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Duomo...Duomo
The Duomo in Florence is so huge its impossible to get the whole thing in one photo. Today: Florence. Left the apartment in Rome at 11am, walked over to the station and got our tickets to Florence. We sat in the station for awhile because our train wasn't scheduled to leave till 12:57. Its only an hour and a half train ride to Florence from Rome if you are on the high speed EuroStar trains, however we were on the two and half hour choo-choo train that crawled on the tracks and made stops in small towns along the way. This may have been a bad thing, except we were passing through beautiful Tuscany. Jagged green hills, some with tiny stacked villages on top. A lot of hills were splotchy, with plots cleared out on the sides to grow vineyards or have sheep or goats graze on them. We sat in a cabin with four seats, two on each side so you faced each other. I struck up a conversation with the Italian girl, Maria, sitting next to me. She was on her way home to Milan, actually Lake Cuomo (or as she said "George Clooney", but she has never seen him there). She just got done studying 15th century literature in Rome. I don't know, I
Tuscany From A Train
A photo of the countryside on our train ride from Rome to Florence. love talking to people, especially now that I am in a different country. I think its hereditary from my Grandpa Quick and my dad. She spoke decent English so we all talked about our lives in our hometowns. We finally got to Florence, except the station we got off at was on the outskirts of town, so we took the bus to the inner-city station and walked to the hostel which was close by.
The streets are very busy with tourists, almost more so than Rome. More narrow streets, small shops, ristorantes, and gelaterias line them. The hostel is pretty cool. Its interesting to say the least. In the hallways and in the lobby, people are allowed to write on the walls, so it is just covered with perverse sayings, drawings of strange things, university logos and slogans, and anything you can imagine. My favorite is a drawing of David Hasselhoff that says "Hoffmosis" under it. Our room had two sets of bunk beds. Our room mates are awesome. Joel just graduated from Kansas State and is from Kansas City. I feel like there isn't a place on earth that he hasn't been just from talking to him. He
Conversing With The Locals
Richard snapped this photo of me on the train, obviously enthralled by what Maria is saying. rented a moped earlier in the day and just drove around the small villages outside Florence, in the Chianti region. The other room mate is Erin, from one of my favorite cities in the US, Portland. She graduated from University of Washington and is traveling for two months, going as far as Turkey and India. These peoples' trips make ours look like a weekend getaway.
We all went out for a walk around town. The Duomo here is probably the most impressive thing I have seen so far on the trip. Its hard to explain, but its just so big and overwhelming. We walked around looking for a restaurant and found a small one tucked away on one of the pedestrian only streets. I had a glass of Chianti and this chicken with mushroom and cream sauce. It was delicious. After dinner we walked back to the hostel and sat out on the outdoor patio and Joel was nice enough to share a bottle of Chianti Classico he bought during the day. I don't like Chianti back in the US. Can't stand it. But here, I don't know, its the wine they serve with dinner at its actually very,
Everyone's An Artist
The walls of the Archi Rossi Hostel, some were deep thoughts, some were of national pride, most were pretty obscene. very good. Even out of Dixie cups like we were. Then some people out on the patio with us let us try some Lemonchello they bought. I hate liquor, but it was pretty good.
At around midnight and after more wine and beer, we were all pretty buzzed and on a gelato hunt. All the places still open were too expensive, but we did find an underground bar that has bands play in it and it just so happens that tonight they had a Pink Floyd cover band. They were really good musically, but it was funny because the band members were Italian so the words were hard to understand. I kept laughing, because I was thinking about my life and here I am, in Florence, at an underground bar called the Be Bop, listening to Pink Floyd cover band. La dolce vita. That place was so cool. Because the curfew is 2am, we had to head back to the hostel at around 1:30, during the band's set. Such a great night, probably the best I've had so far. Joel and Erin are awesome. I think one of the best things about the trip is meeting all these different
Another Piece Of The Duomo
A part of the Duomo and its tower. people, even if its just a conversation on the train. Its weird, because you meet these people in the hostels, and you maybe hang out with them for a day or two, and then you all move on your next destinations, and you know you will most likely never talk again. Its kinda sad really.
I'm glad to be here in Florence. Great city. Its nice to be out of the madness of Rome, although I did enjoy it a lot. I like thinking about how my mom was here when she was in high school and now I am here. I am so happy that I made the plunge and decided to take this trip and I am glad I have a travel buddy like Richard. I know this is having a great impact on his life, as it is mine. And the trip has just barely began.
Have fun,
Matt
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Gram
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I love Tuscany
isn't Florence and Tuscany the most wonderful place! I want Pop to go there..you are right the pasta is so delicious. I am so glad you are there..hope you get to see "David" he is something else...love you, Gram