The Medici Curse

Today was a day of leisure, travel, danger, and things not going as planned. Got up at around 8 am and had a leisurely pack before heading to the train station for the trip to Florence. After more than a little confusion at the train station, we headed off to Florence. It was a very pleasant ride. The trains in Italy are very good and fast. Quite a contrast to the crazy hustle and bustle of Rome. Arrived into Florence ready for the next adventure. Didn't realize it would come so soon.
Got off the train and tried to find the bus to the AirBnb. Turns out our directions to find the bus had all changed. Spent an hour looking in 30 degree humid heat. Finally gave up when the suggestion from a knowledgeable source told us to return to the start. We caught a cab to the Airbnb and met a fantastic couple who had some good ideas for things to do. They even had bikes to lend us so we could get around easier. We decided to grab a gelato and then head out to see one of the " 3 statues of Michelangelo's David". Got on the bikes and were just getting close to the monument when things turned crazy. We were crossing a crosswalk with a bunch of other bikes going both ways. Traffic had stopped and I was heading across when a car sped through the crosswalk in another lane. I hit the brakes

but not enough to stop from hitting the side of the car. Almost went over the bars but didn't. Kinda mangled the front wheel. Only ended with a little bruise on my leg and a nick on my finger. A couple seconds earlier might have ended my trip with more serious injuries. I guess I was lucky today. Didn’t see the statue or get to where we were headed. Wheeled the bike back to the AirBnb and explained what had happened to our host. Told them the driver was going to call them to discuss replacing the bike. The host didn’t care and was only concerned that I was okay. The poor lady that drove through the crosswalk was very upset and was crying. I had to console her and insist I was okay. She just wanted to take me to the hospital. What a nice lady! Went for pizza and all was good. Happy to be able to head to Pisa tomorrow for the leaning tower.
Florence has a lot of intriguing things to see which seem different from the Ancient Rome antiquities. Really interested to see the inside of some of these buildings. Totally different architectural styles. We

will see what the city looks like after we get back from Pisa tomorrow.