Florence Day 2

After spending the night in that horrible hostel we got up the next morning and went in search of our actual hostels. We had all forgotten the time change and so we thought it was 9am when it was really 10am. First we stopped at the hostel where Mary Katherine and Tina were staying. We had booked at different times and the hostel I was staying it filled up so they had to find a different hostel. While they checked in I waited in the stairwell and looked out over the street below. Shortly thereafter they joined me and we traipsed off to find my hostel. The whole multiple numbers on one building thing was tripping us out, but fortunately we did find my hostel.

I went up and checked in while they went across the street to get some money. My hostel was really cute and quaint and the woman running it was really sweet. The view from the balcony of my hostel looked out towards the Duomo, which was stunning. After checking-in, etc, I joined them on the street below and we crossed a bought some groceries for the next day. Some things never change and I am still ever the frugal traveler. After buying our sustenance for the remainder of our trip, we walked through the San Lorenzo market to get to the Duomo. The market was amazing! It reminded me of the Portobello market except better. There were leather bags and notebooks everywhere. There was class from Venice and scarves from the south part of Italy. There was touristy stuff and beautiful carpets. There was very little "junk" which sort of contrasted it with the Portobello market. It was a very class street market. The venders tried to persuade us to look at their wares, but we replied with a genteel, but firm "no, gratzie". They were kind enough to not persist further. After making it through the market we walked the short rest of the way to the Duomo.

The Duomo we had seen the night before was deserted and loomed above us like the imposing authoritative figure it was constructed to be. Now, by daylight, the Duomo had transformed into a holy place of reflection, instead of one of divine justice. The exterior of the Duomo is one of the most beautiful and remarkable feats of architectural artistry I have seen to date. Even in the overcast light the green and pink marble shone beautifully. It was a towering edifice with gothic and moorish influence. The inside of the Duomo, however is rather a disappointment after you've seen the outside. It's beautiful and lofty and the frescos on the dome are stunning, but otherwise the walls are a bland earth tone and other than the spectacular floor inlay the interior leaves something to be desired for the supposed awe-inspiring-ness. We walked around in it for a little bit and then decided to move on.

After the Duomo we wandered down towards another one of the Piazza's near the Ufizzi galleries and the galleria academia. We saw a whole bunch of statues... go figure... and then we headed off towards the Ponte Veccio. The Ponte Veccio is the bridge over the main canal in Florence and on the actual bridge there are dozens of tiny little jewelry shops... don't ask me why. However the very center of the bridge is open and you can look out on either side towards the canal. It was still overcast, but the view was pretty nice.

Leaving the Ponte Veccio we wandered around the other bank for a while just seeing the local culture and eventually we wandered all the way up to the top of a hill overlooking Florence. Great things befall you when you least expect it. The sky was clearing now and we could see all of Florence beneath us. It was pretty spectacular. The Ponte Veccio looked very small off in the distance and the powerful dome of the Duomo stood out above all other buildings in the city. We sat up at the top of this hill for awhile just breathing, drinking and eating chocolate. It was lovely. Eventually we figured we better go back down and do something with the rest of our day. So we wandered down and towards the Ufizzi galleries. We were planning on going in, but we took one look at the line and changed out minds. Mary Katherine said she would come back early the next morning because she really wanted to see the galleries. Tina and I just opted out. I will definitely go when I go back to Florence in May. 

Instead we walked around some more and went in search of a gelateria that a friend had recommended to me. Let me say here that I would have absolutely no qualms with quitting college right now, finding a flat in Florence or somewhere else in Italy, devoting some time to learning the language and then spending the rest of my life eating gelato on the banks of a canal and writing short stories long into the night. After getting our gelato we wandered back to towards the Duomo and sat on a bench contemplating what to do with our evening. We eventually decided to head back to the Ponte Veccio and watch the sunset. It was probably the most beautiful smoldering sky I have seen in my entire life. The colors were unbelievable and even though it only lasted for a few short minutes I will undoubtedly carry that image with me the rest of my life. 

After the sunset we decided to call it an early night and we all headed back to our respective lodgings. It was only 8:00 so I sad on my bed and wrote postcards for a good long while and then sat on the balcony and looked at the Duomo all lit up. 

This has been a pretty incredible trip and caused the most struggle, but no-one ever said growing up and learning was easy.

Till next time...