We weren t about to let a little water dampen our fun so we continued to walk around until the drizz

We arrived in Florence by train on a very muggy and overcast afternoon. very cheap paris hotels  The area immediately surrounding the train station is not the nicest very cheap paris hotels part of town, but as soon as I stepped out of the station, it was like running into a dear old friend.
Without using a map, I was able to maneuver us to our hotel.  It was my third time visiting the city, the first since I had lived there.  For the most part, I remembered these streets (there were some I had forgotten).  Our hotel was located in Piazza Santa Maria Novella and when I lived in Florence, this area was under construction and was an area of town you did not want to walk alone.  I avoided it at all costs.  When I found the hotel online, I did my research and found that the piazza had reformed and construction was done.  I was still skeptical when I booked the hotel (for such a centrally located hotel, it was one of the most inexpensive I could find in this pricey town), but I was so happy to see that in fact, Piazza Santa Maria Novella was nothing like I remembered.  It was beautiful with open lawns, flowers, and benches where a full-blown construction site had once been.  I was also able to finally see how beautiful Cathedral Santa Maria Novella really is (I had always avoided it in the past) (And I apologize- for some reason, neither Chris nor I took pictures very cheap paris hotels of the piazza!).
We really enjoyed very cheap paris hotels our stay at Hotel Rosso.  Our room was small and quaint and felt like less of a hotel room and more like a guest room in someone s home.  Just like the rest of the hotel, it was beautifully decorated.
The window opened out onto a courtyard, or open space, between three or four different buildings.  We were facing very cheap paris hotels a couple of apartment very cheap paris hotels buildings and I loved seeing how different each occupant s balcony was.
On the first morning, after I had eaten, I felt like having very cheap paris hotels an espresso very cheap paris hotels with a bit of soy milk (a little habit I d picked up while in Rome ) and asked one of the servers if they by chance had soy milk.  They did!  So for each of the following mornings, we were able to have a bit of cereal with soy milk and fruit as well as espresso with steamed soy milk.  It was wonderful.
As I mentioned before, the hotel is very centrally located.  Everywhere in Florence very cheap paris hotels is pretty much walking distance in general, very cheap paris hotels but Hotel Rosso serves as a great starting point for a day of sight-seeing.
After we checked in, the first place I needed to go was to my old favorite very cheap paris hotels gelato shop to see if they had any soy gelato (I seemed to remember that they did but my memory was foggy).  We walked along the Arno River and Chris got to see the Ponte Vecchio for the first time.
I used to come to this gelataria Every. Single. Day.  It truly has the best gelato in the city and I m happy to share that it does have vegan gelato! They have hazelnut and vanilla very cheap paris hotels as well as a dark chocolate sorbet that is dairy-free.
I was so happy when the gentleman behind the counter handed me my little cup of vegan gelato, I just wanted to sit down and cry.  It felt so good to be back in Florence and this gelato just put me over the top.
After gelato, we crossed the bridge and I showed Chris the house at which I used to nanny (or at least we quickly walked by the front door).  I showed him the nearby San Niccolo neighborhood that I loved.  There is a wine bar I used to go to for a glass of wine after a hard day s work and the area is also the gateway to Piazzelli Michelangelo and Fort Belvedere.  There s also a little bakery, 1974 Forno, that makes the best fresh baked bread in town.  As we were walking around, though, it began to drizzle.
We weren t about to let a little water dampen our fun so we continued to walk around until the drizzle became more of a heavy sprinkle.  We became very cheap paris hotels very aware of the fact that we were California tourists wearing shorts (Chris)/skirt (me) and flip-flops and headed back over the bridge to find our way back to our hotel and change into something decent.  Except wait- I had only packed a small selection of sandals (because I expected it to be warm the whole time and thought by not packing an alternative, mother nature would have no choice but to stay warm for the duration of my trip) and by the time we crossed the bridge, it was pouring.  We ducked from overhang to overhang, trying our best to stay as dry as possible while stomping though puddles in our flip-flops.  We finally bought a €5 umbrella from one of several men who magically appeared with umbrellas for sale (the next day, they were selling something else since it was no longer raining) and tried to find a store that might possibly have a vegan pair of closed-toe shoes that were reasonably priced.
So we walked in the dark, with the rain being hurled at us, huddled together under a small, very cheap paris hotels flimsy umbrella, looking for shoes that would keep my feet dry (and match with my clothes, of course).  We finally found a pair of non-leather black flats in the juniors department at ZARA that were most likely made in China, but fit and were under €20.  We then rushed back to our hotel, our rubber very cheap paris hotels flip-flops slipping and sliding on the wet cobblestone streets.  When we got to our room, we looked like two drowned rats and we laughed at what Californians we were (or at least we laughed later). very cheap paris hotels  We quickly got dressed in sensible clothing, bundled up ( I didn t bring closed-toe shoes, yet I brought a heavy sweater?  Come on, Kristy! ), and headed out for dinner.  We had looked over my list of vegetarian/vegan options for the city and picked one that was both walking distance and open.  As we were walking/running, huddled under our silly little umbrella, we went to quickly cross a street before the light turned and I stepped very cheap paris hotels into a deep puddle, soaking my legs halfway up to my knees and filling my new little flats with water.  So then I was walking/running while sloshing around in shoes filled with water and I had finally had enough.  We hailed the next cab we saw and a short ride and a small fee later, we were standing in front of Il Vegetariano.
When we walked in we felt like we had just walked in to our imaginary Italian grandma s cabin in the woods and the aroma of home-cooked foods lured us to the back (where you order).  We were both ravenous and cold and tired and wet (my toes especially).  A big heaping plate of homestyle comfort food is what we craved and that is exactly what we got.
There is a menu on a chalkboard with the specials of the day (there is no set menu- it changes daily) and it is all in Italian.  Everything very cheap paris hotels is vegetarian, but the vegan and gluten-free items are clearly labeled.  First you stand in line to order and pay.  Then you take your receipt and stand in another line, cafeteria-style.  You have to get your own tray, cutlery, glasses for water.  They take your receipt and bring you your order.  If you ordered a salad, you can choose your salad toppings here too.  Once you have all of your food, you then can go find a place to sit.  Once we got to the front of the line to place our order and pay, I had a questions about a couple of menu items.  Of all the places we went in Europe, this restaurant was the only place where we experienced a bit of a language barrier.  The man at the cashier did not speak any English and had to call a girl from the kitchen to translate for us.  It was very busy and a few of the people behind us were a little irritated.  We placed our order, then got in the other line to get our food.  By the time we found a table, nothing could ve felt as good as it did to sit down to a plate of hot food.  The fact that the food was awesome made it all the better.  Chris ordered a seitan and rice dish, which was super rich and delicious.
We also shared a salad (we were starving).  For a large salad, you get to choose seven toppings (do you see that roasted fennel???) before you are asked if you want salad dressing.  They have one dressing- a creamy mustard tofu dressing.  Don t be surprised if I share a replication very cheap paris hotels for this dressing sometime in the near future.  It was divine!
We also shared a decanter of organic house white wine (not pictured) because we felt the occasion (my wet socks inside my wet shoes) called very cheap paris hotels for it.  I don t remember what we talked about but we talked and laughed until we shut the place down.  We actually ended up staying an hour past their closing time and we left while the staff was sharing their dinner at 11pm.  We actually ended up coming back for lunch a couple days later and had another great meal.  I had another large salad all to myself.  Chris had another seitan and rice dish (this one had roasted cauliflower in it too). Il Vegetariano is just one of the many places that make being vegan in Florence and absolute treat.
By the time we left that night, my feet were dry and the rain had let up so we were able to walk back to our hotel, stopping once to show Chris the building I lived in before I moved back to the states. very cheap paris hotels  It felt good to be back.
The next morning, after breakfast, we went to a local laundromat and washed all of our clothes.  After laundry was done, we set off to walk around and explore Florence.  We headed back to my old neighborhood, where we had walked the night before and made a stop into the Mercato Centrale.
I used to go to Mercato Centrale every day (it was pretty much across the street from me!).  I would sometimes pick up a fresh vegetable or maybe two (I was poor), but I could never resist buying a bag of dried cherry tomatoes.  We walked through the market until I found my favorite stand.
The fresh produce used to be on the second story but they moved it down to the first story.  Apparently, they are building an Eataly on the second very cheap paris hotels story.  We perused the fresh produce for a bit.  If we were staying in a place with a kitchen, some of these squash blossoms would ve been coming very cheap paris hotels home with me!
After the market, we walked very cheap paris hotels around my old hood.  I showed Chris the supermarket I used to go to, and my favorite Forno shop (fresh  baked bread shop).  We walked the old str