"David"

Finally, with jetlag abating, it felt like the trip had really begun.  After our briefing by the irrepressible Danny, and his promise to make dinner reservations for us, we set off to wander about a bit a let Alex get the feel of a the place.  It was a thing of beauty to watch.  We walked through the insanity of the San Marco street market and all the thousands of leather jackets in the different booths in a variety of shades, and lots of other displays of tee shirts, scarves, you name it.  If it could have “Italy” printed on it, it was hanging there for sale. 

It was getting to be  late afternoon so it was off to the Accademia to see if the wait was manageable to get in to the “David”, as I wouldn’t want to drag Alex through all Florence has to offer and miss that.  We hadn’t made reservations , maybe a silly oversight, but knew that lines dropped off as the day wore on, and Saturday was no exception.  Probably no more than twenty minutes and we were in the door for one of those ‘jaw-dropping’ moments.  No cameras so I wasn’t able to capture the look on Alex’s face as she rounded the corner into the hall with that magnificent stature looming over one and all.  It really is quite a sight, beautifully presented in fine Italian style.  I think that no matter what you’ve read about it, pictures you’ve seen, it’s a bit like the Grand Canyon – once it’s in front of you, it’s grandeur is overwhelming.  Then you get  up close for the details – thank you Rick Steves for the audio guide – and it’s all even more amazing – and I fine introduction to the art of Italy for Alex. 

Dinner that night was in a little trattoria only about 10 minutes from the hotel, but we nearly couldn’t find, tucked away on a side street – well, they are all side streets.  But find it we did, and when we mentioned our hotel, we were treated like old friends, which was really wonderful.  The waiter couldn’t have been nicer, and there was just enough English on the menu that our questions didn’t sound totally inane…I hope.  We had big plans for a fine three course meal, but were so full after the pasta dishes that we stopped there, saving the experience for another night.  Kind of too bad as Tuscany is known for its fine beef and pork dishes, but it was Italy and we wanted pasta.  Of course it was fabulous with flavors one can only dream of.  A little gelato on the way home and we both decided we really love Florence, a notion only reinforced by the next couple of days