In which I am bewitched by a bridge/Key-Gate #2

We woke to a dog scratching on our door and lay listening to the morning activity of a Tuscan country home.
Packing up took no time at all and after one last game of Foosball we were hitting the road towards Florence.
As we came through the ‘burbs’ we stopped at a shopping mall. While the shops were all together, they were not enclosed in a Mall as we have in Australia. The supermarket was very fancy, like a massive deli. We spent some time hanging out in the cafe section after doing a grocery shop.
Driving in to Florence was tricky especially when our street had two number 9s and Bear Grylls predictably chose the wrong one to take us to.
Thankfully our host came and rescued us. Our apartment was 10 steps from the Duomo-
It was very warm and I knew that if we ventured out into the fray at that time of day, no one would enjoy it.

We pottered and played cards and watched a bit of TV. Florence wasn’t hot as such, but it was humid which drained our energy.
After cooking some spag bol and eating big, we played Mafia until 20 minutes before sunset. Then left the others to go and find THE BRIDGE.
Ponte Vecchio!
Locals helped me fun my way there. It would be a 10 minute walk max to the bridges from our apartment.

I stood amidst the crowds all wanting the shot and breathed in the beauty of the sun setting over the bridges. ( and then I elbowed my way in to get some photos too!)

July 1st
Some of us woke early and I was going to take them past Piazza del Vecchio and on to Ponte Vecchio.
I went to lock the door and it wouldn’t turn like it had the night before. We could not lock the door or get the key out. The key was long and kind of fancy so I was worried it would snap. I called our host who said he would come past and have a look.
In the meantime, I took the youngest out to see what he called ‘Pomte Vecchio’. He skipped happily there and back, loving the history of the ‘Old Bridge’.

I ran into our host on the way home. He could not get the key out either. Turns out we had been told not to use the key from the inside but I had missed that instruction. In the meantime, while he tried to get a locksmith, we could only go out in groups.

I was quite stressed about a second ‘key-gate’, losing my deposit and maybe having to pay for a locksmith.
We got a call to say that no locksmith could come before we left Florence. I anticipated that it was ‘bye-bye deposit ‘
A couple of us went to Trattoria Anita of Rick Steves fame. The menu was in handwritten Italian and at lunch you can order an entree, a main and a side dish for €10. We ordered 2 of these specials to share.
The food was ok- but not standout. The pork was very tasty and the olive oil mashed potatoes was yummy too.

Note- generally we have found that the bread that comes with a meal actually costs €€. As does water.
We ended up getting still water at the restaurant which came in a glass bottle with a bottle cap.
While we were waiting for our meal, there was a loud thump followed then silence out on the quiet street.
I looked out and an elderly man and a young kid were standing, still with heels on their scooters lying on top of each other.
The shock soon wore off and the shouting between them started in earnest. I walked over to see if I could assist, but a couple locals were already helping out. Over the course of our lunch, the issue was somehow sorted out and they both walked off.
Back home, we had long siesta in the heat of the day before eating home cooked dinner of Italian pasta and local ingredients. As evening fell and the day cooled, I took the others out in two separate groups out to see the places I had gone to the day before.