The most memorable thing I did when I went back-packing through Europe when I was in my 20’s was seeing David. We didn’t have a lot of money and buying tickets to see him was the cost of a good meal, so I was apprehensive. This is why, right before we left to Europe, my sister handed me money and said it is just to see David, not for anything else, not for food, wine, lodging, getting out of jail…if I didn’t see David, I had to pay her back.
At the time the museum was under construction, so, we went through these winding corridors, looking the unfinished statues of Michelangelo “Non-finito”. The Atlas (Also called Bound), The Bearded Slave (not shown), The Young Slave and, The Awakening Slave below:
And we turned the corner and saw David:
David, ironically, is a Goliath of a statue, and he needs to be seen in person to appreciate. I think the experience I had in my 20’s of walking through a construction maze with 1/2 finished Michelangelo statues and then turning a corner to see David was the best way to see him. Looking at a perfect statue, after so many frustrated, incomplete statues sets you free – it’s like you feel Michelangelo found god when he completed David.
It was memorable – so much so, I dragged my kids on a road trip during midterm break just to see him. So, what did they think? Well, that may be another story. When you have kids, you think that they are going to fall in love with all the same things that you do, you are their spiritual guide to life and they, like the young pups they are, soak it all up with captivation and admiration…so that didn’t happen.
France Escape 