Standing alone on Ponte alle Grazie

I took being woken up by the sun on the first of the month as a sign of hope. I decided to do something completely different today; something out of my normal routine. So, this morning after breakfast I went for a walk to the Arno river. It's only about a 5 minute walk from our apartment and yet I've only been there once before since we moved here.

Living in Florence :: Standing alone on Ponte alle Grazie

I walked across the Piazza di Santa Croce, trying to stay in the sun, and then along via dei Benci. Toward the sun, I kept telling myself. I reached the Ponte alle Grazie and was the only one to just stand there, looking at the Ponte Vecchio. One group of tourists passed me going one way while another group went by the other way, but no one else stopped.

I watched everyone go about their day: people whizzing by on scooters, delivery men in small trucks, taxis taking people here and there, tourists walking either in groups or two-by-two, and a few other locals just going from point A to point B.

I stood on the bridge and took a few pictures. I was embarrassed at first to pull my camera out of my purse. I usually never take any pictures when living overseas and it's one of my greatest regrets. I have very few pictures of my life abroad. I only have my memory of my apartments in Paris, my rented house in England, and my first apartment in Florence.

I get so accustomed to living in new places that I just see things as they are. I want to keep these memories of my life here more alive. My blog and the few pictures I take will help me to remember my life in Florence so I'll never forget.

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