Finding hostels is always a little tricky. You hope for decent signage. Italy lacks decent signage.
So after some wandering, we stumbled upon Hostel Luna Rossa. This place was adorable. We got to use of one those old elevators, where you open a door into a cage. I always find those fascinating and old school. The hostel was small, in terms of capacity. It felt like the owners welcomed you into their home. We had a huge room equipped with both a flat screen TV and a desktop computer. Later we would find them pointless because the storm screwed up the internet and the satellite.
I took to Florence more so than Rome. I always favor "smaller cities" because they feel more homey. It's why I like Madison. It's why I chose to study in Vienna. Cities like New York and Rome are wonderful in their own right, but a person like me feels slightly overwhelmed. Florence was perfect. It had beautiful art/architecture/food/people.
After seeing what felt like hundreds of churches over the prior 5 weeks, I think I found my favorite one in Florence. I wish I could be indie and lie and say that my favorite church was some small, off the beaten path, hidden gem. Nope. I'm going to be unoriginal and say that my favorite was the Duomo. I think people who would say some random church are just trying to be cool and eclectic. The Duomo is awesome because of the colors. It was colorful and that's why I liked it. Simply put. I don't really know its history, but I don't so much care.
Another highlight in Florence: The statue of David. It's huge. Much bigger and greater than I expected. That's a good thing, considering I had to pay like 14 euro to get into Academia, which besides David, holds a less than impressive collection. But I managed to stare at him (a la Cameron from Ferris Bueller's Day Off) for a good 15 minutes. Even if you're not a museum fan, if you're ever in Florence, go see it. It's worth it. He's decently good-looking ladies! I stumbled upon this pic....David returning from a visit to Chicago!
Other Florence highlights:
-I got sick, not so much a highlight
-it stormed
-they have really awesome stores/street vendors. Bargaining is fun!
-I discovered my brother has some innate ability to disagree with, counter, or one-up every remark I make. ("It's a nice day today" --- "It's nice everyday in LA") He apparently holds deep-rooted grudges against me stemming from childhood insecurities. GET OVER IT. We continue to argue like we did in middle school. I do wonder whether it will ever end.
-Clarification: We do have fun when we aren't bitching at one another. It's love/hate, but mostly love. I'm clarifying this so my mother doesn't cry when she reads it.
-my new addiction to coca cola grows. Why order water when it is cheaper and more economical to buy pop or alcohol?
Purchased high speed train tickets down to Naples. Journey continues.
T
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