Florence, Italy: Uffizi

Julie (my friend and travel companion) and I had 8:30 AM reservations for the Uffizi. When we arrived, we were told that the museum was closed (no reason was given, though we heard rumors of a strike). When we returned two hours later, we got in what we thought was the timed ticket holders line. But, the thing about Italians is that lines never stay in the same places. They always change where you're to be standing for no apparent reason. Somehow, Julie and I ended up at the front of the line and were the first people let into the Uffizi that day. Due to line confusion and security, we ended up having the museum to ourselves for a whole fifteen minutes. Taking advantage of this, we stood in front of The Birth of Venus and The Primavera alone, for a whole fifteen minutes. And then the hoards of tourists arrived. But for fifteen minutes, we had a surreal and rather magical experience. Though I have to say that the glass in front of the paintings makes it rather difficult to see the entire composition from any one angle.