Florence, Italy

Once we had viewed as much as we thought we could view at the Basilica di Santo Croce, we headed back to our hotel via a collection of roads past interesting shops and through the Piazza della Repubblica, a former Roman forum, once the site of Roman slums and now one more location for artists and writers to gather.

This evening, for our meal, we hopped on our tour bus and headed out into the hills surrounding Florence.  The sun was shining brightly. Although our guide kept telling us about wonderful photo opportunities that were just around the corner, there were no stops planned and, so, taking photos through the bus windows was the only option.  Taking photos through a bus window is always a challenge and, at the end of the day, with a bright setting sun, getting a useable photo or two is even more difficult with all of the oblique angled reflections on the windows. My wife knows how frustrated I can get in such circumstances, but I keep trying anyway :-).

When we arrived at our destination, the first thing that I did was forget about the door opening. I’m taller than average and the loud thud was my head striking the upper edge of the bus door.  Saw a few stars but recovered soon enough to keep the shutter working. The layout was an open air country setting and we were joining about a hundred others for a smorgasbord-style meal.  Surrounded by lovely flowers and fresh air, it was a nice change from the brick and concrete of the city.

Excellent live entertainment added to the ambience of the evening.