Carl had wanted to revisit San Marco and was willing to stand in the long lines to get in, but after waiting for over an hour to take a bus from where we were staying in Mestre on the mainland, we gave up and went on to our next destination. We found out later that there was a bus strike, because six empty buses passed us by with a “Not in service” sign.

We said goodbye to son Stephen, who flew back to Frankfurt last night to return to the United States. He encountered a baggage handlers strike when he got to the airport.

What a relief to be in Florence! Although we loved the picturesque canals in Venice, the crowds, the heat and the high humidity made everyone absolutely miserable. It is definitely cooler here and the humidity is lower. This morning we took a walking tour of medieval and renaissance Florence. The façade of the cathedral here is the most striking I have ever seen.

Along the tour we met an actor who had memorized the entire text from Dante’s Divine Comedy, and could quote any section upon request. We followed along on pages 267-268.

In the afternoon we went to the Accademia art museum where we saw the original of Michelangelo’s David. They did not allow any photos in the museum, so I took a picture of the reproduction outside.

There are zillions of David souvenirs for sale here, including miniatures, facial tissue, notepads, aprons and even boxer shorts with strategically located artwork. However no one in my family was interested in buying!