Florence day 3: The Uffizi

The day after the social dinner is always the same. Everyone's a bit bleary eyed - not because of drink or anything(or not usually), but more because you are networking and basically remaining working from 9am until about midnight. It makes the days a little slower.

We have a session to run in the conference, but it's mainly pulling people together and then fielding questions afterwards. Our audience isn't that big, but we get some good discussions and contacts after it.

Eventually, I have done my work for the week and I can escape. My boss is heading home, so I'm back to appreciating travelling with only my iPod for companionship.

It doesn't take me long to decide that I'm heading for the Uffizi:



It also doesn't take me long to decide that the Downward spiral is going top remove the conference brain from my head. Before long I'm wandering along corridors and through rooms of old antiquities while Trent Reznor provides the atmosphere:




Here's some of the highlights:
Botticelli:



Michaelangelo(Notice how the men in the background are naked and almost perfectly studied, yet the woman could get a job as popeye's stunt double if she drew anchors on those biceps):



Caravaggio:



I quite enjoy it, but the period of art is not quite my thing. I much prefer the Musee D'Orsay in Paris. I used up most of my energy on all the Religious works, which are beautiful, but after the 200th, they all look a bit samey. It's still a very nice museum, and beats sitting in meetings.

I'm glad when I get to the bar, not for the reason's you'd expect, but because you can get out on a terrace and look at Florence from a good height. I hang around here for a while getting some photos:









Outside, I have a wander round the statues of famous painters. My knowledge of Italian renaissance painters doesn't stretch far beyond the teenage mutant hero turtles.....



So I take photos of the four of them.(Or try to, but I think Gallileo would have made a good replacement if Raphael couldn't turn up):









By the time I make it back to my hotel, I'm foot weary and knackered, so I settle down to a few DVD's for an hour or so and then set out to seek a Pizza before retiring early:



I'm ready for home, and only need to buy a few presents and send a few postcards before heading off home....

Good night.