Evening of our first full day, and another day - and more rain!

We dined last evening with six of our fellow pilgrims, al fresco, in a lovely little restaurant that we had spotted earlier in the day. We ordered carafes of the house wine (a Chianti, I believe) which was definitely drinkable. Mike and I shared a simple bruschetta with tomatoes, then split a pizza with prosciutto, artichokes and black olives. Our companions had lasagna, spaghetti with clams, eggplant parmesan.There was a little breeze, the rain was gone, the food was divine, the company was excellent. Italian restaurants are friendly places, never any pressure to hurry and leave. Our waiter was Lupo, the wolf. Even though tips are included in the bill everywhere, we couldn't resist pitching in an extra euro for him.

Later, after we had returned to the hotel and had had a few minutes of toes-up, Mike and I ventured out into the evening. We wanted very much to see the Duomo and the Campanile as they are at night, so beautifully lit, continuing to draw the eyes to the heavens. We were mystified at the small size of the crowd. The evening was cool and clear, with a light breeze. Who would not walk at that time? We encountered a smallish group surrounding a street magician, vendors in the streets with lighted toys that spun into the sky, and even a carousel. Definitely a different city after night falls!

This morning we had another fascinating lecture from Bill. Our topic was architecture and symbols. There is so much to learn! Bill has boundless knowledge and so far has been able to answer every question, no matter how strange. In fact, he can usually expound on any new topic we introduce. We're certain he has so much stuffed into his brain that we'll never stump him!

For lunch we had another Tuscan picnic in our room, polishing off the salami, cheese and bread from yesterday. Mike has discovered a delicious canned iced tea with lemon that has just a hint of sugar and is happy. I stick with water. The humidity is low here, even though the heat is high, so I'm always thirsty. And of course that might have something to do with the food that I can't seem to resist.

This afternoon the group walked to the Uffizi, stopping frequently along the way for Bill to point out curiosities and treasures. We crossed the Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge) which is lined with the most amazing jewelry shops. Never have I seen such an array of beautiful jewelry, mostly in gold. A veritable feast for the eyes, and window shopping is always free!

What follows is in the present tense, as it's very fresh in my mind:

A small group of us heads back to actually go into the Uffizi. Finally we get inside a building! It is enormous and confusing. Bill has warned us that to avoid museum fatigue we should see just a few works of art. We choose the Botticelli and da Vinci rooms. Surely the largest collection of Madonnas anywhere - and from our lessons with Bill, we know how to look at the symbols that surround the Mother and Child. What an experience! We look forward to returning more than once in the next days; our Uffizi card entitles us to a free ticket as many times as we wish to visit.

Next we make our way to the terrace, carefully avoiding museum fatigue and looking forward to the view that Bill has recommended so highly. It is indeed spectacular, although the gathering dark clouds and approaching rain are a little daunting. Today we have been smarter: our rain jackets are knotted around our waists. By the time we finally find our way out of the enormous building, another huge thunderstorm has developed. We zip up our jackets, pull up our hoods, and venture out. Mike grumbles behind me, "We need to tell all of these guys selling umbrellas and slickers to get the **** out of the way!" And actually, he has a point.

Back at the hotel, we are wet from the thighs down, and have yet another two pairs of shoes totally soaked. We are rapidly running out of dry footwear, but are very grateful for the protection we did get from our rain jackets.  And it was an adventure!