Exploring

Hey everybody.

So I thought I'd make a blog, mostly because I really enjoy everybody else's.  So I thought I'd contribute, although my stories may be more cringe-inducing than entertaining - we'll see.  But I figured some of you would like to be kept posted, so here it all is.

I arrived in Florence yesterday at about one in the afternoon.  When I got of the plane it was raining, but it felt so good to be on solid ground in a real place (not an airport) that I could have cared less.  Even sopping wet, Florence is incredibly beautiful.  I took a taxi to my apartment, which was enough to convince me that driving in Florence is a bad idea.  My taxi driver maneuvered his small car in creative ways around the construction sites, vespas and buses creatively, using pathways such as sidewalks in ways that I would not have though of.  There was only one near collision, which was apparently caused by the fact that the other driver didn't know how to drive.

We arrived safely though, and as soon as I walked into the apartment belonging to Jozef and Carlotta that I will be living in, I knew it was going to be a good place to call home.  After sharing some awesome food with them, I took and nap, unpacked, and generally decided to wait until the next day to do anything particularly exciting.

Unfortunately, I made the foolish decision to not set an alarm.  I figured that I had nowhere to be in the morning, and that I was tired from traveling, so it would be good to sleep late.  And anyway, how late could I possibly sleep? 

I woke up at 2 in the afternoon.  After my initial horror, I moved fast and went to explore the city.  I stopped at a gelateria close to my apartment and, with Angie in mind, tasted my first ever yogurt gelato.  It was fantastic, and has me wondering whether yogurt gelato every morning is the same as yogurt every morning.  I mean, yogurt every morning is good for you, right?

The light in the city this afternoon was beautiful, the kind of clear, clean light you get after a storm passes.  In the distance, you could still see the storm clouds moving away to the mountains.  People were taking pictures everywhere, tourists and Italians alike.  Even in February, there are alot of tourists.  It's a little startling, to hear so much english in an Italian city.  I haven't had any problems with people not wanting to speak Italian with me, though, so I think that Florence's status as a tourist destination will only be a bit of a nuisance.

This was long!  Basically, it is good to be here, and I'm starting to adjust to the big city.  Hopefully I can explore more tomorrow, and I can't wait to visit il mercato centrale on Monday to buy some food!  

Mmm, food...