Day 6: Full of Gusto!

Off to see the David!  It's kinda funny, at this point we are wearing down and both admit to each other that we don't really care if we go or not but we keep hearing such amazing things so we suck it up and go.  We stop for some lunch at a restaurant recommended by a friend and I get the spaghetti with clam sauce and Dan gets gnocchi (we think).  *Sorry, we are at the airport in Munich right now piecing this together since we were so bad about keeping up with it so there may be a lot of details we forget.*  I should also mention that at this point of the trip my wedding dress has still not made it through customs and we are mere days away from the wedding and I am desperately trying to keep my shit together about it.  So anyway… off to the Accademia to see what all the fuss over this little David statue is.  Since we had our Friends of the Uffizi pass we sauntered past the line that was multiple blocks long and were inside in a jiff.  There were a few rooms of more religious art and a room with antique musical instruments and some statues that you wind your way through and then you turn into a room that is lined on the sides with giant slabs of marble that are partially chiseled into statues.  This is called the hall of slaves.  They were statues (I think about 10 or 12) Michelangelo started but never finished and at the end of this hall stands the tall and lovely David in a room built specifically for him.  You hear from people all the time how beautiful and breathtaking he is and you think to yourself, “He’s just a statue, what’s the big deal?”  And then you see him and you do stop breathing and you are mesmerized.  The absolute perfection and the fact that this giant was carved from one piece of marble that he found just sitting around in a church courtyard or something like that makes you realize what a wonder this statue is.  Dan and I never realized that David was THE David from the story David and Goliath until we were reading about him at the museum.  DUH!!!  Anyway, we spent a good deal of time walking around him and marveling about the details and what a great ass he hasJ.  Then we went into the last room of the museum and it was full of statues but then we realized they are plaster casts of busts and statues so it turned out to be very underwhelming aside from a few really nice paintings they had in there sort of willy nilly. 

This is the only pic I could take at the Accademia. It's the bathroom door.

Off we go to the Pitti Palace to see the Boboli Gardens!  They are stunning!  We had read a few reviews on them and one person gave it a very low rating because “There were no flowers”.  What an idiot!  First of all, there were some flowers.  However, it is a typical Italian garden which is full of trees and manicured bushes and statues, art sculptures and fountains and it was amazing.  If you were standing in the middle of that and disappointed then you should just immediately go blind and accidentally walk off one of the hillsides that look over the entire city of Florence to your death.  Anyway, we wandered through there and found what felt like some secret dark trails and just took our time and enjoyed ourselves.  We even saw a gorgeous owl!  At one point we went to go to the bathroom and as usual the men’s room had no lines and the women’s had a long line.  So Dan was done and I was waiting in line and Dan sat down on a bench and started sketching in his book.  Along came 4 young Italian boys who saw what he was doing and immediately crowded around him asking him about it.  It was the cutest thing ever!  Everywhere they saw him in the park they waved and yelled hello.  Dan’s now got his own little Italian fan club. 

After the gardens we walked back over to the piazza where Gusto Pizza was.  They weren’t open yet so we decided to get some beers and potato chips and sit on the church stairs and people watch.  Btw, Italian potato chips are SO good!  I want some now.  As we were sitting there some punk kid had a cute Shepard mix dog that he was playing fetch with…with a beer bottle cap.  It was a very cute dog but for some reason decided to go after an old woman randomly.  He called the dog away and he and his friends must have laughed because that woman’s friend proceeded to give that kid hell for like 15 minutes about it!  It was awesome. 

Off we go to Gusto Pizza when it opens and I’m psyched!  We walk in the door to order and one of the owners is at the register.  How do I know this?  There is a gigantic picture along the back wall of him and the other two owners.  Anyway, he was talking to an employee and turned around and liked what he saw because I got the eyes and a big reaction…hahahaa.  He was totally flirting with me even though Dan was right there and obviously with me.  When he took my order he drew a big heart around it and showed me.  It was very funny and a good ego boost!  We ordered some beers and went to grab them from the fridge and sat at a table with another random couple.  The place is super tiny and super packed so they just cram as many people at the tables as possible.  Needless to say, Italy should stick to wines.  The beer in Italy is for the most part crap.  Our number is called and Dan wades through the crowd to grab our pizzas.  When he puts mine on the table I realize it’s in the shape of a heart.  We dig in and it is amazing!!!  I can see why this place is so hoppin’!
All day 6 pics here http://flic.kr/s/aHsjzCviRu

Tomorrow…Florence throws us a major farewell party ;)