...and it keeps getting better.

Today (Friday), our day began with one of the most anti-climatic experiences yet: the Casa Buonarroti, a house converted into a museum located in Florence dedicated to the great Michelangelo. We had originally been told this was once Michelangelo's house, but that is not true at all. Because of this, the tour was slightly less interesting and dull. That's okay...not everything in Italy has to be spectacular, right? Our next stop was to the Bargello National Museum, housing masterpieces by Michelangelo, including Bacchus, as well as Donatello's depiction of "David" that we like to refer to as "Gayvid."The museum was considerably overwhelming considering the lack of time we had to enjoy our surroundings. I thoroughly enjoyed observing several renown artists versions of "David," as they all portray him at a different age/maturity level and body type. Next, we had free time for lunch and opted to buy a 5 euro container of fruit (since we've been on carb overload). Rain began to pour down on the city of Florence as we wove our way in and out of small shops. Then, onto the magnificent Uffizi Gallery, one of the oldest and most famous art museums in the Western world. This is one of the most frequented tourist attractions in the city of Florence. Some of the best artists in the entire history of art are housed in this Gallery, including Giotto, Cimabue, Botticelli, Da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo, Durer, Caravaggio, and Gentileschi. Yeahhhh, it was quite ridiculous. Completely and utterly overwhelming. Our teachers had a few works they required us to see and some people (sadly) decided to leave after completing the assignment. However, because I was in art heaven, Sarah and I stayed for at least 2 hours exploring all the exhibits. Unfortunately, I still feel like I didn't fully experience this immaculate gallery. I can't even imagine what I will feel when I go to the Louvre in Paris. Ahh. Some of my favorite paintings of the day: Botticelli's "The Birth of Venus," Da Vinci's "The Adoration of the Magi," and Botticelli's, "The Allegory of Spring."

After a rushed departure from the museum, Cari, Sarah, and I headed directly to the train station. We were given the rest of the day free in Florence to do as we chose. Because we were not wanting to waste the day shopping, we decided to go to Pisa to see the Leaning Tower! The train ride took about an hour and as soon as we arrived Pisa, we were met with a torrential downpour. Instead of simply buying a bus ticket for one euro to take us directly to the Tower, we opted to purchase umbrellas and walk. BAD decision, but honestly I don't regret it at all because it was such a hilarious experience. By the time we got to the Tower, which was nearly an hour's walk, we were like wet puppies. Quite the Kodak moment. Soaking wet and cold, we met up with Ricki and Kat at a pizzeria for dinner... (they had chosen to leave the Uffizi earlier in order to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa in better daylight). We had a delicious meal of vegetable soup, margherita pizza, and indescribably rich hot chocolate. Who can say they ate dinner right by the Leaning Tower of Pisa...how cool is that? We took the metro bus back to the train station around 9pm. I'm pretty positive our bus driver was slightly intoxicated. He was making terribly sharp turns and almost ran over a few pedestrians. I was terrified. We were on the train for about 30 minutes and noticed we had stopped for an abnormally long time at a particular train station. Thus, we were informed the train was experiencing a "blackout" (still not sure what that means) and we were delayed 45 minutes. In the meantime, I met a linen-clad young man named Elijah from Gainesville, Florida who is independently free-traveling in Europe for 2 months. He is a semi-professional photographer who formerly worked for the agricultural department at the University of Florida. It was awesome meeting/conversing with him and sharing experiences/tips on where to go, must-see's, etc. We arrived back at the hotel around 1030 and hung out with everyone in the lobby for a while before heading to bed for the night.