Florence

Today we learned so much about Renaissance art.

We woke up at about 9:30am and made it to the Accademia Gallery at 10:30am. We were so glad that we had reservations! The line to get in was two blocks long, but our line was aboug 20 people long. We got right in. The tickets were a bit more expensive, but we thought it was worth it. Our facorite part of the museum was of course Michaelangelo's David. Daniel in particular really enjoyed it. It was much bigger than I was expecting. Just looking at his hands and feet was so powerful. I overheard a tour guide talking about Michaelangelo. She said that he was famous for accepting every job offered to him. He wanted the prestige and the money, even though he was overwhelmed by the amount of work it required. So he made his employers mad by not finishing the works in time. Consequently, there were many of his unfinished statues on display at the museum. There was also a temporary exhibit of photographs by Robert Mappleton. I found those interesting as well.

We spent the morning there, and then had lunch. Daniel has been looking for shoes since the ones he brought have gotten worn out. So we walked a few blocks to a big flea market where there was lots of leather goods for sale, among other things. We both bought a wallet for ourselves. I also got a cashmere scarf and Daniel got a tie. Everything was so cheap, we couldn't believe it! A cashmere scarf for 5 euros and a 100% silk tie for 3 euros! We bought more than we probably should have, but we had a great time bargaining and looking at all the neat stuff for sale. Our hotel was right down the block, so we dropped off our purchases.

Yesterday we noticed a bunch of locks on the Ponte Vecchio bridge. Daniel looked up on the internet what that was about. We read that "couples must write their names with a felt-tipped pen, on one side of the lock, adding the date of their passage through Florence on the other side, before throwing the keys into the river." Read more at http://www.vivitoscana.net/cgi-bin/news/gi_pub8_det_lun.cgi/id=647/sezione=folklore/Loving%20locks....html

So we grabbed the lock that we brought in case we needed to lock up our luggage. We wrote our names on one side, and today's date on the other (in Europe they write the day, then the month, then the year; so today was 4-8-09 instead of 8-4-09). We also read that you can get fined 50 euros for it, so we had to be a bit sneaky. We walked onto the bridge and Daniel discreetly attached the lock onto the bridge. Then I tossed the key over the side and watched it sink to the bottom. It was very exciting and nerve-wracking and romantic. Our lock will be there forever! Or more likely, about a week before the government cuts it off. But the idea is nice anyways. :-)

Right near the bridge is the Uffizi so we headed in that direction. There were many caricature artists offering their services outside and more street performers and musicians too. We got in line for the museum about 15 minutes before our scheduled time at 5:30. This time we wanted to get the audio guide. Both of us know next to nothing about Renaissance art, so the audio guide helped a lot. The museum was est up in a way that really helped me see the evolution over the years. From statue-like figures with muted colors in the 13th century, to more movement and lines and brighter colors in the 15th century, to the development of perspective in the 16th and 17th centuries. My absolute favorite work was a painting by Michaelangelo.

It's called the "Holy Family." Our audio guide described it as revolutionary. He depicted Mary as more real and less idealistic. And it shows Jesus instead of laying obediently in Mary's arms, as a toddler intent on climbing over her shoulder.

By the time we were done in the Uffizi, we were tired and hungry. It was about 8pm, so time for dinner. There was a nice little restaurant right across the street from the exit that had very good prices. The food was delicious! Some of the best we've had yet. Daniel got a calzone with ham in it, and I got a "quattro formaggi" or four cheese pizza. We also got a 1/2 bottle of the house white wine, which was really good too. And for dessert we each got a small cup of chocolate gelato. Yummy!

Overall, Florence has been relatively unimpressive. I really enjoyed learning more about renaissance art today and getting to see many of Michaelangelo's original works was definitely a treat. The city itself is not nearly as beautiful as many other cities we have seen. The hostel was a big highlight as well.

Our room at Luna Rossa