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| Statue of David *replica* |
The night with my new friends wasn’t as bad as I was
expecting…they were more than happy to leave me presents. Unfortunately for my
French hostelmate, Victor, they visited him too. Florence. This city surprised me in a good way. Skeptical at first, I wasn’t too excited about
exploring the city because there wasn’t much to see, but man was I wrong. Even
though I spent only one full day here, I was busy hustling around town from morning to night. The only
difference I noticed between here & Rome is how polite Fiorentinis are...reminds me of home. Otherwise they've got the beautiful people & fashion down pat.
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| Local chalk street art in Florence! |
My first adventure in Florence started when I was searching
for my hostel the first night. On a Monday night, the streets were still
thriving with people of all ages going out to the restaurants & bars, making me feel a bit safer wandering the streets so late. Once I made it up the many flights in the
elevator-less building, the hostel host kindly let me know that I didn’t have a
reservation, & they were booked. Fortunately for me, I had the reservation
saved on my laptop, but unfortunately for me I booked it for the following week.
Whoops. After using their computer, I made my way back to the train station
towards my new hostel. Eh, I acquainted myself with the streets at least.
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| My sad Italian latte |
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| Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore |
Yesterday I was on a mission to pack in EVERYTHING there was
to do in this city. It started off with a nice stroll through the San Lorenzo Market
which has vendors spilling out on the streets selling everything from leather
jackets to babies, while the men are shouting “Ciao bella!” as the women pass
by. I made it to the recommended Grom for a delectable apricot gelato &
finished my morning off with an authentic Italian latte from Caffè Paszkowski. Being human,
addiction to coffee is the social norm & runs through most of our veins. I'm a bit resentful towards coffee though because of all the times I trusted it to keep me up in college to finish papers unsuccessfully. Sadly, I don't feel the effects of caffeine & the taste isn't enjoyable (I know, I know, why do I work at Starbucks? Because of the iced venti nonfat light ice chais...mmm). But I was quite surprised by the taste of this particular latte, whether it was all in my head that Italy's coffee would certainly be better, or it was just better. It still tasted
like coffee, but I enjoyed drinking the rich, thick nutty flavor while reading my
book by the open window with the sunshine spilling in. Perfetto.
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| The Yellow Bar...nom |
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| Ponte Vecchio Bridge in Florence |
For the rest of the day, I perused the many shops (the
clothes here & in Rome are cheap!), saw the many squares full of statues,
more vendors, & people having a good time, & dined at The Yellow Bar (highly recommended by someone back home). If you ever visit Florence, EAT HERE. The pizza was
fantastic, cheap, & the waiter will sit with you if you're alone reading!! Compared to Rome, Florence is extremely affordable whether it's getting food or shopping for clothes. I
proudly & embarrassingly enjoyed an entire zucchini/eggplant pizza. Two ladies, one from Florence
& one from New York, eventually joined me as space was limited. The New
Yorker, Sia, informed me that her father in law owns about 90% of Isle of
Palms, South Carolina. She even showed me a picture of Columbia’s mayor (my hometown) & her hanging out in Florence together. Small world! Last stop before heading back was the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore for a quick free tour. The outside of this cathedral is the greatest I have ever seen...it's covered with dark green & pink marble slabs surrounded by white. The contrast is stunning.
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| View from the dam |
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| I sat ^ here |
The pool back at the new hostel was beckoning me to enjoy
its cool wetness so I obliged. This hostel was fantastic…huge room, a POOL,
dancing area downstairs, & tons of young people out & about…until the bedbugs/lice/demons
appeared. I ended my lovely day with a walk to the dam afterwards, sat on the top, &
read for an hour watching the sunset behind the bridge. When I got back & walked into the
room to meet my new hostelmate (Monsieur Victor), he caught me by surprise. As
soon as I realized what he was doing as he walked towards me, the memory flashed across my eyes in
slow motion to my horror. I backed my head away awkwardly so he ended up
kissing my ear & stepped back to which he responded by stepping forward to kiss the other
cheek. It's the "French way of greeting people." No Frenchman
has ever greeted me that way, but twas fine with me because he wasn’t 70 years old
& didn’t miss the cheeks. & he's French. I’ve always wanted to greet someone like that, even if once. Check. That old man has traumatized me for life.
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| This is where I'm sleeping tonight <3 |
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| Oh Venice, you're purty |
I left bright &
early this morning to catch the train to Venice…it’s great to be back. There
have been many warnings of the high probability of getting lost in these streets. I don’t
know how it happened, but I made it to my hostel on the first try! The building
I’m staying in for the next 2 nights is beautiful & quite fancy looking from the outside. I get to cross a bridge that's directly in front of the door…it’s the little
things. The rooms have high ceilings, plenty of long windows, & balconies with a great view. I’ve already walked the circumference of the city & am
enjoying a nice bowl of pasta in one of the many cafes. Venice is exactly what
you see in the pictures, full of colorful, Gothic buildings surrounded by
canals & gondolas, narrow passageways, & bridges. There is always some kind of music playing in the background every corner you turn. Tomorrow I’m headed off to one of the islands to enjoy a day full of sun &
sand in my bathing suit. Life is good.
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