Arrivederci
There's a massive line to get into the Santa Maria del Fiore cathedral this afternoon. Here in Florence, the number of visitors inside at once is limited to keep the noise to a minimum, a wise intervention which I fully support. So, for now I'm sitting on a conveniently situated bench and watching. The line seems to be moving quickly, and if it gets short enough, I'll go inside. Ok, it's better. Getting up...
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The cathedral is more austere inside than others I've seen, but obviously sturdy. The only significant decoration is inside the duomo, and I'm disappointed to say that I didn't get to see it. The area under the dome was blocked, and the only way to look up at it was to pay 15 euros for a reservation to climb it. Even though climbing to the top of it was not the first thing on my list today, I'd have considered it cheap at the price just to walk underneath and look. Sadly, there were no more reservations available until Tuesday. So I meandered through the streets in confusion until I made my way back to Holy Cross square. It must be understood that I knew exactly in which direction I wanted to travel, but finding a road that goes the right way here in the historical center is a challenge. If only they'd followed the example of the original Roman layout a little more closely, but alas no. Anyway, the folks at Santa Croce were happy to sell me a ticket to go inside, and nearly the entire place was accessible, including the font and some seating. Photos were allowed as well. In spite of this, it was relatively quiet and peaceful. Galileo, Michaelangelo, and multiple noblepersons and clergy are entombed there. This sort of thing fascinates me, perhaps more than it should. I find myself looking at the older stones that are worn smooth, and wondering about who the bones they cover belonged to in life. How did they end up there? Who thought they were important? Why were their epitaphs allowed to fade away? I suppose it doesn't matter to them anymore.
A half marathon was run here today, and in the course of my convoluted travels I've almost finished one myself. I still have another hour or so before the group reconvenes for dinner, and so I'm sitting here in Holy Cross square, keeping a determined eye on our meeting place to make sure I don't get lost again. The piazza is full of weary tourists as well as street vendors, pigeons, and the remains of the marathon starting line. I wonder if the people who actually live here ever get to use this space, or whether they make a focused effort to stay as far away as possible.
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Florence was a lovely and refreshing end to this leg of our journey. I'm not going to talk about food again today. See you in France.
