Day 11 - Florence
We awoke to rainy, blustery weather; it was a perfect day to visit
museums.  We
meandered around the winding streets of Florence to find a public
parking garage. 
Our first point of interest was the Museum Academia to visit the famous
David, Michelangelo's gorgeous sculpture.  It was amazing to realize
that he had sculpted this seventeen-foot work at the young age of 26.
 We were in awe of the detail in the toes, hands, arms, veins, and
different facial expressions from every direction.  After seeing him,
we now understand why so many men try to achieve that six pack!

We had lunch at a small ristorante and had a bottle of Pinot Grigio,
special toasted bread with cheese and tomato, spaghetti carbonara,
penne pasta in a walnut and Gorgonzola cream sauce, tiramisu, a dessert
resembling a chocolate eclair, and cappuccinos. Because we were so
patient, our busy waiter poured us four limoncelos.  At a table next to
us sat a couple from Dallas, Texas. They were very pleasant and shared
some of their travel tales with us. 

We walked by the huge Palazzo Vecchio, the fortified "Old Palace" of
the rich Medici family.  This is where the original statue of David
stood.  We also admired the Gothic Duomo (a cathedral called Santa
Maria del Fiore).  It was built using white, green, and pink Tuscan
marble and was magnificent!

After lunch we made our way to the Uffizzi Gallery where Mary gave us a
history lesson on the works of Botticelli's paintings. A few other
artists there are Michelangelo,  Raphael, and Leonardo da Vinci.  The
museum itself is quite small, but it is claimed to be the greatest
collection of Italian art anywhere.  To be honest, there was so much to
see it was overwhelming.

We then walked to Ponte Vecchio Bridge, the most ancient and
photographed bridge in Florence.   Mary, Brenda and Beth looked at
way-too-expensive gold and silver jewelry shops, and Donna joined us
after taking some beautiful pictures from different vantage points on
the the bridge.

We had some difficulty tracing our way back to the parking garage.
 Thankfully, Donna had taken pictures along our route and she
remembered enough details to lead us back to our car before the evening
light had faded.  Vera (our GPS) was of little help, and we have now
determined not to rely on her for directions while walking.

We ended our day back at our B & B with a scrumptious light meal of
parmesan cheese, crackers, wine, fresh pears and strawberries, olives,
and nuts.  We laughed and laughed and laughed as we reminisced over
high school memories.