Seventh Inning Stretch Already???

Well things have been great!  There have been a few struggles, like I knew there would be, but I can't say that there has been a time since living here that things haven't been great.  A few weekends ago, I visited the Accademia and saw what else, but Michelangelo's David.  There really isn't much else to see in the Accademia but it was definitely still cool to be in the place where Michelangelo studied and became a sculptor.  Not to mention that the David actually IS amazing...it's just really huge and kind of perfect.  That same weekend was the weekend we went to the Firenze vs. Lazio soccer game(!!) which was exactly what you would expect it to be, although I would've loved to be in the general admission seats because it seemed similar to KU's student section...except rowdier.  Since then, the search has been on to figure out which team I like so I can finally have a reason to follow soccer like the entire rest of the world does.

This past weekend, I visited the Uffizi Gallery and after seeing the Birth of Venus and other paintings that I was told to admire, I have to admit that I was not as blown away by Italian paintings as I was by the paintings I saw in Paris.  Our guide described Michelangelo, Botticelli and Leonardo da Vinci as some of the greatest painters to ever live and, not that I claim to be knowledgable (to any degree) about art, but I can definitely say now that my personal preferences lean toward French art.  After the Uffizi Gallery, we took a day trip to Orvieto, which looks like a storybook version of a sleepy, small Italian village with a lot of history.  It's as isolated as a small island because it's on top of a high plateau made of volcanic rock.

The view was amazing!

Underground Estruscan city

I'm in a well, what's up!

A few days ago, I walked up to Piazzale Michelangelo which overlooks the entire city of Florence.  There was a guy singing and playing guitar on the steps, which was perfect because he sang all the great stuff!  Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind," Phil Collins' "True Colors," John Lennon's "Imagine," and Jeff Buckley's "Hallelujah"...you know, to name a few. 

He was fantastic...

It was a good day for my camera and I :)

I have midterms next week which, in itself, is extremely bizarre.  If I were home in Lawrence, I'd be pulling all-nighters at the library with Stephanie and doing very unhealthy things to my body to try and get through the week.  So, I know I'll be in for a rude awakening next semester when I have to return to real school (oddly enough, part of me misses real school).  But because I'm here, midterms are a reminder of how quickly the time is racing by me.  Even at home, I notice how fast the semesters fly, but I'm sincerely convinced that the days here actually consist of fewer hours because there's no way that I only have two months left in this place.  I've just started settling in!  I know that, especially after Midterms and Fall Break are over, December 18th is going to come as quickly as I can snap my fingers...which SUCKS!  Wasn't it just yesterday that we were touring Rome, anxious to move into our Florence apartments?

However, I will admit...the Cardinals are REALLY giving me some reasons to miss home.  Not only are there no Cardinals fans here, but there are no baseball fans and all the games begin at 2am.  What I would give to teleport back (even just for one game) to drink a Budweiser and watch the game with all my St. Louis friends who understand me!  Go Cards!!

"Every notice how 'What the hell' is always the right answer?" - Marilyn Monroe

"Set your sights high, the higher the better.  Expect the most wonderful things to happen, not in the future but right now.  Realize that nothing is too good.  Allow absolutely nothing to hamper you or hold you up in any way." - Eileen Caddy


Some more photos...just for kicks:

Cool grafitti in Orvieto

Vintage Market that I love

View from where I sit, mmhmm

Arno River