Breathtaking, stunning, incredible... even those words can't really sum up how I feel about Florence so far. The city is absolutely amazing and our hostel is kickass. I wish we could stay here longer!

We got to Florence at 3 set off to find our hostel. One of my friends did a backpacking trip throughout Europe last summer, and when she went to Florence she stayed at The Academy. She absolutely loved it, so of course when Gabe and I decided we were going to Florence, I booked reservations there =] Rosa had emailed me directions to the hostel from the train station, but after my friend told me that she had walked the complete opposite direction without realizing it and wandered around the city for a good 30 minutes, I wanted to make sure we didn't make the same mistake. Our bags were heavy, after all! It was a little difficult to figure out— I never did find the pharmacy we were supposed to turn left at—but we found a sign for the cathedral, which I knew was pretty close to our hostel, so we followed the directions for that. I can't even describe in words how amazing the cathedral is... I'm pretty sure Gabe was thinking he was going to have to drag me away from it so we could find our hostel first and drop our bags off first ;] My pictures will never do it justice, especially since I'm still trying to figure this photography thing out, but I'll be sure to post pictures of it soon.

After we found the Duomo, finding our hostel was a breeze =] & this hostel is seriously amazing! There is a really nice common room with a TV and movies, lots of travel books on Florence, Tuscany, and Italy in general, computer stations, WiFi in the lobby (although I could never get my computer to connect), laundry, a terrace, and a kitchen. Every night the hostel also holds a Meet and Greet for all of the guests to mingle over pasta or pizza and wine. Breakfast is included, too! & the rooms were great... no bunk beds, super clean, spacious lockers, not under construction... seriously night and day in comparison to the hostel in Milan. Unfortunately I think I set the bar pretty high for hostels now, but if you ever go to Europe, make sure you go to Florence and stay at The Academy!

After Rosa took us to our rooms and showed us around a bit, I realized I was absolutely starving. It was almost 4 and I hadn't eaten anything since breakfast at the hostel in Milan. Gabe had gotten a sandwich at the train station in Milan, but agreed that he could eat again, too. We were planning on grabbing a Panini, but I couldn't wait for gelato any longer, so he agreed we could go there first =] We made the mistake of going to a place right near the Duomo... so that was probably more expensive than normal. We also made the mistake of getting a waffle because they looked really tasty. That will be the last time I get gelato before asking how much it is... €12! Each! & although it was good, it definitely wasn't worth €12... and I really don't want to think about what that would have been in US dollars. The waffle was warm, too... so the gelato was melting faster than I could eat it and I basically made a sticky mess of myself. Oh well... lesson learned =]

After finishing our gelato fail, we decided to explore the city a little on our own. We had a bike tour scheduled for the next morning, which turned out to be a great idea because although you can cover a lot of ground wandering around the city, you would have no idea what the history is behind the beautiful buildings without some sort of a guide. Personally, I always find buildings and pieces of art even more beautiful once I know the history behind them, so I always try to find a guide if I can. I did get a lot of pictures walking around the city, though, which was good because we didn't stop for very long at each spot during the bike tour. We also saw a couple things that we didn't see on the tour, like the locks of love. I thought it was really pretty, but I took a couple of pictures so I'll let you be the judge =]

After walking around the city a bit, we decided to head back to our hostel for the Meet and Greet. We were near the Uffizi Gallery when I started to hear people laughing and clapping, so we followed the noise to see what all the commotion was about. Everyone was watching a street performer, and he was hilarious! Most people had stopped and circled around him to watch, but anyone who dared cross his "stage" risked becoming a part of his act. He even grabbed one woman and started making out with her! I was dying...especially when her husband showed up and dragged her across stage ;]

When we got back to our hostel, I had a chance to check my emails and facebook, which was a real treat, especially since I had quite a few time sensitive issues I needed to respond to. The Meet and Greet is really a great idea, too... I wish other hostels did it! I think meeting people from all over the world is one of my favorite things about studying in Europe. I tend to be kind of shy around new people back home, but there is something about being abroad that makes me a bit more outgoing. Maybe it's because making friends with strangers seems like a piece of cake in comparison to what I've done on my own here... Anyway, Gabe and I met four Americans who were studying abroad in Copenhagen, two girls who were traveling together and two guys. When everyone was making introductions, the four students we made friends with realized they were in the same program at Copenhagen, so that was kind of funny =] I was also pretty excited that they were from Copenhagen, because another one of my friends, Andrew, is hoping to visit in July. He has a big trip planned for us—Copenhagen, Stockholm, Helsinki, Tallinn, St. Petersburg, and Berlin—and the two girls from Copenhagen told me about this overnight bus from Berlin to Copenhagen that is only €30! There is a bus from Jena to Berlin that is about €17, so the entire trip would only be €47. I was pretty excited to hear about that, and so was my bank account =]

I had heard that the Michaelangelo Piazza offered the best view of the city, so I wanted to head up there to catch the sunset after the Meet and Greet. The two guys from Copenhagen wanted to see it, too, so we headed out to find a place to buy a couple of bottles of wine before going to the Piazza. We should have left a little bit earlier if we wanted to catch the sunset, but the view at twilight/night was absolutely amazing. Obviously I can't compare it to what it would have been at sunset since we missed it, but let's just say I wasn't disappointed. We stayed up on the hill for quite awhile, just drinking wine and enjoying the view. It was a pretty perfect ending to a great day =]

It's time for me to hit the hay now... gotta get my rest for that big bike tour tomorrow!