We spent two nights in Florence and fell in love with the city. Our one full day was spent seeing as much as we possibly could: the gorgeous cathedral, street markets, climbing to the top of a hill to see the best view of the city, and the David. For lunch we went on a "gelato crawl" instead of a pub crawl. (Josie, you were right - peach is the best flavor!) We bartered in the street markets and I am officially not allowing myself to buy anymore pairs of earrings for the rest of the trip... I think 7 is enough :)
I am so glad I listened to Jos and Riley and made it to the David. I could not stop staring at him. He doesn't look like stone at all; he completely smooth and soft. I have no idea how Michelangelo carved him so perfectly. He has veins in his hands and arms; his ears are so detailed. The hallway leading to the David have a few unfinished statues also done by Michelangelo where the chisel marks are still visible. Seeing those make the David even more impressive because there is no chisel mark anywhere on his body. This kind of artistic talent can't be learned, this is clearly something that Michelangelo was born with.
ROME. OMG. So old. Our first day we went to the Fountain di Trevi and threw two coins in to bring us good luck. The next morning we woke up extra early to stand in line for the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican City. I am so glad we went there; the artwork was SO GORGEOUS and it was exciting to see paintings that we have learned about for years - such as the painting of God touching Adam's finger. I got yelled at by one of the guards (NO PHOTO!) So I was unable to capture this for anyone at home.
The Colosseum literally took my breath away. We bought the Roma pass (good advice, Jaime!) and went in front of the line and were in awe for HOURS. I can't believe how lucky I am to have this opportunity to visit something that I have only seen in photographs my entire life. Both Kirsten and I couldn't stop taking pictures. It is absolutely MASSIVE and I can only imagine how difficult it was to build. We also visited it at night to take pictures of it lit up; it is strange to think I might never see this monument ever again.
A quick sidenote about my lack of posting photographs: I am still taking pictures, I promise! I have been unable to upload them since we haven't sat at a regular computer in several days. I brought an extra memory card so I won't run out of space and I assure you, that I will upload my pictures the moment I get a chance.
All this constant traveling and sightseeing is wearing on us. We literally have not stopped to catch our breath since we left Lagos, Portugal and our shoulders, backs, and feet are feeling it. We are making our way to Venice right now via train (of course) and on Friday we will be in Switzerland to visit Kathryn Wessinger. I can't wait to visit with another islander and relax for the first time in a while. Saturday night we are taking a night train to Paris - one of our last big cities before heading back home. 3 weeks from today, I will be on a plane from Frankfurt back to the states. So far this trip has exceeded my expectations and I truly believe that taking time off to travel was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I can't emphasize enough how great this has been for me.
Much love,
Meg
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
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