Two airline tickets to Rome_$2346. Two train tickets to Florence_$140. 7 nights in Italian hotels_$1100. 7 days of
Chianti, pasta, pizza, and gelato_$998. Admission to the Accademia Gallery
Museum_$30. Seeing Michelangelo’s statue of David in all its unmutilated glory_priceless!
The world’s most famous statue was created by the world’s most gifted sculptor
to emulate a young David who is quoted in the Bible as saying to Goliath, “"Who
is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of God?"
That is ironic considering that David is
standing there with his foreskin hanging out and Goliath is covered with full
body armor. Obviously, the artist did not use ‘David’ as his model. In keeping
with the Italian Renaissance, he used an image of the perfect man without any
mutilation.
In reality, David was a
skilled warrior and politician who went on to create the only empire ever to
arise in Palestine. He did it the same way other great warriors created
empires, including the Roman Empire. He raided and killed his neighbors and
invited the survivors to join his army. More and more warriors joined him for
the promise of booty.
The Vatican tour was too
crushed with tourist to be enjoyable. I think it had something to do with the
popular new Pope. Otherwise, we found the Italian people to be nice to us. All
the steps in the Coliseum, museums, and churches were tough on my knees. Even
our hotel was up 4 flights of stairs. It reminded me of climbing the Andes Mountains
to Machu Picchu. All and all, we had an enjoyable
and educational trip. Next time, I will vacation in a very flat land without
steps. Ciao!
"Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that
he should defy the armies of God?" 
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