Highlights

Since the last post, there have been travels through Florence, Rome (via Pisa for the tower), Amalfi coast, Nice, and Barcelona. All have been great for their own reasons. (Understatement of the century perhaps)

Florence provided enough Renaissance everything. Michelangelo's David at Accademia deserves the hype. It is much bigger than I thought it would be. There is a great level of detail and the fissure monitor system is pretty crazy too. Photos are prohibited, but there are replicas near the Uffizi Gallery...stop 2. This gallery is HUGE. The highlight for me was definitely Duomo and getting up in Brunellesci's dome. It is so wild to think that they built this huge building with a hole in the roof. The technology to span did not yet exist, but they knew it would in the near future. When you climb the steps up to the top, there is a stop on the inside to view the expansive fresco ceiling and then continues up to the top between the layers of the dome.

The market in Florence was (hands down) the best market I have seen to date. Fruits, vegetables, pastas, fish, meats, oils, vinegars, wine, cheeses, olives, jackets, purses, jewelry and more.

After Florence, I stopped in Pisa for a quick peak at the tower. I was somewhat skeptical of the hype, but then seeing a building that leans 15 feet off the vertical axis in person eleviated the skepticism. After some cheesy photos, I hopped back on the train to Rome.

Ah, Rome. First of all, though 2.5 days is not enough, it is enough to see a lot and move out. Day 1 included a trip through the Vatican City to view a dichotemy of art...pagan and Christian. I will spare you my thoughts on that. Regardless, the sheer number of busts and sculptures in the Vatican Museum is impressive. The main attraction of course is the Sistine Chapel and the Raphael Rooms. Word for the wise, go to these first when you are full of energy, then check out the rest of the gallery. Sistine chapel was tourism chaos if you were cattled through and pushed along by the guards. A large benefit of travelling a lot of these places alone is that you can fly under the radar and are granted more liberties. So when I sat on a bench to soak it up, they spared me their 'Keep moving' cadence. Besides, I was not about to be rushed through this part. Michelangelo laid on his back for years and years painting this. Again wtih the detail...he truly deserves the title of Master. That is not to discredit the other artists that labored on this masterpiece. The composition is stunning.

Day 2 was spent on a walking tour from Piazza del Popolo to the Colosseum and Roman Forum. To be described later...