This past weekend myself and five friends took a trip to Florence. We had an absolute blast! From the shopping, to the Duomo, to the stunning views, this trip was unforgettable. Never have I laughed so hard!
While they were looking for leather jackets, Kaleigh and Devon were approached by Massimo. He took us to his store around the corner where he promised a special discount for students. Massimo was such a car salesman. Whatever you liked, he liked. He agreed with whatever you said. The best part of this sketchy situation...Massimo took a match to Kaleigh's coat to show her it was real leather. A boat load of money later, and Kaleigh and Devon are now the proud owners of two of the finest leather coats I have ever seen! After we went to the market, we visited the Duomo.
The inside of the church was absolutely stunning. While we were inside we got to light prayer candles.
After we went inside the Duomo, we headed to the fresh market to stock up on food for the weekend.
The rest of the day the group took a siesta, and I finished my art and architecture homework. That night we wondered around the city, had dinner, and of course gelato!
 |
| Bike rack filled with locks from loved ones. |
Day 2:
Today I got up much earlier than everyone else and decided to head back to the Market di Lorenzo to buy a few things. I was a bit hesitant to leave everyone, but I knew no one wanted to watch me shop and it was nice walking around by myself. I only intended to buy a scarf, but the deals were so good I ended up getting five.... I bought five scarves for 21 euro. Not too bad if I do say so myself! After the market, I went back to the apartment and we had a high protein breakfast, because we knew we would be hiking to the top of the Duomo. 300 unlevel steps later and we made it to the top. The views from the Duomo were
 |
| With my new camera lens I could see people walking on the hills. |
absolutely amazing!
The best thing besides the beautiful view, was our experience coming down. You go down the same narrow stairwell that you came up. As we were approaching the stairs an Asian girl came up the stairs and let out the biggest groan possible and could not stop huffing anf puffing and laughing while attempting to say WOAH...I guess the stairs took it out of her too! My friends, the Asian girl's friends, and I could not stop laughing! On our way down the stairs a little boy was running up the narrow stairwell on all fours yelling, "I am a doggy. Woof Woof." The boys parents were no where in sight. My friend Bill yells out, "Uh, where is his owner?" Seeing the kid book it up the stairs on all fours as a dog as we struggled to keep our balance was the funniest thing! After we went in the Duomo we went shopping and then headed to what we thought was Academia...
 |
| Replica of Michael Angelo's The David. |
 |
Even though it was closed, I still wanted a
picture of the sign saying I was there. |
We walk inside the museum and nowhere does it say Academia, nor is there anything that discusses the David. Then the light bulb clicked...Academia was on the other side of Florence. It was already 4:30 p.m. on a Sunday, there was no way we were making it in time. However, this was one of the only things I wanted to see in Italy, so if I had to run...I was gonna run! Kaleigh was a trooper and she ran all the way across town with me and we eventually met up with the rest of the group shortly after. We arrived at what we assumed was the entrance and it was closed. I literally almost cried. This was the only thing I wanted to see and I missed it. After, the group decided to go back to the apartment for a late lunch. I decided to just continue my search for boots. As we were walking back, Kaleigh noticed something right around the corner.... Galleria Dell' Accademia...OPEN! I literally almost started crying I was so happy. We walked inside and I could not have been happier. I knew ahead of time that you weren't allowed to take photos of the David, but I didn't know that about the rest of the museum. Woops!
I illegally took this photo. The woman in the museum saw the flash and flipped out, but not on me. She started freaking out on a man across the room holding a cell phone. Apparently, they have a stronger flash than my Nikon DSLR. He tried to argue that it wasn't him, so she began to yell at another woman holding a camera. That was my cue to get out of there and head for the David! I finally got to see him and it was so cool! Well worth the heartache of almost not being able to see it! Afterward, I went boot shopping and had no luck. I headed home and I found one last store near our apartment. I said, "Why not, can't hurt." I walked inside tried on probably the 100th pair that day of black leather boots and finally found the pair that fit the criteria of exactly what I was looking for. I was thrilled. Later in the night, we went to an American bar and watched the Pats game. We didn't find this out until after, but apprently this bar was the one that the cast of Jersey Shore hung out at when they were in Florence.
Day 3:
We got up at 6:30 a.m. and headed to the train station near our apartment to catch a taxi to the other train station across town. For some reason you arrive and depart from different stations....weird Italians. We get to the train station and find out the taxis are on strike. Shocker. Our only other option is to walk. 3.6 miles later and we just make it to our train. What an absolutely amazing weekend!
"In the end, what really matters is not the moment of occurrence, but how it's just a part of our memory. Every day we make memories. Let's paint our lives with happy ones."
~Anonymous
We arrived at around 10:00a.m.. We decided to drop our stuff off and then headed out towards the market. On our way to the market, Aaron finally had his ah-ha I am studying abroad moment. We headed towards the Market di Lorenza and began our excursion! Kaleigh and Devon had their eyes on leather coats, while I was looking for a new scarf and a pair of boots. We were in Florence, how could we not buy anything leather?!
The inside of the church was absolutely stunning. While we were inside we got to light prayer candles.
Today I got up much earlier than everyone else and decided to head back to the Market di Lorenzo to buy a few things. I was a bit hesitant to leave everyone, but I knew no one wanted to watch me shop and it was nice walking around by myself. I only intended to buy a scarf, but the deals were so good I ended up getting five.... I bought five scarves for 21 euro. Not too bad if I do say so myself! After the market, I went back to the apartment and we had a high protein breakfast, because we knew we would be hiking to the top of the Duomo. 300 unlevel steps later and we made it to the top. The views from the Duomo were 
We walk inside the museum and nowhere does it say Academia, nor is there anything that discusses the David. Then the light bulb clicked...Academia was on the other side of Florence. It was already 4:30 p.m. on a Sunday, there was no way we were making it in time. However, this was one of the only things I wanted to see in Italy, so if I had to run...I was gonna run! Kaleigh was a trooper and she ran all the way across town with me and we eventually met up with the rest of the group shortly after. We arrived at what we assumed was the entrance and it was closed. I literally almost cried. This was the only thing I wanted to see and I missed it. After, the group decided to go back to the apartment for a late lunch. I decided to just continue my search for boots. As we were walking back, Kaleigh noticed something right around the corner.... Galleria Dell' Accademia...OPEN! I literally almost started crying I was so happy. We walked inside and I could not have been happier. I knew ahead of time that you weren't allowed to take photos of the David, but I didn't know that about the rest of the museum. Woops! 
No comments:
Post a Comment