First Few Days Tuscany

The first use of our rail passes on route from Roma to Firenze was a little disappointing (to say the least). We weren't told as we validated our passes that the train we were about to get on was a premium Eurostar service resulted in a €19 supplement each. That won't be happening again (we hope at least). Anyways, the journey was pretty swift as the small Itailian villages swept by. Apparently what look like churches to me are "Weather Stations" according to Lauren, I said we would look it up on Wikipedia when we get home...!

Our Hostel was pretty easy to find and we are in a 3 bed dorm which has turned out ok. There is also a small kitchen so we have been able to whip up our own stuff for a change which is nice and less expensive. It seems eerily quiet at times but thats probably better than being too loud.

Firenze - Rain, Cafès, Beer, and Ice Cream

Florence itself is a great city. Although there are as many tourists as in Rome it is more compact and easier to get lost (which we like). It rained for our first day here which meant we had the run of the city as most tourists seem to melt in the rain apparently. Chiaro-Scuoro is a really nice cafe just off from Brunelleschi's famous Cathedral and is the first such place we have found so far in Italy, contrary to what us Anglo-Saxons are led to believe by Starbucks, Costa etc.

We were informed of a festival in some Fort near the Estazione Santa Maria Novella which was in its last day. Score! Or so we thought. A little rain and apparently nothing can happen in this part of the world. Back to the Gelateria (Ice Creamery) directly opposite our hostel with a 30-something Art teacher from England and a Canadian girl for beer and ice cream!