I feel like I have so much to tell you all now! The big news for today is that I got some funding from the Fox Boorstein Fund towards staying for the summer. It's not much, but it would definitely pay my food and transportation. Cross your fingers for the rest of the things I applied for!

On to Florence- I arrived on Tuesday, April 10th after leaving Bologna (see my previous post). The hostel wasn't hard to find and it was pretty nice, but you have to pay for some really stupid things like breakfast (usually included) and computer usage. After getting settled I walked up the street to this park I had seen when first arriving and wandered around that for a bit:

Then I saw the Fortrezza da Basso, which is right on the edge of the park:

By that point it was getting dark and as I was traveling by myself, I decided to head back to the hostel and get some sleep. The next morning I went to the Lorenzo Market, which is full of leather goods, on my way to the Cathedrale di Santa Maria de Fiore:

It is HUGE and gorgeous and makes you think that maybe the Catholic Church should reevaluate how its spending its money (less statues, more charity?). Nearby was the Palazzo Vecchio, where I got stuck in the rain and ran into this building to escape it. A bride and groom ran in too!

Next I went into the Galleria degli Uffizi, the major museum of the city. I discovered at the end that pictures weren't allowed (would it kill them to post a sign?!) so I won't post the pictures here, just in case.... Afterwards I saw the Biblioteca Nationale but it isn't open for individual visits. There was another rain shower then I headed over to the Basilica di Santa Croce and then back to the Cathedrale di Santa Maria de Fiore before the Galleria dell'Academia, where I saw the David statue. It is sooo tall and absolutely amazing. You turn the corner into the hall and suddenly there it is, under this giant dome, and you just stop and go "Woa." Well, at least that's what I did. Again, no pictures allowed so I can't share the splendor with you, unfortunately.

Finally I went back to the Lorenzo Market where I bought a belt and leather gloves to match my jacket. The next morning I took a bus to the Bobboli Gardens only to find out that they cost money and I wasn't going to pay 10 euros to only be in there for an hour, because that's all the time I had. So I went to the Pitti Palace:

Then the Vecchio bridge, where NO ONE knows how to walk properly. People just stop in the middle of the street, huge groups try to take pictures and block everything, gaah! What a mess. Anyway I ran into another market on my way back to the Duomo and then had lunch at Coquinarius, this cute restaurant REii recommended, and had AMAZING ravolini stuffed with pears and cheese. Then I grabbed coffee at Caffe Deluxxe, another recommendation, before heading over to REii's old apartment because it was close by.

Finally I boarded a train and left! I think the train ride took 6 hours or so back to Geneva.