welcome to Florence!

i have a confession: i've been to Florence before. i visited here one day instead of working in the olive grove. i saw the Uffizi, after standing in line for 2 hours. it was good. i wasn't moved or anything, but it was good.

so hello! i'm in Florence, obviously. said goodbye to the Reinhardts, and arrived here yesterday. checked into my hostel and wandered the city for a while. stood in line for Leonard Cohen tickets for over two hours, only to be told it's sold out. i was so angry i drank three beers without eating dinner. i met a brother and sister from Bristol while standing in line, so they joined me for the beers. good times had by at least me. then back to the hostel, and sleep. i was alone in the room last night, which was nice.

i woke up at 5am for reasons still unknown. may have dozed for half an hour somewhere around 7, but not sure. at 8 i got up and showered (cold shower), then hung around the hostel until 11. walked to the Acedemia (however it's spelled, it's where The David lives), and the line for that was only 20 minutes. which was quite nice.

The David finally got a reaction out of me. i will say this once and you will take it to be the Gospel Truth, never doubted: if you haven't been to Florence to see The David, you've never seen The David. full stop, end of story.

after The David i wandered in to the statue room next to it. was instantly put in mind of the Weeping Angels, and left shortly thereafter. bought postcards for those who expressed wishes for mail, and left without seeing any other art. "But Jacob," you may be saying, "surely you missed out on other master works and brilliant examples of art? didn't you maybe rob yourself of more experiences?". to which i say this: no. i missed out on nothing, i deprived myself of nothing. i saw The David, which got more of a reaction out of me than all the other art i've seen in all the other places i've been COMBINED. (note: a small reaction is more than no reaction at all.) so there.

after The David, i walked to the Duomo and paid €8 to go to the top of the dome. 463 steps up, dizzying heights, and, in some places, a marble floor that looks disconcertingly like plywood. i took pictures from the top, and had my picture taken. i'm afraid of heights, so this was no easy trip for me. but well worth it.

after the Duomo, feeling all arted out and not wanting to climb the Campanile for a less impressive view, i walked to a restaurant for a burger. then to a bookstore, bought a book, and then back to the hostel for a nap.

woke at 6, read until 8, had dinner, chatted with fellow hostelers, now it's almost 11 and i think it's nearing time for some gelato.

going to Venice tomorrow. i've heard it's expensive so i'm only staying two days. then to France, where i've got another volunteer experience waiting, then Paris for a few days, then back to the US. we'll see what happens.

that's it for now, i think. any questions?