trip day 9

 Trip Day 9:  Santorini to Florence

I'm realizing that some of my photos did not sync from my phone.  Some, like this one are simply out of order because of the Tomato Gang shared folder, but some are just missing even after syncing.  We love technology.  So when we were resting by the pool yesterday, we were also getting some fresh ink for our gang.  This was cool until we realized we were about to go through airport security with "TOES" etched onto the knuckles of our left hands.  

Right, so we left off on a bus driving a little crazy in the dark across Santorini on its way to the airport.  We arrived in one piece and after some crazy back checking debacle, we all sat in seats at our gate needing rest.  The timing and planning done by the trip leaders was absolutely perfect, though and we didn't find ourselves ever waiting too long in an airport.  Violet and I had a couple of chocolate croissants and some water in the airport and before too long, we were looking out the windows realizing this airport was a bit smaller than the others we had experienced.  There were no jet-bridges.  We were about to walk out on the tarmac and walk up some steps to board the plane.  Some of us thought this was like the Beatles arriving in 1964.  Some thought it was like Biden falling up or down the stairs.  All of us were correct.

Were we scared?  Just a little.  But once you give yourself over to boarding a tiny aluminum tube with jet engines strapped to it, you just say a prayer and buckle your seatbelt.  This plane was little more than the aluminum tube.  Apparently the airline saved money on insulation and you could hear every sound and movement quite loud inside the plane.  The flight was only a couple of hours but there was no more than a moment or two of nodding off because of all the noise.  The landing was a bit rough as well.  We were all happy to be on the ground, even if we were delirious.  

I vaguely remember getting on a charter bus outside the Venice airport.  Violet and I grabbed a front seat thinking it would help us not think about motion sickness.  The bus jerked and jumped as we made our way out of the airport area, but soon it calmed down and most of us went to sleep.  I woke up to being jerked around a little and hearing the driver honking his horn and flashing his lights at other drivers.  The sun was coming up over the mountains and we were somewhere deep in Italy.  That front seat was now a bad idea as I had a giant screen view of the wild driving this guy was attempting.  I held on and according to some people near me, I even made a few noises as he scared me.  

We did arrive safely in Florence.  We stowed our bags at the hotel and walked up the street for coffee and breakfast.  There was a hot air balloon in the sky outside the coffee shop.

The coffee was good.  This was going to be our place while we were in Florence.  The people were nice and the service was fast.  Some of the hotel rooms were ready when the hotel lobby opened.  Our rooms were not ready, so we decided to burn our caffeine by exploring the city on foot.

Hope joined us again and we walked to some major sites following Kennedy's sense of direction since she had been in Florence before.

If we missed a photo opp, it was rare.

This was a very different scene than Greece.  Everything here was old, but it was also very artfully made.  Everything was beautifully crafted.

Even the street art was elevated.  The home of Michelangelo's David was very aware of his presence in the city.  He was everywhere.

We found the Santa Maria Novella and the Duomo.  We were all running on very little sleep so after a few miles of walking, we headed back to see if any more rooms were ready.  Kennedy and Alayna got a room assignment but Violet and I did not.  We sat in the lobby charging phones and waiting until 2:30 pm.  Then we got our key and got moved in.

This was a very nice hotel and the rooms were great.  We changed and headed out for our run.  The Arno river made for a nice little track.

This was Violet's third foreign city to run in.  It was hot, but it was also beautiful and we got to see more of the city on our run.

When Violet saw this over her shoulder, she made me stop and take a photo. I mean, come on.  Beautiful.

We felt better after our run and showers.  We picked up a couple of mozzerella sandwiches for a snack and for breakfast the next morning.  Then we took off into town on our own exploring.  

We met the group after a while and started walking together towards the Accademia for our appointment with David.

Cookie was excited!

And we were very excited.  Actually, I was very excited and Violet was just excited to see me so excited.  I appreciated that.

We moved into the museum and through security and just around the corner, there he was.

Freakin' David.  Michelangelo's David.

It lived up to the hype.  It was amazing.  A religious experience.

Some of the missing photos were of musical instruments.  Part of the museum was a musical instrument museum and they had the coolest harpsichords and violins and cellos.  They even had these two hurdy gurdies and they were gorgeous.  

Also missing is our dinner selfie.  We found the best little Trattoria on our way out of the museum.  It was one of the best meals I had on the trip.  I had spaghetti carbonara and Violet had pizza.  She LOVED the pizza on this trip.  We picked up some cannoli and that was our bedtime snack.  We went to bed exhausted and happy.