Spoke too soon

Firenze coat of arms - looks pretty like a flower.

And I'm back home with a sprained ankle and a left foot that's acting up. Talk about speaking too soon.

But the two days I did Pisa and Florence was lovely (in spite of bad ankle).

There is something so satisfying about exploring a city on your own... it (the city, the wanderings physical, mental, emotional) becomes extremely personal that when you're done, you leave with some sort of self-made connection to the place.

It's like, if I ever go back there in the distant future, I'll definitely be swamped with feelings of nostalgia over and over again walking down the same paths, seeing the same sights, noticing the same etchings on stone walls you once sat against and stoned (sans weed of course) till your hearts content.

Man beheading another man. Quite disturbing if you ask me. The stuff coming out of the neck looks all entrails-ish.

And then there was the place at the Piazza Della Signoria with about a dozen statues (replicants of the originals like the one above) in a hall-like area with steps where I sat down, took out a book and munched on Snickers (too lazy to find lunch). And this on the way to Ponte Vecchio which is a bridge notable for the shophouses all along it selling touristy stuff.

Ponte Vecchio
And the gelato. Omg, the gelato. *love*

And I should prolly mention that my Olympus battery went kaput on the morning of day 2 so most of my Florentine sights were captured on my not so canggih W660 cameraphone.

Santa Maria del Fiore (cathedral) at the Piazza Duomo, Florence. One of my favourites. The intricacies of the architecture was absolutely breathtaking. Four or six times I walked past this structure to and fro from the hostel and four or six times whenever my eyes set upon it, I had an awed moment. No kidding.

When I saw the leaning tower of Pisa, I chuckled, amused by its determined inclination (pun) to the aberrant. No, but seriously, it looked so silly leaning to one side and all.

Conquered Pisa - proof. Check out that blue blue sky - not Photoshopped at all!

A gajillion people were on the grass in that square camwhoring with the tower, pushing it, pulling it, leaning on it, keeping it up with one finger, holding it up with feet while lying on the ground, carrying it, making sure it doesn't fall down, etc watever you can think of lah. Quite the funny.

I have a theory: the shorter time you have in a place, the more you appreciate it.

=)