Buona sera - last update for tonight

Sunday 3 July
Today we walked through the streets of Florence mainly window shopping. Lots of shops were closed today but there were a lot of roadside shops and market stalls. We found lots of nice postcards (which no doubt will return to Australia with us) and a very nice leather outlet where I tried on THE most beautiful red very soft leather jacket. It felt just like a second skin and is very fitting. Although it wasn't the cheapest we saw it was certainly the nicest and Dave bought it for me. Mmmm, I love it. Today we caught up on our washing at the laundromat (you know all about that dodgy laundromat), did some food shopping and walked around Florence, over the Ponte Vecchio (bridge with shops either side) and in the evening listened to fantastic musicians playing beautiful music. Night time comes alive here in fact everywhere in Europe, but Italy is magic as there is music everywhere and the atmosphere is so romantic.
I do need to say that not everything about Italy is perfect. We have seen lots of beggars on the streets and sometimes the smells in the narrow alleyways are less than desirable. There are also mosquitos who just love me so I need to buy some repellant tomorrow! However, on the whole it is definitely beautiful and the way I remember and imagined it would be. There are lots of scooters in Florence and cyclists, many on hired bikes, also a lot of tourists. There are street painters and black Africans selling bags and sunglasses (obviously illegally as they pack up very quickly when the policizia are in sight). It is an exciting and interesting city.

Monday 4 July
Guess what! This morning we went for a run - only about 5km as it was very hot but we did manage to find a few shady back streets. We have studied the map and should be able to lengthen the distance next time. We slept in this morning until 9.45am so it was very hot when we ran. I forgot to mention that all the windows in apartments have shutters which close out all the light and this does mean that usually you sleep well and have no idea of the time at all in the morning!
Today we walked across the river to where all the luxury shops are - Gucci, Dolci & Gabbana, Armani, Yves St Laurent, Cartier, Hermes, to name just a view - wow, interesting prices!! We also went to the central markets (mercato centrale) where we found lots of stalls with souvenirs, leather and such like. We also browsed in the shops there and bought a few bits and pieces. There are lots of bargains. We moved the car from its expensive spot to one more reasonable and found the best gelataria ever - icecream to die for - so many choices. We'll be back there to try all the other flavours!!
Tonight we ate in our apartment and drank our white wine from Cinque Terra - so beautiful. Life is pretty good. Tonight I feel sorry for the rest of the world! Buon notte! Ciao!