Bling
The Ponte
Plague doctor masks
Street art
STrangely pixelated
With portraits as the pixels
At the entrance to the Uffizi museum
In the courtyard
Looking for the entrance
A nice view on our stroll
