Post on VI - I - MMVIII

So we are just finishing up our time in Firenze (Florence). Today we went to the famed Uffizi gallery and waited in line for 2.25 hours! that's more time than we spent inside the gallery! That's more time than we spent planning our trip to Florence, or Europe for that matter! Was it worth it? well, we saw a lot of great paintings and sculptures by Da Vinci, Rafael, Michaelangelo etc...I don't remember most of them, even though i would consider myself a bit of an art guy. We did see the Birth of Venus, you know the one where she is standing on an oyster! That was kind of cool. We also saw multiple versions of the Adoration of the Magi, also neat. to be honest, the museum was well worth the 6.50€ entrance fee. I would not stand in line for 3 hours again to go see the exhibit though. The best part of standing in line was watching Carlyn's pen explode all over her hand, only to be hastily taken care of by 4 elderly Italian women bearing gifts of wet wipes, giving me dirty looks since I was rolled over in laughter. I told her to put the pen down..."it has a cap" she said, "no worries", then blam! black ink everywhere!

After the gallery, we walked around the famed Florence leather shops, snooping for deals and haggling over merchandise. Carlyn splurged on a 80€ leather coat. she assures me it is a good deal, high quality, and that her parents won't get mad at her. I thought it looked swell.
tonight, we're going to walk around the main plaza, there is a great guitar player who hangs out there at night and plays Paul Simon, U2 and Beatles hits.

Tomorrow we head to Rome...I'm sure the visit will go as follows...we arive after a 2 hour train ride to a hostel resembling Ceaser's Palace, we are fed grapes, wine and cheese as we are paraded through the streets on chariots. Then we will entertain ourselves at the Colliseum with some sport, before proceeding to the Pantheon and Spanish Steps. The next day will entail trips to the Vatican to visit the Pope, all while being treated like Ceaser Augustus....Let's be honest...we will probably spend half our time there standing in lines to see 2000 year old crumbling architecture all while avoiding pickpocketers seeking to wreak havoc on innocent tourists. its kind of fun to imagine though.
Ciao! - Mattimus Jamus Kinnivus, Ruler of the armies of the North and Servant to the Once True Emperor Marcus Aurelius...Or...Don Mattheus, head of the most famed mob family in all of Italy...If you don't comment on this blog...you'll find yourself swimming with the fishes.