Our first day in Florence

Friday we took the express train from Venice to Florence. today the weather was sunny and in the low 80's so it was quite the change from Portland. as soon as we arrived and checked into our hotel, we began a walking tour of the city, we visited the central piazzas and saw the Duomo (the cathedral church in Florence). after grabbing lunch we had our appointment at the Accademia to see Michaelangelo's David. unfortunately no pictures were allowed. Next, it was off to one of the Medici palaces to see how the other half lives. the students then had the rest of the day to explore the city on their own.