Thursday June 11, 2009 - 8:09 pm
Firenze
Slept in til 8:30 am. Breakfast at 9 am where we met 2 girls from Pennsylvania. Three people (2 girls, 1 guy) came in before we left and 1 of the girls graduated from Augustana.
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| Medici garden |
We went to the Medici palace and it was GORGEOUS! I was so happy! Then we walked to the Uffizi for Bryce. Meg and I walked to a the Piazza della Republica with a big arch and a carousel. We shopped at some carts and then sat at a statue where we watched in horror as a big ass sign fell over and scraped the lef of one of the street artists. The carabinieri (Police minus guns) got involved and Meg and I stuck around to see if we needed to be witnesses. The artist was sent to the hospital with what we think is a broken leg, so I bought 2 of his pictures to help pay his medical bills. Meg and I walked in a circle around the Uffizi by accident as we were trying to get back by 3:45 pm. We were 30 min late but oh well.
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| the giant sign that fell down |
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| injured artist in the chair |
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| emergency personnel |
We went to the Ponte Vecchio where I found the perfect gift for Brandon, a wire motorcycle! Then we got gelato and ate dinner by the Uffizi and headed home. Our feet were disgusting from the dirty streets even with shoes (flip-flops) on. Tomorrow we wake at 5 am and hop on a train to Roma!
Friday June 12, 2009 - 10:08 pm
Florence-Rome
Woke up at 5 am and hopped in a taxi for a 10 minute ride to the train station. We got on the train and sat down. We started out and then some people came and had our seats reserved. We started walking and found out there were only 2 cars of non reserved seats. A nice guy helped us find open ones. Meg and I were with a Russian(?) family which was fine except the car was ridiculously HOT!
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| Colosseum |
We arrived in Rome, dropped off our stuff at the Hostel and went to the Colosseum to meet Federika, our private tour guide! We spent 5 hours with her and learned so much! We saw the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Pantheon (or as Bryce calls it - the church with the hole), Lunch - pizza, coke, & gelato, Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter's Basilica! She was awesome and completely worth the money! I felt like a VIP today because we got to skip all the lines and people just kinda stared at us, I felt super important!
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| Roman forum |
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| Walking the Appian Way |
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| Door to the Pantheon |
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| amazing Gelato shop near Pantheon |
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| Lunch of Champions |
We had a bus/metro adventure and wound up at the Hostel. Our room is right next to the desk and we are rooming with Amy and Andy from London and Katarina (?) from I don't know where. Amy and Andy are hilarious and Amy complimented my fake British accent, which means I rock!
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| Amy and Andy |
Met Ashley and Lauren from Colorado at dinner along with Ryan from Ireland. Went to the Shop and bought booze then sat around the room talking and drinking. Meg ran off with her friend Eva from home and haven't seen her since. Hope she's okay!
Also met Az(?) who works at the front desk and he is crazy and a little creepy, not gonna lie. More of Roma tomorrow!
Author's Note: Watching the artist get hit with the sign was really scary! I could see a huge gash on his leg and he limped with help to the ambulance. His pictures were bright and colorful and BEAUTIFUL. So glad I have them as a momento. Had a blast in Rome! Met the Coloradans and the Irish boy at the spaghetti dinner our Hostel had once or twice a week. It was all you could eat and in a large dining room. It was a great way to meet others in the Hostel. I could've stayed another month and still feel like I hadn't seen everything there was to see. Some day I really hope to go back, who wants to come with me??
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