Living in a Fairy Tale

Yesterday I had such an eventful day. Some of my new friends and I went out on a tour around the town to see different places to buy various items we need.

During this outing I finally took pictures of different buildings and such so all of you can see what I am surrounded by every time I step outside. The problem is that these pictures do not do it justice. The beauty of every street and every building cannot be captured by a photo. There is a feeling you get while being surrounded by so many beautiful things. It's magical. 

It is as though I have stepped back in time and into this fairy tale land. Especially at night when walking through a Piazza and everything is quiet. The only thing you can hear are the slight murmurs of conversations happening in the distance and the ringing of church bells, announcing the start of yet another magnificent hour in the city of Florence. 

The day time is equally as beautiful, in more city-esk type of way. There is a lot of hustle and bustle, and there are always people lining the VERY NARROW sidewalks. So I walk in the street. I have been walking down a lot of the same streets since I been here, and every time I notice something new to admire. Whether is is the colorful shutters lining the sides of every building or one of thousands of restaurants/cafes I want to eat at, there is always something that captures my attention and causes me to float off to Cloud 9. I am quickly brought back down though when I almost get run over by a bus and I have to squeeze in between 20 Italian locals until it is safe and I can continue on my journey. 

So after the tour me and the girls ventured off the other side of the river. which is more of a local, less touristy area. We got somewhat lost, but that is the best way to discover new things so we were not concerned. I have a feeling we will be spending lots of time over there. 

^^ from left to right is Katery, Gracie, Caitlin, and Emily. Just a few of the girls I have been going on adventures with.

This little corner was my favorite spot so far on the other side of the river. behind me was a church and seemed to be where a lot of locals just hung out on the steps. There is an artsy bar that plays live music to the left of me which we want to go to. The location is away from all the chaos and felt so peaceful. I loved it.

Later on that night we all went out for Gracie's 21st. We had a little pregame after dinner and I got called out for the first time ever on my vocabulary. I referred to Sprite as pop. Laughter filled the store. That has never happened to me.

Later on we went to a club called Space. That was a lot of fun. They do a weird way of paying though. Instead of paying as you go, they give you a punch card and you pay at the end. I don't like that because they don't tell you the price. 

Another thing I have to get used to is that there is no tipping here. I tipped a bartender last night and they laughed. So I won't be doing that anymore. 

That brings us to today. This was my first grocery shopping trip. Seeing that it is Sunday, and most things are closed, I could not go to the famous San Lorenzo market, or any other open market. Alex and I took our little rollie-bag over to the regular grocery store. I thought it was cute that we bring our own luggage to pack our groceries in. This blissful thought was quickly cut off when I then had to schlep the very heavy and stuffed bag up the 5 flights of stairs. I now despise the bag.
The trip itself went okay. It felt like we were their forever. I could not find salad dressing or milk for the life of me. I tried to buy just a couple apples but didn't realize I had to weigh them before I got in line so I had to put them back. It is so difficult because you cannot ask anyone where something is or what it is. It turned out okay though and I am pretty proud. 

As I spend more time here, I will of course get the hang of it- but I didn't do too shabby for my first time.

Tomorrow classes start. I am going to say something that I haven't said in a long time- I AM EXCITED. It is going to be great meeting even more people and to start having things to fill my day that do not require me spending more money haha. 

I think I am going to go watch some Italian TV with the roommates now - Until tomorrow

Ciao!