Firenze (Florence)

Nice views on the train from La Spezia to Florence. Snow topped mountains in the distance, farmlands in close and hills of marble and limestone in between. Had to switch trains in Pisa. I had about 10 seconds to hop on the connecting train. In fact the train doors closed on my backpack. Tug, Tug,whew.. made it, barely. Nearly fell over in the process. An Aussie couple and I chuckle over it and together hope we are on the correct train. It was.Arrived in Florence and head to the tourist office. Closed?? Huh. (Later I find out there is a new office across the street) While I have a puzzled look on my face and nice old man asks if I need accomadations? Well, by this time I've learned my lesson and don't want to waste time and energy looking around so I get the price/location and say "Let's go". Drop my stuff off and go wandering around. Stumble on the Duomo Cathedral which is huge in size and draw.Next morning I check out and check into Camping Michealangelo. Killer uphill walk with the pack, but it affords an awesome view of Florence. Good facilities, clean, bar, restaurant, open all year and they have 2 person framed tents which are very convenient. Enjoyed the view of Florence just down the road from Piazzle Michaelangelo. Florence just on the other side of the Arno River which is incredibly muddy and not attractive at all. They must photoshop the postcards of the river. There is a historical Monastery further up the road with monks singing beautifully. Back at the camp ground I sat down on the terrace and started easedropping on the conversation 3 girls were having. I chuckle at a comment and they realize I speak english. I fess up and introduce myself, they invite me to join them. Ineke (Oz), Kate and Amy (sisters hailing from the windy city) and I hit it off. We enjoyed a few brews and laughs and then I showed them a spot for some good cheap pizza. The next morning I wanted to check out the museums so I crossed the Vecchio bridge which is jewelers row. I got on line for the main museum, Museum Uffizi, but the line was a 4-5 wait!! Three Canadians and I decide it's a lost cause and walk to the Museum Academia to take a look at Michael. Upon entering we realized that they don't allow any pictures. Bullocks!! It's marble for crying out loud. And skylights right above the thing. Some people just like to break balls I guess. Afterwards I walked around for a while hoping to find a nice park, but couldn't find any. Found myself in the Jewish section of town and got a picture of a nice synagogue which they were cleaning the oxidation off of the copper dome. Back at the campgrounds it's a lot livelier because of the 3 day weekend. Talk the night away with Kate/Amy and they were gracious enough to pass along Dan Brown's Angels & Demons. It's a great blend of Science/Religion/philosophy. Highly recommend it. I spent one more day just wandering the streets and on the way back it started to drizzel. Italians apparently don't leave home without their umbrellas. Not 3 drops fell before a sea of umbrellas appeared. It's crowded enough in Florence, but after you add the umbrellas it gets a little trying. And I'm amazed no one poked my eye out:)