Being a tourist has both it’s perks and downsides. Being a tourist with such a small group has mostly it’s perks. We can easily navigate through crowds, picking a restaurant for lunch or dinner becomes easier, and we are more united. Yesterday we went to the Accademia Gallery. We entered together, started walking through the space together, and it was so packed that before I knew it the familiar people around me were gone. It was no big deal, but as I walked through the rest of the gallery I would keep an eye out for a familiar face. I found myself taking a right turn and seeing a big open hallway with unfinished sculptures on each side. I began glancing to see what else and who else was around, and that’s when I saw the most familiar face of all. I immediately stopped walking and my jaw slowly aimed towards the ground. In this huge open space, with what appeared to be a glass dome overhead at the end of the hallway was, the David. THE David. The David that I’ve seen thousands of times in textbooks and videos. The David that I had no idea I’d be that mesmerized by. I don’t remember moving, but I found myself steps away from the immaculate sculpture and I couldn’t believe it. Pictures do not do justice! Seeing it on paper should almost be a crime. The experience that I had physically walking up to it and admiring it in person is EVERYTHING compared to simply seeing a photograph of it. Photos almost cheapen the immense quality that is seen in person.

For those that aren’t familiar, meet David. (Hope I didn’t cheapen it too much, but I just had to take a picture!)