What a weekend! Florence is incredible. I heard through the grapevine that its the number one travel destination in the world right now. Is that really true? It rocked, but I also feel like there could be so many greater places. Either way, I digress. Totally different feel than Rome, and it got me thinking if I should have studied there instead. Everything is so much closer together, its not an hour of transportation everytime you go out, not as industrialized, and much more still with its Italian roots.
We got in at about 2, had to walk an hour to the hostel, checked in, and headed right to the Uffizi art gallery. Its a massive gallery in downtown Florence that is one of the biggest attractions in the city - massive place and had a lot of Rembrandt, Botticelli, Da Vinci, Michelangelo. We saw the Birth of Venus! and Spring! and way too much religious art! It was a good time, but after two hours of wandering through I was definitely burnt out. Birth of Venus though was incredible, something about the way she is painted literally captures you.
The rest of the night we wandered around, got fantastic gelato, and killed a liter of boxed wine for a Euro. I've learned that when buying gelato you cannot be in a rush. There is a gelateria every half block, but most of them are on main roads and in tourist spots, and we wanted real Italian gelato. Stumbling upon Festival del Gelato with its multi-colored vibrant neon ceiling and twenty flavors definitely felt right - one scoop of tiramisu complemented with one scoop of chocolate mousse. I dont think I need to try and describe how that was.
After wandering around and seeing the sights by night and finding some epic pictures to sneak into and take pictures, we wandered back home in 5 minutes and realized how much more convenient it is then Rome. In the morning we went to the Galeria dell'Academia, aka the house of the original David, a musical instrument museum, and other artwork. So, no matter how much you think youve seen the David on TV or online and therefore not overly excited for it, you're not prepared whatsoever. The Academia starts off with a simple room of art, then you turn the corner and the David is glimmering at the end of a hall stretching up into a dome dressed in light coming from outside with various statues lining the hallway leading up to it. It was easily one of the coolest things I've seen in my entire life. HE IS HUGE. Every detail is there, his hands and feet are crushing, and its just completely mesmerizing to realize you're looking at probably a top 3 publically famous piece of artwork of all time. He gives off such an immense aura of (for lack of a better phrase) bad-ass-ness combined with smooth and stealth - rockin.
After that I left the group and wandered off to the Boboli Gardens, the private gardens of the Medici family behind their palace in Florence. This place had to of been made solely for me. Harry Potter fans - its exactly what you pictured in your head when you read the fourth book during the last act of the Triwizard Tournament, the maze. It was just a crazy labrynth of gardens and statues and fountains and random turns and buildings. I explored this place for four hours, adventuring everywhere possible, and of course the best sights came when exploring the fenced-off areas. The pictures are awesome, and I'd like for you to try and picture me getting lost in an ancient, magical, apparently completely random set of gardens. I went up to the highest point that overlooked the Tuscan hillside, which was cool because you came in from the city and from the other side overlooked the hills. Also up there was a freaking porcelaine museum, so random, a floating fountain, and a traveling exhibit that recreated gardens from Pompeii.
Afterwards, I went out for my first three course Italian meal, wandered with a friend to get an epic picture, then met up with some other JFRC kids that were staying across town and went out for a little. In the morning we hiked up to Piazza Michelangelo for an awesome view over the city and went to mass up there. Got on a train back to Rome at 2, and sprinted back to make it back to campus in time before the cafeteria closed at 7. On the topic of food, besides the one meal I budgeted myself Saturday night because I wanted one awesome Florentine meal, I spent 5 Euro on food. I know my family will not enjoy hearing this, but food is the easiest thing to save money on. It was terrible, but better than spending unnecessary money, although my body was physical crushed and exhausted because of trying to live on like 600 calories Friday and Saturday. That meal sure was awesome on Sunday though back in Mensa.
I'm definitely a big fan of wandering alone, as I diverged from the group almost the entire weekend and was on my own. I'm thinking of taking a trip totally by myself just cause I really enjoy the time alone and I know I'm a cheap traveler that likes to just wander and not stick to a schedule so I accept I may not be easy to travel with. Other small tidbits, I met A GIRL FROM FAIRPORT in Florence that dated a guy I know from Irondequoit High a year above me. She was studying in Florence and we started talking somehow and obviously got around to that random connection. Kevin Bacon lives!
Revolver stepped down as my favorite Beatles album after about a six month run, and Abbey Road swept in. As I type, I'm listening to it top to bottom for about the tenth time the last two days, and its as great as always. Once you finish You Never Give Me Your Money and you cruise from Sun King through to The End and it all just flows together, its completely unbeatable.
Other trip ideas are starting to fall into place, I'm still 100% incapable of taking school even remotely seriously, and I'm making more of a concsious (can anyone spell that word?) effort to get out into Rome more. I applied for a couple hundred Euro scholarship that goes towards personal travel, so lets hope for that. Its officially February so I find out about the PA program within the month and I'm totally freaking out. Pictures of the weekend are uploaded, I took a couple of videos that I cant upload, and I'll leave you all with an aerial shot of my second home, the Boboli Gardens.
Thanks for reading and following, love always
Zach
For a little better look, lets remove the bandage and make it bigger:
I understand I exaggerate, especially in instances where there is room for me to feel sorry for myself, but I plead to all reading to understand that none of this story is exaggerated whatsoever. I'm copying papers at the printer yesterday morning, I proceed to drop one, and on my way down to pick it up, I hit my head on the corner of a piece of wood on the wall that a phone sits on. Apparently I retrieve my dropped papers with the intensity of a Takeo Spikes victory dance post-sack because I NAILED my forehead and immediately blood absolutely poured down my face. After trying to stop it with tissues and wandering for a few minutes looking for who knows what, a teacher sat me down and cleaned me up. I thought I was fine, but after some more aimless wondering and continual questions as to if I was OK, a friend insisted on walking me back to my room where I should sit down for a while.
