Later during the night

Later during the night, I strolled around the main plaza. There were carousels, markets, mimes, delicious ice cream bars, and people painting murals on the street. The night felt so alive!

Ponte Vecchio

We walked towards the south of Florence and discovered the famous Ponte Vecchio.

This medieval bridge is so fascinating, especially at night when they turn on the city lights! As we went across the bridges we gazed at all the exquisite gold and silver jewelry they had for sale.

Palazzo Medici Riccardi

We visited Palazzo Medici Riccardi, a palace that had belonged to the Medici family, a powerful and influential family who led the birth of the Italian Reniassance. The palace houses amazing paintings from famous renaissance artists and each room is decorated with gold and fine marble. I especially loved their garden and their orange trees. Italian oranges are the best!

Exploring Florence

As soon as we settled into our apartment, Areli and I set out to do a bit of exploring. We walked toward the center of Florence gazing at amazing structures along the way as we looked for our school, Lorenzo de' Medici. We pass through the Piazza della Liberta everyday on our way to class. I love walking through this large open square. It includes a triumphal arch monument and a beautiful water fountain surrounded by a business plaza. The city has few open spaces, since the narrow streets of Florence are usually crowded by busy people and tall classical buildings.

Flying to Florence

On Tuesday, the 27th I said farewell to my family and at 2:20pm took my flight from Wichita to Chicago and from there to Frankfurt, Germany. As I was flying from Germany to Florence, I had to take a picture of the Alps. They looked so beautiful as they glistened majestically under the sun.


After an extensive day and a short night, I finally arrived to Florence Italy on Wednesday at 1pm. I was exhausted but excited to uncover what lay ahead of me.

The start of a great experience...

Everything had seem surreal until the moment I stepped foot on Florence, Italy on January 28 and realized this wasn't a dream, it was a reality. I had been preparing for this trip since the start of my fall semester. I had been so excited during the process but as time neared I felt nervous and afraid, not knowing what anything was going to be like. But as soon as I got there, I knew everything was going to be all right...