Day 16, May 10th: Davids & Goliath
Location
Firenze & Siena, Italy
Summary
David in all his glory and Siena's Il Campo in all its glory
Highlight
David in the tribune
Lowlight
Worrying about Thai roommate not making it to the hostel before curfew
Accommodations
Nice cot in 3-bed room in youth hostel
Word du jour
fermata ~ bus stop
Porter Ass**** Meter (PAM)
0
Today was much better than the day before.
Because of the early wake-up call of the day before and the overall bad mood, we honestly contemplated skipping out on David in the Accademia. We ended up deciding that we would wake up whenever, line up there for a while, and see how it goes. We ended up waking up at 8 and lined up by 9. At 11 we were inside. I was surprised by how patient I was. While Porter had a book to keep him company, I, not wanting to read, just stood there quietly contemplating my surroundings for two hours.
The line-up snakes by the wall of the actual museum. On a section of that wall, people signed their names and wrote comments of one sort or another. There were signatures from 2001. While we stood there the day before, I scribbled "Ben Hates David, May 2006". Today, I distinctly remember two girls behind us pointing and laughing at that comment. A job well done!
All I remember from the museum, despite the fact that there were some very nice sculptures, was David. As you turn the corner, you can see him, below this domed ceiling, with sunlight reflecting off of him. He's a sight to behold. He overwhelms you because of his sheer size and the unbelievable detail with which Michelangelo sculpted him.
After Accademia, we returned to the B&B, picked up our belongings, and bid adieu to Firenze. Now, in our anger, we decided to steal one of the B&B owner's tour books. In it, as well as in my Let's Go guide, there was a blurb about a rival city of Firenze's named Siena. Siena is to Firenze what David is to Goliath, if you will. We decided to spend the evening in Siena. Supposedly. it has a square that is considered by some to be Italy's finest.
Memorable Moment: While waiting for the Siena-bound train, we ate lunch behind the train station on a small patch of grass. While eating, I read through the book we had stolen from the B&B. It was Rick Steves' "Europe Through the Backdoor". In one passage, he warns that the most pickpockets in Italy can be found in Rome's Termini train station and outside Firenze's, exactly where we were seated!!! A few minutes later, about six carabinieri ( Italian police officers ) started asking everyone around us for documentation. They spared us.
Upon our arrival in Siena, we met two cute British girls while waiting for the bus to the youth hostel. For those who've seen The Odd Couple with Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau, they reminded me of the neighbors of Walter's character. They were cute and funny. Bridget and Emma were their names. We promised them we'd teach them Euchre but didn't see them again that evening.
Before leaving for Il Campo, Siena's famous square, we met our roommate Tui, a medical student from Thailand. The three of us explored the city. I really enjoyed coming up on Il Campo. We took these stairs which slowly led us to the square. It was gigantic, all paved in red brick, surrounded by old orange buildings and cafes, and dominated by a tower. To top it off, an American gospel choir was singing onstage. It was a jaw-dropping moment.
After touring Siena some more, we tried diplomatically and undiplomatically to part from Tui because we wanted to eat but he did not. After we succeeded, Porter started to refer to him as Chui and proceeded to emit Chubaka noises whenever his name was mentioned.
After dinner, we walked some more before heading to catch a bus to the hostel which had a midnight curfew. The bus we needed did not arrive until around 10 and it was the last bus. Until that point, we slowly got more and more worried about missing curfew. Once we did arrive on time at around 11, we noticed that Tui was not there yet. I started to worry for him. We had left him all alone and now he was going to spend the night outside!!! Luckily, Tui returned with 15 minutes to spare and it was time for bed.
Firenze Impressions: Firenze is beautiful, that's for sure. However, I was not in the mood to enjoy it as much as I could have. I was also suffering from Museum Sickness so that didn't help matters. However, I did enjoy the food, the gelato, David, and the Piazza della Repubblica.
Siena Impressions: We barely spent time in Siena but it left an indelible impression. I loved Il Campo and the many alleys around it. Siena was a great way to end our Travel Blues.
Today was much better than the day before.
Because of the early wake-up call of the day before and the overall bad mood, we honestly contemplated skipping out on David in the Accademia. We ended up deciding that we would wake up whenever, line up there for a while, and see how it goes. We ended up waking up at 8 and lined up by 9. At 11 we were inside. I was surprised by how patient I was. While Porter had a book to keep him company, I, not wanting to read, just stood there quietly contemplating my surroundings for two hours.
The line-up snakes by the wall of the actual museum. On a section of that wall, people signed their names and wrote comments of one sort or another. There were signatures from 2001. While we stood there the day before, I scribbled "Ben Hates David, May 2006". Today, I distinctly remember two girls behind us pointing and laughing at that comment. A job well done!
All I remember from the museum, despite the fact that there were some very nice sculptures, was David. As you turn the corner, you can see him, below this domed ceiling, with sunlight reflecting off of him. He's a sight to behold. He overwhelms you because of his sheer size and the unbelievable detail with which Michelangelo sculpted him.
After Accademia, we returned to the B&B, picked up our belongings, and bid adieu to Firenze. Now, in our anger, we decided to steal one of the B&B owner's tour books. In it, as well as in my Let's Go guide, there was a blurb about a rival city of Firenze's named Siena. Siena is to Firenze what David is to Goliath, if you will. We decided to spend the evening in Siena. Supposedly. it has a square that is considered by some to be Italy's finest.
Memorable Moment: While waiting for the Siena-bound train, we ate lunch behind the train station on a small patch of grass. While eating, I read through the book we had stolen from the B&B. It was Rick Steves' "Europe Through the Backdoor". In one passage, he warns that the most pickpockets in Italy can be found in Rome's Termini train station and outside Firenze's, exactly where we were seated!!! A few minutes later, about six carabinieri ( Italian police officers ) started asking everyone around us for documentation. They spared us.
Upon our arrival in Siena, we met two cute British girls while waiting for the bus to the youth hostel. For those who've seen The Odd Couple with Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau, they reminded me of the neighbors of Walter's character. They were cute and funny. Bridget and Emma were their names. We promised them we'd teach them Euchre but didn't see them again that evening.
Before leaving for Il Campo, Siena's famous square, we met our roommate Tui, a medical student from Thailand. The three of us explored the city. I really enjoyed coming up on Il Campo. We took these stairs which slowly led us to the square. It was gigantic, all paved in red brick, surrounded by old orange buildings and cafes, and dominated by a tower. To top it off, an American gospel choir was singing onstage. It was a jaw-dropping moment.
After touring Siena some more, we tried diplomatically and undiplomatically to part from Tui because we wanted to eat but he did not. After we succeeded, Porter started to refer to him as Chui and proceeded to emit Chubaka noises whenever his name was mentioned.
After dinner, we walked some more before heading to catch a bus to the hostel which had a midnight curfew. The bus we needed did not arrive until around 10 and it was the last bus. Until that point, we slowly got more and more worried about missing curfew. Once we did arrive on time at around 11, we noticed that Tui was not there yet. I started to worry for him. We had left him all alone and now he was going to spend the night outside!!! Luckily, Tui returned with 15 minutes to spare and it was time for bed.
Firenze Impressions: Firenze is beautiful, that's for sure. However, I was not in the mood to enjoy it as much as I could have. I was also suffering from Museum Sickness so that didn't help matters. However, I did enjoy the food, the gelato, David, and the Piazza della Repubblica.
Siena Impressions: We barely spent time in Siena but it left an indelible impression. I loved Il Campo and the many alleys around it. Siena was a great way to end our Travel Blues.