Florence and Rome in a Nutshell

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So, liked promised, here are my pictures. I have tried to make this video using quicktime and imovie, but I'm not sure if it will come out. Here is a link.

Anyway, The train from Paris to Florence was amazing, flowing past the hills of tuscany and enjoying every moment of it...except for one small problem! It was dark the entire time and I couldn't see anything...I also shared a cabin from a Brazilian woman who was carrying 6 large suitcases, which she promptly stored on each one of the beds in the cabin. If that wasn't enough, there was a Spanish woman and a Japanese couple sharing the same cabin...pretty tight fit. The only saving grace was this laptop I now write this letter on. I popped in the new Star Wars movie and our tight little cabin turned into a world class cinema. The people loved it and everyone liked me for the remainer of the trip.

Florence was incredible. Like I said before, I had travelled there 7 years ago and don't remember a thing. Boy, what a bad memory. These pictures are truely amazing, and they still dont do the city much justice. I was with my good friend from Boulder, Jennifer Lens, and she was a wonderful tour guide. We saw the Duomo, the Uffitzi, the Acadamia (David), and plenty of other things there. We had wonderful pasta at world-class piazzas and sipped wine on unforgettable bridges. I was very upset that I had to leave when I did.

However, Rome was an acceptable substitute if I must say. My small 2 star hotel was 3 blocks away from St Peters Basilica, and everything was in walking distance that mattered. My buddy Robbie Mueller is studying there for the entire year, and his school on top of the hill over-looking the city still leaves me breathless.
The first day was "ultimate-tourist" day and I soaked up the sites until my eyes turned red. The Basilica and The Sistine Chapel in the morning, The Pantheon, Colloseum, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Piazza Novana in the afternoon and evening. I was exhausted out of my mind. That night was unforgettable, going out with Rob and his friends, taking me to the local bars, sampling the wine and liters of beer.
I am in Rob's debt as we was a gracious host and a wonderful tour guide (even though he did get insanely lost in his own city for a couple hours!! HA HA) I will miss everything about that city, including the insane mo-peds and overpriced taxi cabs!

Now, on to Prague!!!
I've been here for 4 days now, acclimatized to the surroundings, finding my bearings very quickly. It turns out there are only 4 other people in the class, but they is not necessarily a bad thing. Jay from San Fran, kind of a nerdy/quiet/badass guy...he'll need some breaking in. Mohammed from Montreal and Paris, devout Muslim that will not be having much fun with us. And Shannon and Charissa, the blondes from Long Beach that are wonderfully bubbly and ready to brighten up anyones day. They will hopefully become my good friends. So for now, I leave you...I hope this message finds you well, as I am starting to look forward to the next day more and more!

Nashledanu!

Ty

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