Jenson Adventure, Day Three

March 14, 2012

We woke up to an incredible breakfast at the convent!  Fresh bread and cheese, Yoghurt, Muesli, cereal, little cakes and tarts, toast along with butter, many different jams, honey, and of course, Nutella J  They also served steaming hot milk in pitchers on the table so the kids could make their own hot chocolate.  I ate way too much because I just had to try everything…

After breakfast we walked back into the center of Florence.  The walk along the river was just as beautiful in the morning sun as it was last night reflecting the city lights.

Of course we had to stop and take pictures of the Ponte Vecchio. 

Unfortunately we didn't have time to climb the Duomo... maybe next time!

We had reservations to get into the Acadamia at 11:00am.  That was the way to go, because we heard one woman say that she had been waiting an hour to get in, and it did not even seem that busy.  It was so nice to just pick up our tickets and walk in.  We spent about an hour there and David sat and read to us all about the David.  It was truly interesting.  We took a few pictures (not allowed, oops) and even got one of the ceiling in the lobby...

After lunch in the local piazza, Deanna took the kids in to the Da Vinci exhibit.  Since they were the only ones there, the patron let the kids touch and try everything that was labeled "Do Not Touch"...they loved it.  Outside the exhibit, Danika posed as Mona Lisa.

Of course we had to have some more gelato to give us the energy for our next adventure which was SHOPPING...We went to the leather market where Jason found a wallet that he absolutely loves, Danika found a belt that says Firenze, and David picked out a shocking magenta leather purse for me J  Deanna and Aubrey bought purses as well.  The only thing David got was a fridge magnet.

We saw these great sidewalk artists along the way...

Then it was time for dinner.  Deanna found a Rosticceria so we all sat down to a family style meal. The old lady in the top left of this picture had been coming to this place for dinner every night for the last twelve weeks.

Then it was time for more gelato to give us energy for the walk back to the convent.  It was our first chance to let the kids hang out in the room with six bunk beds while we sat and chatted with Dave and Deanna.  It was so nice to catch up on everyting.  Finally we decided it was time to crash for the night and headed back to our own room dragging the kids behind us.

~Mary