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Day 11, Friday, July 6, 2007

Report from Roger, 2:20 p.m., July 6 (Pictures will be added a little later this afternoon.)

Florence (Firenze):

Firenze!  We left around 8:30 this morning for Florence. We started our tour of the city with a visit to the Academia de la Bella Artes, or Academy of Fine Arts.  There, we saw Michaelangelo’s David and a few other statues and paintings.  Some of us also saw the Medici collection of Stradivarii.  Then, we took a city walking tour and saw the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Flowers as well as St. John’s Baptistry.  The doors to the chapel were the Doors of Paradise.  We continued to the Pontevecchio over the Arno River and ended at the Piazza de la Signoria.

A view of the Pontevecchio (Old Bridge) in Florence.

Afterwards, we had some free time to walk around and explore the city.  At 3:00 pm, we went to the Uffizi Gallery where we saw works by Botticelli (The Birth of Venus), Michaelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Francisco Goya, Crespi, and Rembrandt van Rijn.  Many orchestra members spent over two hours in this gallery.  So far, this has been a great group.  Everyone has been on time and cooperative.  Some serious shopping was done today, and we now have to figure out how to get all the treasures in the suitcases.

Kevin Switzer is getting a piggyback ride from Tyrie Levels.

Then, time for dinner!  We drove back in traffic and had a nice dinner at the hotel.  Tomorrow, we depart for the last but Eternal City, Rome, via Siena.

Webmaster's note: We have received pictures of the group from Stephanie. They have been added to July 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. Last night we had a visit from Shanghai, China. Welcome!

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