Views of the Arno

An auspicious start at JFK Airport -- no traffic coming in, a perfectly friendly and helpful Air France service agent, and no wait for check-in or security -- left me with ample time for a simple relaxing spa service and perusal of bestsellers at the book store. Luckily, I chose to purchase a copy of The Economist magazine, which I love, and Father Joe, which was recommended to me by a former colleague, because the flight was delayed 4 hours due to allegedly bad weather in New York. So we left at 3 a.m. and missed all of our connections. It was thus a little late when I arrived at the Florence airport and shared one of the few taxis that appeared on the scene with a couple from Scandinavia. Fortunately, I still got to the convent well before curfew and was able to get settled in before exploring. The place was very near the river, so I strolled down and caught some pictures of the Arno at night.

As you may notice, my camera doesn't deal well with these low-light shots, and I hadn't figured out the fake tripod technique yet, so they're a bit blurry. But I really liked the one with the bridge anyway.

Here's a picture of the convent's courtyard. Great location, spartan digs. And unfortunately a grim breakfast is included in the low price. (Nutella with crackers, plus very small apples.)

The morning of the following day was overcast -- good weather for biking. I would soon catch a bus to Siena and meet the Germans.