Florence

Last night we arrived in Florence and just explored the city. Our hotel is right in the center of the city and is so close to everything; the location is perfect. Right down the street we had a delicious dinner and then went out afterwards. The best thing about Florence is that it's really small. I was so surprised how quickly you can get from one place to another and how easy it is to find your way around. We had an hour wait for dinner and in that time we saw the famous boar statute, the river and Ponte Vecchio, and the Duomo. In Rome everything was spread out and in one hour it was difficult to do a lot, but Florence is really different. It was gorgeous at night, especially the Ponte Vecchio (old bridge) because it was all lit up.

This morning we went to a few markets and I bought a few gifts. We were able to bargain with most of the vendors, but I was surprised how expensive some things were even at the markets. We went back to the Duomo today and we went inside. Miraculously, we climbed all 463 steps to the top without passing out, and I think we worked off all the gelato we've eaten in the past couple days. It was really dark, steep, and winding, so the walk up was not at all fun, but it was definitely worth it! The view was absolutely incredible. It's definitely the highlight of Florence, and probably my favorite part of the trip so far. We also went to see the Statue of David and we walked along the Ponte Vecchio.

I love Florence and I'll be sad to leave tomorrow. We are heading to Siena in the morning where we'll be staying for three days. I won't have internet access there, so I will try to update again when we get to Milan.