Honestly, I didn't enjoy Florence that much. I preferred Siena out of the "larger" cities that we went to, but I'm a country boy at heart and I really wasn't happy unless I was in a smaller village or out in the countryside. Florence was just too big with too many smelly people (much like any large city). It was also thick with pickpockets. I carry my wallet in my front pocket whenever I'm in a city and after two days in Florence I lost count of how many "brushes" I got up against my back pockets... and those were from the lousy pickpockets. The good ones I'm sure I never even noticed.

Italy was beautiful. It was romantic. It was also very expensive. I'm glad I did it, but I'm glad I'm home. I'll probably be going back in a few years I'd imagine, but for now I need to rest and get my internal clock reset!

-- Gary F.