XI

I would like to give a special shout out to my fan for working miracles last night!

I woke up at 8:23 am. Got ready and headed to Heathers for the start of an intense day. I had my first caffè ever (grazie, Heather). After a couple cookies, and a wardrobe change for Isabella, we were off and running (walking) towards the bus station. We grabbed a four ride bus pass, finally found the number 22 bus, and boarded. Alas, my first bus ride in Florence. I sat by the window to try and view some of the area as we traveled to find the post office that allegedly could possibly maybe have a letter that was sent me just two days before arriving. As we got off the bus, we walked around the center of the road, up a different street, and arrived to the PT -- Postale Italiane. (doesn't make sense, does it?) Heather helped with the translation, I handed over my passport, and observed the teller. She went to a bookshelf thats contents where hidden from my angle, and then began to walk back towards us (no!). Then, stopped by another attendent and went back to the bookcase (yes!). Then, she came back to us, with no letter. I was upset that the letter was lost, and even more upset at the fact that someone took the time to send me a letter, and it was so horribly handled.

By the way, Italians love babies. Atleast five people came up to us today to talk to the baby. It was pretty crazy. Normally, Italians have no interest in us. They just walk by with hardly a glance. But, as soon as a baby is around their demeanor totally reverses.



After the post office, we boarded the number 35 bus and headed to the Lost and Found to hopefully find Heather's backpack. They didn't have that either, so we were 0 for 2 for the day. We boarded bus 17 and headed back towards San Marco in the center of Florence. We went to the Central Market, which was a great experience. This was the first time entering, and it is filled with tons of fresh food: meat, fish, cheese, bread, fruits, and veggies. They have samples everywhere, which was pretty fascinating as well. I ordered (in Italian) 2/10 of a kg of mortadella. I also got some apple juice, milk, and a water. After the market, we headed back to Heather's place. She helped me fill out a form to get a super market card that gives discounts. Kroger plus card Italian style.

I arrived home and 1pm and was already tired. I relaxed for about an hour, made a sandwich for lunch, drank some apple juice, and then headed to meet the Art History class for our first field trip of the Baptistery and then to San Miniato al Monte. As I was walking, I apparently got mixed up in the streets, couldn't see the Duomo (which is hard not to see) and started to panic. I remember Helen (the teacher) saying that if we miss the mandatory field trips, then we have to make it up by writing a paper. That's the last thing I wanted to do. I finally found the Duomo and began running towards it. I got to the group, sweating. Then we headed inside the Baptistery where Helen explained a lot of the art work, some of the architecture, and some sculptural pieces. We also got to see the floor of the old baptistery underneath the current floor. The old baptistery was discovered during an excavation along with many other Roman buildings and houses that existed before the Renaissance.



After the baptistery we headed to San Miniato. The hike was so intense. We walked from the Duomo through some streets, across the Arno River, through some streets, through a gate, up a hill, up a stairy type hill (where it was one step up then flat for a few steps, then another step up, etc.) up some stairs, up a rigid pathway, and finally made it to the the building, which is one of Florence's oldest. As soon as we entered, a down pour presented itself. We went through and looked at some of the features, and then listened to the Gregorian chants (which i recorded the audio to and will post the link here once I get the camera cord). Monks sang songs that have been chanted since the Middle Ages.



After leaving San Miniato, I walked home and thankfully the rain had made the temperature cooler. It took about 40 minutes to finally get here, and on the way, I crossed over the Ponte Vecchio, a popular bridge in Florence. While walking, I also saw David by Michelangelo in the distance and now know exactly where to go to see it in more detail when I get the chance. I tried to swing by SACI to see if the cord had arrived yet, but they were closed. Exhausted from the day, I relaxed, read some news articles online, made dinner, showered, and then posted this very entry. amazed?

I took a ton of pics and can't wait to show you all!

Until tomorrow,

Ciao!