Day 57 Full Day in Florence

Before we get to the day…let’s discuss the night before!  We had a miserable night!  First of all, we did not have heat!  We could not figure out how to turn it on!  We tried calling for help, but got no answer!  It was a cold night!  One other fun issue was that the street we were on was noisy…it was not a main street…but there was a bar a couple of buildings down from us…that had loud music and customers until about 4 a.m.   Since we were in an old building…and maybe because there was not a lot of insulation…we could hear it all!  Next we tried to get on the internet…nope there was none to be had!  There was supposed to be internet, we always make sure of that because Russ need’s it for his business, I need it for Reid’s school work and for my blogging, and we need it to be able to call our family!

After a cold, loud, night with little sleep, the topper was when I went to take a shower…and there was mold all over the shower!  Several unanswered calls later, we decided to suck it up and head out for the day!  Luckily we got out early, because the city was a bit busy…why you ask?  Because the Florence marathon was today!  Yes, through the old city, ending at the duomo!  Today we were headed to see the David at the Academia!  I also wanted to go to the Uffizi gallery!  So we wound our way through the city!  Luckily, none of the streets had been blocked off yet, but they were getting ready to!

We made it to the Academia and just walked right in!  We decided to see the David first, before the place got too crowded!  As we made our way to see him, I kind of already knew what to expect…or so I thought.  When we turned the corner, into the gallery where he stood, I was actually taken aback!  I had no idea how LARGE the David is!  He is HUGE!  And yes, I have to say…he did not disappoint!  I really found the statue so beautiful, so graceful, so impressive…I do not know a lot about art, nor do I pretend to…but I know when something strikes a cord within me…and this statue did!  It was incredible!  After seeing the David, we walked around the museum and saw lots and lots of incredible artwork.  Of course, Reid is at an age where he is really bothered seeing “private parts”  and was completely grossed out half the time!  I told him to go sit on the bench if her couldn’t handle it.  I do have to laugh to myself thinking that the nude female body will no longer hold much mystery to him when he becomes a teenager!

After looking through the museum for a few hours (they had some really cool exhibits…one on instruments that was really interesting)…yes I could have stayed all day….but I have to balance that with the wishes of my boys…they can only handle so much!  So out we went!  When we got out, the marathon was just beginning and we got to watch the T.V. cameras and motorcycle escorts for the front runners head right past us on the street.  We wanted to go to the cathedral…and guess where the finish line was for the race???  You guessed it!  The Cathedral!!  We actually found a little cafe by the finish line to have a coffee and watch the front runners finish the race!  It was pretty cool!  Then, we crossed the street, through the race course, onto the cathedral steps, when we realized that the cathedral did not open for about an hour.  We cheered on runners for a bit, and then decided to see if the bell tower was open to climb up.  We were in luck, it was open! It was 414 steps up to the top of the tower!  It was quite a climb, but the view was worth it!  You could see the city in all directions, and it was incredible!  The added bonus too, was that the marathon was going on all around the city, and we could see the runners all through the streets…like little ants parading around a little medieval map!  It was a pretty cool sight!!

As we headed back down, we decided it was time to get some lunch!  We walked and walked and walked…our own little Florence marathon…until we found a little cafe that was along the finish line of the race!  Complete with runners that had already finished…we had a great lunch while watching the brave competitors finishing the race!  A magical lunch!  It was about this time that I realized I was not going to get my boys any where near a museum!  I REALLY wanted to go to the Uffizi gallery, but alas I will have to save that for my next visit to Florence!  We did walk all over though…the Ponte Vecchio, lots of shops, markets, piazzas…we stayed out well into the evening…the whole city was lit up and decorated for Christmas…just fantastic!!! After walking all around the city…we finished our night with a gellato!  When we got back to our apartment, we were greeted by the man taking care of the apartment, who let us know how to work the heat, confirmed that the last person to stay had taken his hotspot for the internet, and that he would refund our cleaning deposit due to the mold.  At least our last night in Florence would be warm!

I have to say that we did not get to spend nearly enough time in this incredible city…