So Much To Do and Very Little Time: Exhaustion Was Settling In

I don’t like running around day after day. Look at this picture of me at breakfast, I look like road kill.

But despite the fact, that I would rather have spent the day doing any of the following:

• Visiting the countryside
• Visiting a winery
• Swimming
• Hiking anywhere away from the city
• Reading a book
• Drinking Lemoncillo
• Having a massage

I carried on and picked a couple of more things to see in Florence.

First of all, I had promised myself I would go back to see the inside of the Jewish Synagogue. So off I went.

The Sephardic style building was constructed in the 19th century. It barely survived WWII, when the Nazis used the building as a garage. It an exquisite building, worthy of Florence. It also houses a small museum and a memorial to the Jews of Florence who lost their lives during Nazi occupation of Italy.

Today the Jewish community stands at around 860 people, the synagogue is way too large for such a small community, but they continue to maintain it. I was planning to return for Shabbat services tonight, but between the bitter cold and my exhaustion, I decided to stay nearby the pensione.

After a satisfying visit, I then walked over to the Museo del Bargello, an unexpected gem and a befitting choice for my final formal stop. This is Florence’s oldest public building and it was once used to sentence and met out justice to the people of Florence.

The building is also home to a comprehensive collection of Tuscan Renaissance sculpture including; Donatello’s David, works by Michelangelo, Baccio, and Cellini. Within the walls are housed here collections of porcelain, metal works, jewelry, Islamic artifacts, and more.

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I think tonight I will try the famous Tuscan Beef Florentine, although I would be just as happy to skip dinner entirely. However, I did take a nap, so that should help.

Tomorrow I return to Milan. I have already taken around 1,200 pictures, which I plan to edit a bit and then upload in Houston.

As for packing, I brought exactly the right things. Although I never wore my nice shirt or used any makeup. What was I thinking???? I have some problems with the Blackberry’s software, but that can be remedied when I return to Houston. Minnie, my new HP mini computer is a gem, I am so glad I purchased her before I left.

If I don’t post again before I return, I hope you enjoyed visiting Florence with me. I know I may have missed a spot or two on the tourist trail, but I had other experiences that made up for missing a few of the top 10 or so sites.