First Few Days in Florence

When I arrived in Florence, it was close to midnight. I was exhausted after a loooooong day of traveling, and I was standing in line to wait for a taxi to take me to NYU's campus. I didn't know much Italian, I learned to say "buona sera" on the trip, so I said this to my taxi driver when he came to take my bags. I was surprised he was so nice, even when I asked if he could speak English. He tried to give me a few facts on Florence as we drove around in the dark, of what few things I could actually see. We eventually got to NYU and I picked up my keys and an orientation packet and he drove me to my apartment. I lugged my two suitcases in through two big doors and up one tiny elevator, and was finally here. 

Since then, I have learned to be as inconspicuously American as possible. Traveling in large groups is a giveaway, as is speaking loudly in English. I have met both rude and lovable Italians, and have surprisingly been picking up basic Italian pretty quickly. At least the important things, like how to order food, and how to ask for directions. 

Our apartment is shared with 11 girls, and we live in a building with other Italian families. Most of the girls are really nice, and me and Nicole have made friends with a lot of them. 

It took me a few days to get my bearings, but by now I have a good general sense of direction, and can find my way to the Duomo and a few of the piazzas and campus without too much trouble. The city doesn't seem as big once you know your way around it. We also were given a short walking tour of our neighborhood, which wasn't too helpful, except we got free gelato and found a good place to buy fresh bread.

The bus tour we took today was probably the most tourist-y yet informative thing we have done so far. We saw so many of the great landmarks in Florence, and I got really good pictures overlooking Florence and of its churches and streets. 

Last night, we made a really good pasta dinner that cost us probably 2 euro for both me and Nicole, so we should definitely try making dinner ourselves as often as possible. 

I guess that's it for now, I will post pictures and things later. Feel free to comment! 

Ciao!