SIX.

FIRENZE!!

Florence, Italy may be the most beautiful city I've ever been to. Granted, I haven't been to many and I'm sure I'll say that about almost everywhere I go this semester but for now: it's number one.

Let's start from the very beginning of the trip. Our flight was scheduled to take off at 6:30 am so we called the shuttle company the night before and asked to be picked up at 3:45 am (yiiikes) ...naturally they don't show until 4:30 and Lauren and I don't stop scolding our driver and glaring at him until he shaved off 20 minutes from the drive by risking all of our lives- hey, we had a plane to catch! It was way too much stress before sunrise, but it was all worth it. I was a little frustrated that I couldn't sleep on the flight but I'm so glad I didn't because flying over the alps was one of the most breathtaking sites. Our plane landed in pisa and from there we caught the train to florence. As Lauren, Mike and I were riding through the countryside I realized that- wow. I am actually in Italy right now. Whenever I've though about being able to travel throughout Europe it always seemed so distant and unattainable- and there I was living it out!

Once we arrived, we walked through Florence to our friends apartment where we dropped our bags, borrowed a map, and just started wandering. First order of business - food. We ate at a very small family restaurant and I had delicious risoto with vegetables and pino grigio. To bring the meal to a close we finished with cappaccino and tiramisu. I am not exaggerating when I say the tiramisu was so good it brought tears to Lauren's eyes. It could have also been the lack of sleep but we'll stick with the tiramisu for the sake of a good story.

After lunch we ventured to the Ponte Vecchio - the view from the bridge was absolutely stunning. We crossed and found ourselves in a lovely area with artists and great shopping. This is also where I had my first gelato - by recommendation of the woman working I had coconut chocolate gelato- delicious.

During our meandering about Florence we stumbled upon a carousel- and naturally Lauren and I dished up a euro fifty to ride- worth every cent. Because now I can say I rode a carousel in the middle of Florence.

Dinner that night was the highlight of my trip. We went to a very very small pizzaria reccommended by our friend Evan who spent last summer in Florence. There were only two men who were working - one making the pizza in front of you and the other taking your order. Only the man making pizza spoke a tiny bit of english- which was enough for us to have a laugh or two with him when we sat down. The three of us ordered two pies and he joked that one was for Lauren and Mike and the other was just for me- I'll try not to read into why he chose me to have a whole pizza for myself...maybe he could just see me drooling. When he brought our pizzas to the table he placed the first one down in front of Lauren and Mike and then placed a heart shaped pizza in front of me! It was literally the best pizza I've ever had.

Obviously we had to follow pizza up with gelato- this time I had a scoop of nutella and a scoop of pistacio- probably the most phenomenal combination ever thought up.

Saturday we spend at the leather market where I bargained and got an italian leather purse, fulfilling my need to buy something authentic to keep from italy. We spent most of the day there and wandering about some more.

Saturday was Marissa's birthday- one of my friends studying in Florence- so a few of her friends had a room reserved at their favorite restaurant and we only had to pay for our entrees - the endelss wine and cheesecake dessert were on the house! The owner even brought over a bottle of champagne for Marissa!

After dinner we headed to the opening of a club where Marissa's friends reserved a VIP table- lucky life huh? It was quiet the experience. I also learned that italian men are much more forward than british men- yet not as forward as the albanians. You literally have to yell NO! in their faces and give them a death stare to get them to leave you alone!

All in all, Marissa had a fabulous birthday and I couldn't have asked for a better trip to Florence. I saw a ton of friends, ate the best food of my life, and learned a few key italian words.


Well, now I'm safe and back in my flat and have to face the music tomorrow back at school. Not that the music is all that bad because it's playing in London!


CIAO!!