(Tibby) We decided to take this morning slow, so we never set an alarm and we just let our bodies wake up when they were ready. Which ended up being about 10:30. Our main plans for the day only consisted of 2 museums, and we already had passes (see earlier post), so we knew we could take it at our own pace. We didn't end up leaving our hotel until noon. : ]
Before we left, I noticed that some of the laundry that we had watched the night before seemed to be missing from our clothing lines off of our little deck. Turns out there must have been enough of a breeze last night to blow a few pairs of Kyla's panties down to the ground. It gave us quite the laugh/and sadness at the loss of her panties. But we moved on.
The theme of taking things slowly was carried throughout the entire day. And let me tell ya, we needed that.
Our stroll took us toward a few of the markets where we did some more perusing and purchasing. Pretty much all of the little stands sell some sort of variation of leather goods. Such goods included wallets, purses, luggage bags, and coats. There were other stands selling clothing or scarves. I love outdoor markets like that! They are always so interesting. As we were perusing, not everything had prices on it, so we asked. Most would give you a straight answer, but we had several vendors who would tell us a price but then quickly say something to the extent of: "but for you, beautiful girl, special price! Only __ euro". They'd really only bring the price down about 2 euro, but hey, at least it was a discount!
After the markets, we slowly meandered over to the Ufizi Museum. We had our pass cards and those allowed us to skip the lines COMPLETELY and just walk in. Let's be honest, those cards are SO nice to have! But my oh my, there is a TON in the Ufizi!! So many famous pieces and invaluable pieces. And then of course, with the way art goes, many pieces where you're thinking, "how on earth did anyone ever consider that valuable enough to be in a museum?! And in Florence nonetheless!". Thankfully those not-so-glamourous pieces were nicely balanced with the beautiful ones. Definitely one of the huge highlights is a painting called "The Birth of Venus", done by Botticelli. (And yes, Kyla just had to tell me the artist's name for the 119th time). But anyways, it is a fabulous painting and it's captivating to look at! Unfortunately, like to many museums, photos are strictly forbidden, so a google image will have to do.
(google image, birth of venus)
Moving on from the Ufizi, we knew that the day could not continue without some gelato. Gelateria's (places that sell gelato) are almost more abundant than baby bunnies in spring time. Almost.
After our little bowls of gelato, we walked over to the Academia where the most famous sculpture in the world is located...Micelangelo's DAVID!! Once again, our cards allowed us to completely skip the lines, which were, by the way, out the door and down the street! We would have waited a very, very long time without our cards. Those little pieces of plastic are magical! Upon entering, I'll make note that we were good girls and took our time looking through the rest of the museum first before seeing David. But let's also be honest here, the sole purpose of the museum is to house, and maintain, David. They even say so themselves. Which is just fine by us!
And let me tell you folks, all the hype and hoopla you hear regarding David is totally and completely deserving of it all. It is an ASTOUNDING piece that took Micelangelo 3 years to complete. (He was only 26 when he started it, 29 when he finished). It's amazing to see how flawless he was able to make it. My personal favorite little detail were the veins that you can see along his hands, feet, and neck. One of the other really cool parts were his metatarsals and metacarpals (yea biology class!) in his hands and feet. They look SO life-like and so real, it's exquisite. For reals, who can carve those little details out of a hunk of marble?! Well clearly, Micelangelo did.
Needless to say, once again, photos are strictly forbidden. But needless to say (once again!), that we didn't fully comply with that stipulation. We may or may not have snapped a few "stolen" photos when the guards weren't looking! eek!
(David photos)
Because Kyla is the wonderful artist that she is, we decided she couldn't leave until she had had her hand at sitting down and sketching him. I had a small notebook, and she had a pen. She sketched away, while I tried to take another photo and alas! I was caught. But it's ok, the lady only shook her head and finger at me, no biggie.
While waving good-bye to David, we left the Academia and headed back to our hotel for a little R&R. Turns out our hotel was only a few blocks from our hotel, which was nice!
After relaxing for a few moments, we then embarked once again; this time headed for a hill overlooking the city. It took a bit of a climb to get up, but with the bell tower from the day before, it was cake.
Upon arrival at the top, we were again immersed in the meandering crowds of people. And it's no wonder too, because the views are so beautiful. We found a little spot along the railing where we perched ourselves and watched the sun set on a hazy Firenze (Florence). Since a photo is worth a thousand words, I will let them do the talking.
(We're currently paying for internet, will add photos later)
Also at the top was a little cafe where we stopped for dinner. I had been wanting to try lasagna for a few days, and so we took that opportunity and we each ordered a plate. I also got a glass of Remole red wine (Mom and Dad, be proud, it wasn't a dessert wine!!). With the lasagna, it was so yummy!! Kyla, however, wasn't such a fan!
And of course, on our way back to the hotel, we couldn't pass up a chance to grab a second round of gelato!
All in all, the day was rather relaxing and just what we needed! Tomorrow takes us to Pisa and Cinque Terre!! Woo Hoo!!
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