Thursday, April 12, 2012

A Few More Reasons I Love Florence

There are a ton of reasons to love Firenze. Ties just happen to be a small part of the experience. Who can honestly turn down some good Italian ties? I obviously couldn't. There are some other reasons that are more dear to me and made my experience in Firenze amazing.

1. Breathtaking Views

I am a sucker for finding the highest point in a city and just staring and marveling for quite some time. Our group has labeled this as 'parking' and it is my favorite thing to do. I don't like to feel rushed from place to place. I like to go at my own pace (which is usually slow) and soak everything up.



This night scene was absolutely gorgeous. I couldn't stop looking at it. I could have stayed and stared through the entire night until the sun crept over the horizon. I just love how the prominent and important buildings make themselves known and the rest of the city just glitters and glows.


2. Quaint Architecture

This was one of my favorite pictures. In my mind, it shows the evolution of a building. It's almost like it started out a lot smaller and someone just started adding more parts to it. It just has so much character and freedom. There is no defined symmetry or stress for everything to match. It was not created using cookie-cutter technique. So beautiful.


I love these buildings that are just right against the water. It's perfect for night scenes as the lights reflect off of the water.


3. A Large River

I have decided that every city needs a large river that runs through it. The trickling of the water is so hypnotic and relaxing. At night, it really works some magic and enhances any light that touches its surface.


4. Bridges

This is a direct bonus because of the river. Bridges are just so much fun. One bridge in Firenze actually has apartments built on top of it. It's also filled with jewelry shops on the bottom level. It would be so cool to have an apartment on a bridge.


5. Narrow Streets

Barely a small car could pass through a lot of the alley ways in Firenze. Most of the center of town is all walking, which is nice. It's just filled with people and shops and lots of things to do. Everything is just crammed in nice and cozy.



6. Artistic Moments

I took a picture of two bicycles. I felt artistic, in a city full of amazing art. Nowhere near Michelangelo's David, which I saw in person and was completely blown away. I really wish I would have just snuck a picture but I didn't. I was just so captivated and overwhelmed by how amazing it was. Besides, a picture would not have done it justice. I've seen tons of pictures of it and was not prepared at all for what I saw.


7. Friends

What would a beautiful city in Italy be without the company of amazing friends? I'm glad I had so many with me. They really made this whole experience totally worth it. In fact, if we didn't even have Italy as our backdrop, it still would have been totally worth it to just be with these people.


I just love these people so much. They all have made my experience on this study abroad so amazing. I didn't have pictures of all of them in Firenze, but everyone in our group has made this overall experience far exceed any expectations that I had. 

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