Florence Day Three

Today we slept in a little on our awesome pull-out-couch bed (we were expecting a real bed) before visiting the Duomo (The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore). We climbed over 460 steps to the top of the dome. The stairs were steep and spiraled most if the way up. Near the top we were able to walk out into the dome and look at the paintings on the ceiling. At the very top we could see the entire city. I'm scared of heights (something I've recently discovered while hiking with Mark on the Blue Ridge) but I did pretty well. Florence is beautiful and we could see the mountains and country off in the distance. 

After the Duomo we visited the baptistery next door. I really like the gold leaf and Byzantine influence in the mosaics.

It started to rain after the baptistery so we decided to visit one of the smaller museums in Florence--The Academy-- where Michelangelo's David is kept. The museum did not allow photos so we have none to show. The museum mostly contained old religious paintings and sculptures. Again, I really enjoyed the Byzantine influence present in many of the paintings and icons. 

Right now we are relaxing at the apartment. We have dinner reservations for tonight at a restaurant that we got turned away from yesterday because it was so busy. We're hoping its popularity with the locals means the food is good!