Florence and Venice

Josh and his friends came to Venice last weekend and Kel, Alli and I met them there. I was excited to be in Venice again and finish up some of the sites that I hadn't gotten a chance to in my past visits. The first day Kel, Alli and I hung out with Scott and didn't do many touristy things- I think we might have gone into one church, but that was basically it. We went to a grocery store to buy supplies for dinner and waited on line for about 40 minutes, which was ridic. Then we made dinner in Scott's apartment. It was so delicious, we made a salad, sautéed veggies and Scott made an awesome pasta with sauce and tons of ricotta cheese and pecorino that he grated the day before.

So dinner was a great success and I liked the wine that my professor suggested so that was good.

The hostel we stayed in that night had a curfew which was terrible because we almost got locked out but we made it and overall, not such a good hostel experience. They didn't have paper towels in the bathroom, how bizarre? 

Okay so the next day we went to a cool modern art exhibit on an island off of Venice. I really liked the work and it was nice to take a break from the Renaissance art in Florence. Then we met Josh and his friends at the train station and we had some lunch. 

We went to the Peggy Gugenheim which made me really happy- I was surprised that it was so tiny but I thought that the collection was very impressive and once again, I loved seeing modern art, I really missed it lol.

So after that we went into a couple more churches- I was particularly happy with the last church that we squeezed in- the Jesuita? (right Scott?) I thought that the marble inlay was really interesting and I am so glad that we made it in there.

What I like about Venice is that Venetian history and Italian history are so different. There are so many unique churches that look nothing like the ones in Florence or anywhere else for that matter- I really love Venice. I am so glad that Scott studied there this semester because for one thing- he knows so much about it and that makes him a great tour guide, and another thing is I probably wouldn't have gone there four times this semester if he wasn't studying there. 

So we went back home on Saturday night to Florence because we wanted to go out and we had tons of work to do on Sunday- but we ended up deciding that it would be a better idea to watch Friends all night and eat two falafels. Very nice...

So on Sunday we went to Moyo and used their free internet after we ate lunch. I was pissed because I ordered this chicken fajita thing and the chicken looked really bad, it was ground meat chicken...so I took one bite and asked the waitress if I could have a salad instead and she said yes and then charged me for both...Didn't really want to spend 25 euros on lunch, but you know. I know that in the US, that probably wouldn't have happened. So little things like that are making me excited to go home...the use of a dryer, not getting eaten alive by mosquitos every night while I sleep (on my face...non va bene). And overall customer service and respect here just sucks. 

Anyway, we picked Josh and his friends up from the station on Monday afternoon and they put there stuff down in my apartment and then we had lunch in Palazzo Signoria where we went with Shannon (the place with the awesome pizza...) and then we went into the duomo and later that afternoon we went to Piazzale Michelangelo which has the greatest view of the city of Florence in my opinion. We had some nice white wine and walked back over the Ponte Vecchio. I love the way the Arno looks at night with all of the lights reflecting off of it. I really love that. 

Alli, Kel and I did that last week, we went to Piazzale Michelangelo and then we walked along the river and ate dinner at this great restaurant on the water which was surprisingly cheap and amazing. It's called the Goldenview...if you're interested.

So Monday night we cooked in the apartment and it was very delicious. The next day we went to see the David in the morning, my Amici degli Uffizi pass allowed us to all cut the line which was incredible because the line was so long and they would have wasted so much of their time in Florence. So we did that and then we tried to make an appointment at the Uffizi but the next one was on Saturday, which didn't work. I was upset that they didn't get to go in, but they seemed alright with it and hopefully they will have a chance later on in life to go in.

We went to have lunch at Moyo after that, the Moyo Salad is so good.

After that we went to Santa Croce, which is always lovely and Alli had lots of information becuase she has been there many times with her classes, so that was cool.

After that Alli and I were fat and got falafels about 40 minutes after eating lunch.

That night we went to dinner at Il Gatto e la Volpe. So delicious. We shared pizza and I got ribolitta which is vegetable soup with bread in it. It's a Tuscan specialty and it's delicious.

Then we went to Shot Cafe and to Beatles Night. The Beatles were really good and they played some songs that they haven't done before. 

Overall, I think that Josh and his friends got a nice taste of Florence. We did a good amount of touristy things but we didn't feel rushed and I think they appreciated that. I finally feel like I was a good tour guide of my city because the night before they got here I brushed up on some facts...I hope that they loved it because I love it so much here.

It's a strange feeling- I love this city so much and I get upset when I think about leaving, but at some points I feel excited about going home and I feel like in a month I will be ready to see my friends and family at home. I will also be ready for the following: making unlimited Verizon to Verizon calls, unlimited texting, a proper washer that fits more than a t shirt and two bras, a dryer so that I don't have to wait a week to wear my clothes, waiters and waitresses who are friendly and accommodating, THE DOLLAR, screens in the windows so insects don't attack my skin while I sleep, working for money, and I am slightly excited for my internship.

But other than that- I don't want to leave my apartment, the amazing people that I have met and can safely call them best friends, the food, this beautiful city and everything it has to offer, Beatles Night, traveling... etc etc etc.

So anyway, I think it's clear that I'm torn, and I know that going home is going to be a rough transition, but I can't help but way that I'm looking forward to going home just the slightest bit.

Anyway, 

Kel, Alli, Betty, her two cousins and I are leaving for Nice, Monaco and Cannes tonight around 11! The train ride takes 9 hours and we get there around 8 AM. I am really excited to see Nice, so many people from the program have gone there and they have said how gorgeous and relaxing it is. I think that this is going to be the perfect vacation for us. It will be relaxing and fun and we will definitely entertain each other. 

Love and miss you all!

CIAO <3