Gelato and Pigeons

Tuesday June 9, 2009 - 9 pm

Venice
We ate at the Hotel Restaurant last night and had leftover spaghetti for lunch... delicioso!
We got our reservations for trains at S.L. Station and then Bryce went to the Academy and Meg and I went to the Post office and shopping.  The Post Office was a nightmare! I didn't know I was supposed to grab a ticket let alone the Letter I needed, so I got up to the desk and the guy said "Where is your ticket?" I was sent back to the beginning and got a ticket - It took a whole 2 minutes until my number was blinking on the board.  I finally got my envelope sent off!

swinging at the park

Meg and I stopped at a small shop nearby with tons of purple clothing.  I found a really nice pink purse and Meg ought a nice purple dress.  We met Bryce at the Academy and headed to St. Marks where we had a free guided tour in English. There were two really attractive guys in our group, alas they went a different way at the end of the tour.  We went to the garden so Bryce could see the art exhibit and Meg and I swang [is that a word?] and sat and talked for a long time. 

After, we went searching for a restaurant Bryce and his parents ate at but it wasn't open for dinner.  We found a place with burgers, which Meg was craving, and had dinner.
We split from Bryce who went to a concert in Venice and went back to the hotel.  We are packed and ready to wake at 7 am to head to Florence :)   I will miss Venice!

Wednesday June 10, 2009 - 8:54 pm

Venezia - Firenze

The name of our room :)

Easily got to and on the train this morning.  Sat near some Canadians. Pretty cool people from what I heard of their conversation.  Walked to Dany House, our bed and breakfast, and set our stuff down.  

Walked down the street to the Galleria dell'Academia to see Michelangelo's "David".  The statue was huge!  There was also an exhibit comparing Michelangelo and [this was blank and I clearly never filled it in. Sorry!], and their use of repetition and the human figure.  It was cool.  

We walked another block or two to the Duomo.  At first we were gonna postpone it because of Meg's shorts and my tank top.  After finding a Gelato shop nearby and stopping for some ice cold deliciousness, we decided to try our luck and we made it in!  It was so gorgeous and I totally understand why so many pieces were premiered there! 

first  gelato in Italy

We found a supermarket and bought bread, meat, and cheese, and then went to an internet cafe and bought an hour of time.  We then went to a park with a big arch and lots of pigeons.  We ate dinner and Meg fed the little birds while shoving the pigeons away.  She was so happy!!  Tomorrow is Medici Museum and another gallery.

the arch (and a light pole)

the fountain

 shooing pigeons with her feet

Author's Note: I learned on this trip that spaghetti in Italy is veiwed as an appetizer but the portion size is enough for 2 people.  Italians tend to look at you funny when you only order an appetizer and need a "take-away container". 
Is it swung or swang based on the context of my sentence? Neither makes sense to me but English was never my favorite subject so feel free to correct this verb in the comments.
Upon further research [read google search] the Artist's name was Robert Mapplethorpe and you can find a short article about the exhibit here.
For those reader's who aren't familiar with rules of dress in churches - it is a generally accepted rule in much of Europe that in order to enter Catholic churches/basilicas/etc your shoulders and knees must be covered.  It is out of respect to their views on keeping bodies covered.  Some churches are more lenient than others.