Florence

THE BEST PLACE IN THE WORLD.  Florence was a highly anticipated adventure for many of us on the trip and we really could not contain our excitement on the bus as we pulled into town. After checking into the hotel and settling ourselves in, we headed out for dinner and some Florentine nightlife at a few of the local pubs in the neighborhood. We had such a wonderful time kicking back together as a group and it really allowed us to bond; we’re so lucky that we’re all getting along so well! Some of us were even able to meet up with the Elon Cathedral Tour!

The next morning we realized exactly how close our hotel was to the Durmo and Baptistery (less than 1 block..) as we started our tour by observing both the magnificent buildings. We then headed to the Bargello gallery where we saw Donatella’s “David” as well as the Medici tombs. In the afternoon many of us accomplished some of the leather shopping we had been dreaming about all this time and hit a few other tourist hot spots. Our afternoon was spent at the Uffizi with an amazing tour guide, who looked a little like an Italian George Clooney, and saw some of the most groundbreaking artistic achievements in the world.

Our second full day consisted of a morning at San Marco, shopping on the Ponte Vecchio, and, for some of us, a much needed laundry session. In the afternoon we crossed the river and visited the Pitti Palace, which looked like our idea of the ideal summer home! For dinner that night a group got Chinese while another headed out to a local discotheque called SPACE, which had been highly anticipated for many a night. It was a great sendoff after a wonderful couple of days in the city and we were all sad to leave the next morning. If only we had more time! Off to Milan!