Alright, the update... We got to Florence yesterday morning and were a bit lost, but luckily an American culinary school student overheard us and told us exactly how to get to our hostel. This hostel is super nice, and the staff is also very nice. It doesn't have air conditioning, though, which is quite a bummer since it is in the nineties and very very humid here. It also has artwork everywhere from local artists, so it's pretty cozy. The first thing that we did was go to the market, which was a lot of fun. Those of you that know me well know that I am very 'thrifty' and like a good deal. So, bartering with the peddlers was awesome. Then we went grocery shopping for the remainder of our trip, because it is just so much cheaper than buying tourist priced food. Florence is very touristy, so we pretty much just see Americans and English people everywhere. It's a bit of a disappointment since you don't really get to experience the culture but pretty nice for getting around. Then we walked around and found the Duomo that we are going to climb during our time here and looked at the little shops. We drink 2-3 liters of water a day here, which is a lot, and sweat just as much. I would never reccomend Italy in the summer, but I wouldn't ever change my decision to come right now, either. Just gotta travel when you can, right? So, we were extremely tired and worn out, and we just made dinner and chilled out staying as still and cool as possible all night. This morning we slept in and then took the train to Viareggio, where there is a beach. It was kind of a weird day. The whole train ride was unbearably hot with no air conditioning, but when we got to the beach, it started to thunder and storm. So, we went and ate some delicious pesto and pasta to wait it out. It only sprinkled a bit, and then we went back to the beach. The beach is broken up into pieces, and all of the pieces are private, so you have to pay to go. We decided to just sneak in and not pay, which was a good decision. We sat in lawn chairs and slept for about two hours. Then we decided to swim around in the ocean until we thought that we saw a jellyfish, and that ruined our fun. haha. We're a bit paranoid now about jellyfish, since we saw them in Ireland and didn't expect to see them at all. Then we went in search of some cheap delicious gelato and took the train home. We still have to make dinner, and then I think it is to bed for us. This hot weather and all of this traveling just sucks the energy out of you. But, nonetheless, we are having a great time with lots of laughs and learning and adventure. Tomorrow we're hitting up the Duomo (climbing to the top of the cupola), the Uffizi gallery (one of the most famous art galleries in Italy), and then the art gallery that Michaelangelo's 'David' is in. Should be a very interesting day. xoxo, Caitlin
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