If its not baroque, don't fix it!

Today was awesome! It is only 4 pm but we did a lot up until now. This morning we had breakfast at our hostel (its free, so duh) and then we went on a free walking tour that they give. We met a guy from Whales, a guy from Quebec and this woman from Colorado who has spent the past 13 months traveling around from South America to Africa and now Europe. I really wish that kids in the United States saw the importance and value traveling has in life. I have been here for only three days now and I feel exactly how I felt when I dreamt of Europe. The beauty and richness of the buildings, sculptures, churches, paintings, etc. are heart stopping. In Florence, everything moves at a slower pace and every moment is precious. The walking tour took us to places we have already been but offered more historical information and I was able to ask the woman questions that I had when exploring on my own. She also gave us useful tips, like the fact that most museums are closed on Mondays but the churches are open, so tomorrow we will be going into the churches and doing those tours. After the tour, Alex and I walked back towards our hostel with our new friend Terra, the older woman on our tour, and she helped us to find where we will be living for school. It looks a little sketchy, but the area is perfectly safe and surprisingly close to everything. Most of my classes are in the area as well which is also nice.

After finding where we will be living we had lunch at the Lion's Den. I had a spicy salami and mozzarella sandwich with a 1/2 pint of beer...it was SO yummy. Then we walked to Fiume Arno and just enjoyed the lovely weather and the beauty of Firenze. Fun fact, the fleur-de-lis is the symbol of Firenze, just reaffirms my love for them and they are everywhere, along with the Medici coat of arms because the Medici family ruled over Florence for a few hundred years. We walked back towards our hostel through the Piazza del Duomo and I got my first gelato :] menta! (mint chip...delicious) Then we headed from there through the central market where the street venders are and I had a younger man tell me that I dropped something...to which he responded with "his heart" and complemented my smile and let me on my way. It is interesting because in America, men who are vocal about what they like we view as crazy, scary or insane, whereas here, it is very common and 99% of the time, not threatening.

I feel as if the city is already mine. I love the life style, the history, the art, everything! I love it all. I was obsessed with Europe before I left and now here I am, delighted that is it everything I expected it to be. Florence is gorgeous and I will everything back at home could visit, not just to see me but to experience everything that I am and to fall in love with this city as well.

Ciao!