Naturally we arrived in Florence at 8 in the morning - when most things are not up and running. However, the hostel that we claimed home for 2 nights was absolutely amazing, especially compared to our last one. The people at the desk were more than friendly (one being extremely attractive), the food was half as cheap and double the portions, there was a pool, a roof top terrace, and a nice Australian girl named Shay who was staying one night in our room.
We took to Florence after settling in and went to the most popular site in town - The Duoma. Florence
, known for it's rich art history, proved that it was one of the most artistic places in the world with it's Cathedrals alone. I have never seen a building so decorated on the outside ever in my life. This was a perfect meeting spot for Craig to find his friends from school, and a perfect spot to set off on Tour 1 of Floren
ce. Much more relaxed and easy-going than Rome, it was still incredibly Italian, with statues literally everywhere. There was a replica of David where he was originially and some more awkward
statues to make everyone feel uncomfortable. The river in town had a bridge that was scattered with jewelry shops everywhere and the saying is true - Wine is cheaper than water there. We went to the best gelateria (because why eat lunch when you can have gelato instead?) and went back to the hostel to do one of my favorite things we did in "The Flo" (what the DG Gburg girls call it) - LAUNDRY!
, known for it's rich art history, proved that it was one of the most artistic places in the world with it's Cathedrals alone. I have never seen a building so decorated on the outside ever in my life. This was a perfect meeting spot for Craig to find his friends from school, and a perfect spot to set off on Tour 1 of Floren
ce. Much more relaxed and easy-going than Rome, it was still incredibly Italian, with statues literally everywhere. There was a replica of David where he was originially and some more awkward
statues to make everyone feel uncomfortable. The river in town had a bridge that was scattered with jewelry shops everywhere and the saying is true - Wine is cheaper than water there. We went to the best gelateria (because why eat lunch when you can have gelato instead?) and went back to the hostel to do one of my favorite things we did in "The Flo" (what the DG Gburg girls call it) - LAUNDRY!Clean clothes in hand, and a rested body, we returned to the Duoma to meet up with Juliann - my housemate from last year who is studying in Florence. We had a lovely dinner (pizza, of course) in a piazza near the Duoma (minus Craig, plus Shay) that was not only enjoyable but entertaining due to the trials and tribulations of Shay's traveling for the past 4 months. It seems that Australian's have more time on their hands than anyone I know and just spend half their lives traveling from place to place. As tempting as it seems to spend a month picking up odds and ends jobs and traveling, I will not quit university, Mom and Dad. Not that I wouldn't love doing that...
Then again, Shay is in love with an American man from the Upper East Side who is helping the finances of this trip. Tad jealous...
After dinner, Juliann, Elena & I headed to one of Julsy's favorite spots for a nightcap (I always wanted to say "I'm going for a nightcap..") which is a pavillion bar in the middle of a park. The area was more residential and housed the school Juliann attends (an American school through Syracuse) and apparently park bar's are normal in Florence. How adorable! It was great catching up with her and at one point I even started to cry because I didn't realize how much I had missed people back home. Sometimes they say you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone... I apparently have to lose it and then gain it again.
The next morn
ing Elena & I headed to the marketplace sans males for some serious Christmas shopping. We have become haggle queens and many a person back home should be excited for the stuff that I'm giving them :). I was mighty proud, I must say. The lines the vendors would throw our way were perfect. My favorite was "Excuse me, Miss, you dropped something", I turned around to look and he says "My heart...". Cheesy! All of them were like this though, and Elena made sure to use it to our advantage to get the best price on our loot. I definitely like the whole shopping and then negotiating a price thing. Part of me wishes I could do that at Forever 21 in America. Hmmm...
ing Elena & I headed to the marketplace sans males for some serious Christmas shopping. We have become haggle queens and many a person back home should be excited for the stuff that I'm giving them :). I was mighty proud, I must say. The lines the vendors would throw our way were perfect. My favorite was "Excuse me, Miss, you dropped something", I turned around to look and he says "My heart...". Cheesy! All of them were like this though, and Elena made sure to use it to our advantage to get the best price on our loot. I definitely like the whole shopping and then negotiating a price thing. Part of me wishes I could do that at Forever 21 in America. Hmmm...We then headed up to the Piazza de Michelangelo for what we heard was the best v
iew of Florence. After trekking up one of the steepest flights of stairs known to man, Elena & I reached the top to see, what truly was, the best view of Florence. Italy is gorgeous and if I were to go back, I'd A) make sure I knew a lot more Italian and B) go outside the city because you could see for miles and the little villages dotting the hillsides looked straight out of the movie Under the Tuscan Sun.
iew of Florence. After trekking up one of the steepest flights of stairs known to man, Elena & I reached the top to see, what truly was, the best view of Florence. Italy is gorgeous and if I were to go back, I'd A) make sure I knew a lot more Italian and B) go outside the city because you could see for miles and the little villages dotting the hillsides looked straight out of the movie Under the Tuscan Sun. On our walk down, we heard a crash and saw a mo-ped car accident. Elena, who is a paramedic back in the states, went over to try and help, but naturally no one spoke Italian. Luckily, someone knew what they were doing (we think they were a doctor) and was helping but it was really interesting, even though sad, to see how another country deals with emergencies like that. There must be dozens of mo-ped accidents a day though because they dart in and out of streets and alleys and fly down tiny cobblestoned streets. I would not like to drive in Italy that's for sure.
Last stop 
on our day excursion was to see "Our Boyfriend, David". I can definitely see what all the fuss is about - he is HUGE! I could not believe that he was supposed to go on top of the Duoma. It's crazy to think that someone could sculpt that free style, especially back in the Renaissance. Yet another testament to Florence's rich art history. As with the Sistene Chapel, we naturally weren't allowed to take pictures. This time, Elena succeeded in taking an illegal photo of the guy though. Score! Now I can prove I saw the real David. And I'm sure he'd make a great boyfriend (the boys had no clue who we were referring to for at least hours.. quite hilarious).
on our day excursion was to see "Our Boyfriend, David". I can definitely see what all the fuss is about - he is HUGE! I could not believe that he was supposed to go on top of the Duoma. It's crazy to think that someone could sculpt that free style, especially back in the Renaissance. Yet another testament to Florence's rich art history. As with the Sistene Chapel, we naturally weren't allowed to take pictures. This time, Elena succeeded in taking an illegal photo of the guy though. Score! Now I can prove I saw the real David. And I'm sure he'd make a great boyfriend (the boys had no clue who we were referring to for at least hours.. quite hilarious).We joined Juliann, her roommate and Ali from back at Lanc/Gburg for dinner and a girls night which ended at a bar with Elena, Ali & I singing Britney Spears karaoke while the boys went to watch the Patriots and Steelers games. We had to catch a bus at 3 in the morning for the airport in Pisa (unfortunately I did not see the tower) so Elena & I headed back for a 3 hour nap while the guys planned on pulling an all-nighter. So naturally we hoped they made good decisions. We hoped...
PICTURES! [The Duoma, Awkward statue in a piazza, Florence by the Vito!, Jewelry shop on the bridge, Me & Juliann, Marionettes on the Piazza Santa Croce, Steep stairs to the Piazza Michelangelo, Me jumping in front of Firenze, Fleure de Lis - Symbol of Florence, Juliann, Me, Elena & Ali]
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