SOLO EURO II: DAY 9 [FLORENCE]

the next day was technically my only full day in florence. i had an early reservation to see the uffizzi gallerie. because it was for 8:30, i was told to wait in line at 8:15. i left the hostel pretty early in the morning which was really nice. most alleys were completely empty, except for the vendors rolling their carts of trinkets like something out of aladdin, it allowed me to see the duomo & outdoor sculptures before the crowds hit, & see these sites in the sunrise. the streets were still empty. the first stop was the loggia dei lanzi (c. 1382). below these arches is a collection of sculptures. the roof was eventually used by the medici princes to watch ceremonies at the piazza della signoria. 

the kidnapping of the sabine women (giambologna)

perseus with the head of medusa (benevenuto cellini)

michelangelos's david use to be at the piazza della signoria, but was eventually moved inside the academia & a copy was placed.

when planning my trip, i was torn to see either the uffizzi gallerie or galleria dell'academia. i knew i was not going to go to both as they are quite large & admission is expensive. the former has more paintings while the latter has more sculptures. i eventually decided on the former because i was in the mood to see paintings & was interested to see "the birth of venus" by donatello.

venus &  i

as i have said before, i really am a fan of rick steves & he has some really great audioguides that you can use instead of the ones offered (or sometimes not even offered) at sites. i chose rick steves' audio guide (what i am listening to in the above picture). he has some really really good dad jokes which i really enjoy. one worth mentioning was about medieval art: "the medieval times, when the art was as flat as the world."

i ended up being really pleased & discovered a painting i really connected with. this painting is donatello's "primavera." i am a big fan of paintings with lots of contrast (really dark colors with really light colors). this made my eyes happy. the painting is one of the most famous to come out of the italian renaissance & incorporates classical mythology, not religious subjects. most say it tells a story of spring from right to left. also, it is believed that the painting includes over 500 different flora.

transition from winter to spring: the wind god (the blue one) takes a nymph & she becomes spring (the flower dress). venus is at the center with cupid above her. the 3 graces party while mercury does his own thing.

these sculptures below were interesting. they are part of a collection of sculptures in the niobe room that tell the story of artemis & apollo killing niobe's 14 children. there are 12 sculptures that show the children either fleeing or already dead. also interesting, this room was damaged in 1993 when the sicilian mafia planted a car bomb.

the view of the ponte vecchio & arno river from the gallery.

shops have been on this bridge since the 13th century. since the 1500s, it has been mostly jewery vendors.

i ended up eating here my one & only conolloi during my trip. it was a mocha type. gino was grumpy.

next i walked up the hill to visit giardino bardini, an itlian renaissance villa & garden. originally the gardens were orchards, but in the 18th century was introduced more pizazz with things like fountains & mosaics. i knew i would not have too many opportunities to see villas & gardens during my trip as often you need to go to the countryside. as i was not renting a car or paid for any private tour bus, i knew there were only a few opportunities accessible by public transportation. this garden ended up being a good option.

when you buy a ticket to the bardini garden, you also have access to the boboli gardens. the gardens opened to the public in 1766, but originally was designed for the medici family. unpopular opinion, but i preferred the bardini garden. it may be less historically significant, but the plants are more interesting and it's less busy.

to get to the other garden, you have to walk up a winding one lane road.

fountain of neptune (c. 1500s) in the boboli gardens.

a class drawing the garden with the palazzo pitti below.

the buontalenti grotto (c. 1583). 

i then decided to get an early dinner. i had been hoping to try a meat & cheese platter while i was in florence, as tuscany is known for their meats & cheeses. i thought i had found my place. me being a dum dum who does not know italian, i read the menu wrong. instead of ordering a cheese & meat platter, i ordered a mega meat platter. it was enough food to feed a family. it was huge! mind you, pictured on the table is an espresso mug, not a coffee mug. it was still pretty good (i did enjoy the ham, prosciutto, & bruschette). i was not the biggest fan of the bologna & liver patte, but it was an experience.

the mega meat platter. clearly i was not able to finish the whole thing.

the ceiling of a historic site that was really not worth my time nor mentioning its name, but the ceiling is pretty.

i don't remember the name, but this store looked like gepetto's workshop

even though the name pinocchio is clearly italian, for some reason i always thought it was german (i think because the disney movie always had that alpine feel). the writer was from florence & the story took place in an anonymous tuscan village. because of this, pinocchio is everywhere. 

i then got some boba (random, but i found a place!). i am a big fan, and back home order it pretty often. on my back to the hostel, i found this great little wood carved wood shop. i loved this place. this old italian couple makes wooden mirrors & picture frames & paints them gold. i ended up buying a small one with a picture of my favorite piece of art i discovered in florence, boticelli's "primavera." it id my favorite souvenir from my trip.

the wood carving shop.

i decided to call it an early night at the hostel. i was very lucky to meet a nice girl from new zealand who invited me to get pizza with her at a pizzeria. i took up the offer for the company, not the pizza as i had already eaten. i did get a coca-cola, in a glass bottle, so i would not be that weird girl who ordered nothing. the company was very nice. by this time, i had not shared a meal with anyone during my trip.

she also offered me some of her margherita pizza, so i cut myself up the smallest slice.

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osetello archo rossi was my favorite hostel of the entire trip, except for one reason. mosquitoes. i did not meet any other mosquitoes my entire trip and of course this is not the hostels fault, but boy do mosquito bites suck. europe in general does not have screens on windows so when you want fresh air and crack a window, nothing is stopping bugs from coming in. i will never understand the dummies in my room. they also got bit, but would keep leaving the windows open at night. at one point, i had 3 welts on my face. it was no bueno. fortunately on a whim i did bring bug spray from home (some travel books were saying you should bring it) & good thing i did!

the hostel is located right in the historic center which was great. it was also in an interesting building which made my stay more interesting. this was the only hostel that included breakfast, which i had no idea until i checked in. and it was a real breakfast! it was not american style, but there were pastries, veggies, fruits (unfortunately only canned), and meats also, there was an espresso machine! i was a happy girl. now this hostel was not the most social, but that does not matter to me. strangely, most people were middle aged. it;s not that it uncommon to see middle aged woman in hostels, but i have never been roomed with them as a majority. no judgment here as i will eventually become one of them.

one of my breakfasts (a chocolate croissant, pasta, rice, cabbage & ham, & a cappuccino).

the door to my dorm room. super random with that statue, but i was digging it.

i was also lucky enough to be assigned a single bed, such a luxury (though it does look like a hospital bed). it was a nice break from a bunk bed, especially because i tend to get the top bunk. on a side note, i was also roomed with a lady who would literally scream in her sleep. it happened more than one night.

my hospital, i mean hostel bed.

now for a song. i found the song 'if i get high' from nothing but thieves from a fan edit of the german show babylon berlin. this is one song where i prefer the live version instead of the recorded version. i find his voice so interesting. i am a sucker for a vocal build-up. anyhoo, enjoy!