Today marks one full week in Florence. To get the transition going...
Here is Roman Statue Pooks
Here is Florentine Renaissance Pooks
I have been having way too much fun with the app "Prequel", which allows you to turn people into paintings or cartoons or even stone.
This is the brain trust at work in the Florentine apartment.
Axel says ancient Romans were about five feet tall. Some of the doorways here are pretty low clearance.
Our apartment has tons of fun art.
This piece has been particularly resonant, given the Roe v Wade decision back in the USA this week.
But it's not that boys are bad, it is that women are getting shafted. Jon is a sweetie and makes delicious food.
For some reason Jon and Axel became inspired to make a full English breakfast. Here is the final product.
The dining room where the meals take place.
We are a block away from Mercato Centrale here, and the Mercato is the kind of place that can inspire the chef in anyone.
Also in our neighborhood... food from all over the world. This is the Sri Lankan grocery store across from our front door. Jon is eating a tapioca dessert after we all feasted on a variety of Sri Lankan specialties.
Axel and I feasting on said specialties.
There is a bar down the street with a funny chalkboard.
This is how the garbage gets picked up in Italian cities.
More graffiti. Not sure I understand this one - anyone?
I go on long walks around town. Here is a Roman obelisk in the Piazza Republica, at the intersection of some ancient roads.
Some horses doing the hard work of entertaining the tourists.
In school I was told the Renaissance artists invented perspective in art, but the ancient Romans made very detailed 3D portraits 2,000 years earlier. Even in mosaic. The artists of the Renaissance were actually learning a lot during the 15th century from their Roman forebears. Fun fact, the guy who designed the Duomo here in Florence studied the Pantheon in Rome to come up with his design.
Here we have a 15th century mosaic. It is great, but clearly a less-sophisticated version of the much older ones I saw back in Rome.
View of the Bell Tower with Duomo in background.
Santa Maria Novella church
A view of the Arno River with Ponte Vecchio from two bridges away.
Jon and I on Ponte Vecchio, taking advantage of that sweet sunset light.
Once across the Arno River ("Oltrarno") things are quieter.
Some Oltrarno iron work
Some people have been decorating the street signs in Oltrarno.
Another example
Lots of great art and artisans on the other side of the river
Here is a funny piece of art placed above a dumpster
Also across the Arno is Pitti Palace and the Boboli Gardens (in the backyard). Here is a giant sculpture at Boboli Gardens.
Axel walked with me all the way there and back. He's a good boy even if he doesn't usually want his picture taken.
Speaking of good workouts, while we walked a whopping 6 kilometers, Jon was racing in the Nova Eroica gravel race. After four segments, 130 kilometers, and 2500 meters of climbing, Jon made it on to the top step of the podium. Second place went to Nicholas Roche. Yes, Nicholas Roche (maybe Google him if you don't know)
Here Nicholas pats Jon on the back as Jon clinches the win.
Jon's prizes and player's pack from the race.
Today all three of us went for a drive in the little car Jon had rented for his bike race. We had until 16:30 to get it back to the rental company so we got out on the road as early as possible.
The family, piled in the car.
We went to play disc golf. It was fun but the baskets were in a bit of a state.
Axel putts on a broken basket.
I think this basket looks like it has its pants down.
Sporting some pretty jaunty headwear for disc golf.
After disc golf we hit the road again. If you have not gotten gas station food in Europe, you are missing out. But I had to skip this and just get Acqua Frizzante because we were on our way to eat a huge lunch in the Tuscan hillside.
Jon and I at the restaurant.
I ate potato tortellone with wild boar and chicken under brick with arugula. This the first course. Here Axel is having spaghetti with eggplant cream and burrata.
Another party at the restaurant was celebrating a 50th wedding anniversary, which made me think of recent celebrations with my parents for their 50th. I like the little grey haired bride and groom figures.
Jon and Axel on the road in front of the restaurant.
Axel horsing around with a pinecone.
After lunch we had to get the car back to Florence, but we drove slow along the roads Jon has been bicycling on all week. Here we pulled off to try to capture the view. The photo, of course, doesn't do it justice. I hope to go on a long walk out of Florence sometime soon. I would like to enjoy more of the countryside on foot.
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