So today didn't start out as early as we had planned. We had originally set the alarm for 6 before we went to bed, but due to lack of me going to bed at a decent hour we set it back for 7. However, when the alarm went off at 7, the snooze button was pressed many times and I think I eventually got Mom to get out of bed and go take a shower by 830. Breakfast ended at 10 and I made it barely in time after I had my shower.
Breakfast consisted of some times of oats cereal and some terrible eggs, but a great croissant. Add some chocolate spread to it with a cappuccino and I was good to go for the day. We headed out towards the Duomo where there was another church nearby where we were going to buy our tickets for the Uffizi tomorrow. However, we got there and found out that we could get tickets for today and so we jumped on the opportunity. We had a couple hours to kill before our appointment at the Uffizi Museum so we headed back to the Duomo where we read in the tour book for awhile about the Duomo and the Baptistry right next to it. There is also a huge bell tower there as well. We went inside the Duomo there and there wasn't much of a line and it was free. Inside, you could see the huge dome and the mural painted on the dome. There was not much else inside the church there though. We still had some time when we exited so I decided that it would be worth my time and worth the pictures to hike to the top of the bell tower and take some pictures. It was 416 steps to the top and it was a steep hike. I got up there quickly however and spent about 10-15 minutes taking pictures. I made the hike down and counted the steps then.
Afterwards, we headed down to the Uffizi so we would have plenty of time to make our appointment. We hung out in the Square there for awhile and got something to drink and then headed in. There were a ton of people there so it was great we got our tickets ahead of time though it cost a little bit more. We checked our bags at the front desk and headed up. We toured for about an hour and a half and saw a lot of famous paintings by Michaelangelo, Raphael, and Leonardo di Vinci and some other Boticelli paintings. Sorry if I murder some of these names. Afterwards we stopped at the bar there and had an espresso before we went to collect our bags and head out. I really enjoyed reading the tour guide and learning some about these paintings and what the painters wanted to convey.
Once we got out of the Uffizi we decided we had enough time to hike to the Accademia and try and see Michaelangelo's David. However, when we got there the line was very long so we decided it was better worth our time to go spend it elsewhere. We headed back to the Duomo and I decided to make the hike up to the top of the dome. It was 461 steps this time to the top and the steps were much closer together. I had to walk on my toes most of the time just to keep from falling off of the steps. However, the pictures were beautiful and I was able to take some pictures of a guy drawing a scene of Florence which I thought looked really cool. Although it may be creepy I was taking a picture of someone else. Oh well.
Once I got down Mom and I headed for a Gelato place that the guide book said was one of the best in Florence. And they were definitely right. I got a cone with one dark chocolate scoop and one hazelnut scoop. It was delicious. The dark chocolate was actually kind of bitter like actual dark chocolate. It was amazing that they made the ice cream like that. I pride myself on my love for ice cream so it has been great to just taste good ice cream all the time. Wish ice cream was like this in the States.
After we got our ice cream we headed for the Duomo museum where there is a Michaelangelo statue called the Pisea (sp?). You can basically reach out and touch it (I didn't however) and it is just crazy to be so close to a sculpture that the most famous sculptor in history did. Crazy stuff. After the museum we decided we had enough time to head for the Accademia and try and see if the line had died down so we could see the David. The line was nonexistent and so we got in quickly and took the tour according to the guide book. The David was awesome. It is a huge 17 foot statue with just such great detail. Michaelangelo said that when he sculpted, he sculpted when he felt the Holy Spirit come over him. He would not sculpt otherwise. Sometimes he would sculpt for days on end with no sleep just because of what the Spirit was leading him to do. I hope one day I can do that with my work. That I can seriously work when it is time to work and work as the Spirit leads me. Very inspiring.
The Museum was closing so we had to get out so we decided to try and find a place for dinner. We found a place nearby in the guidebook and headed there. There was no wait as it was still early. We ordered an appetizer that was some type of goat cheese, liver pate, a mushroom and tomato topping for bread and then these fried ham balls and then an omelet with white truffle sauce on top. Very good. Then we had a fettucini with bolognese sauce that was very very good. I enjoyed that a lot. Then there was also a basic salad and then a steak with potatoes. Mom and I split a bottle of red wine and I probably had too much considering I am a super lightweight.
We made it back from the restaurant though. Mom had mentioned going back to the Duomo to see it lit up at night and maybe getting another ice cream cone, but I started walking in that direction and decided that it was probably best for my walking that we just go ahead and go back to the hotel. Too much walking, plus over 2000 extra steps in the vertical direction plus a half bottle of wine was not too good for much more walking.
It was a fabulous day with seeing so much of Florence. Tomorrow we will wrap up some of the things we haven't seen and hopefully sleep in a little bit as well.
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