Florence

When we got to Florence, the first order of business was to do laundry. I was in desperate need of washing all my things, and Pat and Joanie still had several other items to clean that didn't get done in Lucca. While we waited for our clothes to cycle, we went down the street for dinner. Naturally, I ordered more delicious Italian food, holding true to my vow to eat at least one pasta dish a day while in Italy. Everyone's food looked and tasted fantastic; definitely planning on spending more time in Little Italy when I get home.

After dinner, we went out to a couple bars and made some more friends. It was a fun night for the most part, but it was a Monday night so not a whole lot was going on. In any case, I've gotten the impression that Italians don't really party all that hard (as was suggested by our several Italian friends in Rome). Nevertheless, we seem to bring the party with us wherever we go!

The next morning, I woke up earlier than usual to catch a free walking tour that departed our hostel at 10am. We walked all around town, through marketplaces and piazzas to churches and cathedrals. We learned about the Medici family's rule in Florence (lasted for 350 years before the last Medici could not bear a child) and how the Hapsburgs of Austria came to rule thereafter. It was interesting to learn about how different places in Europe have been and continue to be connected.

The most spectacular structure in all of Florence has to be il Duomo, of Santa Maria de Fiore. It looks like something from a pop-out book, almost unreal, but all the more stunningly beautiful because of this facade-like feel. The Duomo and surrounding piazza was my personal favorite in Florence.

I also had time to visit the Ponte Vecchio (an old and famous bridge over Fiume Arno, the main river through the city), the prestigious Uffizi Gallery, the Cappelle Medicee (Medici chapel), Dante's church, Palazzo Pitti (Pitti Palace), and a random leather shop where a rabbi was blowing the shofar in honor of Rosh Hashanah. I even got to keep a leather yamulke as a complimentary souvenir from the Jewish-Italian store owner--the first of its kind!

Before going out, I found a barbershop just down the street from our hostel and decided it was as good a time and place as I was going to find before my hair got really long. Plus, I had always intended to get my hair cut in Italy; barbershops and Italy just go together, right?

That evening, I had an amazing dish of pesto pasta with grilled chicken, gladly paying extra for the meat since it's not normally included in traditional Italian pastas. From there, I joined Pat and Joanie for a beer at a bar near the hostel, then was about to call it a night. Except as I was heading back to the hostel I ran into Angela, whom I had met the day before in the laundry room. She and a couple other friends were on their way to more drinks and convinced me to come along. It turned out to be a really fun night, and I was glad I came. Furthermore, I found out Ange was,going to be traveling in the same direction as us the next day: Venice.