Beautiful Florence
We had our last group bus ride from Cinque Terre to Florence. We even had a quick pit stop in Pisa. Although it was quite touristy, it was amazing to see the the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person. For lunch, we decided to try out the McDonalds there to see how it differed from American McDonalds. It was, as expected, a lot better and healthier. I ordered a Greek salad and it was very delicious. They even sold gelato! After everybody was back on the bus, we finished our drive to Florence. After arriving, we were shown to our rooms and given a little time to unpack and relax. Then, we went on a tour of Florence. We saw the Florence Cathedral, artists painting on the streets, and the bronze boar. The bronze boar, also known as Il Porcellino, is a fountain that is supposed to give you luck if you put a coin in its mouth and rub its nose. Only if your coin goes directly into a hole when the water drains will you be lucky. After our tour, we went to the Galleria dell'Accademia where we saw Michelangelo's David. It was absolutely incredible to see it in person! The detail makes it look very lifelike and it took my breath away to see it up up close. Finally, it was time for dinner.
One Thousand Types of Pasta
After our city tour, most of the people from our group decided to go to dinner together. Even though we didn't technically have a group dinner that night, many of the families wanted to spend more time together, eating pasta. We walked down the cobblestone streets, talking with our friends who had become a second family to us. When we reached the restaurant, our tour guide got us seated in a back room where we got to sit alone and away from the rest of the dinner crowd. Even when they didn't have to be working, our tour guides always made sure that the group was taken care of! When it was time to order, we decided we would just order a bunch of dishes, mainly pasta, and share them as a group. I loved the pasta so much! Italian pasta was everything I dreamed it would be and more. When our stomachs were full and the dishes were taken away, our group walked back to the hotel together. That night, I thought about how our group only had one more day together. I knew that I would have to make the most of it, and spend as much time as I could with my friends.
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