High School Reunion in Florence

I have one quick story to share with everyone before I show you pictures from my trip to Florence. On Thursday, I took Mia to see the Reeperbahn during the day, since I was definitely not feeling well enough to go to a bar at night. When we got off the train, this deranged old lady started yelling at us in German and began to push Mia with her umbrella. I started getting somewhat annoyed, because this woman would not stop pushing us. So, I may or may not have said something nasty to her. After we crossed the street, this woman stood in front of us holding her umbrella horizontally - as if she was going to stop us from crossing the sidewalk. When we tried to walk by, she grabbed my arm and screamed that she was going to get the police to arrest me. Then, she started stabbing me in the butt with the tip of her umbrella. I once again may or may not have said something nasty to her. We started walking away, and she scurried off, presumably to talk with a police officer. I have no idea what her problem was, but now I'm completely freaked out every time I see an old lady walking towards me with a closed umbrella.

Mia and I left for Florence Friday afternoon after my language class got out. Unfortunately, because we had to wait for my language class to end, we had a pretty crappy connecting flight (4.5 hour layover) into Florence. This normally isn't a huge deal because you can just sit and talk and listen to music, but there was absolutely no food in our terminal. Most of the food was behind the passport checkpoint, which we didn't have to go through. Thus, we ended up eating these nasty sandwiches which left us slightly nauseous and completely dissatisfied. These are two things you never want to feel on a super long layover. We got to Florence around 11pm and made it to our friend Alex's apartment by midnight. What made this trip to Florence really special was the fact that I got to experience it with my two best friends from high school. Even after 5 years apart, we are still close friends and can talk as if no time has passed at all.

On Saturday, Alex took us around the city and showed us all of the touristy sights. First stop: The Accademia to see David (Michelangelo). The statue of David was created by Michelangelo from 1501 - 1504, and it is a representation of the Biblical hero David. The statue was incredible to see in person. It was unbelievably realistic, with bulging veins evident on the hands and strong, perfectly chiseled backbones. As soon as I turned the corner and saw David facing me, I got chills down my spine.

David Michelangelo

After visiting David, we walked up to the Piazza Michelangelo, which provided us with a birds eye view of the city. One thing about Florence is that it was built in a large valley, so once you're out of downtown the terrain slopes upward very quickly. Thus, going slightly outside of downtown provided us with amazing views of the city. On the way to the Piazza, we walked over the Ponte Vecchio which is a Medieval stone bridge filled with many stores and shops.

Ponte Vecchio

Birdseye view of Florence from Piazza Michelangelo.

Birdseye view of Florence from Piazza Michelangelo.

Next on our miniature tour was San Miniato al Monte. San Miniato al Monte is a large basilica in Florence which was constructed in 1013. Many claim that this basilica is the best example of Tuscan Romanesque architecture. Inside, a man was playing the organ. This helped add to the spiritual feel inside the great room. At the basilica, I was able to light a candle of prayer for each of my grandmothers.

San Miniato al Monte

The ceiling and head alter in San Miniato al
Monte.

After we visited the basilica, we walked to the top of the Belvedere Fort, which was used to protect the city in the 16th century. Unfortunately, I was still not feeling 100% after my bought with bronchitis, so the walk up the fort was a somewhat painful experience. But, in the end, it was still worth the trip to the top of the hill.

A view of Belvedere Fort from Piazza Michelangelo.

Finally, after walking all morning, we stopped and had pizza. An Italian friend in my language class had recommended I try a particular type of pizza while in Florence. Thus, I went off of his recommendation and ordered a Caprese Pizza, or pizza made with cherry tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella. The buffalo mozzarella was  so delicious - unlike traditional mozzarella, it seemed to just melt away to nothing in my mouth. It was easily one of the best pizzas I've ever had, so obviously I ate the whole thing :)

Caprese Pizza - cherry tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella

Afterwards, we spent some time walking around the city and getting a feel for Italian life. I got to see the house of Dante and go shopping at a bunch of street vendor booths. Just before sunset, we climbed up the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, or more commonly known as the Duomo. The stairs up the Duomo were really neat. They varied from your typical square staircase, to a more spiral staircase, to ones that bent and sloped under the curve of the roofline. Walking to the top was an adventure in itself just because of the intricacy of the stairs. When we arrived at the top, we were once again gifted with amazing views of the city. We were also witness to a protest or riot happening in the streets below. It was really interesting to experience the chanting and screaming from 500 stairs above the action. People were carrying flags and banners, one of which said

No to war. Peace and Democracy. 

No to slavery! Freedom. 

No to the death of life.

Front entrance to the Basilica di Santa Maria
del Fiore.

Ceiling of the Duomo

View of Florence from the top of the Duomo

View of Florence from the top of the Duomo.

A protest that was happening in the streets
below.

Alex, Mia, and me at the top of the Duomo.

Proof that I was actually in Florence.

Afterwards, we went to a small Italian restaurant where I was able to try genuine Italian pasta. Unfortunately, I was under impressed. While it was good and I enjoyed it, I thought it bordered on being dry and lacking in flavor. This was a bit disappointing because I expected it to be overwhelmingly delicious. Luckily, the pizza from earlier that day more then made up for it. After dinner, we went and got genuine Italian gelato. And ohhh wowww was it amazing! One of the flavors I tried was Biscotti, and it really tasted like a cold, soft version of an Italian biscotti cookie.

Italian pasta

Italian Gelato

That night, Alex took us to a bar where we were able to sit and talk with one of her roommates and a few of her Italian friends. It was a really enjoyable night, and I will always treasure the time I got to spend in Italy with two of my closest friends. Unfortunately, I had to leave pretty early the next morning, but I was really satisfied with my time spent in Florence. I was able to see a lot of the city, and I really got a feel for the Italian lifestyle. I cannot believe how different it is from Hamburg. While Hamburg has a more industrial and modern feel to it, Florence is much more a city dedicated to preserving its history and retaining its quaint, Renaissance Age feel.

We ended up flying over the Alps on my flight back from Florence. It was a truly awe inspiring moment to see the Alps from an airplane and just soak in the enormity of the mountain range. There was also a really beautiful sunset on my second flight from Frankfurt to Hamburg. The moment I saw this sunset, I knew that it was the perfect way to end a perfect weekend. Tschuss.

The Alps as seen from the airplane.

A random mountain peak in the Alps.

Beautiful sunset on the way back to Hamburg.