21/5/09 Florence

The train was sort of a mess. We got to Mestre and laid on a bench for a while. I could have fallen asleep but Mary can't sit still for more than two minutes, so I stayed up.

The train at 3:11 was packed, people sleeping on the floor and everything. We ended up getting seats, not together, but nearby. I slept most the way, Mary did not.

We tried to get into our hostel but couldn't and ended up going to McDonald's in the train station instead. I fell asleep on the table.

We went to the hostel at 9 and Mary realized she left her purse and ran back to get it while I was checking in. Noting was gone and the lady at the desk was really nice, giving us a room that was already ready.

We took a nap for a few hours before heading to the market and then over to the Accademia to see Michaelangelo's David. It was incredible, just massive, about 13 feet tall. The detail was very impressive, well worth the admission alone. We spent maybe an hour in front of it discussing it. I snuck some pictures, which turned out better than expected. I'm really glad I saw it.

The rest of the museum had other Michelangelos and some paintings. Not as exciting.

We went down to the Duomo, the huge cathedral in the center of the city. The outside was amazing, but done in the 18th century in marble. The interior is incredibly plain and open, strange for an old 14th century cathedral. We liked walking around on the outside more than the inside. Plus it's next to the Baptistery, with it's giant bronze doors I learned about in art history.

We went and got some food at a little restaurant. I had a four cheese calzone (awesome), bruchetta (too oilly for Mary so I had most of it) and half of her mushroom pizza. One of our better (and cheaper) meals.

We went down to the Uffiza, the big art gallery, but it was 6.50 to get in but 3.50 for under 26 EU residents. I tried to fake I was from the UK but this guard actually knew where Michigan was. We tried to sneak in but didn't get far. We'd seen enough art already, I'm not that upset.

We walked across the oldest bridge in Florence (14th century) which is awesome because it has houses and stores on it like the old London Bridge. We went up to Piazza Michelangelo, which has great views over the city. From there we went up to an 11th century tiny church, which Mary started laughing inappropriately about burritos so we had to leave early.

We went down to the Piazza and watched the Tuscan sun set. It was super impressive. We got gelato (I had pineapple, vanilla, some party flavor and chocolate/hazelnut) which was good, Mary's favorite so far. This was probably my favorite part of Florence so far.

The city is much like Rome with the wide streets and it's easy to follow. I like it a lot here though, it still has a distinct feel. Tomorrow we are going to Pisa and then hiking along the coast. Should be crazy.