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| View from the top of Galeria Ufizi |
This past Saturday I woke up at 7:00AM, head thick with a cold. I stuffed my pockets with tissues, threw my clothes in a bag, grabbed my train ticket and headed to the station. Nothing sounded better at that point than spending all weekend in bed, except for meeting up with my friend Ashley in Florence.
I have had good luck, which I mistakenly translated to aptitude, at the train station. So far all of my trips have been easy, I buy the cheapest ticket to my destination, hop on a train going in the right direction and hop off when I'm ready to explore. The dismissal I nervously waited for from the conductor upon eying my ticket never came, until I was feeling crummy with a head cold on my early train to Florence. The official stared confusedly at my ticket for a moment, then shook his head and told me I'd have to pay more and that he'd eventually come back to find me. Shortly after, the rightful owner of my numbered seat came to boot me out and I found myself standing by the train door like a lost puppy, waiting for someone to take my money and show me where I could sit. Right then, my period started. It was shaping up to be a wonderful weekend.
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| Ponte Vecchio, Firenze. |
When I finally arrived in Florence (an hour later than I planned), the sun was shining brightly. Ashley and I found each other quickly, and set in motion for my very first CouchSurfing experience (www.CouchSurfing.org). Our host lived a short tram ride away from the city center in a beautiful apartment, with very lovable roommates. We dropped off our stuff, chatted briefly, received advice to take a nap that afternoon so we could go out later (which we ignored; who naps in Florence??), and hit the streets.
Not long after making it back to the city center, the clouds thickened and broke into a thorough soaking that conquered my "impermeable" coat. We made it to the Piazza della Signoria, with the most beautiful, tall duomo made of red, green and white marble. The coloring was different, classic and stunning. The piazza also dropped us into our first leather shop of the trip. Just for fun I tried on a Moka-colored, Gucci-style jacket. I was in deep trouble. Dear Ashley saw me try this same style on repeat in every leather shop we dared to enter for the rest of the trip.
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| City Hall nella Piazza della Signoria |
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| Entrance to City Hall |
Later that evening we dined at the pizzeria where our host works. It was the perfect supplement to heal our soaking bones.
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| Duck sausage, mozzarella, truffle oil, YUM! |
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| The master at work. See the oven in the wall? |
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| Now that's a complete meal. |
We finished dinner just before midnight, when our host got off work. He offered to show us to a local bar where some of his friends would be, which we found and made fast friends with some of the locals. The people of Florence speak English beautifully, even more so than Venice. Before we knew it this bar was closing, and we had to relocate to the next one, which we were told we would have never found if we hadn't been with locals. It's probably true; I'm a convenience partier, so if it wasn't easy to find I would have been in bed. We traveled in a pack, so the second bar had new scenery, but it felt like we were on the same dance floor. Ashley and I were involved in a game of "is he hitting on me, or is he hitting on him?", which is very difficult to win in Europe, when this bar's time also came to an end. We relocated with a smaller core to a bar that made us register and purchase a pass. Hopefully I get my use out of it...
There was a group of U.S. soldiers from a training base nearby. I started chatting with a beautiful boy wearing glasses, and found that he was from South Carolina. He was charming to boot, so when Ashley said we were heading to see the view from Piazzale Michelangelo I invited him along. We cheated and took a car to the top, as it is supposed to be a fairly rigorous hike. The view was unbelievable, and even more so at night in my opinion. The cathedrals jutted out from among the smaller buildings, lights shining and seemingly within reach. The panorama was breathtaking. Forgive me, as I did not have my wits about me to take a picture. But really, you should go there and see it for yourself to do it justice. And do it at night.
The next thing I knew our driver informed us it was 5:30 AM and we
needed to head home. WHAT? The time had flown by. I can't tell you
the last time I stayed out that late/early. When in Florence...
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| A beautiful, and very much needed, caffe the following morning. |
Day Two TBW (to-be-written). Waiting for my pictures to upload...
