Day 11

June 4
The day began with a hunt for what is called the "Hop on Hop off bus" which is an unmistakably large and an unsightly red color. Which makes one wonder why we had so much trouble locating the darned thing. The lady at the front desk of our hotel pointed her polished fingernail at the stop nearest our hotel on a map equally as bright as the bus it advocates. You can get the general idea from the following photo taken from a Google image search.

I don't mind riding the monster, as it allows for maximum time advantage because we can rest while taking in the sights and sounds of the city. But I cannot call it my favorite mode of touristing. I feel like I'm in a zoo, viewing the creatures below me in Hawaiian shirt, straw hat, and flip flops. However it is tolerated because otherwise we tire out too quickly and feel utterly lost down locations before never seen.

So map in hand, I did my best to lead us in the direction of the nearest bus stop. Unfortunately, that is easier said than done. We eventually found ourselves standing in front of Florence's Duomo, which is not at all where we intended to go. Luckily, there was a bus stop not a hundred yards from the church. There we waited. And waited. And waited some more, now totally unsure about whether or not we were in the correct location. Finally, the colossal red giant rolled up, and I ducked my head down and stepped on board. It took us all around the city. And when we had gone the entire route, we got off and waited for the second bus that took another route. And we waited, much more than the estimated ten minutes the first driver had told us it would be. It was somewhere around thirty to forty minutes before the new bus pulled up, Nanny waving franticly to make certain it did not pass us by. This bus took us across the river and into a city (or town?) known as Fiesole. It was up in the mountainous regions and the view of Florence below was spectacular (expect some pictures soon). The roads were made of inclines that were worth climbing. We ate at a breezy cafe beneath green trees and a large faded umbrella. We split a pizza and a Greek salad. I insisted on entering an anthropology museum, more for the view its grounds provided than for the actual artifacts. Nanny eventually tore me away and we caught the bus in the nick of time (we had learned by then that they only come every forty minutes) and greatly enjoyed the ride back down. We tried to get into the museum that holds Michelangelo’s David but it was closed. The Duormo was also on the list, but it was shut down for the day as well. We found a supermarket after much direction asking and bought milk, cheese, crackers, dried fruit, and something called fruit mousse. I haven't had any yet but I am strongly looking forward to the experience. Back at the hotel, we had the cheese (which was an amazing bre) crackers and dried fruit for dinner. Nanny forced me to bed at 10:30, as it was imperative that we visit the Duomo and David Thursday morning.