I had the perfect gelato - my life is now complete

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Geo: 43.7247, 11.4546

Had the best hostel breakfast EVER this morning! A choice of main dishes - French toast, scrambled eggs, omelette, muesli, croissant, etc. There were also assorted cakes, fruit, tomato salad, pepper salad, pasta salad, beans, and sandwiches. Great!

Pretty cold out. I left my only long sleeve shirt behind in Rome. It wasn't that warm being made of "tech" athletic material, but I loved that shirt! I bought it in Lisbon last year. I'm losing my mind ... I've been losing things like you wouldn't believe on this trip!

Off to Accademia - the line-up was 45 minutes long to get a ticket. It's scary, but that isn't that bad of a wait for Accademia. Saw the statue of David. There is a sitting gallery directly behind him. Lots of women sit behind him staring at his ass. That's fine, I guess. But I didn't need to hear the comments about his ass! It was almost as bad as the Italian men harassing women.

They had a computer terminal next to David showing a 3D rendering of the statue. It really gives you an up-close look at the statue. I'm sure the ladies sitting behind him used the terminal to get a closer look at his ass.

Classic belief is that David has a look of confidence and determination on his face. But with his furrowed brow, I see a look of fear, worry, and introspection - anything BUT confidence. Perhaps Michelangelo caught the moment just before he became confident and he knew that Goliath's ass was toast!

I had seen a copy of David at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, but it just isn't the same. The detail is astonishing - veins, muscles, and facial features. A number of Michelangelo's unfinished works were also on display. They were better than David, in a way. The works were rough and unpolished. They were more real and primal, lending them a dream-like quality. Like a metamorphosis - figures stepping out of stone into real life. It wasn't perfection like David; on the contrary, it was stark realism. There wasn't much else in Accademia that interested me; supposedly there are Botticellis there, but I didn't see them.

Grabbed a 4-cheese pizza for lunch - not bad. I ran into Howard from the Rome hostel on the street. After, I went to the market. I was greeted by a vendor as "Asian!!!". At least take a guess, dumbass!!! That was probably the most insulting greeting ever, though I'm sure he didn't mean for it to be that way.

Shopped a little bit and then went off to the food market. Saw some very tempting food options. Off to the Bargello - sculpture time, woo hoo! Not bad ... quite good, actually. Back to the market - I wanted to try a pasta place there, but it was too packed. Had a doner instead. Noticed a tiny cockroach crawling on the wall as I ate ... nice ... the doner did seem extra crunchy today .... maybe it was another cockroach!

Went to an internet café. The guy next to me had some wicked gas. He kept dropping bombs. I think he was also laughing as he did it. Internet was cheap there, so I used it for awhile to catch up on my blogs. There wasn't much else to do anyway as it was raining all day. I finally caved in and bought another umbrella from Bennetton. Not as sturdy as my previous one, but it's more compact.

Tried going to some restaurants recommended by LG, but they were all packed!! I went back to the area I was in last night in search of another cheap restaurant. All the other places I looked at were too busy and expensive, so I went to another place that had a cheap set menu.

Tried pappardelle with cinghiale (wild boar). The pasta was overcooked, but still good. There were only tiny bits of boar, but for the price, I couldn't really complain. The red wine was much better at this place. The main course was boiled beef brisket with an herb sauce ... almost like pesto. Very simple and very nice - Tuscan food is considered peasant food. Not an overly complicated meal - but very hearty and a great value. I saw a sticker on the outside window showing that it was recommended by the French travel guide, "Le Routard" - if the French like it, it must be a good restaurant!

Sat next to a nice couple from Connecticut (Mark and Joan). Mark lived in Florence over 25 years ago and then moved to the states. They are back now to do some ministry work. They gave me some pizzeria and gelato recommendations. Got a free extra 0.25 L of wine, probably because Mark and Joan are regulars, and the owners saw me talking to them.

Walked to Piazza Republica - the same performers were there tonight. The violin girl was phenomenal, once again. She completely overshadows her partner - I don't even remember what instrument he played. She made her violin sound like it was weeping, if you can imagine that. The oompa-pa band (how the heck do you spell that, anyway?) was also good tonight.

Off to Piazza della Signoria - there was an amazing singer/guitarist performing. He took a break so I quickly ran off to get some gelato. This was done only to kill time of course, not because I wanted one badly!! This was the best gelato I have ever had. The ricotta with prickly pear (I don't like prickly pear too much, but I HAD to get the ricotta) was very good. Almost as good as the one I had in Siracusa.

Also had an amazing grapefruit flavour ... slightly tart and a perfect accompaniment for the ricotta gelato. It cleansed the palate in between bites of the other flavours. The final flavour was crema di Giotto - a mix of mandorla (almond), hazelnut, and coconut. This has to be the best gelato flavour EVER!!!!

Back to listen to the guitarist ... the gelato was all gone before he even played another note. I'm glad that I splurged on the huge cup for 3.30 Euro (for the price, it still was a relatively small amount). I listened awhile until it got too cold. He's got a great folk sound that captivated the rather large crowd that had gathered to listen. Back to the hostel and off to bed!

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