WOW! The EXPLORERS had yet another amazing day. It really just keeps getting better! Since many EXPLORERS travelers had visited Florence previously, several of them headed off on their own excursions, while some stayed on the ship and others (including myself) spent 11 hours getting to know this amazing destination. The suspence grew as we headed through the countryside of Italy. Before we could say "more gellato," we made it to Michaelangelo's "David." It's been a long time since I studied art history, but I was really surprised at how massive this sculpture is. For some reason I had always imagined it being more life-sized, but it was much larger than that. Many people commented on how you can just get lost and mesmerized by "David," and indeed that was the case.

We hit up four additional not-to-be-missed sites in Florence prior to two hours of free time. The EXPLORERS made themselves right at home in some of the famous cafes in the sqaure and indulged in what I consider to be "real" Italian food. Most people took full advantage of the fantasic shopping, and there were lots of packages making their way back on to the bus at the end of the day. It was fun showing off all of our purchases with everyone.

Once we arrived back on the ship, many of the Nautica crew members welcomed us "home" with a live band and true red-carpet treatment. I know many of us are already looking forward to our next visit!