David, David, David!!!

Oh, my ya'll!  I'm in Florence and I can NOT stop singing "Light in the Piazza" at the top of my lungs!!  It's hot here.  Just as hot as Texas.  I love it!  Too much…the other tour members are getting a little worried.  They think it's dehydration that I'm suffering from as I sing loudly in the street squares, but I know it's just this place.  I love Italy.  So much more than I ever thought I could.  I feel at home.

When we arrived we went out to see the Baptistry doors and the Duomo (Cathedral - literally, dome in Italian).  Tomorrow, Ally and I plan on waking up early and climbing to the top of the Duomo on our free morning!  

Then we walked over to the The Accedemia to see none other than the man himself!  Oh, David!!!  Oh, David, David, David!!  

Michaelangelo's, David stands an impressive 17 feet tall in the middle of Florence's Academy of Fine Arts.  You are not supposed to take pictures of him…at all.  How else would the gift shop make its money!?  However, I knew from the start that David's perfection would be my most favorite thing about this city and I was not disappointed…at all.  I stood gap jawed and in total awe of his beautiful form.  I fell in love for what seems like the 18th time on this trip and knew that, at all costs, I had to have a picture of my own to take home…it just so happens that I got one…a couple actually…before I was caught by a rowdy old Italian woman and almost had my camera confiscated!!  "Mi dispiace, mi dispiace!! (I'm sorry, I'm sorry!!)"  I yelled back at her as I ran away…I had been hiding behind a column to take the shots so they're not that great…but I got them!  I should really think about applying for a position at the C.I.A.

After The Accedemia we took a lovely stroll down to a local restaurant to have a family dinner.  Ally and I split a liter of wine…dio mio... which caused me to sing even louder than I had been earlier in the day.  We're staying at a beautiful, and very centrally located hotel in Florence called Hotel California, and yes, we all sang a very rousing rendition of the Eagles famous hit by the same name before disembarking from our coach.  

A cold shower is in order.  It's been a very hot and adrenaline filled day!  Ciao ciao!!

                                                                                             Peace, Love and Travel,

                                                                                             Reba

The Duomo.  I should have better pics of her tomorrow.

The doors to the baptistry.  A feat of Renaissance artistry.

A different vantage point of the Duomo.  You can see just a bit of the dome that Ally and I will climb tomorrow morning!!

My man, David.

Little closer...incase you didn't get it the first time...perfection.

The Last Supper, according to Andy Warhol.

David's modern and slightly more...ahem...colorful brother...David.

The liter!

Family time.  With Lawrence and our real life David in the background.

Ally enjoying dessert.

It was good to the last bite!