Tuesday Sept. 7: On to Florence

At 8:30 in the morning we said goodbye to Venice’s Hotel Serenissima, walked to the boat dock, and took a "water bus" back to our tour bus--the kind with wheels.  Back in the land of solid roads, we headed south to Florence.

We arrived at the Hotel Accademia in Florence at about 2pm.



The Hotel Accademia is on this charming little street, located in the distance
on the left where you can see a little island of potted plants under a white awning.



At 3:30 we met for a walking orientation tour, unofficially led by our Rick Steves tour guide, Daniela.  It was unofficially led by Daniela, because apparently Florence has a rule that local guides must lead the tours.  So we had a local guide who just pretty much silently followed us around to make things official while Daniela conducted the tour.

This was our first experience with earphones and wireless receivers.  We would see variations of these gadgets several more times in the next 2 weeks.  It was nice to be able to hear our guide talking without any trouble or without her having to shout.  We could just follow along, even lag behind a bit if we wanted to, and not miss any information.

Outdoor market (mmm, could smell
the leather goods!)

Basilica of San Lorenzo, with Medici Chapel behind.

 Soon after that we turned a corner, and—wow!  We were standing in the Piazza del Duomo, getting our first look at the beautiful Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, the Battistero di San Giovanni (Baptistery of St. John) and the Campanile (Bell Tower) di Giotto.  That first glimpse was breathtaking, and honestly, during the next day and a half we spent wandering in Florence, every time we walked into that Piazza it had the same effect on me.

Our first view!  Wow!  Baptistery in foreground, Duomo behind.



The Duomo and the Bell Tower



The golden Baptistery doors.



Then we walked south to the Piazza Della Signoria, where we saw the Loggia dei Lanzi, also called the Loggia della Signoria (picture below), which dates from the 14th century.  This is where we would meet the following afternoon to visit the Uffizi Gallery, which is located behind the Loggia.  (We just walked past the Loggia on this day, and I decided I wanted to take time on Wednesday to get a good look at the statues.  But rain and time constraints prevented that, so if I ever get back to Florence….)

From there we headed north again…

 

To the left, more aromatic leather goods.



Nice replica--in chalk—on the street.

We passed through the Piazza Della Repubblica…

…back past the beautiful Duomo  and Baptistry.
  

Tourists hanging out on the Duomo steps.



Then we continued north to the Galleria d’Accademia, where Michelangelo’s David lives.

We went inside to visit David, which was a real pleasure.  Something about that sculpture is kind of mesmerizing—and I mean other than his physique!  I think it’s his face.  Is the moment captured here before he slew Goliath, or after?  Is he focusing on his strategy, or is he surveying the result?  We weren’t allowed to take pictures, but I found this good one online.

Here also are Michelangelo’s unfinished slaves.  I was also really taken with these.  It was fascinating to see his work in progress because you can see how he was gradually liberating these figures from their blocks of marble, and also the sculptures took on extra meaning because the figures seemed to be suffering in their struggle to be liberated.  Again, no pictures allowed, but I found some online.





After our visit with David and the Slaves, it was time for a rest at the hotel before our group dinner at a nearby restaurant (unfortunately I forgot the name) owned by members of the family who also owned our hotel.  Great food, great conversation, great dessert cart!  Some people (one whose name is Tom) had two desserts….

A good way to end the day!