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Published: August 28th 2005
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David
Replica outside the Palazzo de Vecchio Ciao!
Well, it's the third day in Firenze, Italia, and I'm back in the same internet cafè I've been haunting since we got here. Conveniently located across from the galleria dell'Accademia and beside the Cattedral de Firenze...let's just say me and the internet cafè dudes have become good friends. I don't even have to show ID anymore! Which, of course, is great, since the only ID I have at the moment is a terrible photocopy of my passport.
Still no pictures, unless I bring my laptop down here and grab some of the wireless, which I may just do. I move into the dorms on Tuesday, however, so perhaps I can just wait until then. I can see it now, everyone will be wanting to move in and arrange things, and I'll be sitting on my computer for twelve hours straight. Anyway, I didn't get a lot of pictures today, because we did museums and, of course, we wouldn't want to put the gift shops out of business by letting people take their own pictures (in other words, no cameras allowed). Which was sort of a shame, because I think I'm a much better photographer than whoever does the
postcards.
Yesterday I came downtown alone, twice. First, to get my (very ghetto, very bad) cell phone. It's Vodafone and extremely small...but they will never beat Tokyo phones. Luckily I only have to deal with it for a year before I move to NYC...where, of course, the cell phones are even worse. Anyway, I got my phone, grabbed some lunch, checked my mail, and went back to the hotel where I lay around a bit before going out again. I got downtown about...oh, seven or so, and ate some food (because, I'm always eating food) and checked my mail again and walked around. Explored the city a little, got lost, that kind of thing. It seems that, everywhere you turn in this city, there's something historical. I managed (in my getting lost) to run into about eight churches, the Uffizi museum, the Arno river, the Ponte Vecchio, and the Medici palace.
That last one made me pause. Medici...Medici...where have I heard that name before? Oh, of course. And AP Euro comes back to haunt. Mr. Gotterson, I will have you know, I thought of you. And I thought of you even more today, when I was in the
Uffizi museum, and looking at all the paintings (and of course, I couldn't remember the significance or the technique used, but I did remember on the test, and that's all that really matters.)
After getting lost about six times (it's a very confusing city), I started walking home. But then I got lost, and decided to hop on a bus instead. Got back to the hotel about...I don't know, ten or eleven, and went to sleep.
This morning, Mom and I got down to the galleria dell'Accademia to see David and...uh...a bunch of other sculptures/paintings. As for David, I think I am in love. Either him or that statue of Poseidon, OR the statue of Perseus, both of which are in the Piazza de Signoria (which I also ran into yesterday). Hmm...or maybe, all three.
After David and his beautiful marble...ness, we went down to the Ponte Vecchio, which is the oldest bridge (across the Arno) in the city. Then we ate lunch (speaking of lunch, I don't understand how all Italian people are not disgustingly overweight. Pasta, pizza, gelato, bread, cheese, olives...it's insane.) And then we stood in line (for about an hour and a half,
definitely make reservations for the Uffizi...way ahead of time) for the Uffizi museum. I'm pretty much all art-ed out now, though, there must be a million pieces of art in that place. Including the ceilings, floors, walls, etc. Saw Botticelli's 'Birth of Venus', 'Adoration of the Magi', 'Primavera' (which made me think of pasta). Also saw Da Vinci's 'Adoration of the Magi', and some others...Titian, Rembrandt, Rubens, Lippi, Giotto, Caravaggio, Van Dyck, Raphael, etc.
Most museums are closed on Mondays, so tomorrow we're doing the Cattedral de Firenze (which houses some Donatello, and then I'll have all the ninja turtles under my belt), and the Palazzo Vecchio (which is a big...palace...yup.) And perhaps some other stuff. There's too much to see, I've almost given up on the pictures. Everywhere I turn there's another major historical monument/statue/painting/church/shop/bridge/river/etc.
Anyway, to wrap it up, Florence is amazing. I'm almost all amazed out, though. There's just so much to see. I mean, it would take at least several years to get over just seeing the Cattedral. So far, I'd have to say that (excluding David), my favorite statue is the one of Neptune (Poseidon), which is a fountain in the middle of the Piazza de Signoria, and my favorite building is the bell tower of the Cattedral. I use the term 'favorite' very loosely, of course, as this entire city is one big, amazing tribute to Rennaissance Europe. And, Mr. Gotterson will be pleased to know, I know at least three fourths as much as any tour guide.
Ciao, people!
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