Hello from Florence

Wow, you have no idea how hard it was to log on. Everything on the screen is in Italian so it took several attempts. and the keyboard is completely different. Crazy Italians.

Matt and I have now been in Italy for 3 days. It has been great!! There is so much to see. We have seen the most amazing bulidings in Florence along with the ruins in Rome. It has been quite the adventure. I will share pictures when we get home. I did not bring my camera cord, there was no room in my backpack for it.

both Rome and Florence have been the busiest cities I have ever been to in my life. If I lived here I would be saying prayers 1000 times a day because of the drivers. Everytime I cross the street I am hoping and praying that I will make it across in one peice. Not to mention Matt and I rented bikes today to tour around Florence and it has been quite an experience, buses will pass me on my bike on a street barely large enough for 1 car and if I turned my face to the bus...well lets such say I am afraid I would not be writing about the experience as we speak. But as you can tell we are both alive. In a way I find it hard to believe that we are in Europe. Sometimes it seems like we are in a third world country but with taxis driving Mercedes Bendz. It is not what I was expecting.

today we biked around to all of the Piazzàs in Florence. My favorite was the Piazza de Michealangelo which is not easy to get to because you have to go up this very steep and very long hill, but it takes you through these little curvy streets in between the Boboli Gardens that are full of Olive trees and then when you reach the top you have you a beautiful view of Florence. It was a tiring bike ride but it was well worth it. (pluss Matt thought our bikes, which are as old as this city, were similar to mountain bikes and he tried to jump this curb and totally biffed it going down part of the hill. Bent the wheel on the bike he had to ride all the way down the hill with the tire rubbing against the break, he is fine but I think I pulled a muscle from laughing so hard. It was the funniest thing I have every seen. We went and traded the bike for a new one and they did not even notice the damage because that is how junky the bikes were.)

And now for my favorite so far. the food!! I love it. We eat at Pizzàrias every day. The pizza is so yummy and so is the pasta. I have not had anything

quite like it in the US. And Matt has found a new favorite...Gellato. We have eaten it every day since we got here. there are going to be some serious withdrawals from Gellato when we leave here.

Well off to Venice.

ciào