Sono qui. . . From Fumicino in Roma, slogged through with my small and compact, but seriously awkward and heavy luggage, 3 completely different shapes and sizes, onto the Leonardo Express train to Termini, got off, then back on the Eurostar to Firenze. The whole thing took 2 hours, with a great connection in Rome, barely enough time to buy my ticket and find my seat.

Arrived at Santa Maria Novella, shown here, and caught a cab to the apartment.

Went straight out to lunch at Trattoria Marione, one of my favorite spots, where the owner, so charmed apparently, by my sincere enthusiasm for the restaurant's Papardelle con Cinghiale, insisted on spotting me Grappa shots which I finally had to refuse. I wasn't sure what the protocol was on this, but enough was enough. He said to come back to pick up where I'd left off.

I stopped by Scuola Toscana and met with i Fratelli Mela, and got settled (financially) to start my classes with Daniela on Monday.

Very happy to see most everything looks the same here and, as always, not many tourists in January, so there's a great vibe on the streets, with what few tourists there are, and the locals going about their business.

Tonight I'm going to catch up on the hours of sleep I lost on the ride over last night, and hopefully feel ready to get up tomorrow and do something. Right now I feel somewhat like I've been hit by a bus. . .