There are clearly many surprises left to be discovered in Florence (like, who, exactly is sitting behind those little doors in the wall waiting to dispense glasses of wine?), but we have limited time here.  Today gave us our last few hours of exploring.

As in previous days, we relied upon the Firenze Card, which gets us access to most of the city’s museums.  It is a good deal if you like to browse through these places to catch the highlights and the general atmosphere.  For someone who likes to methodically investigate a museum’s collection over the course of the day, it might not be such a bargain.

Before we could explore we had to vacate our lovely temporary apartment and find storage for our bags for the day (about 18 euro for three bags in an automated locker facility near the train station).  Then we headed off to the Boboli Gardens for a pre-planned rendezvous with Nadia.

The gardens were elaborate and lovely, if a little unkempt in places.  They featured a broad central boulevard which led to a circular lagoon with an island in the middle.  The island was filled with all kind of flowers and fruit trees, but we could not get out to it.  They were being watered;  maybe they open the gates after that is done.

From there the boulevard slopes steeply upwards, and we managed our way to the top to find a field surrounded by sculpture and a view the the Pitti Palace spread out below us.  This was all nudging us closer to a major goal of the day, and perhaps the whole trip.

A few seasons back, our family favorite show The Amazing Race visited Florence and there was a pivotal sequence that took place on a veranda above the city.  Nadia was able to locate the site and pointed it out to us — it’s right across the river from her apartment.  We have since been trying to get up there, and the Boboli Gardens provided our route.  After strolling the upper portion of the gadens for a while — taking care not to follow any appealing trails back down towards the city, we found an exit that was only a five-minute (relatively level) walk to the Villa Bardini, which houses the famous (to us) Amazing Race Terrace.

Before we knew it, we were in the very same place where the Amazing Race contestant — who was a life coach and motivational speaker — came very close to having a complete breakdown because she could not figure out the task of carving a model of Michaelangelo’s David (that guy is literally everywhere you turn in Florence) from a block of plaster.  Right behind it was the patio where teammates had to sit and watch the action take place.  It’s a coffee shop now.

We reveled in reliving such a momentous event (this particular team wound up eliminated from the race, largely because of what happened on the Bardini terrace).  It also has a very nice view of the city.

It’s worth noting now that since we got off the train from Monterosso on Monday, we have not been on any vehicles — with the exception of the ebikes from the tour yesterday.  All day, all week, we have been walking around on our own feet.  And we have been moving about a fair bit.  Our legs and feet are starting to get worn out a bit.

Except for Nadia, who has had months of training at this.  She led us down through the Bardini Gardens and across the river to her favorite sandwhich shop, where they slice up the fine artisinal sandwich meats right there in front of you.  Then she brought us to another of her favorite spots, the Michaelangelo Gardens and terrace back in the hills above the city.  Somewhere in there, she even found us a reviving spritz at one of her favorite corner cantinas.

Once back in the hills, even Nadia got a surprise because a special portion of the gardens recently opened up for a month or so.  For the second time today, our march up the hill was tempered by such beauty as to lift the spirit and move our feet steadily along. Flowers can do that to a person.

The top of the Iris Garden led directly to Piazalle Michaelangelo, which is the most popular terrace overlooking Florence for people who are not Amazing Race fans.  Thankfully, there are stands there selling refreshments, because our Italian sandwiches were salty and the water fountains in the Iris Garden were labeled non-potable.

From here, we worked our way slowly down through the adjacent gardents, stopping at Nadia’s favorite shady benches.  She left us about halfway down to strike out for her apartment and pack for this evening’s train.

Faced with about two hours of waiting before departure, we decided to take in one more museum.  The Pitti Palace was not far from our luggage and the train station.  It was the third Firenze Card event of the day (the pass got us into the Boboli Gardens and the Villa Bardini — the Michaelangelo Gardens are free to the public).    Here, we got to roam the extensive palace while visiting a fashion exhibit and the “modern art” wing, which, eventually, wound its way through the renaissance to make it to the late 19th century.

Then it was time to collect our bags, re-unite with Nadia at the station, and give our feet a rest while we enjoyed a two-hour train ride to Milan.

At the end of the ride we found a much more cosmopolitan atmosphere, with clear boundaries as to where cars and people were supposed to walk.  We found our new temporary lodgings, and, on a whim, abandoned Italian food for a nearby — and very good — ramen restaurant.