Day 7 My "Breather" Day

By day 7, my stomach and head were done with buses, planes, trains, boats, and automobiles.  I had a migraine that was taking over my good time.  I had breakfast with everyone downstairs, but decided to stay back in Florence while everyone went to Siena for the day.  I saw things I wouldn't have gotten to see otherwise, so I'm thankful for my Casey Day (even though I high tailed it back to the hotel about 3 hours after leaving).

A photo of our hotel so I didn't get confused.  The outside of hotels in Italy were often misleading of how nice they were inside. 

This is the Duomo located inside the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. It is massive, ornate, and FASCINATING. 

(You can see Brunelleschi's Dome and Giotto's bell tower.  Both of which are hard to photograph from the outside, because of their size. Seriously.) 

A replica of The Gates of Paradise

If I had not taken a walk that morning, I would have missed this parade by the Duomo.  I have no clue what it was about, but there were lots of men dressed in different medieval type clothes.  There were even really young boys, dressing the part, carrying flags.  There were drummers playing a slow, solemn  beat.  The video I am including is hard to hear the beat consistently, because of the sound vibrating off the buildings around me. 

The next few photos were taken in the main piazza in Florence, which was our main meeting point during our stay there.  

This is the Palazzo Vecchio (a BIG castle full of history)

Now, this reproduction of Michelangelo's David is in the original spot that the sculpture once stood.  This copy is the same size and everything, so I really saw no point in paying money to see one sculpture that I could basically see for free (technically).  Impressive all the same. 

I really wanted to go to the Uffizi Gallery, because I remembered for Dr. Malone's class at UA that this housed many of the master's of both painting and sculpture.  I stood in a line that did not move for 45 minutes.  I saw a guy selling "express" tickets for 20 Euros (regular admission was 14), so I definitely took him up on the offer!  I stood in another line for about 10 minutes and went right in.  Score.  I breezed through the museum, admittedly, but I wanted to see everything and give myself time to get back to the hotel to rest before meeting everyone at 3.  Enjoy the photos! See if you recognize any of them...

After I left the museum and wandered around, I stumbled upon this fabulous carousel.  As I was walked by and admired the detail, I noticed the only child riding and how she wasn't paying attention, instead looking at a phone. Unacceptable. 

I treated myself to a wonderful Italian lunch.  Pasta was tossed in olive oil, garlic, and peppers.  Yum.

At 3:00, I met up with the crew and we headed to Leonardo leather works to see a leather demonstration.  Coming from a family where my dad has been doing blacksmithing and leather making since before I was born, I thought I knew everything there was to know.  I was fascinated by the box the guy was making that used no glue, hinges, or stitching to create the lid and parts of the box.  We couldn't take photos, but let me just tell you, if you want to buy a box in the gift show that is big enough to put a half dollar in, be willing to shell out at least 55 Euros. 

Pinocchio selfie (plus Natalie)

This guy was located at the big market. If you rub the boar's nose, you are ensure a trip back to Florence. 

Key was boring, but hotel A+

Ok!  A lot to take in!  There are two more days I need to blog about (a more few more photos of Florence, then VENICE!), but I am out of time before my next journey!  I leave tomorrow for Santa Fe, New Mexico to attend the Crizmac Art Teacher Professional Development trip.  I will go into more detail later, but it may be a few days before I can finish one story before beginning another!  

Thanks to Fund for Teachers and APT for making it possible!!!