Florence Day 2: Social Dinner

Another good breakfast and we head off for our morning walk to the venue. Florence is a bit like Paris,the city looks different in every light, and I think I take as many photos of the Arno this morning as well:



We are far more active at the conference and I give a few presentations.

Tonight is the social dinner, so we escape early and get freshened up and relaxed before we head off for a few beers for dutch courage - you spend a whole day talking to the same people and then you have to talk to them at night as well. Luckily the Social dinner is in a Medici hunting lodge out of Florence, so I have more things to put in my blog.

My boss has opted to avoid the social dinner and head off to visit some Italian friends who have come over from Venice.

I catch the bus at the venue, and it's then about an hour away. The description told us 15Km, but we should have taken it with a pinch of salt. It's closer to 40km. I can't see anything out of the window other than that it's a very clear night and you can see the stars really shining.

Eventually we arrive. The dinner is in the Castelllo Mediceo di Cafaggiolo. It's in Mugello where the Medici family originated:






We get a description of the history of the castle by two women in period dress. After 20 minutes, I realise that one of them is speaking Italian and the other is speaking English, but her accent is so heavy that she's impossible to understand.

We head up to the banquet room, and have good big Italian feed, with some very good red wine. We get carpaccio, pasta then beef filet and it's rounded off with Tiramisu and espresso - you can't help but love this lifestyle!!!

I doze on and off during the long bus trip home. I can't help thinking there could have been a venue nearer to Florence. When I get to the station, I walk a friend to a hotel, and then manage to walk in the wrong direction for my hotel from the Duomo. Damn big churches - they look the same from all angles. I end up with a longer walk than I'd planned along the Arno - but I keep my spirits from thinking of my blistered feet by enjoying a little BloodSugarSexMajik:



This album just keeps giving, and keeps my feet tapping along to the beat.

Eventually, I get home close to 2am, and head to bed ready for another day of presentations tomorrow....