Dantes and David

I did make it to the Chateaux D'If, hooray! I got off the ship early, caught one of the first ferries over to the island, and stayed for about an hour and a half.  I was really fascinated - the Chateux is quite impressive and it was fun to wander the towers and prison cells.  There were several displays devoted to the Count of Monte Cristo, since it was that novel by Alexander Dumas that gave the island prison most of its fame.  My ferry was even names "Edmond Dantes." After the Chateaux D'if I still had some time left, so I caught a sightseeing train up to the other symbol of Marseilles - the hilltop cathedral of Notre Dame de la Garde.  The church was impressive, but equally if not more so was the view - a panorama of Marseilles on all sides.  It was breathtaking.  

Due mostly to lots of scheming on my part, I was finally able to get myself on a tour to Florence a few days later.  I helped convince Mario D'Andrea that we didn't need a rehearsal, just a sound check, and then told the same to the production manager and music director and asked them to talk to Mario, which they did: 6:00pm sound check! Hooray!!) Then I was first on the list for my tour and after not getting it went in to my friends in the shorex office and begged the manager to let me on it...anyway you don't need all the details, the important thing is that I got myself on that tour dang it!! We saw much of historical Florence, which was incredible - but the most important thing was I got to see David.  Michealangelo's marble statue of him, that is.  And wow.  You were right Mom - it blew me away, both with size and beauty - I gasped when I came around the corner, not expecting it yet, and there it was.  Wow.  It also brought me to tears a little bit to know I was standing exactly where my mom stood years before I was born - like coming full circle somehow.  The rest of the tour passed in a blur - we had a fabulous lunch just down the street from Michaelangelo's old apartment - and then walked through the Santa Croce church where he is buried, alongside Galileo and Machivelli - wow.  Florence is just an amazing place when you consider how many important people in history lived there.  The whole day was a bit overwhelming, and I enjoyed it more than I can say.  Today we are in Corsica, and I went on a tour to the Prunelli Gorges, which was a really nice tour - I didn't realize how green Corsica is - and there are so many different shades of it.  Tonight we play Mark Donoghue's show - he is one of my favorite people.  I know I say that a lot - but its true.