Day 2: The Lay of the Land

Continental breakfast in Italy is nothing like continental breakfast in America. I thought there was going to be eggs and French toast and fruit salad and everything like that. I was sorely mistaken when I went to breakfast at 8am and saw rolls, cereal, and yogurt. The hotel breakfast area did have a coffee machine, which at 8am, I was all about having a cup of coffee. After we finished breakfast we met with our ISA guides and our tour guide. Our first stop was the bank and the pharmacy. This tour essentially gave us an idea of where we are in Florence. We found the banks/ATM machines, the pharmacy, the market, etc. Along the way we also saw some statues and sculptures. It is pretty amazing how one can walk to wherever their destination may be and on the way see beautiful architecture and sculptures from hundreds of years ago; the history is everywhere in Italy.

Our tour ended and most of the group wanted to go to the market and do some shopping. As we walked around our stomachs started grumbling so we wanted to go somewhere for lunch. After walking a few blocks from the market we found a cute restaurant where we could sit outside and enjoy a nice meal; and that is exactly what we did. When we finished eating we headed back to the hotel to take naps and relax in preparation for the night. And what a night it was.

Just about everybody went to dinner at night. We sat at a long table (long enough to fit 10 of us) in a tented outside area of a restaurant. This is where we really got to know each other. The group enjoyed dinner and drinks as the rain started to pour down in Florence. Not wanting to get soaked on our walk back to the hotel, we decided to stay and talk for a few hours. Around 1 or 2am the restaurant owner comes up to us and invites us to his pub which is only a few blocks away. The rain slowed down so we went to the pub. The place was fairly empty but that didn’t matter to us because the group of 10 from Jersey brought the party wherever we went. The server came up to us with a tray of 9 shots. Since Kat caught the eye of the restaurant/pub owner at dinner, she had to go to the bar to take a shot with him (thanks again Kat lol). We danced for a bit before deciding to head back to the hotel.