Every time I come to Florence, I am thrilled with my
experience and wish I could stay longer. The city and its surrounding sites are
never a miss. Today was no exception.
Mom had never been to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa, so I took
her over there today. It is only about an hour and half long ride, but if you’ve
never seen the site, it is worth it. I was surprised to find that the tower was
no longer held up by wires, and also was open for visitors to climb. The last
time I was there, in 1995, both were the case. Mom didn’t want to climb it, but
she did want to get as close as possible. At one point, while sitting under the
leaning side, she said, “Look, it’s swaying.” Then she realized it was a cloud
moving overhead. Good three minutes of laughter followed.
After taking the obligatory “Mom holding up the Leaning
Tower” photo, we headed back to Florence. With her wheelchair, we were able to
skip the lines and payment for the Duomo, Galleria della Academia, and Galleria
dell’Uffizi. We saw Brunelleschi’s dome from the inside, Michelangelo’s “David”
and “Prigioni” sculptures, and his painting the “Holy Family”. It was a nice
surprise to see we could now take photos of “David” and other works of art. In
2005, my last visit, that was not allowed.
So as I say goodbye to Florence once more, I again leave
with lasting, fond memories. The last thing I bought was a new school bag,
which has wheels. I talked the guy down from 38 to 30 Euros, which was no easy
feat.
