Yesterday I couldn’t help myself. Moxie’s Excellent Swimming Adventures just had to be written. The images had been sitting in my computer longing for an outlet, so I gave it to them, and Moxie told her story.

I hope you enjoyed it.

And now … from the ridiculous to the sublime …

In late summer 2005 we enjoyed a 14-day Mediterranean cruise to 11 ports-of-call. One of our stops was Livorno and an excursion to the beautiful city of Firenze (Florence).

As you can see from the image above it was an impeccable day — blue sky and sunshine with late summer heat — perfect for capturing a moment such as this. Not a ripple in the water. Not a boat to be seen. Just the River Arno coursing lazily through the centre of Firenze and in the process acting as a perfect mirror for the antiquity that lined its storied banks and the ancient bridges that crossed it.

Because we were in Florence for barely 10 hours it was impossible, of course, to see all the amazing sites. But we made the most of our time the best we could.

We ambled along the Arno to the Ponte Vecchio from which this image was taken, and wandered into the Signoria District to stop at the Mercato Nuovo, also known as The Straw Market, to rub the brass nose of Il Porcellino (right) and toss a coin into its fountain.

Here we also purchased a fetching tapestry now displayed in our living room, as well as pashminas and a black leather handbag (which I still use – I love it!).

We wondered further up the Via Por Santa Maria and discovered a glove shop offering its wares in almost every colour imaginable. The display case was mesmerizing. Lloyd, ever the sensible one, selected a fine black leather pair of driving gloves and was later sorry he hadn’t bought more.

Then, down a side street, we stopped for a salad and pasta lunch before heading over to the Duomo (Santa Maria Del Fiori) for a look-see. Of course it was magnificent. I wish we’d had more time to absorb its wonderful Gothic architecture and frescoes.

After stopping for a late-afternoon gelato to get off our feet and out of the heat we had only enough time to find the coach that would return us to our ship.

The Uffizi Gallery, Statue of David, et al, would just have to wait until our return visit, guaranteed by a coin dropped and a nose rubbed at Il Porcellino.

Thanks for visiting …

Dorothy 🙂

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