A homage to street art...

Today I spent my time wandering Florence with Katelyn. We shopped, ate food, and explored the city a little
more. The one thing I noticed was the street art all over the city. I was fascinated with one artist who uses only red and black, and his art
mainly consists of baloons, stick figures, along with a single word at times. I also saw these posters that had been drawn with scuba
masks over famous and recognizable portraits. I thought it was so cool, not to
mention tasteful in comparison with the graffiti that is all over Italy. Not the type of art I came to see in Italy specifically, but the type of art I enjoyed seeing nonetheless.

A little nudity never hurt....

Today was technically a free day... however our group had reservations at a museum in Florence so we went to see the 'David' at the Galleria Academia. Seeing this famous sculpture was really cool for me; I have always been passionate about art and it's importance in our lives and society. I dreamily toyed around with the idea of being an art historian for a long time... I often think about it now even though I love nursing and am fairly decent at
my job. I was impressed by how detailed David is carved; you can even see the veins in his arms. It was truly a beautiful piece of art... not to mention a beautiful nude male!
If only all my patients looked like the David... then maybe I wouldn't
mind putting in foley catheters or giving shots in the rear end so
much.
  I was glad I got to see it. After that the girls talked
me into going to the designer outlets at Barberini. Although I couldn't afford anything from Dolce and Gabana, I did find a cute pair of Tiffany blue Nikes. We all went back to Florence and decided to find the comforts of home at the Hard Rock Cafe. It was nice to eat something different than pasta, and also have a few drinks and let loose. Brittany, Bri, Sheila, and myself stayed up for a little while hanging out and then Brittany and I stayed up even later watching videos of baby pandas and talking. A good night full of laughs, friends, and good times on
my first weekend in Florence :)

On our beautiful balcony, enjoying the after-effects of 

three beers and too
much laughter!

Fantastic Florence!

We made it to Florence! After breakfast we boarded the bus and drove into the city. We walked with our luggage to our new residence... I have never been so glad to have only a carry-on sized bag and a tote! I was able to dodge those haggling gypsies a little quicker and not have to worry navigating my little suitcase along the narrow streets. I was thrilled to see our apartment is right next to the the famous duomo in Florence. After we did a short orientation of the building, Brittany and I headed upstairs to our new place. We are on the top floor of the building; our new digs are pretty spacious and we have a freaking private balcony! It looks right at the Duomo! The shower consists of a tiny square with a curtain that just clings to your body when you try to bathe... but other than that I love it! 

After that we hoofed it to the Accent Center by San Spirito Church, did a little orientation there, then headed to cooking class. We
made stuffed zucchini, hearty tomato soup, and a fruit tart. Excited to explore the city a little more tomorrow!