Todd Life: Firenze, June 2nd

So today June 2nd we got up and packed for the days travels and sat downstairs for our last time in the wonderful breakfast terrace and stuffed our faces with all the wonderful food! After that we took a water taxi to the train station. Usually you cannot board the trains until about 15 minutes before departure because that is when they pull into the station but luck for us our train was originating in Venice and so we got to board early. We needed the extra time too because we had so many bags. I have two bags and a backpack and Bryan has one bag and a backpack, my Mom has three bags and my Dad has two. So all in all we have a ton of huge heavy bags, and for some reason we were on the only car on the train that did not have baggage compartments by the doors so we had to stow all of our bags above our heads! Lets just say that Bryan was a lifesaver today! The train was about 3 hours from Venice to Florence and once we got there is was a bit of a scramble to get us and our bags off. Then we all crammed into a taxi and made our way to the hotel. We unpacked and settled in and then it was off to dinner! We ate at this nice café a couple of blocks from our hotel and it was wonderful! We were so starving because all we had eaten today was breakfast! The fun thing was that it was independence day in Italy today and while we were eating dinner they had a flag lowering ceremony with all the police and everything; it was cool! Anyhow tomorrow we are going exploring so goodnight!

So today June 3rd is our first day exploring Firenze which is how they say Florence in Italian! We ate our yummy breakfast at the hotel and we were off! Our first stop on our hike around town was the Museo del Bargello. In this museum was Michelangelo’s first sculpture and Donatello’s David which was the first nude statue from a Western artist since classical times. The museum has numerous works from Dante and has some of the most impressive small carving I have ever seen! After that we were off to the Monumentale di Santa Croce where Michelangelo and Galileo are buried! Their tombs are amazing and it was interesting to see their final resting places. After Santa Croce we were off to Museo di Storia della Scienza which holds a lot of Galileo’s work. The museum was interesting and had a couple of fun hands on exhibits. After that we were off to the famous Ponte Vecchio which is that famous Florentine! We found that it was known for its jewelry and so I got a ring! After that we were exhausted from a full day of touring and we were off the hotel for some rest before dinner. We ate at this tiny little restaurant a block away from our hotel and they were the nicest people. The food was excellent and we are going again for dinner tomorrow! Goodnight!

Today June 4th we started off rather early. We had to be in line at the Galleria dell’Accademia at 8:45am to get out tickets for the museum. The gallery had the famous David by Michelangelo and it was an amazing as everyone says it is! They had various out works from that time period, but the David stole the cake! After the Accademia we walked over to the Duomo and climbed the famous Florentine Dome! We also went into the Museum off the Basilica and saw the famous gold plated baptistery doors. We ended our day a bit early today since my momma is sick :( We are going to dinner tonight but my Mom isn’t going to make it, so it will just be Bry, I and my Dad. Tomorrow we are going to Pisa! Goodnight!

view from our room in firenze