Florence

August 23rd
Florence

Today was my second visit to Florence, and like the tour to Rome, consisted of an “on your own” tour that was merely a glorified shuttle ride (but free shuttle ride none the less). I didn’t have a lot planned out for the day but figured I’d try to see some of the thins I didn’t see last time, things that required waiting in line. After exchanging some money for euros I approached the art academy where Michelangelo’s David is on display. Oddly enough, the building itself is very modest considering the art it houses, so much so that I wondered if I was mistaken when contemplating the 10 euro entrance fee. Also to my surprise, there was no line, furthering my doubt of the museum I was at. But sure that my guide wouldn’t have told me the wrong location I paid the fee and walked around the corner, where dead ahead under a copula of it’s own, standing high above the crowd of people gathered at it’s podium, was the real David. I’ve seen around five replicas of the statue around Europe, but there’s something about the psychological impact of seeing the real statue, the quintessential sculpture which unparalleled public acclaim. I must have been there around an hour slowly walking the circumference, giving myself the opportunity to reverently examine the piece over a time frame limited only by my ability to concentrate. That’s what I’ve always felt is the correctly to look at art, and if anything deserves that it should be the David.
After feeling like I’d contemplated the sculpture in a satisfactory way, I finished up looking at some other pieces in the museum and headed back into the city. I didn’t have much more planned for the day and decided to see the main attractions of the city again, stopping when appropriate to absorb what was in front of me. The other attraction I had thought about seeing was the Uffizi Gallery, but after seeing the id day line and another 10 euro entrance fee, I moved ahead to other points of interest, taking me to the library.
I had brought my laptop along hoping to get online again and figured the national library would certainly have an internet connection, so that’s where I stopped. When I walked in the place I was surprised how dark and vacant it was, but didn’t think anything of it and walked upstairs to start my search for internet. I walked the building for a while seeing the occasional person, some of whom would tell me something in Italian, and eventually made my way back downstairs into a large study room with a strong connection. Unfortunately the signal wouldn’t let me pull up any web pages, and frustrated by my effort, I moved forward to keep exploring the building. Soon after, upon one of my passes by the front entrance, I found my self being approached by an angry Italian woman yelling something at me and seemingly questioning something about my backpack. I didn’t have a clue what was going on and just looked at her dumfounded, trying to answer a question I had no hope of understanding. When she realized I was completely clueless she aggressively walked me towards the door, out the exit, and through the gate she’d apparently just closed. Turns out that the library had closed and even been gated up, effectively locking me in. Had I actually found a good connection and been able to sit for an hour I probably would have had more than enough time to write these blog entries from the confines of the library I’d been locked inside. Luckily that wasn’t the case and I was able to ponder what could have been from outside the gate, still slightly dumbfounded and confused by the verbal beating I’d just taken by an angry Italian librarian. She closely watched as I left the premises and I continued on.
Now frustrated with my inability to get internet in a library I was determined to find a connection by following a similar strategy to yesterday, walk the alleys with my computer open clicking “search”. I soon came across a connection, but after trying to get comfortable on the ground and fighting against a week signal I gave up on the search and moved forward in search of more pressing issues, food. Luckily enough I turned the corner into a nice little café with free wifi, just what I needed! I ordered a sandwich and sat down to work in a much more civilized way than I had done earlier in the alley. The sandwich was great, internet was fast, and soon it was time to meet back at the bus.
I made it back to the ship with no problem, had the rest of the night off (finally), and hung out with my friends in the evening. Thanks for reading!