Sara and Emma got up early and went for a run along the river. It was a beautiful morning in Tuscany, and they certainly won out. Mike got breakfast going because his right leg was still swollen with 3+ pitting edema. Fortunately, he brought his compression socks and was able to wear those to help. After breakfast, we went to the Academia to see the famous Statue of David and marvel at the hordes of people. Mike had purchased tickets ahead of time and thank goodness because it was a zoo of humanity. But it was worth it. The Statue of David is truly remarkable. The detail, the pose, the beauty is quite striking. It’s fascinating that Michelangelo was able to create that out of the stone. One of the impressive things is that there are some unfinished or partially started statues in the gallery which allow you to see the process of creating from marble. It’s hard to believe it was possible. At seventeen feet tall, it truly is a masterpiece to behold. The rest of the gallery was not as impressive overall. Must stink to be a super talented artist and then have your stuff displayed in the same place as the most famous statue of all time. We did enjoy the hall of instruments which had a Hurdy-gurdy which is the wonkiest instrument ever created. It was definitely worth a gander.
From there, we wondered back across the Old Bridge and got lunch to eat in Boboli gardens. We were hoping for a Versailles experience, but Boboli is no Versailles. In fact, it’s not that great overall. It was a nice place to eat lunch and there were some nice views over Florence, but it was a bit underwhelming. The city parks in Florence were better overall. We walked back across the old bridge and saw the missionaries (turns out it was the entire Florence Zone). We grabbed a quick picture for Peter, and they carried on their way. Mike went off to get the rental car and the rest of the clan went back to the tasty gelato store and then back to the apartment to get packed up. There was no reason to stay in that mold swamp. Plus, we had seen the highlights of Florence and there was no need to stay there with all the tourists. It was a bit overwhelming.
Mike got to enjoy listening to an Italian/Belgium duo talk to the rental car lady for 20 minutes. It would have been annoying, but it was so animated and exciting. It reminded Mike of a Seinfeld sketch. They were in a hurry, but wanted to make sure they had time for an espresso before they actually got their car. They were in a hurry, but not enough of a hurry that there wasn’t time for an espresso. Mike eventually got the Volkswagen and then began the journey to the apartment. The apartment was in the special zone, so he couldn’t drive back to the apartment, so he parked by the river and then walked back to help get all the bags. It was a bit of an undertaking, but at least all the bags fit in the car and then we were off to La Spezia.
The weather was a bit rainy, but we were able to navigate the toll roads, all the trucks, and little cars everywhere. Driving in Florence was a nightmare of possible disasters, but the highways were much better.
We arrived in La Spezia and stopped at the grocery store to get milk, granola, and some cheese, grapes, and crackers. Then it was off to our apartment and the mystery parking lot which we successfully navigated. The lady couldn’t meet us, so she sent her dad, Pino. Pino was the highlight of the day. He was this cute little old Italian man that didn’t speak any English. Mike got to bust out his Italian and they hit it off. Pino helped with the luggage, showed us around the apartment, recommended a trattoria for dinner, and off he went. The apartment was wonderful. Modern, clean, and best of all, no stinky smell. It was a blessing. Plus, we didn’t have to drive back to Florence except to drop off the car. Phew! We unloaded our stuff, and then headed to the trattoria for dinner. The food was delightful, the rain just fine. It was a wonderful conclusion to our evening. We went back, took long hot showers, and slept wonderfully in clean, nice, comfy beds. Grazie Mille!
From there, we wondered back across the Old Bridge and got lunch to eat in Boboli gardens. We were hoping for a Versailles experience, but Boboli is no Versailles. In fact, it’s not that great overall. It was a nice place to eat lunch and there were some nice views over Florence, but it was a bit underwhelming. The city parks in Florence were better overall. We walked back across the old bridge and saw the missionaries (turns out it was the entire Florence Zone). We grabbed a quick picture for Peter, and they carried on their way. Mike went off to get the rental car and the rest of the clan went back to the tasty gelato store and then back to the apartment to get packed up. There was no reason to stay in that mold swamp. Plus, we had seen the highlights of Florence and there was no need to stay there with all the tourists. It was a bit overwhelming.
Mike got to enjoy listening to an Italian/Belgium duo talk to the rental car lady for 20 minutes. It would have been annoying, but it was so animated and exciting. It reminded Mike of a Seinfeld sketch. They were in a hurry, but wanted to make sure they had time for an espresso before they actually got their car. They were in a hurry, but not enough of a hurry that there wasn’t time for an espresso. Mike eventually got the Volkswagen and then began the journey to the apartment. The apartment was in the special zone, so he couldn’t drive back to the apartment, so he parked by the river and then walked back to help get all the bags. It was a bit of an undertaking, but at least all the bags fit in the car and then we were off to La Spezia.
The weather was a bit rainy, but we were able to navigate the toll roads, all the trucks, and little cars everywhere. Driving in Florence was a nightmare of possible disasters, but the highways were much better.
We arrived in La Spezia and stopped at the grocery store to get milk, granola, and some cheese, grapes, and crackers. Then it was off to our apartment and the mystery parking lot which we successfully navigated. The lady couldn’t meet us, so she sent her dad, Pino. Pino was the highlight of the day. He was this cute little old Italian man that didn’t speak any English. Mike got to bust out his Italian and they hit it off. Pino helped with the luggage, showed us around the apartment, recommended a trattoria for dinner, and off he went. The apartment was wonderful. Modern, clean, and best of all, no stinky smell. It was a blessing. Plus, we didn’t have to drive back to Florence except to drop off the car. Phew! We unloaded our stuff, and then headed to the trattoria for dinner. The food was delightful, the rain just fine. It was a wonderful conclusion to our evening. We went back, took long hot showers, and slept wonderfully in clean, nice, comfy beds. Grazie Mille!
Florence
The Galleria dell'ACCADEMIA
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The Boboli Gardens
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Downtown Florence
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Dinner in La Spezia
