Florence

        My original thoughts about Florence and the time we would spend there were filled with all of the typical tourists spots and famous "must see" art pieces. The reality was that we only had one day to spend there and the lines for each attraction were several hours long. We ended up opting for climbing the Duomo rather than waiting in line to see the statue of David and I am extremely happy with our choice. I thought my mom as an art teacher would be upset about missing the chance to view such a famous piece of art history, but in the end we were all just as happy to see the replica which is now placed in the spot where the original once stood.
        The hike up the Duomo was very long and steep and most definitely hazardous. I can imagine the law suites that people in the States would dredge up if they allowed people to walk up stairs like them here in the U.S. There were very few hand rails and the crudely carved stone steps were uneven to say the least. The view from the top was definitely worth the climb and I'm very happy we didn't skip it. The buildings in Florence have a signature look which I'm sure is no accident. Whatever the reason, the result is very charming and beautiful.
        After climbing the Duomo and walking around for a while, we went on a sunset bike tour and it allowed us to see a lot more of the city than we ever could have without it. It turned out to be just the three of us and the tour guide who was very young and clearly in love with her city. She shared a lot of interesting and unique information about Florence and it definitely added to our experience.
        My favorite memories of Florence however, were a complete surprise, and that was the night life. After about 8:00 o'clock, all of the cars disappeared, and the streets were packed with people. There were street performers of all sorts one of which was a comedian who we watched for about 40 minutes and he was hilarious. The lights were beautiful, there was a carousel, street vendors, and musicians of all sorts. I guess in hind sight it makes a lot of sense because most everything we saw was some form of art, it just wasn't a painting or a sculpture like I immediately envision when I think of art. I thought I wouldn't be all that impressed with Florence, but I'm happy to say that I was very pleasantly surprised.