The sunlight and glare off the bus window made it difficult for me to get great pictures, but it was an hour I will never forget. In Arezzo we got a brief taste of a busier Italian town, and already I missed the quieter feel of Sansepolcro. At the station Dr. Oatsvall gave us another briefing on reading the train schedules in Italy (I'm still working on map literacy) before we boarded our 8:47 train to Florence.
The train ride was an interesting one to say the least! Five of us sat in a boxed set of six seats with an older Italian man, and I decided to try out my feeble language skills again (hoping that this time I would actually get an Italian speaker this time). The conversation that followed (or attempt of one) was a comedy of errors that was both embarrassing and educational at the same time! I realized that while I may be able to speak and read Italian reasonably well, my listening comprehension skills need some serious help! Thankfully he was very patient and in no way made me feel bad about my inadequacy, but I could tell the kind old man was greatly amused at my attempt ... as were the rest of my seatmates.When we arrived in Florence the first sights we saw were the train station (obviously) and the more modern parts of the city. To be honest, I was highly disappointed! I am not a lover of crowds and big cities, and Florence was overflowing with other tourists, cars, street vendors, and noise. My heart sank. I had to spend a whole day in this? It was all so overwhelming, and all former visions of the city were crushed. This was just a louder, larger, and less beautiful version of Sansepolcro with people, cars, and noise enough to muddle my mind and make me pine for home. I took a deep breath, hoped for the best, and did my best to stick close to the nearest professor in sight.
Then, out of nowhere, the most beautiful building I have ever seen came into view - the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, otherwise known as the intricately designed Duomo. From the heavy stone steps to the tip of Brunelleschi's imaculate dome, the Duomo was perfection. I could have spent the whole day gazing at its beauty. Now that I had discovered old Firenze - the place I had envisioned in my dreams - I was a new woman, ready to see the sights and be awed again and again (which I was).
The doors of the Baptistry were equally astounding to witness. These golden doors, masterfully crafted by Ghiberti, took more than 50 years to create! 
Below is a shot of a piazza in Florence - as much of it as I could fit in one shot! Its enormous size makes our own little piazza in Sansepolcro look like a closet, but I can't tell you how happy I was to return to our "closet" of a piazza later that evening. Old Florence was magnificent, but can never steal the place in my heart reserved only for Sansepolcro.
Here is a shot of (l-r) me, Lizzie, Gesina, and Joy in front of the Ponte Vecchio with the the fake version of Michaelangelo's David. We were very disappointed to have missed out on the original, but made do with the time we had by enjoying the copy.
When I caught my first view of the Arno River it took my breath away - I was exceedingly jealous of the homeowners along the riverside. I wish I could wake up to a sight like that every morning!
After that we paid a visit to the Museum of Natural Science. There we saw Galileo's finger (yes, his actual finger) along with a multitude of priceless old globes, weather measuring devices, telescopes, medical equiptment and more. The most striking thing about these pieces was their beauty; even the most simple or practical of devices had delicate engravings or was painted with a intricate design that made it beautiful.
After the museum Joy, Hillary, and I had a quick lunch at a small café just outside the Uffizi. I had a delicious sandwich with a cold bottle of aqua minerale. I have come to greatly appreciate iced water - you have NO idea how amazing truly cold water tastes when roomtemp water is the norm!Next we were lucky enough to see the Italian president, Giorgio Napolitano. He was visiting the Ponte Vecchio and I caught a snapshot of him walking to his car ... he's the old man with white hair on the second step from the top.
Finally we made it to the Uffizi, part of which is pictured below. It is one of the most famed art museums in th world and absolutely massive! Joy, Hillary, and I spent more than two and a half hours inside, viewing such works as The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli, The Adoration of the Magi by Leonardo da Vinci, and one of my personal favorites - Amore and Psiche.
By the end of the self-guided tour we were completed exhausted, but I was able to sneak a contraband photo of the Arno river from a upper level window before we left :)
After the Uffizi a trip to a gelateria was necessary for us to make the ride home. Both the train and bus rides felt much longer than the ride there because we were so tired, but a delicious dinner in our favorite Sansepolcro restaurant - La Trettoria - made up for the trip. I had my first glass wine (see below) in the trustworthy company of Joy and Hillary, and I must admit that I did not enjoy it very much. After dinner I got a terrible headache that didn't go away until this afternoon, and while I don't know that it was caused by the wine (I was very tired and had spent most of the day in the sun), I probably won't be sampling the delights of Italian vino anytime soon.
Well I need to run but I love you all very much and will do my best to post again tomorrow or Sunday. Tonight we are having our first family dinner (were we are divided up in twos to have dinner with an Italian family in Sansepolcro), so I am nervous, but very excited as well.Let's hope my attempts at the Italian language go better tonight than my episode on the train to Florence ...
Baci!
Bekah
I uploaded them as small images to save time, but if you click on the image it will enlarge for better viewing. Be sure and go all the way down to the earlier posts because I added some down there as well (to give the photos context). I'm not sure when I will be able to post pictures again, but I'll do my best ... and I can't wait to share ALL my pictures with you when I get back :)
The Buitoni family began a small Italian cuisine business and lived in the home during the two World Wars. Nestlè has taken over Buitoni food products and they are slowly being introduced in the U.S. - and supposedly available in Harris Teeters! I would highly recommend them.
We toured the house - including the experimental kitchens - and explored the gardens, then were treated to a delectable meal out on a terrace that overlooked the glories of Tuscany. It was like a dream!
I will try my best to log on later this afternoon and evening to post pictures and update this post, but as usual I can't promise how soon that will be! Me and my absent-minded genius forgot ONE piece to the USB hook-up and thus prevented my posting pictures now. Way to go Bekah :)
When the alarm went off at 6:30 it took a deliberate effort to get my eyelids open, and I rolled out of the top bunk with a sigh. However within 5 minutes I was wide awake and ready for the walk ahead. Today the group was considerably smaller - I was one of three students - but it was nice to have the professors to ourselves. I was able to ask lots of questions and take plenty of pictures, and the walk was far more like a stroll than the hike we experienced yesterday. Dr. Oatsvall led us through the streets of Sansepolcro, pointing out parks, landmarks, and other points of interest. Tomorrow she said we could walk to the cemetary; I saw it on the way in and it reminded me of the cemetary in the new Phantom of the Opera movie.
