Florence and the gorgeous Cinque Terre

So from Nice we took an overnight train to Florence - what an experience that was, and one we're not particularly keen to relive! We were a bit dubious about the train ride as we had to share a four berth cabin and we weren't sure what type of people we were going to get stuck with. In our minds we were certain it was going to be two oldies who just wanted to sleep. But to our relief and surprise it turned out to be a couple from the UK who were on their honeymoon - they had a six pack of beer in their bags, so we knew it was fate! We got on famously and sat up until the early morning being the rowdy cabin and being told to keep quiet by the terribly grumpy, yet ever so helpful to sell us overpriced wine, Italian train conductor. We decided to try and get some sleep (about 4hrs of it all up) but it was no good. The bunks were uncomfortable and the train kept stopping and starting and was a bit loud. We're glad we did the overnighter cause now we know NEVER to do it again - a six pack and two bottles of wine didn't make it any better!

When we arrived in Florence we dropped off our bags and then headed back to the train station to travel 2 1/2 hours to La Spezia to walk the Cinque Terre (5 coastal towns spread across 12 kms of hiking trails). The views were magnificent and definitely worth the effort, especially since we were a little grumpy from no sleep! We had planned to stop in Pisa on the way back to see the Tower, but no luck with train times etc.

Our second day in Florence was basically us being tourists and walking through the town. We have to admit that it didn't blow us away, but it was definitely a beautiful city and a great introduction to the Italian people and their way of life. We've found them to be more accommodating that the French, much friendlier and welcoming! It's not so daunting to walk into a cafe and order something because most people speak a lot of English.

The only downside has been the tourists and queues. We saved up all our waiting power for Rome, because we were sure that we would have to be patient plus to see all the sights there. So unfortunately no Michaelangelo's David for us in Florence, but we did see some magnificent architecture and detail in sculptures on buildings and churches.