This morning we got up early to FaceTime with people. First I met my friend Gwen's baby girl, Vivienne. Then we chatted with my aunt Jackie and cousin Keaton who live in Alaska. Last I got in touch with my mom and dad again and had a nice visit. Thank you to all of you for visiting with us! We love it! :) If you are reading this and would like to FaceTime or Skype with us, let us know. Leave a comment, send us an email or FaceBook us and tell us when would be a good time for you. And we will give you a try. With the 9 hour time difference, we can talk in the morning and late at night most easily.

After that we got ready for the day, visited a couple of grocery stores (coming away with some breakfast, snack and drink items) and then started our walking tour of the renaissance part of town . The architecture continues to be amazing. And I am loving all the sculptures. The painted ceilings are great. The arches continue to be fun. And now there are more gargoyles to enjoy as well. So great!

In and among our audio tour we would often push pause and do a little shoe shopping. We found some Ecco shoes for Bryan that looked nice and seemed to have good walking soles, so we decided we may go back later to get those. But first we wanted to visit a Bancomat and shop around some.

When we had visited most all the sights you don't have to pay for, we decided to grab some panini (sandwiches) and head back for a siesta. It was starting to get hot and crowded, and fortunately, we don't have to stay out in it. :) I also spotted a winning gelato place and was able to have not only chocolate but also coffee flavored sorbet. Heaven! The way they do it here is you get three flavors in one cup or cone. It is great fun trying the different kinds and picking things that go well together. :)

After our siesta, (during which many of the shops close, btw) we walked toward the Academia, shoe shopping along the way. We were hoping to see Michelangelo's David. But the line was really long and not moving when we got there. So we went and found a few more stores that carry the Ecco brand of shoe we were after. Bryan wears a size 45 (we learned in Rome) and since it is in between sizes in American sizing, it would be very difficult to find when we get back to the states . Apparently it is not a very popular size here either, as the stores don't carry very many different models (as they said) in that size. One model they did show us had neon yellow on the soles and around the bottom. We passed on those. ;)

Then we circled back to check on the line for Academia. It still wasn't moving. People were literally sitting on the sidewalk in the sun outside of the museum. And they were only going to be letting people in for the next 45 minutes. So we decided to skip it and maybe do it tomorrow morning.

Instead we went to yet another shoe store. This little place, tucked in behind the stalls of the street market, turned out to be quite a find. They had dressy leather Eccos very similar to the ones Bryan had been used to wearing. I got them for him and called it a late birthday present. :) We made a quick stop back at our lodging for some cold water (from Marcella's refrigerator) and dropped off Bryan's new shoes. Marcella gave us some biscuits and rattled on happily in Italian. The gift of hospitality knows no language barrier, it seems. :)

Then we went back out to the first shop Bryan tried on any shoes in this town (right down the street from the duomo) because I had decided that his other shoes at home were falling apart, and we should buy shoes here that fit well. So we got him another pair of Eccos, that will be more casual .

Feeling quite successful after a day of Italian shoe shopping, we continued walking across the river for dinner. We ate in a nice little restaurant and had, what else? Pasta. Tonight was tortellini della bolognese (meat sauce). We also enjoyed some chianti wine with dinner, which is the local specialty.

Then we walked by the river and up the hill for a view of the city after sunset. It was very beautiful. On our long walk back to our lodging, I asked to go back into the courtyard with all the statues. I should know better by now, but I was imagining it peaceful and empty. When we got there, we instead found that everyone was filling the square for a parade and getting ready for a concert to boot! The enthusiastic drumming filled the streets as men and women in renaissance costumes marched down towards the duomo. We marched along and took it all in.

Since it was hot, we split a lemon sorbetto on the way back. It was cold and refreshing. :) Tomorrow we may do some more sight seeing here, or we may go visit the hill towns surrounding here - depending on the buses.

Thanks for reading!

Florence is a beautiful town and probably my favorite in Italy. It's a little busy with tourists, but it's absolutely worth it for the combination of food, art, and architecture. Oh and the fact that it is considered the best place in the world to grab gelato may have something to do with it as well. The shoe shopping ended up being a lot of fun and we both felt it was an appropriate thing to do in Italy. I bought my first pair of Ecco shoes for my first Europe trip and they were so comfortable that they quickly became my favorite. My new pairs fit even better than the old ones. When these pairs eventually wear out we will have to plan a new trip to Europe to replace them.