Days 19 through 25

It's been a busy week! Last Wednesday Alyson and I laid low and relaxed before catching our train. We went to Zara and H&M to get hot weather clothes. I got three dresses, a pair of sunglasses, and some bangles all for 77 Euros at H&M! My kind of place. Alyson got some stuff from Zara too, but their clothes fit me weird so I passed. Although they had some really cute clothes in there.

Our train ride to Florence was...interesting. We shared our couchette with a family from Pittsburgh but I could have sworn they were straight out of Abbeville or something. The dad was wearing a wife beater, the mom told us every detail of her battle with diabetes, and their 14 year old daughter was dressed like a baby prostitute. But they were really nice people and we were definitely thankful to have them instead of some other creepers on our train.

When we got to Florence we took a taxi to our "hotel" that turned out to be more like a hostel. It really wasn't that bad, other than having to share a bathroom with the other tenants. We found a restaurant nearby and had our first authentic Italian meal!

I was starving so I had two appetizers and one pasta dish. The caprese salad was delicious, the mozzarella was to die for. And of course I had to have the bruschetta! And I made sure to leave room for some spaghetti. I'm not sure what I ordered, but it was delicious too. Very plain, but delicious.

After we ate we found an internet cafe'. I checked my mail and read about the Murphys. I was so devastated by the news, I really didn't feel like doing anything. It ended up storming a few minutes later, so we just went back to the hotel/hostel and took a nap.

We woke up and got dressed and headed over to meet Alyson's friends, Cadi and Jamie, who are enrolled in the UL Florence group. Their apartment was kind of far away, and we got there too early...so of course we ate again! I got these tarts that were so incredible. I don't even know what they were but they were delicious and beautiful. And the shop we ate in was supposedly all organic, from their sandwiches to their wines.

The girls' apartment in Florence was fantastic. I was really jealous of them. They have two kitchens, two bathrooms, and two bedrooms for four girls. And the girls were so nice! I was so happy to have met them. We called it a night pretty early because we had the wine tour early Friday morning.

THREE clear orbs in this pic! It was pretty spooky down there...

Really, I can't even describe how beautiful Tuscany was. It was unlike anything I have ever seen, and probably ever see. Thankfully, we had beautiful weather and an amazing tour guide. It was a perfect day. By the end of the tour we were totally beat. We went to bed fairly early because we wanted to do a lot of shopping Saturday.

Saturday had amazing points and some disappointing ones. Mainly, it rained. Hard. And it got really cold. But finally around 4, we made it to San Lorenzo Market to get some leather goods. I got a beautiful messenger/briefcase looking bag for school, and a slouchy black bag for everyday. They both smell so good! We walked back to the girls' apartment and stopped for gelato, H&M, and the Ponte Vecchio. It was so beautiful at sunset! I wish I had more pictures...

Saturday night was a blast. We saw the Uffizi (and the fake David). We had way too much fun and I loved every second of it! Even the rain held off for us.

Sunday was a different story...It literally rained poured all day. Finally around 4 in the afternoon we all drug ourselves out of bed to go to "the Diner." The food was actually really good. We all ordered different things so we could have the best meal ever. We had banana pancakes, chocolate chip pancakes, egg sandwiches (not anywhere near as good as yours, Mom!), burgers, french fries, coffee,  milkshakes, and coke zero (yes!). And it was free! The Florence kids get these vouchers and they shared two with us. Talk about a great way to end a trip (or cure a hangover)! On the way back to the apartment to get our things it started pouring, and I think getting soaked got me sick. I've been coughing and blowing my nose for a couple of days now. But don't worry Dad, I went to a pharmacist today and he gave me something. It seems like it's working so far.

Our train ride back was pretty uneventful. Monday and today were even more uneventful. Both days basically consisted of class and getting some laundry done. I did finally get time to go get a nice straightener! I am so beyond excited. I won't have to look gross every day! Haha.

Tomorrow I am going to Sacre Coeur in the morning and a modernist museum in the afternoon. I don't even know which one...and then I have a wine tasting that night! And the Florence girls are coming in tomorrow too! So tomorrow should be really fun.

Love and miss y'all!
Allie