My First Trip to Italy .....Florence

Well after being mentally blown away by the magical splendor of Venice I traveled by train to Florence Italy. I arrived on a overcast Wednesday afternoon to the Santa Novella station. After viewing it on Google earth, I was somewhat familiar with what was in the area. I immediately dragged my bags across the street to purchase the convenient Firenze Card for 50 euros. It allows you to enter a multitude of museums( 83) that have the most beautiful  art and sculptures once in a 72 hour period , and unlimited transportation on the public buses and trams in the city of Florence.  It comes with a booklet, held in a clear plastic on a lanyard. Inside is  the actual card that is activated on your first bus ride or visit to one of the attractions listed in the booklet.The booklet also tells you the Bus or Tram number to use to reach each attraction or museum. I think the Firenze Card  was the most useful of purchases.
After that I rode by bus from the station to my hotel which was right across the street from a bus stop.....I had read online before going to Italy not to take too any bags unless you want to use taxis, which can add to the cost of any trip. As the name of my BLOG Implies...as a Cheapskate on the Loose saving money is my main concern. Plus using public transportation also enables you to mix with the locals and practice your Italian....which I also enjoyed.  
I checked in to my hotel and then went out to get rations to keep in my hotel room. I was kind of disappointed that my hotel didn't have the minibar as advertised, but the helpful desk clerks, offered to put any necessary items in the kitchen fridge.It was so cold while I was there, I ended up putting my milk outside as my room had a small terrace, and it was fine.  Down the street I had found a market that had the most beautiful produce. It looked as if out of a painting.When I travel,  I like to keep snacks, water, milk and fruit to eat in my room. This saves money as well as being convenient. After a long day of sightseeing I would relax have a snack either before or after going out to dinner in the evening. My hotel had a nice breakfast included in the room price. That was enough to keep me going for the trek up flights of museum stairs and walking. Then a light lunch, more sightseeing then back to my hotel in the late afternoon. One late afternoon,  I went  back out  to see the  Ponte Vecchio, as it was only a short bus ride from my hotel, plus  I was still so keyed up and wanted to cram as much as I could into  the 4 days I had.
Florence is a beautiful city and all of the history and art and sculpture dating from the renaissance period is breathtaking. Here are some of  the pictures I took in the time I was there, which wasn't at all long enough.