d. FLORENCE Saturday Dec 20th -Sunday Dec 21st

Dec 20 Saturday-Sunday

FLORENCE

Florence accom: Hotel Accademia//Via Faenza 7

Travel By: Train from Venice to florence

Must See Wish List:

• Duomo Cathedral
• Uffizi museum ($$)
• Accademia Gallery (DAVID STATUE)
• Abbey of San Miniato al Monte
• ****Piazzale Michelangelo****
• 
  

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence

Saturday: leaving venice to florence for a quick one day trip....its 10am...we should arrive by train by around 2pm check in our hotel...lunch...then off to see michelangelo's David!

Once we got to our hotel and checked in....we found a perfect spot for lunch...an independent brewery...with awesome food! Cool and clicky with POSTERS around the room...as well as some of their favorite beers...guess what...arrogant bastard was one...rogue (various), another....we enjoyed several ipa's including a PUNK and Christmas ale...Both great...BrewDog was the name. looks like they have several locations throughout Italy and formed in England! It was off to see David! Have great pictures and video's of where he lives now....was in front of the enormous church for 300 years before finding his home under the shelter of the local museum. Many pictures of christ....before , during and after life on this world...the many busts of famous royalty from 1500 ...plaster casks that were used as a mock up before being cut into marble. The churches here are huge...put not as big as the one we will be visiting in Rome...the day albeit short was spent shopping...taking pictures and video in the square...have some great christmas shots here...we went back to the hotel...then out to dinner...met tony...the restaurant is family run by 6 generations...he is teaching/training in California at the chefs school on rodeo drive...January thru may. pasta is magnificent here! I could have had the steak...that looked good too....just not that hungry...they were monstrous! Ravioli, spaghetti....YUMMMM! Dad and rob went out for a quick stogie smoke before collapsing at the hotel...all of us get to sleep in the same room...beds were okay...

Sunday...Church bells ringing...time to get up...all slept til about 8am florence time. Quick Italian breakfast of deserts, meats and cheeses and croissants at the hotel then off to the train station...train delayed about 30 minutes...people and pet watched while we waited..arriving to ROME around 3pm