First Few Days in Florence!

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Wow. Is this real life? Seriously, someone pinch me! We have been exploring this beautiful city for three days now and I still can't believe I am in Florence, Italy!! I find myself stopping from time to time and thinking to myself, "how am I really in Italy?". From the moment we got on the airplane in Cincinnati, Ohio to make our journey over here, I have been in awe. As I mentioned before in my last blog post, this was my first time flying and I am happy to say that I really enjoyed it. It was such an amazing feeling looking out of the window on the plane down onto the breathtaking view of the city lights and the snowy mountains. There is something about being in a plane that makes me feel so small compared to the rest of the world, and thats how i've felt while being in Florence.

These past three days have felt very long and have been very exhausting but I wouldn't want it any other way. Okay, I could do without the aches and pains from all the walking, but that's just part of the experience, right? The more I walk through the streets of this beautiful city, the more I want to explore and dive into all that Florence has to offer. This city is full of so much rich history, art, and tradition that it feels so surreal to be standing in the midst of all of it. Upon arrival from the 10+ hours of travel, Shianne and I quickly became familiar with our rooms, as we did not have the energy to go out and explore just yet. Later that evening, we were welcomed with a beautiful dinner with authentic Italian cuisine and wow, was it a delicious way to start off this trip!

Day two in Florence consisted of a lot of walking and a lot of fun exploring. With the free time we had we were able to go out and explore the city and make ourselves more comfortable and familiar with the area. While we were exploring we stumbled upon the cutest shop full of vintage maps, leather journals and unique stationary and prints. So far, this is my favorite shop that we have been to because of how neat and authentic the items were. I am excited to go back and purchase many gifts later in my trip! In a desperate search for food, we ended up at this little pizzeria that is owned by the sweetest family. It was the BEST pizza that I have ever had and it was only 3 euro, making it even better! After getting warm and refueling we set out to explore the rest of the city, not really having a destination in mind, we just walked in what ever direction seemed best. This lead us a beautiful view of the Arno and of course, a cool photo opportunity! Shianne and I ended this day hanging out in Kassi and Marilyn's apartment for a couple hours. Getting to explore this city while building genuine friendships has been one of the most exciting parts of the trip thus far.

Day three started with an early trip to the Bargello Museum. I enjoyed getting to see all the different sculptures and admire the amazing pieces of work. After a morning at the museum we made our way to the Duomo to watch the Epiphany Parade. It was so precious getting to hear the children's choir sing classic holiday and Christmas songs and to see the amazing pieces of clothing and costumes throughout the parade. My favorite thing about it was getting to experience a tradition that the people of this city love and look forward to every year. During the Epiphany Parade, I quickly learned how challenging it sometimes is being in another culture where you do not recognize or understand the language all around. Getting to listen to the Italian language is what made the parade so enjoyable and unique. After the parade, we made our way to the most beautiful view of the city, the Piazzale Michelangelo. Although I wasn't mentally or physically prepared for the hike we were about to take to the top of this hill, as you can imagine, it was well worth it. The feeling I had of looking over the city will be one of my most cherished memories of this trip! It is amazing that when I am standing next to the Duomo how small I feel but when standing at the top of the Piazzale Michelangelo how the city seems so small. I am excited to see where the rest of the trip takes me and to learn more about this beautiful place!

Ciao for now!

Madison

Steps for 1/5: 25,793

Steps for 1/6: 18, 571

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