Before we got to Florence, Tammy and I had a dumb American moment. At first we didn’t make the connection that Firenze is the Italian way of saying Florence. And now that this confession is out of the way…
We arrived in Florence at 3:45. Tammy and I are becoming extremely talented at map navigation, as we made it quickly to our hostel without any wrong turns. I think that Florence is a lot different from the other Italian cities we visited. It felt a lot more like a real working city and less of a tourist destination. I also noticed increased diversity. And a lot less english-speaking people! There is a river cutting through the city which we crossed to preach our hostel.
Our first evening there, we decided to explore and familiarize ourselves with the area. We gazed upon the architectural beauty of The Duoma and found a place that did a combo meal right outside the building. So there we were, with our bruschetta, florentine beans, salad and lasagna right outside this historic edifice. So cool.
We wandered over to the Piazza Della Signoria. At this point it was dusk – the lights were strategically placed around the square, musicians were filling the air with beautiful sounds, great statues were looming everywhere, and people were all around just enjoying the evening. It is in this square where the replica of the Statue of David stands, because it is where the original was intended to stay.
Funny thing, we asked two gentlemen to take a photo of us together at the square. We noticed we had similar speech patterns and it turns out that they were from Grand Rapids! We made plans to meet up later in the evening for wine.
In the meantime, Tammy and I continued to explore around the square and splurged on our last gelato. How could we not get any on our last night??! The rest of the evening was rather relaxed. Although we did stay out pretty late… Which turned out to be a problem…
Turns out our hostel had a curfew and was locked. Oh no. We went to the back entrance. Locked. We banged on the door. No response. Rang the doorbell several times. Nothing. After 15 minutes of unsuccessful frustration, we shrugged it off and got cozy on the front porch. I pulled out some crackers and started snacking. And THEN, praise the lord, one of the employees appeared at the reception desk. We got his attention and were let in. I was so exhausted, I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy to get in a hostel bunkbed. Always an adventure.
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