Florence IV

I couldn't stop after only 3 roman numerals, so a forth post on Florence was inevitable. Plus I have a few more pictures for you guys. Enjoy!

Florence III

Well, I've safely returned from my trip around Italy, so I thought I'd fill everyone in. Before I went and got lost, it rained/hailed a bit. For some, this means having to sit inside and mope about not being able to see the city. For me, this means clean air and richer colors everywhere, making for stunning photography. And that's not counting reflections. Honestly, I can't tell you exactly what it is about puddles that just feels so wonderful. I think it's being able to look down to see the sky.

At any rate, I had my camera with me the whole time, and took a bunch of photos. These are just a few.

Florence was actually pretty touristy the first day, though perhaps it was just the part of the city we were in. Once we got to area near our hostel it settled down nicely and we saw more "real" people. It still kind of bothers me when I see large groups of people loudly speaking English.

In general, Florence was a lot like Rome, at least more so than the other cities we saw. It was pretty hilly, and the streets were just as narrow. One of the biggest differences was the street paving, of all things. Rome has these cobblestone streets that make it a real pain to walk. Florence was pretty well paved though, despite the fact that the pedestrian traffic was a lot less dense.

As wonderful as Florence was, though, we decided that a full day was longer than we wanted to stay, so we decided to move on by noon the next day. But that's a story for another post.

Chao!

Florence II

My room here in the hostel (ostello in Italian) has a computer, so I'll be able to make a quick post. Yesterday a whole bunch of us, who were all going to different places and intending to all leave at different times, ended up taking the same train up North. Most of them got off at Siena, and then a few more at Arezzo, leaving just the three of us: Amy, Nicole, and myself. When we first got here, it felt very touristy, but as the afternoon wore on and we moved to other parts of the city, it started to become more genuine. For the 19 euro price of our hostel, Archi Rossi, we got a dinner and breakfast included. The dinner was, while not extravagant, certainly enjoyable, and quite filling -- it was quite huge for the price. Of course, I got to enjoy this only after gettinig lost in Florence for a tad over an hour, but I got some excellent pictures as a consequence. Without my computer cable, I have no way to upload them, though, so you're just going to have to take my word on it for now. However, here are some other pictures I just found on this computer and thought you might like to see. Again, I didn't take these:

These are Santa Maria dell' Fiore, more commonly known as the Duomo (Italian for Dome), as it was the first dome constructed in Europe since the ancient Roman Empire.

Florence

I'll be getting up early in the morning to take a train to Florence, one the cities I've most wanted to visit. This is our only four-day weekend, so I'm making sure to take advantage of it. I won't be bringing my laptop, so I really doubt I'll be able to post over the next few days, but you can expect some great news on Sunday night!

My shoes are wearing out

It's true, the treads are almost gone. I'm starting to wear down into my feet. This is an unfortunate turn of events.

Short Story

This afternoon I received a call from one Evie Scogin. Looks like Ms. Scogin wanted to take a walk up the Janiculum to seem Rome from above. As I too am fond of both walks and Rome, I was happy to oblige. Take note: these events took place within the viscinity of 5:30 pm, as the sun was beginning to set.

So we set out after I gave fair warning, as we had many, many steps to ascend, and we soon arrived at the top of the the hill, and snapped a few pictures. This was not enough for Ms. Scogin, however, and we soon pressed onward.

As I had walked this route before, I was aware of what to expect, and I guided toward a certain well known church in the area: St. Peter's Basilica, also known as the Vatican. After a short time we rounded a corner and saw the church beautifully silhouetted against a rich blue sky, Venus neatly completing the composition.

We wound through streets, always keeping the luminous dome in sight, a beacon toward our final destination. And what a destination that was: St. Peter's piazza at night, gloriously aglow, the twin fountains gushing, the collonade serenely embracing. We explored for a bit, snapping photos and exchanging pleasantries with the Swiss Guard, before deciding to be on our way.

We once again ascended the Janiculum, and were struck by the view. All of Rome stretched before us, three thousand years of history spread beneath our feet. The beauty was exhilarating, and we stood for some time in quiet awe.

Eventually though, driven by our hungry bellies, we made our way back down the hill, and to our respective apartments. There we would eat and be filled, but not soon forget how lucky we were to be in this place.

Some Words

So I've been here about a week and a half, so I thought I'd give a little status update on me. Adjusting to being on the other side of the world has been surprisingly easy, I think that just enough things are the same for it to not feel too strange. I mean Rome has running water and internet, wine and cappuccinos, hobos and supermarkets; in a lot of ways it's exactly the same. The differences though are pretty distinct, and when the realization hits it hits hard. The language, the culture, walking absolutely everywhere (so far I've ridden the bus only twice since I've been here), having zero fast food or movie galleries or tv. They aren't a lot on their own, but they add up quickly.

It was Wednesday and Thursday of last week when it hit me, and I was in a pretty bad mood both those days. The biggest thing was the language barrier. I loathe going into a supermarket to buy Pringles or whatever, I want real food from real people. There's a butcher, two bread makers (breadsmiths?), a dessert shop, and a general store -- all located on my street and within a 30 second walk. Not to mention all the restaurants. Supermarket, please. This is way better than wal-mart.

Actually, there's a lot about this place that's vastly superior than anything I've experienced in America. I guess the best way to put it is density: there's so much packed into so many tiny places. The roads are about 15' wide (that's two lanes plus parking -- Romans are insane) with shops lining both sides. The shops are about 25' wide and maybe 50' deep, so there's a ton of them crammed onto every street. Then, for four or five stories above them there's housing. This means that you walk down your stairs and suddenly you're in the middle of the shopping district. Below my apartment is said dessert shop and one of the restaurants. I've actually been in neither of them, but I can smell the food cooking as I descend the stairwell. But I digest.

For all it's advantages, it's still a place far from what I'm used to. Typically I'm fine with leaving my comfort zone, but I guess everyone has their limit. For me the biggest problem is the language barrier. I want to be able to walk into a shop owned by someone I've really gotten to know, hold a conversation about the whatevers for a bit, buy some things and go. Instead I just walk in, stare at the illegible labels for a bit, point at what I want and mumble incoherently. Then they give me the thing and scowl at me for being a filthy American. I wish this were an exaggeration.

I can tolerate this up to a point, and that point is about a week into living there. Then I get generally pissed off at myself for not being to talk with anyone. However, then I just go buy some ice cream and feel better. You would be surprised how much a little gelato with friends can help a sour mood. Or perhaps not, girls seem to have figured that out a while ago. And the best part here is that by the time you've made it home and up your 8 flights of stairs, you've burned it all away.

But I'm doing better these days. I've learned my abc's, I'm pretty good with numbers, and "hello", "thank you", and "excuse me" are part of my repitoir. Things are looking up for me in the Eternal City: I was even able to haggle for a bargain at the flea market today. And of course, having 21 of my closest friends here with me really helps, I honestly have no idea what sort of a mess I'd be without them.