Florence, Firenze

December 23rd

I got up at 9:00am after sleeping pretty well at the hostel.  We went downstairs and checked out but sored our bags and used their free computers as we had plenty of time before our train at 12:30pm.  Rather than buy the hostel breakfast for 2 euros we went back to the supermarket where we bought fruit, yogurt, and orange juice along with more sandwhich making supplies for a later lunch.

At 11:50 we said goodbye to the trendy hostel.  Maybe we came at the wrong time, but it was definitely overrated.

We found our seats on the train.  Traveling north, we passed through fog covered Tuscan countryside to Florence, Firenze in Italian.  The train was very nice and the ride very short.  Only 1 hour and a half.  

Arriving in Florence at 2:00pm and did an excellent job following the directions to our hostel.  As we walked through the city, it was easy to see that Florence was smaller than Rome, but had its own amazing ambiance, history, and style.  We passed the gigantic Duomo, the cathedral dominating the centro.  An amazing structure, the green, white and pink painted exterior is incredibly beautiful.  Unlike other churches which are quite drab on the exterior facade, the Duomo lets its beauty and architectural genius show from the very beginning.

We checked into our hostel which was right in the center of the city.  Small, quaint, and very homey we had a huge room to ourselves with lofted ceilings, desk and small balcony.  Unfortunately no Internet or breakfast but everything else was great.

The owner of the hostel drew all over a map telling us where the best spots were.  We took our bag of food and headed in the direction of the river.  Walking over the famous Ponte Vecchio, I could see how amazingly beautiful Florence was.  We came to the gardens behind the Pitti Palce and saw that they were closed.  While doubling back across the bridge, we heard our names called and turned around to see our friend Sarah from the UC program in Granada with her boyfriend.  We talked to them for a bit and then left to picnic.

We ended sitting along the wall lining the river.  The city walked by as the sun cast pink hues lighting up the water.  I gazed at the old stone bridge guarded by two white marble sculptures.  Absolutely beautiful.  

We backed through the sparkling city, stopping in Piazzo Vecchio where a beautiful "outdoor museum" was on display.  The original statue of "Perseus Slaying Medusa" cast a black shadow against the blue wall.  A violent but powerful sculpture.  We walked around the piazza stopping to admire the fountain of Neptune. 

Back at the hostel, we rested for a while and then went out for a gelato, eating it while admiring the Duomo.  A low key day compared to the one the day before, we went back to the hostel to sleep, excited to start chapter two of the Italy trip in Tuscany.