A little slice of hell...

OK, so I was going to post a pretty picture of a butterfly on lavender today, but I have come down with a cold and I am trying to grade close to 200 exams while feeling yucky! Not fun!  So, I am going with a picture from Cathedral (Duomo) Cupola in Florence.   I think the subject sums up how I am feeling about right now.  OK, no, it  really isn't all that bad, and I am actually blessed with a very good immune system.  I only rarely get sick and when I do it is usually only for  about 24 hours or so, but man, those are a fun 24 hours!  My elementary school secretary said that I actually turned green!  The Grinch aint got nothing on me ;)

Picture? What Picture?!?!

An icon...seen in real life...and it is darned tall!!  Needless to say, seeing the David in person was very impressive.  And just in case you are curious, you are not supposed to take pictures so you don't actually see this one.  I would never take a picture where I am not supposed to! :)  The Galleria dell'Accademia in Florence is a small, though good museum.  David is certainly impressive, though I find the Nonfiti (unfinished slaves) be be equally fascinating.  Seeing the creative process is amazing. 
     Most people only come to see David and the Nonfiniti and miss the rest of the museum.  Most people don't even realize that there is a second floor!  In fact, the average visit time, based on ticket sales and other data the museum collects is just 7 1/2 minutes.  Ummm...wow!  If you ever go, take a little more time to enjoy!  If you are on a tour, make them wait for you :)

Bridging Life and Chocolate

OK, I am WAY behind on posting :) And only have a couple minutes now but I wanted to get a picture up before I really flaked out! This is the Ponte Vecchio (means old bridge--constructed 1345 so I guess that counts!) in Florence. One of the main sights I passed by it many a time in my 8 months of living in Florence. This particular evening I was heading to Hemingway's chocolate shop in the south of Florence. No surprise there as any who were living in Florence at the time can attest to. Hemingway's has some of the most sublime chocolate that I have ever tasted. It is kind of pricey, but I ended up there many a night. The best way to get there was one bridge down the Arno from the Ponte Vecchio which is where this picture comes from. Darn it