Day 7
It’s coming to an end. Our final art gallery was Galleria dell’Accademia where Michelangelo’s David is housed. (There’s a replica outside Palazzo Vecchio but the original was moved to the Accademia). This was a perfect gallery to save for last because it’s relatively small with just a few must-sees. I enjoyed the small History of Music section with a spinnet built by Cristofori, the inventor of the piano. In front of David we met a couple from Fayetteville, Georgia. (I was going to say “an older couple” but they were probably only 5 years older than us.) She was wondering whether David was depicted before or after slaying Goliath. He was more interested in why David was naked. “Did they really fight in the nude back then? If not, why do artists insist on removing their battle gear?” (Say with a strong Southern accent.)

In the music history section of the Accademia Gallery in Florence

David at the end of the hallway – Accademia Gallery – Florence, Italy

I ate the most amazing artichoke heart and tomato pizza and then we took a detour to Pisa to see the famous leaning tower. Our expectations were low — we mostly wanted the tourist photos — but Pisa was a great little town. The mile walk from the train station to the leaning tower was lined with great shops, open markets, and nice views.

Pisa – Cathedral Square and the leaning tower

We fit in another crepe and gelato and headed back to Florence to retrieve our luggage from the hotel and took a final train back to Rome, exhausted. We had falafels and kebabs at a great little shop by the train station and took our final taxi at light speed to our final hotel near the Rome airport. The (French) song on the taxi radio is still in my head: Maître Gims – Est-ce que tu m’aimes. Well, it is battling it out with the gypsy accordion music.

An air traffic controller strike threatened to delay our flights home, but we all made it out on time. I watched the following movies during the 28 hours we spent in the air:

• Creed – 2.5 stars
• Concussion – 3 stars
• Hunger Games final – 3 stars
• Monster Hunt (Chinese) – a hearty 4 stars for pure weirdness and a catchy little musical number
• Half of Daddy’s Home – 1 star

I also got some reading done, but not as much as I should have.

I am happy to report that despite all the carbs consumed, I gained no weight on the trip. Monica and Wendy wore Fitbits and we averaged 25,000 steps (about 9 miles) per day. Now let’s see what kind of damage these seven boxes of Cruesli will do.

Show me the video