This is Just too Surreal

I was thinking about it today. There are moments when I am here that I think this city is just too cool to be real. There is something on every corner that is gorgeous and significant and historical, and it may just be too much for my brain to accept as real. It's just too cool. But anyway...

I greeted the morning with a nutella and banana sandwich. Then I was off to the San Lorenzo for my art class. It is quite the church, because it was never actually finished on the outside. There is no ornamentation or anything like that, just stones. The inside is quite the opposite. Brunelleschi, the architect, was very adamant that the inside should focus on mathematical proportions instead of paintings and flourishes, so there are lots of columns and arches. There are paintings in the church but we were informed that Brunelleschi (aka bruno in my notes because his name is so long)was really angry about this. The church was commissioned by the medicis, the most powerful family in Florence, so Bruno really had no choice in the matter.

Afterwards I was walking to my next class which was meeting at the Ferregamo museum, but I stopped for lunch first and had a slice of pizza. (Florence really makes it hard for people who are trying to reduce the dairy in their diet) Alas, the pizza was just what I needed to get the energy to fight the tourists.

There was some kind of miscommunication, and I missed my class entering the museum, but after a certain point, I just went on in to tour the museum myself, and there they were! WHHAAAA!

The museum was incredible though. I ended up staying there for half an hour longer than anyone else in my class, and I was getting some curious stares from another tour group because I was taking pictures and making sketches and getting really into it. I guess to them they were shoes, but to me they were SHOES! The museum was arranged by color, and I finished off the tour with a maze they set up and in the middle of the maze was a giant color wheel made out of shoes. The picture, on facebook does it more justice than I am doing right now, but it was really cool. (once again I say, if you are not friends with me on facebook, and cannot see them at this link...
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/album.php?aid=2045944&id=47302243

let me know and I will work something out.)

After, don't freak out mamma, I went to a wine tasting. It was an event I signed up for when I first got here because I thought it would be a good way to meet people. I did meet people, however Julie was there! It wasn't a huge deal, she just sent us all the stink eye. I tasted some INCREDIBLE....balsamic vinegar. HAHAha...ha..hmmm. It really was incredible. It was aged 12 years. I may have to find a way to bring some home.

The night had a pretty slow ending because we were planning our travels for the weekend. It's official, I'm leaving Florence for the first time since I have been here. Tomorrow we are taking a day trip to Siena, then Saturday we are going to spend a night in Venice. Pretty pumped, guys, not gonna lie.