Tuesday February 25
2020
2020
Florence Italy
I sure don’t
understand this sleep thing. I am dead beat at the end of the day. My
feet and calves are sore from walking. I stay up to a reasonable
adult bedtime and still can’t sleep past 3am. Oh, well I’m
functioning, maybe not at peak efficiency but enough I suppose.
understand this sleep thing. I am dead beat at the end of the day. My
feet and calves are sore from walking. I stay up to a reasonable
adult bedtime and still can’t sleep past 3am. Oh, well I’m
functioning, maybe not at peak efficiency but enough I suppose.
Today was a tour
day. I had signed up for a nice 3 hour tour of Michelangelo’s David
and a walk around town. There was another option of a 6 hour tour
that included the Ufizzi Gallery, a magnificent art gallery donated
to the city by the Medici family. They were the Jeff Bezos of their
time. Started out in cloth (not books) and moved into money (not
everything). They bought art like some women buy shoes. I have to
admit, it would be nice to see some of this stuff, but I missed art
appreciation day in 6th grade. Oh, I can look at the
Masters, but I ain’t no connoisseur of art. I thought seeing David
was about all I really needed. Besides, six straight hours on m feet
again? No thank you Sir, I do not want another one! Three hours will
be just fine.
day. I had signed up for a nice 3 hour tour of Michelangelo’s David
and a walk around town. There was another option of a 6 hour tour
that included the Ufizzi Gallery, a magnificent art gallery donated
to the city by the Medici family. They were the Jeff Bezos of their
time. Started out in cloth (not books) and moved into money (not
everything). They bought art like some women buy shoes. I have to
admit, it would be nice to see some of this stuff, but I missed art
appreciation day in 6th grade. Oh, I can look at the
Masters, but I ain’t no connoisseur of art. I thought seeing David
was about all I really needed. Besides, six straight hours on m feet
again? No thank you Sir, I do not want another one! Three hours will
be just fine.
Breakfast was
included in the cost of the room, so I grabbed a cup of coffee, and
some scrambled eggs before heading out for a ten or fifteen minute
walk to the meeting area. Check in went smoothly, there were only 7
of us in the group, all North Americans and Jessica the guide. This
was the same tour company I had used in Rome for the Colosseum and
the Sistine Chapel. One of the guides was outstanding and the other
was in it for the job. I was hoping Jessica was one of the former and
not one of the latter. She and the tour wrangler outlined what we
were doing today. See David, walk around, break for lunch and we all
meet back at 1245 to go to the Ufizzi. ALL? Not what I signed up for,
but if it’s in the cards, I’ll take it. I don’t know the 6 hour
tour was broken up and a six hour forced March of the arts. Since it
was the wrangler who said that and not the guide I figured – Their
loss, my gain. I like to think of myself as a reasonable honest
person, I guess I’m not.
included in the cost of the room, so I grabbed a cup of coffee, and
some scrambled eggs before heading out for a ten or fifteen minute
walk to the meeting area. Check in went smoothly, there were only 7
of us in the group, all North Americans and Jessica the guide. This
was the same tour company I had used in Rome for the Colosseum and
the Sistine Chapel. One of the guides was outstanding and the other
was in it for the job. I was hoping Jessica was one of the former and
not one of the latter. She and the tour wrangler outlined what we
were doing today. See David, walk around, break for lunch and we all
meet back at 1245 to go to the Ufizzi. ALL? Not what I signed up for,
but if it’s in the cards, I’ll take it. I don’t know the 6 hour
tour was broken up and a six hour forced March of the arts. Since it
was the wrangler who said that and not the guide I figured – Their
loss, my gain. I like to think of myself as a reasonable honest
person, I guess I’m not.
Get your ticket,
disrobe, x-ray our stuff and magnetize your body before you can get
in. Jessica walked us and talked us though a bunch of lesser know
sculptors and a few unfinished Michelangelo sculptures. The all
recognizable as works in progress. We’ve all heard his saying “I
see what I want in the marble and it is my job to release it”.
These four unfinished are referred to as ‘The Prisoners’ because
they are still locked in the marble.
disrobe, x-ray our stuff and magnetize your body before you can get
in. Jessica walked us and talked us though a bunch of lesser know
sculptors and a few unfinished Michelangelo sculptures. The all
recognizable as works in progress. We’ve all heard his saying “I
see what I want in the marble and it is my job to release it”.
These four unfinished are referred to as ‘The Prisoners’ because
they are still locked in the marble.
Through a doorway
and there was David. What a breath taking piece of old rock. Huge
too. Jessica explained why this was different than all the other
Davids. All the ones before depicted after Goliath was given a
terminal headache. This one is set just before the meeting. Both
sizing the other guy up. One hand the rock and over his shoulder the
sling. How from one angle he looks like an adult and a different
angle a barely pubescent boy. And I’m not talking about what you
think I am talking about, you dirty minded thing. I like to think, it
was cold on the field of battle that day. No she was talking about
his face when looking at it face on. She explained and really brought
to life this statue. Then we went looking as some more art and then
back on the mean streets of Florence.
and there was David. What a breath taking piece of old rock. Huge
too. Jessica explained why this was different than all the other
Davids. All the ones before depicted after Goliath was given a
terminal headache. This one is set just before the meeting. Both
sizing the other guy up. One hand the rock and over his shoulder the
sling. How from one angle he looks like an adult and a different
angle a barely pubescent boy. And I’m not talking about what you
think I am talking about, you dirty minded thing. I like to think, it
was cold on the field of battle that day. No she was talking about
his face when looking at it face on. She explained and really brought
to life this statue. Then we went looking as some more art and then
back on the mean streets of Florence.
Past plazas that had
significance, past buildings that were also significant and churches
that were big or worth a mention. We looked at the outside of the big
domed church that is one of the symbols of Florence. Went into a
small church dedicated t lovers, where it had the most interesting
votive offering holder. And back to the Ponte Vechio. Where we were
set free to reassemble at quarter to one.
significance, past buildings that were also significant and churches
that were big or worth a mention. We looked at the outside of the big
domed church that is one of the symbols of Florence. Went into a
small church dedicated t lovers, where it had the most interesting
votive offering holder. And back to the Ponte Vechio. Where we were
set free to reassemble at quarter to one.
I went in search of
an ice cream shop she recommended. I had to do one stop along the way
to get my directions cleared up. I was about to push on the door and
then noticed they didn’t open until 12 and it was 1130. Time to
kill. More people watching and then back at 5 til I was there, now
behind two people. Shortly the church bells rang and the area
shuddered and it was noon! Then noon 5. The man in front of me pulled
out his phone and typed. Then he said “They are closed on Tuesday”.
an ice cream shop she recommended. I had to do one stop along the way
to get my directions cleared up. I was about to push on the door and
then noticed they didn’t open until 12 and it was 1130. Time to
kill. More people watching and then back at 5 til I was there, now
behind two people. Shortly the church bells rang and the area
shuddered and it was noon! Then noon 5. The man in front of me pulled
out his phone and typed. Then he said “They are closed on Tuesday”.
Besides thatdisappointment my feet were sore. I found a place to sit down in a
restaurant and bought an overpriced sandwich and bottle of water, the
rest and wait to rejoin the group.
I saw Jessica andthe wrangler talking and then start checking their list to see who is
naughty and nice. The wrangler came up to me and said she just
assumed all of us were in the same group all day and I wasn’t on
the list. I asked if I could pay the difference and continue on. No,
way. The Company had only so many tickets. – Okay, I understand. – If
you want to bu our own ticket into the gallery. Jessica says you can
stay with the group, but I can’t give you a headset. – How could I
complain about that? – Oh, wait, we have an extra headset you can
use. Just don’t mention this to the company. – I know how to keep a
secret. The price difference was $60 more. All I had to put out was
12 Euros to get in! Thank you Wrangler lady !
The Ufizzi Gallery
was great. We hit the high points, but it is so large that you could
easily spend the entire day and see everything. Leonardo, Raphael and
Michelangelo paintings. A short class on evolution of painting from
medieval to Renaissance. A couple Botticelli paintings that I
recognized. I certainly got my 12 Euros worth. At the end I slipped
Jessica a 20 and she seems satisfied and I was thrilled.
was great. We hit the high points, but it is so large that you could
easily spend the entire day and see everything. Leonardo, Raphael and
Michelangelo paintings. A short class on evolution of painting from
medieval to Renaissance. A couple Botticelli paintings that I
recognized. I certainly got my 12 Euros worth. At the end I slipped
Jessica a 20 and she seems satisfied and I was thrilled.
I did get that ice
cream on the way back to the hotel, but not from the ‘best’ one.
