Florence, Italy >> Day 1

Hello all of my readers!!! I am writing you not from my fair city of Barcelona today, but FLORENCE ITALY!!!! I left this morning at 4 am to go to the airport. Had I booked my tickets AFTER Madrid I would not have done this. You see the Metro is closed from 12-5 so the money I "saved" by not having a hostal that night is actually the same as the cab I end up taking to the airport. The next trip I book I will not make this mistake, but alas...I booked Paris this way too! Oh well..... The flight was kind of scary at first, quite frankly. It's been raining all week in Barcelona, as well as this morning. But the plane was fine and after a little turbulence I made it to Florence, via Rome by noon. Then [taking the lessons learned in Madrid] I locked my luggage and left it with the hostel. 


Then I hit up a market. Basically, as well all know, Italy is famous for their leather goods. Every stall was leather or clothes. It was fantastic! I did a little Christmas shopping but was too overwhelmed by the choices to contemplate a leather jacket or purse...maybe I'll be able to handle it tomorrow though. 


After this I called my roommate from school...VALERIE!!! And we met up...she is the reason I came to Florence since she is studying abroad here this semester. I found her and her mother at the train station. It's her fall break so her mom is here visiting me as well and I think they are joining me in Venice later....


We then got them checked into their hotel before heading out for some adventure. And by adventure I mean climbing to the top of the picturesque highest point in Florence...the Cathedral which I call Brunescelli's Dome. We climbed up over 400 stairs!!! It was amazing!!!! This is the largest freestanding dome in the world!!! The views were incredible and Valerie and I were in Architecture heaven!!!


After we went and ate the best gellato ever...period. Then they went back to their hotel and I proceeded to get lost for an hour on the way back to my hostel. Sadly-or maybe this is good-I am getting used to getting lost and it is fairly common for me to get super lost the first time i navigate anywhere of significant distance. but from there i am usually good to go. I'm meeting them for dinner and praying I don't get lost again....we'll see. Ciao.


****No pictures this weekend because I am using the hostel's computer....look for big posts later this week with LOTS of awesome pictures!!!****