Exploring the City

After some good sleep, I started off my day today with a run exploring the streets around where I live. It was a gorgeous day! – Sunny but cool. After being so busy these past few days in a new city, it was my first opportunity to get out for a run since I’ve been here. However with all the walking I do, my legs probably would have preferred a rest rather than a run. I live right down the street from the stadium where the Florence soccer team plays, so I ran around the stadium as my host mother suggested but also discovered an open market, some cute shops, and bakeries near my home as well. I love experiencing the city by a good run.

But I was not done exploring at that. This afternoon, my roommate, Ali and I headed out to check out our new surrounding and get to know our way around. Florence is small so we made it to many of the main sites, hitting the Santa Croce, the Duomo, and Piazza Vecchio. No tours yet but just a little site seeing.

We also popped into a bunch of different bakeries. I was craving a pastry and a cappuccino! After checking out many different ones, we finally decided on a small shop near the Duomo. It was very cute and quaint with a large selection of sweets. I chose one that ended up being a mixture between a scone and biscotti. Was excellent with my latte!

After hours of exploring and walking we headed home to rest our feet and see what was on the menu for dinner…pizza! Cristina made us delicious pizza including red peppers and homemade crust. Also on the menu was a vegetable soup to start, salad per usual, and pineapple for dessert.

Today’s adventures were a great way to acclimated to my surroundings and get to know my way around Florence. As for tomorrow, our host family is planning a trip for us! Although they also informed us they were no longer going to speak English to us so we can begin to learn the language. I guess I’m up for the challenge!