Tuscany: Florence & frustration

The world has long being divided into owls and larks and I am afraid I have always been the latter.   I think it is an ancestry consisting of vets, farmers and gamekeepers that has produced a vestigial sense of guilt at staying in bed once the sun is up.  A variation of this is two fundamentally different attitudes to holidays.  The correct view or how to behave involves getting up at dawn to take advantage of the horizon swimming pool (see below) followed by a quick shower and expresso for breakfast then a full day of doing something interesting.   Driving to Florence and back, not to mention parking is an arduous task and should be rewarded by a full day in the various museums and other sites with an evening return in day light to a meal with wine al fresco on the terrace as the sun goes down.

However I was frustrated today by three factors.  Firstly the rest of the party consists in the main of owls.  Such creatures protest a willingness for early morning swims but then stay abed until the last possible moment before suggesting on arrival in Florence that it is now time for lunch.  In order to see anything one now stays until the evening forcing a night drive up the crazy half-track which leads to out residence.  Its fine in daylight, but the hairpin bends are not eliminating by the van headlights until after you have committed to direction on the next.  Secondly I always forget that museums in Italy close on Monday which is absurd in this day and age.  Finally the satnav was in an odd mood, deciding to make a there and back again trip of 5 kilometres down the E45 and then diverted over a charming but precipitous cross mountain route to the A1 rather than the simpler and more direct road.

But we did finally make Florence but had to park a half hours walk from the centre so the compulsion for lunch on arrival could not be missed.   OK we got to go around the Cathedral and walk through the major sites to the river and bridge before returning to the car.  Yes the cathedral and architecture are wonderful and the ISO setting on the Nikon 7000 means I can take interior shots without flash (see opening) but I finished the day frustrated more by what we had not done than what we had.  The owls on the other hand were happy.  Tomorrow will be different.

Our holiday location below, we even have our own private chapel, more owl behaviour this week and I will need to light candles.