Europe Day 5: 0 Miles

Florence, Italy

Everyone I’ve talked to about Florence has described it as beautiful. For now I will only know Florence in the rain. Today was an interesting day but mainly filled with indoor activities. On the positive side, it’s better for the rain to be falling on a day I’m off the bike.

I hope I got at least one person to read today’s blog just to see if there was a picture of the David from the front.

I woke up early this morning to get to the Galleria dell’Accademia which opened at 8:15. This is where Michelangelo’s David is held. The galleria is closed on Mondays so I thought there might be long lines today. After a cappuccino and blackberry croissant I arrived at the galleria at 8:00. I still had to wait 30 minutes to get in, but the line was likely 2 to 3 hours long by the time I left.

The David sculpture was impressive even though I’d already seen 2 replicas in Florence the day before. There is a bronze cast in Piazzale Michelangelo which is up a large hill along the south side of the Arno River as well as a replica in Piazza Della Signoria where the original statue was first placed before being moved. Seeing the original was an entirely different experience, especially surrounded by many of Michelangelo’s unfinished works. It was quite the contrast to see a finished masterpiece surrounded by works in progress.

After leaving the Galleria dell’Accademia I headed to Mercato Centrale which is a large indoor food hall. I wasn’t all that hungry, but was looking to stay out of the rain. I got a smoothie and walked around for a bit before heading to Trattoria Za Za for lunch. The lunch spot came highly recommended and my truffle spaghetti carbonara was very good.

After lunch I headed to the Uffizi Gallery. I had to wait over an hour, but it was a very nice museum and the line was at least not in the rain. I spent a couple hours exploring the museum which was a great way to kill a few hours and stay dry.

After the museum I headed to Brew Dog. Brew Dog is a brewery I’ve only recently seen in NYC, but it seems to be the largest “craft” brewery in Europe. I knew it would at least be a spot I could sit at and enjoy a few beers.

Tomorrow I will try to get to either Pisa or Massa. It will depend on the weather and how I feel. I am very much ready to get back on my bike. I’ve enjoyed Florence, but after 3 days in Rome and 2 days in Florence I’ve had enough of the tourist stuff. There are only so many churches, paintings of Jesus, and naked sculptures I need to see. My favorite 2 days this week were the rides from Viterbo to Radicofani and from Radicofani to Siena. I’ll always take a good day on my bike over a city tourist day. I’ve enjoyed everything in Florence, but I’ll definitely be more focused on riding for the next week.

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Musings:

• Do I look Mexican? There have been several occasions this trip where people notice very quickly I don’t speak Italian and immediately try Spanish. Today while getting a smoothie, the guy asked me if I was Mexican. As a Jew born in New York I’m not sure how I could be confused for Mexican, but it certainly explains why people have tried to speak to me in Spanish.