Venice and Florence

We are back in the cities again. We left serene and peaceful Malcesine (known only to English and German tourists) for Venice for a day. Venice, architecturally, is a stupid idea...but very cool. I imagined it being built off of the shore, but it was more like an Island of which every inch of land has been developed. With only a few hours to spend there (it was a few hours or nothing) we walked along the streets from the train station to St. Marcos square. The streets are very confusing and riddled with dead ends and turnarounds due to the limited number of bridges crossing the Grand Canal. San Marcos cathedral and square were a sight to see and nice, but like the island that Venice is built upon there is hardly any free space that is not occupied by tourists or pigeons. Amy and I about threw up when we saw people feeding pigeons out of their hands. That night we took yet another train to Florence, where we have been staying at Pensionato Pio X, a former convent turned into a hostel; at least it looks that way, replete with a single painting of Mary and the baby Jesus on the wall.

Yesterday, we bought advance tickets for the Uffizi gallery (where famous Renaissance paintings are held--The Birth of Venus http://images.google.it/imgres?imgurl=http://www.bergerfoundation.ch/Sandro/images/img59.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.bergerfoundation.ch/Sandro/44venusprintemps_english.html&h=251&w=400&sz=58&hl=it&start=29&um=1&tbnid=DeIEcN07OMnvYM:&tbnh=78&tbnw=124&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dvenus%2Bsea%2Bshell%26start%3D18%26ndsp%3D18%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl%3Dit%26sa%3DN ) and the Accademia (where Michelangelo's David stands) and headed off to the Duomo. I realized that I made the mistake of wearing shorts and sandals while waiting in line for the top of the Duomo. So, while Amy held our place, I ran back to our hostel and changed only to find out later that it didn't matter and that the church only restricts scantily clad women with bare shoulders. The top of the Dome was amazing. From that vantage point you can see all of Florence. I joked with Amy: "Try to find a roof that's not covered in red tile." She of course did...but that is a matter of opinion. :o) The climb to the top was the best part. Near the end of the climb we went up a very narrow space that had stairs that arched straight up the side of the dome. Claustrophobia!

Following the Duomo, we headed for the Basilica d' San Lorenzo, where we found that it cost non-residents something like 2€ to get in and see the inside. Usury!!! We of course didn't pay and instead walked through the street markets near by. We picked up some souvenirs, Amy bought new shoes and a matching dress...yes, in that order; she is good. The highlight of my day was getting a haircut. The barbershop near San Lorenzo was tended by a old man who spoke no English, but was very happy to serve us. I picked up one of the clipper settings that read 1/4" and the equivalent in milimeters and said, "this one...all around." He nodded and rubbed my head a bit as he thought about where to start. After about 5 minutes his clippers started giving up on him due to the thickness of my hair and I heard him mutter to himself, "mama mia!" I bet he doesn't see too many red devils with thick hair. A friend or neighbor stopped in to chat with the barber for a few minutes and left with an emphatic "Ciao!" As a remedy for my thick hair, he used the scissors to cut it down before returning again to the clippers. To finish, he used a straight edge razor to clean up my sideburns, neck and area around the ears. I have never had a more pristine hair cut. We tipped him 2€ for his troubles and job well done (still unsure of the whole tipping business in Europe...). We finished the evening with a nice meal at a small restaurant.

Today, we visited the Accademia and saw how huge David is...we overheard one tour guide say 16 feet. We saw some nice Renaissance paintings and some unfinished sculptures by Michelangelo. They had a nice collection of old Italian musical instruments...some we have never even seen before, and a small collection of Gothic art, which we are both beginning to loathe--we usually try to find something funny about it to make it more interesting. Tomorrow we visit the Uffizi. Ciao!