I arrived in Florence around 1:45 on Tuesday. I’d booked a hostel online the night before and told them on the form that I’d be there between 2 and 3 pm. Well, after hauling my luggage up 4 flights of stairs (yes, four with no elevator), there was no one at the hostel to answer the door. I called and could hear the phone inside ringing, and I knocked and waited for 45 minutes. I was supposed to meet Bell and Paul at the train station at 3, so I finally pulled all my luggage back down the steps (my arms and legs are going to be SO strong by the time I get home), and put my stuff into storage in the train station (for 8 euros). I was so pissed because not only was I wearing shorts, but I was wearing my big black hat (since it won’t fit in my luggage) and a brown belt. I was having problems with the fact that the hat was black and the belt brown, not to mention that with the hat on I couldn’t see upward (to look at the top of all the beautiful buildings) unless I took it off.
However, I was glad to see Bell and Paul. They’d just done some shopping so Paul went back to their hostel to drop his stuff while Bell and I walked through the outdoor market areas. They have all sorts of scarves, leather purses/belts/gloves, jewelry, clothing - you name it. Nothing was particularly cheap though, so we didn’t buy anything. It was also very nice of Bell to help me carry some of my things in her bag - my big blue purse from Greece was filled with fruit, water bottle, and my peanut butter and 2 jackets that don’t fit in my suitcase/book bag so it was very heavy and my back was hurting quite a bit (probably from the stairs at the hostel).
Bell and I went to the Duomo which was not very impressive inside until you get to the dome part, which is beautifully and intricately painted. We wanted to climb to the top, but we were waiting for Paul. Turns out, he was supposed to meet us there and thought we’d already gone up, so he went up without us. By the time we realized this, it was too late (as it closed at 5 pm), so Bell and I sat on the front steps talking and waited for him (as I continuously called the hostel without answer). Finally, at 5:45, someone picked up and said I should come right away since she was leaving at 6. I was pretty fed up with said hostel,
so I went there and told them I wanted to cancel. They said “Oh, we thought you were coming from 2-3 am” and tried to get me to stay, but I wasn’t about to lug my stuff up there again. They haven’t charged my credit card (except for the 5 euros I had to pay online), so hopefully they were sincere when they said they would cancel my stay.Bell and Paul had heard about a hostel almost right next door to the first one that had free hot breakfast and dinner for 21 euros a night, plus free 2 hour walking tours around Florence each morning. I went there and they had a bed free, so that’s where I am now (oh, and they have free wi-fi!). The hostel (Hostel Archie Rossi), is actually on the same street as the hotel (Hotel Rex) that Mom, Dad, and I stayed in when we were in Florence five years ago (which I didn’t know until I walked by it today).
After I checked into Archie Rossi (and got my free pizza for dinner), Bell, Paul and I met with a friend of Bell’s boyfriend
who lives here in Florence. His name is Johnson and he’s from South Africa, though his parents are Chinese (or at least one is). It is a bit shocking when he talks since he looks Asian and lives in Florence and speaks with a South African accent. He took us to Piazza Michelangelo which is a bit hill on the opposite side of the Arno River - we practically ran there so that we wouldn’t miss the sunset. The sunset from the steps of the Piazza is something to behold! As we sat there, looking over the river and the city, with a perfect view of the Duomo, the Ponte Vecchio Bridge, and the orange setting sun, I thought, as I did often in Santorini, “this is life.” Of course, my camera died as soon as we got up there, so Johnson and Bell/Paul took pics for me. I’ll have to get them off facebook. 
After sunset, Johnson took us to a bar he likes and they all had a drink each (and I had water) and we looked at a lot of Johnson’s pictures on his iPod touch. He is very into photography and his photos are really splendid. I wish I had the time to devote to get really into photography like that. I believe I have the eye for it, just not the time to learn all about the technology and developing etc.
As we walked back toward my hostel (they were going to some party and I was going back), we passed some friends of Johnson’s who were break dancing in a covered marble sidewalk. He break dances too, so we stopped and watched for a while. It was pretty neat.
I got online when I got back to the hostel, so I didn’t end up going to bed until 1:15, then woke up at 8:45 so as not to miss breakfast or the guided tour which starts at 10. For breakfast I had an egg and cheese omelet with toast and OJ. I haven’t had a hot breakfast in I don’t know how long!
The tour was interesting - we went by all the major historical sites and it gave me an idea of places I wanted to see. We ended in the Piazza Della Signoria where there are many famous statues by famous sculptors. The David used to stand in this square, but was moved into a museum nearby in the 1800s since the weather was taking a toll on the marble.
This Piazza is also right next to the Galleria Degli Uffizi (one of the most famous art galleries in Florence). I went to stand in line there after the tour, but it didn’t even budge for 20 minutes so I went to the “reserve tickets” counter. Of course it cost me 10.50 euros to reserve them and they didn’t offer student discounts, but at least I could go do other things until 3:15.
From there I went to the Basilica di Saint Croce - a church started in 1294 and consecrated in 1442. It cost 5 euros, but it was really cool. The Basilica is the largest Franciscan church in the world. Its most notable features are its sixteen chapels, many of them decorated with frescoes by Giotto and his pupils, and its tombs and cenotaphs. Legend says that Santa Croce was founded by St Francis himself. Some of the most famous Florentines were buried there, including Michelangelo, whose tomb I saw. All in all, it was pretty impressive - the entire thing is covered in priceless artwork and much of it dates to the middle ages.
After that I went to the Duomo so I could climb to the top and see the view of Florence. It was 8 euros and a ton of steps to climb, but not only do you get a full view of the city from the top, but you also get to walk inside around the dome so you can see the paintings on the ceiling much closer. There were something like 492 steps, so it was quite a hike, but it was amazing view and totally worth it!
From there I grabbed some gelato on my way back to the Uffizi (banana, nectarine, and cookie flavors today). It was nice to skip the line at the gallery, but man were my feet hurting from before I got in there. Lol I saw some really amazing masterpieces like The Birth of Venus and Spring by Botticelli, Venus of Urbino by Titian, several famous Madonna and child pieces by Fra Filippo Lippi, as well as Raphael’s and Michelangelo’s.
After I got done there, I went to the Ponte Vecchio bridge (famous for it’s jewelry and leather shops as well as it’s external architecture). At last, I was done for the day, and I have since walked back to my hostel where I am now. I will go get some pasta for dinner soon. J My lower back has been hurting fairly consistently in the last few days (especially after a couple hours of walking) so I think I will take it easy tonight. However I do hope I can see Bell and Paul tonight when they get back from the Cinque Terra since they leave tomorrow morning. I’ll leave for Pisa on Friday where I believe I am couch surfing. That’ll be a good point to visit the Cinque Terra from before I head out to Genova.
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