Florence! I absolutely loved my time in Florence. I stayed in Carlee's apartment for three days (sleeping on the couch, still better than a hostel!) with her four other roommates. She's in a fantastic location--only a ten minute's walk from the Duomo, which is basically the center of the city. We arrived Monday night, and I left on Thursday afternoon.
Carlee gave me a quick tour of the city on Tuesday morning--we ran through every important building and/or tourist site in Florence within 45 minutes--then we went grocery shopping in the market and made ourselves some lunch. That afternoon, Carlee had class (two hours of wine tasting), so I was left alone to wander around the city. I spent most of my time at the Ponte Vecchio, the beautiful medieval bridge that is crowded with high-class jewelry shops. According to Carlee, one of Florence's kings walked past the Ponte Vecchio every day, and came to detest the odors that surrounded the bridge due to all of the butcher's stalls and tanner's shops. So the king outlawed any trade on the bridge excepting gold sellers, and the shops continue that tradition.
Meeting up with Carlee after her class, the two of us wandered around the city before visiting her favorite restaurant across the river: Osteria Santo Spirito. It was some of the best food I've ever eaten. We split a huge bowl of cheesy gnocchi in truffle oil... my mouth is literally watering now just thinking about it. Additionally, we split a spinach ravioli dish with cream and walnuts. The restaurant gave us free chocolate-dipped strawberries with the check: a perfect finale!
Following dinner, we hung out at the apartment until 10:30 pm, when we left with two of her roommates--Victoria and Jenny--to go experience Florence nightlife. That was... fun? I'm not really someone who loves partying or going to clubs, but it was an interesting experience.
Wednesday is Carlee's busiest day, so I was pretty much on my own. I wandered for a bit, bought some gelato, then headed to the Boboli Gardens at the edge of the city. The line to buy an entrance ticket was pretty long, and a middle-aged American couple actually budged in front of me, but I didn't say a word. It's funny how Americans in Europe think that they are the only ones around who understand English, because this couple kept glancing back at me and making loud comments (about me, and about the others around us), totally unaware that none of us in line were actually Italian. I've heard of this happening before, and it really amused me to witness it first-hand. I didn't let on that I understood anything they were saying, and the couple continued blabbering on about the Italians, the line, their hotel, the city, the people around them... A tip for any American who goes abroad: don't think that English is some secret, undecipherable language. Everyone knows at least a phrase or two in English, especially in tourist areas where it is the second language of locals. If the obnoxious couple in front of me had been making their snide comments in Norwegian or Afrikaans, they would have at least been secret, but as the couple conversed in loud, clear English, they just looked like rude idiots.
Once I had finally bought my ticket, I ended up spending hours in the Boboli Gardens. It's a truly beautiful place, as if the countryside of Tuscany has been captured and cultivated and brought to the edge of Florence for everyone to enjoy. If I lived in Florence, I would get a season ticket to the gardens. As the gardens sit on a hillside, there were a few nooks of the garden that gave a good view of Florence. Boboli was dotted with Greek statues and fountains, and the day itself was sunny and summer-sweet.
I met Carlee after her classes, and we went for happy hour at a little hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant. I had my first frozen margarita, and it was fantastic! (Mine was raspberry-flavored). The margaritas were huge and pretty strong, so Carlee and I were very giggly throughout our dinner at the Ristorante Osteria Pepo, a tiny little restaurant that is extremely crowded from the moment it opens at 7 each night. They sat us with some free champagne, and I had the special: a delicious mushroom risotto. I loved how all the best restaurants gave us little free tastes--chocolate strawberries at one, champagne at the other--it's how you know that you're seated at a real restaurant and not a tourist trap.
We were meant to wake up early on Thursday, Carlee and I, to get to the Duomo early and avoid long lines. Well, that failed. We made breakfast and headed over around 9:30 a.m. Luckily, we were able to make it up the tower within two seconds of buying a ticket, but by the time we descended, the line to climb the dome itself stretched for maybe a quarter of a mile. We decided to stand in line anyway--it took three hours--then climbed the dome. Carlee said that when she first arrived back in February, the line only took twenty minutes... apparently tourist season exploded in early April, and since then, the lines have only increased in length.
Since it took so long, the Duomo was the last thing I did in Florence (besides stopping for organic gelato at Eduardo's, one of the best gelato places in the city!) Even though standing in line took forever, It was worth it because when you climb the dome, you are standing right below the frescos that decorate the inside of the dome, and they are magnificent to behold up close. I could almost touch them, they were so real. It's a bit of a feat to climb the dome, though, so no one with a fear of heights or a hatred of steep stairs should attempt!
That wraps up my three days in Florence! My last stop was a quick visit to Milan, but I'll save that short story for another post. I will say, though, that if I could have studied anywhere else in Europe, I probably would have chosen Florence. I love Strasbourg dearly and it remains my number one choice, but Florence would have been amazing. If only I could speak Italian! The whole holiday, whenever anyone spoke to me in Italian, I automatically responded in French. I didn't even think: my brain registered "Not-English," so I responded in French. I love how it is constantly at the tip of my tongue... I no longer have to put too much thought into each French sentence I utter! Personally, though, I think French is a much prettier language than Italian... however I might be a bit biased. Milan is next! Ciao!
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