Early morning on my first day in Firenze, it was sunny and mild. I made my way across the Arno River to the south bank and made my way up to the Piazzale Michelangelo on a hill for a view of the city of Firenze from above.

A stunningly beautiful view! So this is where the Renaissance was born. I was wishing this moment could last forever.

Having spent enough time enjoying a once in a lifetime view of Firenze, I walked down the hill, crossed back to the north bank, and made a beeline to the Galleria dell'Accademia.

Before I approached the entrance of the Galleria dell'Accademia, I was so surprised to see unbelievably long lines near the Galleria to enter it. I knew all of these people were there for one reason: Michelangelo’s David. What surprised me even more, however, was that the long lines were even for those who had reserved tickets in advance! Alas... I joined the lines of people waiting to enter it.

As I proceeded the hall, I saw David standing in the center under the bright skylight from the dome. I slowly made for it.

I had seen photos of David in books and mags, but when I saw him here at the Galleria dell'Accademia and looked up at him, I was amazed to see how large it was. It looked very realistic and I was awestruck with the accuracy of his muscles and veins.

I also noticed that his right hand is too big and is obviously out of proportion with the rest of the figure. Michelangelo purposely made it bigger because the statue of David was originally intended to be stood on the cathedral roof, and hence was meant to be viewed from below.

As I closely looked at his face, I was overwhelmed by his eyes, looking so tense and watchful as if he were getting ready to battle against Goliath.