Last full day

The David

It was our last full day in Florence, and our time in Italy was nearing an end.   It was also a national holiday in Italy, because this was Epiphany, or the twelfth day of Christmas.  This is a Christian holiday that is a big deal in Italy.

We decided to start by walking towards the Accademia to see The David.  On our way we stopped for lunch at a small pizza place.  Florence was absolutely our best stop when it came to food.  The pizza was great and inexpensive, and the salads were to die for; they have ruined me for any other salad!  The fresh tomato, mozzarella, and perfect olive oil and balsamic vinegar are out of this world.

The celebration of Epiphany outside the Duomo

We then  continued our walk, but having misunderstood exactly where it was at first, we ended up walking WAY out of our way, but it was a lovely walk.  We finally backtracked and found the museum, and headed inside.

I was really in awe over The David.  I just kept thinking to myself that there was only one of this famous statue in the world, and I was THERE, looking at it.  It was really amazing to me.  Michelle continued on to look at the rest of the museum, but I chose to just sit there and really soak in the fact that I was in the same room as The David.

Then, I notice a familiar face from across the room; it was Rogier!  We said hello and talked until Michelle came back.  He wanted to go to a special jazz club that night, and asked us if we'd like to come along; we said we'd love to.

Michelle wanted to spend a lot longer in the Museum, so we agreed that she would stay, I would leave, and we'd meet up again at the Duomo doors at 5:30 pm.

The Epiphany procession leading away at the end.

I left the museum and headed over to the same internet cafe we had used the day before, to check in and double check our needed reservations.  Then I headed over to the Duomo, and immediately felt like a fool.   The town was completely packed with people; there was a huge celebration ceremony going on for the Epiphany.   There was no way I was going to find Michelle in this huge crowd!

It took us a good 1.5 hours I think but finally we spotted each other.  We grabbed some pizza for dinner, and then went back to rest in the room for a bit.

We really weren't in the mood anymore to visit with Rogier, because we were so tired and ready to sleep; but we told him we'd meet him and didn't want to stand him up!  We headed to the Duomo steps, planning on perhaps begging out of the evening.

When we got there, it turns out he had already found that the jazz bar he wanted to go to was closed; so we agreed to go out for a quick cup of coffee.

We made our way to a small café, and had a really fantastic talk with him, hearing all about his travels.  We were really glad we had come out, since it ended up being a fabulous way to get to know him better.

Then finally, it was time for sleep.