Florence, Day 2

If you know me at all, you know that I love breakfast. Sadly for me, I married a non-breakfast eater. I always eat breakfast in hotels and this morning, I managed to convince Scott that he needed to eat breakfast with me. We had a lovely breakfast of croissants, Nutella, fruit, and coffee....our hotel had a cappuccino machine and they were extremely proud of their homemade coffee. I must have had three or four--SO good. 

Hyped up by caffiene, we headed out to Santa Maria Novella Church, a beautiful church built in the 1200's by Dominican monks. Very quiet, very beautiful, and very strict on their "No Photos" policy.

From there we headed to the leather markets, where I bought an amazing handmade leather purse....and then I got in trouble from Scott because I didn't try to bargain more with the salesman. After my lecture on the art of haggling, we headed to Ponte Vecchio, Florences famous bridge,  to view the gold and silver markets before our appointment at the Uffizi Gallery. 

The Uffizi Gallery was one of the highlights of our entire trip. Even if you aren't an art lover, this museum will give you an appreciation for the classical arts. This museum house the best Italian paintings anywhere by artists: Giotto, Leonardo, Raphael, Caraveggio, Michaelangelo, Botticelli, etc. 

The museum is very specifically laid out and there is only one way to make your way through the exhibits. Armed with our Rick Steeves guided tour of the museum on our iPods, we made our way through the museum. It was fantastic. Obviously no photos were allowed, but I loved every second in this museum. 

Despite the fact that our feet were killing us, we forged ahead and walked to our appointment at the Accademia. The world-famous statue of David is here, along with the unfinished Prisoners, also by Michelangelo. These are the two main highlights of the small museum, but Scott enjoyed the musical instrument display in the back of the museum.

Our feet were protesting with every step, so we thought that was a good excuse for a nap. It had begun to rain, so it was perfect timing! After our nap, we went to a Rick Steves recommended restaurant, Trattoria 13 Gobbi ("13 Hunchbacks"). It was fantastic. The food was excellent and it was the idyllic Italian restaurant--candles, music, etc. I had a steak with roasted vegetables and it was by far the best meal I had on our trip--delicious!

We didn't know that this particular night was "White Night," which means that everyone stays out late. Restaurants and stores are open later and everyone was out--so we decided to stay out too. The city was so fun that night--people were everywhere, there was music and dancing in the square, and we found a great street musician who sang U2. Since we were out, we decided to get dessert at a little cafe known for their fancy desserts. 

I went for the chocolate and I must say...Best. Dessert. Ever.