Day 3 in Florence, Italy, and I think I’ve covered some of the basics:  I’ve gotten lost more times than I can count and, in doing so, discovered some of the most amazing architecture and sculpture; I’ve stopped for gelato on a whim; I’ve eaten pizza every day since I’ve been here; asked for caffe and got an espresso; and I’ve joined the stampede of people in the shopping centers in walking in the middle of the cobbled streets, budging the bare minimum to allow cars and vespas to pass.  So far, so good.  On the way to the school, we have to pass the Duomo, which is far bigger and much more elaborate in real life than it seems in the textbooks (especially after walking around it before realizing you just went in an enormous circle).

I’m excited for classes to start, when I can meet some of the other students that go to SACI.  I’ve been lucky so far on my endeavors to purchase goods, because many of the people here speak at least some English.  I am, however, eager to learn the native language, and so they have to tap their toes for a couple minutes while I stumble over asking if they sell stamps.  But they’ll get used to it.  They’ll be seeing much more of us SACI students in the next 4 months.

Pictures!

I can't remember what this is called properly, but it's a statue of Poseidon, I believe, or Bacchus.

this is the same building that you can see from our apartment window

the alley outside of our apartment. Ours is one of those windows.

food of the gods! (a.k.a. gelato or, in A-muhr-ican, ice cream)

the Duomo