Thursday

My first thought when I woke up this morning was "I need to take a nap this afternoon." Being in Europe has proved to be exhausting. After a quick shower, I threw my hair into a ponytail and headed to the bus stop with our group.

We met the HUF students at the train station and went over to the Medici Chapel. The stone inlays in the chapel were stunning. From across the room, they look like paintings--but it took me standing with my face only inches from the wall before the individual stones became apparent. I could see the blues, greens and golds of stones that worked together to create an image. The tour guide explained how difficult and time consuming the inlay process is, and that those in the Medici chapel are unmatched.

After touring the chapel, we went over to the Bargello. I was frustrated with the fact that we were not allowed to take pictures, but after an hour or so of touring the museum, I realized that it helped me to enjoy the experience in a new way. Rather than wanting to take pictures so that I can look back and remember my experiences later, I had to focus on capturing mental images in that moment. I imagined Donatello's hands carving detailed sandals onto the feet of David, and wondered what his face looked like as he brought a Biblical character to life. Was he pleased with his representation, or did he find flaws in the work before me? I questioned what pieces of himself he may have placed into his sculpture, and why he decided to place a hat on David's head.

We had a fantastic lunch after the museum. I had delicious ravioli, spaghetti, meat and gelato.

The rest of the afternoon and evening were low-key, with a dinner at the Villa followed by a performance by a local jazz band.

Tomorrow is our free travel day, which should be fun as long as we all get some sleep tonight. Exhausted tempers have been flaring, including my own, and we all need to relax before leaving on the train tomorrow.