This is going to be a run through of my weekend shenanigans in Florence. Thursday we left Perugia after class and got on the train to Florence. When we arrived we walked to our hotel. We got a little turned around with our directions so two girls from our group went on ahead to look for it. On their way they had the best of luck. They saw Jwow and Deena from Jersey Shore...they were so excited! We got settled in our hotel finally and then went to find dinner. We had Chinese food. It was different. I had plain rice (that was sticky!) and cashew chicken. The chicken kind of tasted like plastic. But it was an interesting experience none the less. We went back to the hotel and tried to go sleep. In Italy it is pretty common that living spaces don't have air conditioning because the windows are always open and the walls are thick that they keep things cool. Well, our hotel room was burning hot and with four girls sleeping there is was impossible to shut the windows. That probably wasn’t the best idea because our windows faced the main street and the people of Florence decided to have construction projects at two in the morning.
Friday, we got up early, after having gotten the worst night’s sleep. Tara was the only one who can sleep through anything so the other three of us woke up tired and cranky. But it was Whitney's 21st birthday so we knew things had to turn around. We started the day at the Bargello Museum where we saw Donatello's David and other works by Ghiberti and Brunelleschi (we weren't allowed to take pictures). Our tour guide was an art history scholar so it was interesting to hear all she knew, however because of my lack of sleep, I was becoming annoyed at how long winded she was. Then it was off to the Uffizi Gallery where we saw more art by Giotto, Botticelli, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael, etc. I got to see the “Birth of Venus” in the flesh. I made a really happy squeal when I walked in the room where it was displayed. After lunch (ricotta cheese and lettuce Panini) and wandering around we went to Brancacci Chapel where most of us fell asleep during the video. This is where Masaccio’s “The expulsion from the Garden of Eden” and “The temptation” are. These are some of the most emotional pieces I’ve seen. After our tour, we finished the day at the Santa Maria Novella and saw more works by Giotto and Brunelleschi. After our long day of walking around we went back to the hotel to take a nap before going out for Whitney's birthday dinner. We ate a nice dinner and then went out on the town. We found a club where we could dance. It was so much fun. Six of us girls just dancing like crazy together! The DJ did not play a single song that was released after 2005. But it was awesome because it was a blast from the past and we knew all of the words. We slept much better that night after finding the air conditioning and closing the windows.
Saturday, we got up early again to race over to the Accademia Gallery to see the long awaited Michelangelo's David. We had talked about it and seen pictures in class early that week but to actually see it in person was absolutely amazing! It was surreal to see it in person. It is so large! The museum has installed sensors on the leg because it is starting to crack under the weight. Also we noticed that there were letters carved into his calf. I think they were M.L. I need to look into the meaning of that. Too bad we couldn't take pictures of that beautiful sculpture. Our group then went over to the Medici Chapel. There was a church that has the tombs of 6 of the Medici family members. It was really ornate. After that we had lunch and then went into the Duomo and its Cathedral Museum. It was a bit disappointing because we were supposed to see the original gates of paradise but they were being restored. We ended the day with the San Marco and then dinner. That night we went out and met Whitney’s neighbor who is in the army. He has been stationed in Italy for 2 years. I am constantly amazed at how small the world is.
Sunday we checked out of the hotel and then went over to the Galileo Science Museum. It was fascinating. I enjoyed seeing all the different celestial and terrestrial globes that they had. I decided that when I am older and have the money to purchase superfluous things I want a gyroscope and a pocket watch. The museum provided a lot of interesting artifacts and gadgets that they used. There was a lot of stuff to learn! Then we had free time for the rest of the day before the train home. So me and some girls walked around the market for a while and then went to lunch at the pizzeria where we were informed that the Jersey Shore cast works. The pizza was cooked in a brick oven and it was delicious. We got on the train shortly after that. It started to hail and the train went sideways at one point and stopped. It was really scary. I kept saying that the dementors were going to get on the train and suck our souls out. And that, dear reader is Florence in a nut shell.
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