My first day in Florence...

 Jetlagged, disoriented, and tugging two suitcases behind me I entered Florence. Soon after,  I was dropped off in front of an apartment with an equally confused roommate.  The two off us stood outside the giant intimidating door for about twenty minutes, both very aware of how ridiculous we looked taking up the whole sidewalk with our many suitcases. Finally, the door opened and a young Italian man began to greet us, but was soon interrupted by an even younger voice asking “Is it safe to drink the water here?” He gave us an apologetic look and shut the door again. Great. All we need is a few more quizzical looks from locals. Once again the door was opened and we were able to haul our suitcases in the doorway. We were then told we had four flights of stairs to our apartment and I almost laughed out loud. Then I noticed the barely visible elevator. I was the first one crammed into the tiny device and sent up to our floor. All I had to do was open the inside door and then slide open the metal gate once the elevator had reached the apartment. Maybe it was the jetlag or the sudden shock of being in a new country, but I was not able to open the metal door and had to take the elevator back down to explain how I was now stuck inside the only elevator the building had. Eventually, we made it to out room…and that was when I began to fall in love with Italy. The room I am staying in is beyond beautiful. With eight girls to one room, I’ll admit I was nervous, but it is so perfect. We all have our own space but are close enough for company when we want it. It is perfect. Once we had a chance to unpack a few roommates and I decided to walk to the Duomo and have dinner. It was pure bliss sitting in a little café eating spaghetti, drinking wine, and gazing up at one of the most beautiful structures ever built. A little later my joy was taken beyond bliss. That evening I walked out onto our patio and watched the sunset behind our neighbor’s elaborate garden. I could faintly hear the sounds of a piano being played and an elderly gentleman join in and sing on occasion. There was a cool breeze and I realized that this is what I had been yearning for. The perfect welcome to Florence.