A Florentine Adventure

So I am a little behind on my blogging due to some unforeseen circumstances. Two weekends ago (sept 30-nov 2) I went to Florence!

So Florence was quite an adventure! Allison, Andrew, Paul, Amanda, and I arrived on Friday morning quite early, unable to sleep through our 4 hour train ride (the slow train is cheaper), but ready to explore. We checked in at our hostel first, Plus Camping. Yes, we camped! The rooms were large tents with a sliding door, a wood floor, a bunk bed and a single bed, so it was comfortable. It was right next to the Piazza de Michealangelo, so we had the most BEAUTIFUL view. The downside to an amazing view was the harrowing uphill climb to get there. I’m pretty sure my legs gained some extra muscle that weekend ;)

Our first day was spent in the Boboli Gardens and the Zoological Museum of Florence! Yes, not what most people rush to see, if ever, in Florence, but I am enjoying our pattern of staying away from a city’s tourist spots at least for the first day. We also met up with our friend Sam (also from Temple Rome), who was staying with two friends he knew who were studying abroad in Florence. We went out with them and many others that night and all had an amazing time meeting lots of Italians, as well as more study abroad students.

We split up a bit on the second day- Paul and Amanda met up with some of her friends while Allison, Andrew and I first visited San Miniato (again, gorgeous view), then met with Sam at the Duomo, where his friends were staying. They had left for Switzerland that morning, but let Sam take the key for the remainder of the weekend. Andrew, Allison and I decided to drop our backpacks off here, then pick them up before our train that night. After the four of us visited the Duomo, we split up again and Andrew and I had an AMAZING lunch. We both arrived aiming to try the famous Florentine steak, and right in front of the Duomo we split the daily special- a huge slab of Florentine steak, cooked to perfection, paired with a glass of classic Florentine Chianti. Yeah Buddy. (*cough cough, Eric*) Afterward, Andrew and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves at the leather market!

It is at this point in the story that a series of unfortunate events take place.

Basically, Andrew and I got a phone call around 5pm from Allison and Sam, who were back at the apartment, struggling to open the door. When we regrouped, they showed us that the key, for some reason, no longer turned within the lock, as if the lock itself was broken. We tried every trick in the book, but after about 2 hours total could not successfully unlock Sam’s friend’s apartment door. At this point we went into survival mode, as our train tickets were locked in the apartment, and we only had one hour to either buy new tickets or stay an extra night hoping Sam’s friends would return home the next day. The biggest issue was that they were out of the country and their cell phones did not work, so we could not call them to get in touch with them or their landlord. In the end, Andrew took Allison’s train ticket (which was in her purse) and went back to at the scheduled time, while Allison, Sam and I stayed an extra impromptu night at Plus Camping. Luckily Allison and I had our passports on us, but Plus was very kind to Sam, who did not have his. We were lucky they recognized us from the night before and made an exception once we told them the story.

Although we woke up the next morning a bit off kilter, we still made an effort to enjoy the day, and we visited Santa Croce as well as drifting back to the leather market for a second time. We actually had a fairly enjoyable morning, aided by some well-deserved homemade gelato.

Once again, the night rolled in and we decided not to stay overnight again, and after literally begging every Italian in that apartment complex who walked by, as well as a locksmith (he would not help us without proof of residence), and crying to my dad on the phone (thanks to my failed Skype date, which led my dad to call me via Google Voice, only to get an earful about my struggles with a stupid Florentine lock) we finally gave up, paid for an extra ticket back home, and fell into our beds somewhere around 1am.

The epilogue: Sam’s friends got back really late Sunday night, found our note and a broken lock, stayed at their friend’s place for the night, then called their landlord who had a locksmith replace it the next day. Sam, unfortunately, had to take a fast train to Florence on Wednesday, pick up all 4 backpacks, and come right back. We were able to get through a couple of days without our bags quite easily, and got everything back in time to pack for Milan. So a happy ending, so worries.

All in all, I can honestly say I enjoyed my trip to Florence. This is being written two weeks after the event, so I am fully recovered, but I know in the long run this adventure was not all bad. I got a lot closer to my roommate Allison, we purchased matching leather jackets which I love, no one was injured or scarred in any way, and I have an amazing story to tell. Allison and I like to joke that Florence has a different place in our hearts than most tourists, but hey, to be lucky enough to even have to opportunity to go to Florence was enough for me!