Florence

June 14, 2007

Today was another travel day. We had a quick breakfast, loaded up the bus, and headed north towards Florence. We went abit out of our way and stopped in the old city of Siena. Siena were medieval and renaissance revivals with Florence. At the center of Siena is a great town square were there is a horse race between the dozen or so neighborhoods of Siena twice a year. The flags and colors of all the neighborhoods are flown proudly around the city. Siena is beautiful little city that was a delight to stop in, have lunch, and do a little shopping.

After Siena we headed into Florence. It’s a fairly small town so we could walk everywhere we needed to go. After arriving and unloading we had our usual welcome dinner. Instead of having it at the hotel though we had it at a restaurant called Dante’s. It was great. We started with a paste dish that was a meat cream sauce over risotto. Then they served white beans and pork roast. It was all very good, and we all enjoyed the dinner a lot. Afterwards we all stopped at a little shop close to our hotel and got Gelato.

Our hotel is not the best. My room has no air conditioning and everything seems old and run down, but I’m sure we’ll make do.

June 15, 2007

We started today with a small breakfast at the hotel and then an art history lecture to prepare us for museums later today. Our first stop was the Uffizi museum. This was an art museum built by one of the Dukes of Florence to house the master works patron artists. Here we got to see pieces by famous Italian artists such as Giotto. The halls were filled with masterpieces from proto-renaissance up through the baroque periods. It was an interesting museum.

Then we got a break for lunch. We found a wonderful little pizza shop where they cut you a piece and sell it by the kilogram. I had a piece of mushroom pizza that was the best pizza I’ve ever tasted. We then headed over to the Academia Museum. Here the major piece to see was Michelangelo’s David. The most striking thing about it was its size. Its absolutely huge. The intricate details of the piece are wonderfully vivid and expressive. Its no wonder Its considered on of the greatest sculptures ever.

After the Academia we headed back to the hotel to rest and take a quick nap. I tried to catch up on some work I missed in the hospital. Later that night a group of us headed out to get some dinner. We stopped in a little restaurant for a nice sit down meal. I had a traditional Florentine tomato soup that was wonderful. It was thick like oatmeal, but it was very good. For the entrée I had a fettuccine paste dish that was made with tomatoes, beef, and cream. It was covered with large thin strips of parmesan that just were perfect with it. This was a really good Italian meal. After dinner we ended up getting some gelato and watching a movie in someone’s room. It was a restful evening.

June 16, 2007

Today we started with breakfast and a Music History Lecture. After the lecture we went to the Santa Maria del Carmine Cathedral. Here we saw several pieces by the humanistic artist Masaccio. These pieces are beautiful depictions of the life of Jesus and the Saints. The bodies are well detailed a very expressive. They are a beautiful collection of pieces.

After the Cathedral we had a quick lunch at a little pizza stand. Next we met up with our group at the Medici Chapel. Here there were several tombs of members of the powerful Medici family of Florence. The most important part was that several of the tombs were designed and created by the famed sculpture and artist Michelangelo.

After this we went wandering around the city and shopping in the local markets. We just took it easy looking in shops that were interesting. As evening closed we went to a grocery store to get some food for a picnic at Michelangelo’s Piazza for Sunset. The Piazza is just outside the side on a large hill overlooking all of Florence. It was a hike to get up there, but it was the most amazing view. A group of about 20 of us found a seat on the steps of the piazza and just set, ate, and enjoyed the beautiful sunset. It was a wonderful time, and definitely the best evening of the trip up to this point. I got some great pictures, and it was just perfect.

June 17, 2006

Today we started with an Art History lecture to prepare us for the Museums we were going to see later today, the Bargello and the Duomo Museum. We were first suppose to meet at the Bargello shortly after the lecture. However, our plans were altered when we figured that the Bargello was closed today. It was a bit of a surprise to everyone, but we were flexible and just headed over to the Duomo Museum right away.

In the Duomo museum we got to see a lot of wonderful pieces. Most notably were the Bronze door panels that were designed by Ghiberti for the Baptistery doors of the Florence Cathedral. There really ironic thing was that there were 3 panels missing, and they are on loan in the High Museum in Atlanta. These pieces were really beautiful depictions of Old Testament stories. I really enjoyed them. We also saw an exhibit all about the design of the Cathedral and Dome designed by Brunelleschi. They had several examples of the tools and equipment used in the construction which was very interesting to me.

After the Museum we went into the actual Duomo Cathedral. It was a massive structure with a really beautifully painted dome above the alter. Above the entrance was a beautiful mosaic and a large sundial clock. It counted the hours from sunset to sunset as oppose to our usually idea of time. It was beautifully designed and decorated, and was a very interesting concept of time measurement.

After the Cathedral we wandered around the city and shopped a bit more. Later several of us headed back to the hotel to do some school work, and rest a bit. That evening we had dinner in a nice little restaurant with some good specials on paste dishes. It was pretty good, and we all enjoyed each other’s company.

Later I called home, and had a nice talk with my family and wished my Dad and Papa a Happy Father’s Day.

June 18, 2007

Because we missed the Bargello yesterday, we decided to get up early and hit it this morning before we got on the Bus for a travel day. At 8:30 we met at the Bargello. Inside were several of Michelangelo’s first Sculptures. Also there were several pieces from a few other famous artists. It was an interesting museum and I’m glad we didn’t have to see it.

Then we got on the bus and headed to Chamonix. It was a long, but beautiful drive. We drove all through the alpines and saw some amazing scenery as well as got a glimpse of the Med. We arrived at our hotel at about 6:00. This is the nicest hotel we’ve stayed in yet. Everyone’s rooms had balconies and nice bathrooms. It was wonderful.

Then we headed into town for dinner. Everything was pretty expensive so most of us ate McDonalds. I had a Royal with Cheese (Quarter Pounder). We just walked around for a while. The town was a wonderful little ski resort. It was beautiful and pristine surrounded by the alps. That night we all stayed in the hotel and watched a movie and played some games since there wasn’t much to do around there at night.