david and goliath.

florence is an absolute gem. there are simply too many wonderful things to do, and absolutely not enough time in two days to do them all. is this even a legitimate complaint?

i immediately fell in love with the terracotta roofs, the repetitive house facades, the deep-seeded artistic heritage and the surrounding green landscape of tuscany. however, at times, florence felt like a trip to disney world. an overwhelming amount of choices, with long queues that test your patience and more tourists speaking english than actual residents of florence. but, i figured, if i could stand in line for two hours to ride on space mountain, then i could stand in line for two hours to get into one of the most reputable and beautiful art galleries in the world. don't you think?

florence began with a good night out on the town. i randomly ran into a lovely girl from california that i had met in nice, and we recruited some other fun people from the hostel. unknowingly, we created the florence posse, a rather random assortment of young people who connected over a good flow of beer and great conversation. i paid for it the next day. we woke up at an ungodly hour of the morning to wait in line to see michelangelo's david at the galleria dell'Accademia. headache and all, i was awe-struck by the statue. and it was not just because of the minute size of his (ahem) thingy! did you know the statue is almost five metres tall? all jokes aside, david is flawless: his veins, muscle structure and features are all more human-looking than humans themselves. i stared at him for minutes, almost alone, simply trying to take it all in. calm only lasted for a few minutes, when i was overtaken by masses of annoying tour groups, and practically driven out of the gallery. the early rise was definitely worth it for five minutes alone with him.

i continued my time in florence with a climb to the top of the duomo bell tower, walks around the bustling piazza's, a shopping excursion at zara, a two hour wait for the uffizi gallery, and a trip across the infamous ponte vecchio. let me tell you, with the price of handbags and jewellery, florence is every girl's dream. (according to katie!)

i feel like a really developed a relationship with florence. i know this sounds cheesy, but it's true. i walked to a beautiful square, and looked out at florence on my last night, and as the sun set, i was genuinely sad to leave. the culture, and atmosphere in florence kind of gets under your skin, and as you begin to learn your way around and recognize certain cafes and streets, you understand why no one ever wants to leave.