Hello Everyone!

I would just like to start by saying thank you for all the messages and emails! They are great so keep them coming!

You will be happy to hear that I purchased a new camera and will be posting pictures very soon (hopefully). It was expensive but I think it was worth every penny!

This past weekend we went to Florence, or "Firenze" in Italian, for a group trip and it was amazing. The feel is very different from Rome; it seems a lot smaller and whereas Rome is about architecture, Florence is definitely about art. We had our art history professor along and he was the best tour guide… we learned so much! After all, Florence is the Renaissance art capital of the world. I got to see Michelangelo's David and a ton of other famous works of art created by artists such as Donatello, Leonardo de Vinci, and so many more. It was awesome to be able to see all of the famous paintings that most people only get to see in books. Also, as you may know, Renaissance art is all about symbolism and if you don't understand it, it's really not all that cool. Thus, it was a lifesaver to have Paolo, our art professor, there to point everything out to us. Unfortunately, you are not allowed to take pictures in the museums of the artwork so I don't have any of those to show you but the pictures I did take are awesome.

Another bonus, our hotel was awesome… extremely nice and clean and expensive… but we didn't have to pay for it. They had free breakfast which consisted of the most amazing granola cereal with raisins, pastries, fruit, yogurt, and hot chocolate with cream that they serve to you in your own individual little pot. All of this unlimited. And we got to eat this for three days straight. After about a month of not really having breakfast and never having cereal, one of my favorite foods, it was a welcomed treat. They also had a "Happy Drink" hour in the evening where you got a free first glass of wine and they served snacks. Oh, and our shower…it was clean, the water actually drained out of it (as opposed to our shower in Rome), unlimited hot water, and at least twice as much space as our shower in Rome. Let's just say that I was sad to leave Florence.

On Sunday, our last day there, we got to do our own thing and a group of us climbed the bell tower for the Duomo. The view from the top was gorgeous! You could see out over all of Florence! I will post my pictures for you to see because it was so cool. All of the matching clay tile roofs and the churches that rise above them… you just have to see it.

Finals for Rome are next week and quickly approaching. It's kind of overwhelming trying to get all of the stuff done that I need to before we leave next Saturday. It's crazy to think that I'm already almost half done! I'll try to do better with posting things in Greece. I just found out a few minutes ago that my apartment in Athens will have internet "most of the time" so I should be able to do better… cross your fingers.

Ciao,

Kristi