Florence, Italy
Greetings to all from a pretty chilly Italy. We are back on the sightseeing trail, and now we have some fellow travelers along with us. My parents decided to fly out and join us for a week. It�s been great so far to see them and share some of the sights and tastes of Florence.
This is such a wonderful town. Every time I come here, I fall in love all over again. The renaissance art is unparalleled, the architecture is amazing, and the food is stupendous. Colleen and I are particularly inclined toward the regional Chianti. All the surroundings overshadow the constant stream of Vespas flying down the roads.
We arrived Friday night and checked into our hotel. We were so tired and run down after the day-long trip from Cyprus that we couldn�t do much better than pizza for dinner. All we wanted to do was just fall into bed. After a quick (and delicious) dinner, we ran up to the hotel, turned off the lights, and crashed. I haven�t slept that well in months.
Saturday was a day to get things ready for my parents� arrival. We did laundry, switched hotels to the one my father had booked, and only had the time to go out and see one sight. We went to see the church of Santa Maria Novella, which is right by the train station and our hotel. Inside is Massachio�s �Holy Trinity,� the textbook example of the Renaissance�s rediscovery of perspective. Lining the walls are numerous paintings, all of which are overshadowed by the magnificent frescoes behind the altar.
Today was packed with activity. We started out this morning in the direction of the Accademia, the home of Michelangelo�s David. Now, throughout this trip, we have been pretty good about going straight for the sights and bypassing much of the shopping. But my mom and Colleen are dangerous together. In order to reach the Accademia, we had to run the gamut of street vendors selling scarves, leather, and various other goods. It took us over an hour to make it through two blocks. And when we were finished, we had to hit the ATM for a resupply.
Michelangelo�s David is always amazing to me. The detail and the size are astounding. I always find myself just staring dumbly, mouth agape, at the magnificence of the sculpture. It is a testament to humanism and the talent of Michelangelo. Colleen was feeling chills on the back of her neck. My parents were astounded.
Most of the rest of the day was spent walking around the city. My father and I climbed Giotto�s belltower, a total of 413 steps. The views from the top are only matched by the views from the top of the Duomo, the central church in Florence. We are saving that climb for tomorrow, I think.
So now we are back in the hotel taking a quick rest before we head out for dinner. The next few days should be eventful and exciting. I hope you enjoy the dispatches, so keep reading.
I have uploaded some photos from Cyprus. You can see them at http://photos.yahoo.com/psargent.
Take care,
Paul and Colleen
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