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May. 2nd, 2009
Breakfast was decent today (the regular continental that we've found in each hotel here) and we hopped into the bus for a drive to a local leather company http://www.pierotucci.com/ , where they showed us their workshop and offered their wares at a discount. I've been trying to find a jacket I love in a good size for forever, and finally found one here (Brian also picked up a nice wallet) - both of these should last us forever, so its an investment, right?!
We picked up the rest at the hotel and went to see naked David and his neighboring works http://www.polomuseale.firenze.it/accademia/ (no pictures allowed, alas) with a local guide. I wasn't expecting to be so emotional by seeing it up close, but the size and detail and realism of it was quite amazing and almost made me a bit teary. We walked from there to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence_Cathedral , from there to the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palazzo_Vecchio area, and from there to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_di_Santa_Croce_di_Firenze and the surrounding area. Lunch was on our own, and we had it from a Sicilian vendor in the square (just a rice ball and some pizza shared, not bad and not great, but we were saving room for dessert).
The group members were given a little gold 'tour' in one of the stores http://www.flickr.com/photos/bluelu/2175164167/ that Collette has some kind of relationship with (supposedly reputable and offering discounts). After looking around for a good chunk of my life, I found a cameo that I loved and so purchased - white 18k gold in a square frame (!) and shades of white and blue (agate, not shell). We wandered a bit, found gelato at http://www.grom.it/ (apparently using local/organic when they can) - so good! More wandering to the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ponte_Vecchio and then back to our hotel for some rest before dinner.
We first viewed the monastery before dinner at http://www.lacertosa.it/en/restaurant.html . There were such beautiful pieces of art and such amazing views from this site, and it is another example of something we would not have been able to do without a group. The food was excellent, and the musical entertainment and dancing was cheezy, but fun.
I'll have photos from Florence and a brief video of our singers tonight once the files are done uploading. Tomorrow we are on the road to Venice, where we will spend two nights.
We picked up the rest at the hotel and went to see naked David and his neighboring works http://www.polomuseale.firenze.it/accademia/ (no pictures allowed, alas) with a local guide. I wasn't expecting to be so emotional by seeing it up close, but the size and detail and realism of it was quite amazing and almost made me a bit teary. We walked from there to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence_Cathedral , from there to the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palazzo_Vecchio area, and from there to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_di_Santa_Croce_di_Firenze and the surrounding area. Lunch was on our own, and we had it from a Sicilian vendor in the square (just a rice ball and some pizza shared, not bad and not great, but we were saving room for dessert).
The group members were given a little gold 'tour' in one of the stores http://www.flickr.com/photos/bluelu/2175164167/ that Collette has some kind of relationship with (supposedly reputable and offering discounts). After looking around for a good chunk of my life, I found a cameo that I loved and so purchased - white 18k gold in a square frame (!) and shades of white and blue (agate, not shell). We wandered a bit, found gelato at http://www.grom.it/ (apparently using local/organic when they can) - so good! More wandering to the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ponte_Vecchio and then back to our hotel for some rest before dinner.
We first viewed the monastery before dinner at http://www.lacertosa.it/en/restaurant.html . There were such beautiful pieces of art and such amazing views from this site, and it is another example of something we would not have been able to do without a group. The food was excellent, and the musical entertainment and dancing was cheezy, but fun.
I'll have photos from Florence and a brief video of our singers tonight once the files are done uploading. Tomorrow we are on the road to Venice, where we will spend two nights.
Serenading
May. 2nd, 2009 11:51 pmA tiny bit of video from La Certosa:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Xtd6gOPK1g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Xtd6gOPK1g