Florence, Part II

I am exhausted, thanks in part to a late night card game with friends I made at the hostel, and standing in line at the Uffizi. I arrived around 8:40, which is less than an hour after opening. Certainly I'd get in, right? Hours go by... and the silly sign indicates the wait may be 30-60 minutes. Ha! How about 120 my friend?! I am wishing I drank more espresso, ate more breakfast, and brought a bottle of water because now it's getting hot, I am already tired of standing, and there is no chance of getting out of line to fulfill needs without sacrificing HOURS more of my day. Suck it up, and welcome to a last minute plan to visit Florence in peak tourist season. Eh, we live and we learn, right?
It's about noon, and I am FINALLY getting in.... Or so I thought. As it turns out, you wait in line to buy a ticket, and then you wait in another line to get your ticket scanned. The ticket scanning line is more chaotic, and about a third of the intensity as the first line, but by now I may be dying and am growing significantly less interested in Renaissance art.... yeah, right

Ahhh, how all of it changes once you're inside and immersed in the art, though. I walked straight up tot he cafe, bought two bottles of water, plugged in my headphones with classical music and started walking and admiring.

The Uffizi is HUGE. So huge, in fact, that by the time I got close to the end I was absolutely spent, and not very interested anymore. Some people say an audio guide would have changed that, but I think we all have our limits audio guide or not. The next photo gives an idea of the size, as the gallery is shaped like a U, I am on the top level in the middle of the U, and both the right and left sides are shown.

After the Uffizi, I went over to the Gucci museum to grab lunch. Partially because they had outdoor seating, but also because their outdoor seating was enclosed with plexi-glass and by this time the piazza had quite a few shady characters eyeballing handbags. I knew I could sit and relax in peace, and that's exactly what I did.

Things I would recommend in Florence:
 - Stay just outside of the madness, but within walking distance like I did. At night the main areas get pretty noisy, and it was nice to be able to leave it all.
 - Eat off the main walkway streets.  There are TONS of itty bitty side streets with fantastic food, don't be tempted into the main eating holes.  The side streets are almost always fresher and cheaper.
 - Be mindful, but not paranoid of your belongings.  I received a LOT of warnings about pickpockets in Florence, and saw very little to back it up.  Yes, there were some, but not enough to warrant paranoia by any means.
 - Explore the Ponte Vecchio at night, as the streets get crowded with performers, and the bridge recently had LED lights donated making it quite the sight once the sun goes down.