Next stop Rome!
It is day four of our thirteen day cruise of the Mediterranean. So far we have had stops In Nice, France, and Florence. Nice was a tendered port which requires the ability to traverse stairs to board the small boat that takes everyone to the dock which I cannot do any longer. So while everyone was in town I took some of our room credit and got a manicure, beard trim and a deep cleansing shave with hot towels and all. My neck feels like a babies butt! Then I met up with my mother in law, Marie, for lunch and to explore the ship. So, yeah, that was my Nice experience. A beautiful view from the ship with amazing villas and one hundred fifty foot yachts. It was like watching it on television. No sense of having been there. But I always knew I wouldn't be getting off here.
The next day was Florence. My first chance to get off of the ship. At 8am Marzia , our guide for Florence, picked us up in a wheelchair accessible van. I booked her to get us to L'Academia, the museum where Michaelangelo's statue of David is located. When we made it to the museum I went through every other exhibit first just to torture myself. I was worried that seeing the statue would be a let down since I had built the moment up. But, as soon as I went into the room where the it was, I looked right at the David and lost my breath momentarily. I had goose bumps all over and I am sure that my mouth was wide open. I wheeled right up to the front, just sat there and stared for I have no idea how long. It was similar to the feelings that I experienced with Big Ben in London. Only far stronger! After seeing the David I had no more expectations for Florence other than eating and having a cup of coffee. That was the best coffee I had ever had! We did visit other places but David and the coffee are all I can remember. Someone did try to pick my son's back pocket (fortunately he had everything in his money belt).
After lunch we were due to get back to the ship, but Marzia took us to a seven hundred year old farm/winery in the Chianti region of Tuscany. It was a very beautiful and quaint place. We went on the tour and then had a wine, olive oil, ham and salami tasting (Yes, my fourteen year old did the wine tasting also). All made from animals and plants raised right there on the farm. It was amazing!
My thoughts on Florence? An amazing (I believe I will be using this word a lot on this trip) skyline and artwork. Seeing the David is a lifelong dream come true. Tuscany was every bit as beautiful as I thought it would be. People use the term 'bucket list' for this type of trip, but I don't see it that way. I would call it living life the way it should be, experiencing the moment with all of your senses.
Next stop Rome!
1 Comment
Jeff Yamada
6/13/2013 04:40:21 am
I felt exactly the same about David in Florence, but I also remember the coffee blowing my socks off. When you wrote that, I could taste it, I could smell it. Coffee anywhere else has never been the same, to me, as coffee in Florence.
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