Of the 11 weeks I spent in Europe, I was blessed with good weather for 10 of them. One of the rainy days was in Florence, but I took my umbrella and went exploring. A wonderful place to visit rain or shine is the Mercato Centrale. The inside is huge with lots of produce, meats, wines, just about anything you can think of. There’s also an outdoor market.

It is difficult to take photos in the rain when you’re traveling solo holding an umbrella, but I managed.

I stopped for a delicious meal of pasta and the famous Steak Florentine. Back in 2001 there was a 5 year ban of this steak because of Mad Cow Disease.

I walked across the Ponte Vecchio bridge…

Rainy days sometimes make for good photography…

I’m happy the U.S. has more outdoor cafes like you find in Europe.

I stopped at a bakery and couldn’t decide on just one.

p.s.  In case you’ve just began reading…I planned an 11 week, 5 European country, 21 accommodations solo trip from April – June of 2022. Photos were taken with my LG Velvet Android phone.