Finally Internet!

For our follower(s) comes news that we have been incommunicado but are now able to connect and heaving sighs of relief. Well, I am ... the others, Jan and Frances now here, as well as Chris and Joanne ... despite exhaustion after another 10 km day, this time in Florence, including Uffizi, Accademia, and David. In addition to exhaustion, zucchini legs have become something of a medical interest. Dottoresse Gandollfino -- as tanned and beautiful and blond as any you might see on Gaazia Anatomy -- will kindly see me tomorrow while the others lounge by the pool here at the olive farm. Well some may skitter off but they are not telling me so I won't think I've missed too many photo ops.

We all met up, along with our wonderful personal driver Beppe, at the Santa Maria Novella train station farmacia. Beppe took us on a tour and explained the wonders of Florence. He explained to me that a lavandrie is for washing clothes, not for selling lavender. He took us to the Coop food store where we loaded up and headed into the hills to our farm that overlooks the Arno River but is not too far from The Mall (Gucci, Burberry, Armani, with Prada just down the way) and the lovely quiet hospital that will see me tomorrow. Frances's stories about antiobiotic injections have me just a little worried ... arms don't seem to be the place one might receive such a shot.

What the designers are planning for the fall

Others are preparing themselves to blog. Pictures will be coming soon. Tonight we ate at the Trattoria ZaZa which has been 70 years in one of the busy evening piazzas and which came highly and correctly recommended. Gloria (pronounced glawwwwwwria) was our waitress and her other job seems to be local photographer. One of us today succumbed to a lovely leather coat. Others purchased fridge magnets and other holiday treats.

As for school libraries, we did some careful consideration of the stock of lovely books about Renaissance art ... but were a little concerned about the absence of fig leaves here in Florence. Oh, and I got lost in the Uffizi. Seems the other four ditched me ... so I went out for gelato and Birkenstocks.

Alive and planning to be well soon.

Moira