We're not really in Rome, but we're in Florence on a computer that doesn't work right and is slow as Hello friends and family. Thanks for checking in. Today Max and I hung out in Florence. We are staying at Il Poggetto Campground in a big 8-person dormitory, with a mold smell and about 20 of Max's favorite spider friends. Last you heard from us, we were in Rome. We left that hostel in the morning and trained it to Florence, spent the afternoon there eating icecream (gelato here) and finding our way around that square looking for our bus station. The campground is actually about 30 minutes out of the city by bus, but it is a scenic drive. We are very pleased to be out in the country, away from that hustle and bustle of the cities we've been visiting. Last night we ate supper here with a couple from Australia, who now live in England. We also met several people from Canada. The people we've met (and chosen to hang out with,) have been great. Very helpful, and good for conversation. We have met people we didn't like, but didn't tell them, and didn't hang out with them. Props go out to Athena, Emma and Adam, Sean, Suhashini, and Charlotte.

This morning we rode the bus into town. Adam and Emma gave us tickets for the sightseeing bus, so that saved us 40 dollar Euro. Thanks! We rode around on the double decker bus with our little headphones, listening to a recorded tracks of the popular spots. We got out and spent the afternoon determining that the lines were too long at the two big museums we wanted to see, and we'd see them tomorrow. Bad news, we found out tonight that they are not open tomorrow. So no real statue of David for us. Although we saw the copy in one of the squares. We found a couple other museums we liked though. One was a da Vinci museum with working models of some of his designs. Some were interactive, some weren't, and had signs that said no touch, but I did anyway. Speaking of illegal, we snuck into another museum. This one was a mansion off the street that had a gorgeous courtyard and was filled with art.

We saw a couple flea markets and I of course spent about 15 minutes picking out a new ring for myself. I'm doing well, only one in Greece and now one here. Our plan is to hang out at the campground tomorrow morning ...pool possibly, then to Florence for more art viewing. We'll leave for Hamburg tomorrow night, and get there around noon on Tuesday. This is earlier than planned, but we cut out Venice. We are very ready to get to Teresa's and relax. We are looking forward to a clean and reliable toilet. (Teresa, don't let us down.) We spent an obnoxious amount of time today looking for acceptable places to do our business. The travelling is definitely wearing on us. I believe that for the post-Hamburg part of the trip, there will be more time spent in each city, and less cities. I've decided that I will be back to Italy again someday, so I will have another chance to see the things I missed this trip.

Miss you all and love you,

Nikki