Do you know Florence?
Yes, that's a Silence of the Lambs reference. A bit morbid for vacation, but we were quoting it the whole time we were in Florence, because we're weird.
We headed out VERY early to catch our train to Florence- we had chosen a train that left at about 6:45, so we'd have plenty of time there. This meant leaving the hotel at the crack to take the Vaporetto back to Santa Lucia...and it also meant that we had some early-morning crankiness to deal with. But we got over it, woke up, and got on the train.
Once we arrived, around 9AM, we headed for the Mercato Centrale, a big outdoor market. We did a little shopping and bought neckties (silk neckties are a big thing in Florence, and inexpensive) for Tom, his dad, my dad, and Joey. Tom also picked up a new wallet (leather goods being the other key purchase in Florence). We stopped at a great little cafe for a snack and I had another mug of pudding hot chocolate, and we shared some mini ham and cheese sandwiches and some mini chocolate croissants.
We headed to the Uffizi Gallery, where we had an 11AM reservation (reservations are key for the Uffizi and the Accademia, where the David is). The Uffizi was full of amazing art, and the paintings that typically get the most attention there are both Botticelli- La Primavera and the Birth of Venus. I particularly liked La Primavera, but I passed on buying a poster of it because I didn't want to carry a tube around all day. (Note to self: must search online for Botticelli poster.)
Following our time at the Uffizi, we tried to track down a pizza place a friend of mine had recommended. We never found it, but we decided on a restaurant on the street where it was supposed to be. The place turned out to be one of the best meals of the trip. I had amazing potato soup, our pizzas were both excellent, and the olive oil...yum.
After lunch, we walked toward the church of Santa Maria del Fiore, which is most famous for its dome, typically just called "The Duomo".
There was a huge line to climb the stairs to the top, so we opted to climb Giotto's Tower instead. It's the bell tower of the church, and the admission price is the same (for slightly fewer steps!). We climbed the 414 steps and were treated to some cold wind and amazing views.
When we got back to ground level, we headed for Grom, a gelato place that was recommended in our trusty guidebook. They were big on in-season ingredients, so the fruit flavors available at this time of year were things like orange and pear. I had pear and milk chocolate and they were both amazing. Following that, we decided to check out the Ponte Vecchio. It's lined with jewelry shops- a friend of mine had suggested I could "drop a hint" there, but instead we just browsed. :)
We had a 4PM reservation at the Accademia, where we headed next. I wasn't sure what to expect with the David...it's one of those things you see in pictures so much, you're almost tired of it. But I have to say, it really is an amazing piece. Photos are not allowed, but we snuck one, of course:
It's seventeen feet tall and the detail is unreal. You really can look at it multiple times and not tire of it. One of my favorite things at the Accademia, however, was a huge poster-size photo in the entryway- it's a shot of people looking at the David. It's a really fun picture, with all these different expressions...the little kids are the funniest. They're all standing there slack-jawed and surprised-looking.
We wandered around for a bit after that, browsing in different shops and trying to decide on dinner. We finally ate at a cafeteria-type place, where we shared platters of tomato, prosciutto, and mozzarella and meat kebabs. We stepped across the street after that for a waffle slathered in chocolate sauce. Again I say, yum.
At the train station, we were waiting for our train and decided to pick up a deck of cards, since we'd forgotten ours. Oddly enough, the cards cost 6 euro (about 9 dollars) but a magnetic game set (chess, checkers, and backgammon) was only 2 euro. I learned to play chess on the way back to Venice...and I learned that I'm not all that good at it, even when Tom is letting me win.
We got back to Venice around 11PM and headed back to the hotel. We stopped at the desk to tell them what beverages we wanted with our breakfast, then headed upstairs for some much-needed rest.