I landed in Rome and took the Eurostar to Firenze – so impressed with the timeliness, cost and effeciency of the train system.  Arrived at my hotel at 2 for checking in – it is open 24 hours a day with the exception of between 1-4 pm – no doubt for siesta which I grew to love. I passed the time in the square across from the Duomo and campanile with other tourists sitting comfortably on the stone benches in the hot sun, and drinking in the local sidewalk cafes. At 4, I was taken around a nearby corner to San Lorenzo Square to a bed and breakfast, more of a pension with an open window facing the square – it was heaven to have relative quiet after Istanbul and to indulge myself in galleries, good wines and naps – and much the same in Venice a week later – what lovely transition time before I returned to Vancouver.  No jet lag….