First full day in Florence and I already love it more than Rome! Don't get me wrong, Rome was amazing and there was so much to see...but it was SO crowded. Florence is a bustling city and still sees a lot of tourists but it feels more authentic and even cleaner, more honest, if you will. This is all personal opinion but I could see myself returning to Florence several times whereas I would go back to Rome fewer times, if given a choice between the two.

We spent the morning in the Uffizi Gallery seeing more art (huh...weird). I wasn't allowed to take pictures but we saw several big name pieces: Botticelli's Birth of Venus and Primavera, Gentileschi's Judith Slaying Holofernes, and Raphael's Madonna and Child with John the Baptist. It was pretty great stuff!

And then, after a short lunch break during which I learned that I do NOT like prosciutto, we met to see the Gates of Paradise. Those are simply astounding. They are relief sculptures in gold that illustrate stories from the Old and New Testament stories. The doors adore the baptistery that is across from the Cathedral of San Maria, which is famous for dome on top.

We then hiked over to the Academy to see Michelangelo's David. That. Was. Amazing. I was geeking out because my presentation in ARTHC 300 had been on this piece. It was thrilling to see it in person and know so much about it. As with almost everything on this trip, it was even larger than I thought it would be. He is massive! I was really tempted to buy a postcard that is just of his rear because I thought it was hilarious but wasn't willing to fork out a euro for it. But...I may go back...I still have time :P

We visited one more museum: Museo dell'Opera del Duomo. We saw Michelangelo's unfinished Florentine Pieta and Donatello's Mary Magdalen. They were cool to see but weren't necessarily life-changing in anyway. Actually...I could probably talk about both for a good long while but that is because I am an art history major...I would imagine others would not have found it as enlightening, hah!

Free time was spent climbing to the top of the bell tower and taking in the fantastic view of all of Florence spread out below. Loved it! Mehlanie and I then explored the other side of the river, where we happened upon a stationary shop with a live demonstration of how decorative papers are painted. It was fascinating and the finished product was beautiful! I was tempted to buy some but it was pretty pricey (being handmade and all) and I have no idea how I would have got it back to the states intact. We also found a good marketplace where we bought some snacks to tide is over for the next few days. It is nice to have fruit on hand! Yeeeeeees!

The rest of the evening was spent relaxing in the hotel and catching-up on my journal for class. It had started to rain towards the end of the day and I have enjoyed sitting in bed writing with the window open, listening to the rain and feeling the cool breeze.

What a romantic ending to a good day in Italy!