Florence and getting to Vienna!

With more than enough time to make my train, and feeling grumpy while still in Rome, i decided to call dad for a pick-me-up, but also more of a realization that I was incredibly worn down. I really didn't think I could handle anymore traveling or going place to place, because its not as if I'm simply staying somewhere for 4 days and gradually seeing all the sights... Rather I'm there for a day, maybe 2, and trying to see EVERYTHING... ON FOOT! Needless to say, my desire to just be home was at its zenith and so i asked dad to see what it would cost to fly home early. Needless to stay, it would be near $2000 which, well, my AmeriCorps budget just doesn't accommodate for. So, i boarded my train to Florence with hopes of just laying on the sandy beaches of Dartmouth and kayaking down the slocum river sooner than august 10. But during my train ride, i realized i needed to reevaluate my itinerary and slow down. Europe is a big place to visit in just 3 weeks and I'm too much of a 'go getter' to only visit a few -- I want to see it ALL! But of course, that's just not realistic. my train ride was rather uneventful for the most part. When I got to florence, the rain was still falling (shocking...) and i made my way to the hostel. I was shocked! It was awesome, and just what i needed to lift my spirits. The staff was friendly, the place was clean, there was stuff going on, and they even had a sauna, pool, and gym -- you barely get a bed with sheets at some places! I made my way up to my room which i was sharing with 7 others. This proved to also be the exact room i needed to be in. It was near 7 p.m. and when i walked in they were all getting ready to go out for the pub crawl that the hostel was putting on. They invited me along, and knowing better than to be alone another night, I decided to join in. Excellent decision! The group was about 15 and our leader, Alex, was super nice. We got a meal, lots of wine, and specials at all the bars we went to. I met some really awesome people from Australia, ireland, canada, chile, and brazil. We went to a few bars then some club, which was definitely not my seen, but seriously entertaining to watch the Italian men on the prowl for some action. Good thing i made friends with the 2 sisters from Ireland (the younger one actually spent a summer working at an ice cream shop in hyannis! Small world) , well and really the rest of the group, and we stuck together to ward off the creepsters. After that it was near 3:30 in the morning and WAY past my bedtime! we walked back and headed for bed. Since i was leaving that evening for vienna, I said my goodbyes and, luckily, got to leave my bags at the hostel for the day since i wasn't leaving until 10 that night (or so I thought... Keep reading for more!). I headed into town and my first mission was to find a nice little Italian leather purse so i made my way to San lorenzo market.  There were a TON of vendors and my favorite was this artist named Abdul from morocco. I spent some time talking with him about his art. He does etchings and watercolors and they are just so beautiful! He was a really down to earth guy and a few other people came by and we all enjoyed chatting. He even made us on the spot business cards that came out phenomenal. So i guess you could say I got 2 pieces of art for the price of one. During that time, i got my first glimpse of the running of those without permits to sell. All of a sudden you'll see these men sprinting down the streets with whatever they are trying to sell because they just got caught. It was frightening at first, but then after i understood what was going on, it wasn't so nerve wracking. I moved on and checked out the indoor market which also had lots of wine, organs from animals I never wanted to see outside of anatomy and physiology lab, breads, olives, and other assorted things. It was really quite the place. Almost like a mini pike place market with an Italian twist and no fish throwing (that i saw...) or star bucks. After spending quite a bit of time there, i decided to grab some food and what to a pizza joint my friend Lindsey (aka beaver) recommended as the best pizza in Florence (she studied there, so she'd know, and i also never doubt beavers advice). I had an awesome pizza with zucchini and stuffed down as much as i could. I then stopped into the hostel to drop off some purchases before making my trek around Florence... I had a plan! I wanted to at least see the big churches, like the Duoma, but most importantly get up towards piazza michaelango to get the full panoramic view of Florence! Though I had a route planned out, i knew better than to think I'd actually follow it without getting lost. Granted Florence is not that big, but well, this has been quite and unpredictable adventure and I've had to be VERY flexible. Inevitably, i got lost but it all worked out in the end because I had the most amazing gelato at this place i stumbled upon... I had kiwi and watermelon... My mouth is starting to water just thinking about it. Eventually i got up to the view point and it was just amazing. I didn't realize how mountainous the surrounding area of florence was, but it was just amazing. I really did fall in love with the city and i really liked it a lot... I also wished I was staying more than just a night because of the great people i met, but also the good vibes i got from the city. It gave me the true italian feeling that i didnt get in rome, or maybe just missed because of the rushing around and rain. after I made my small hike back down from the piazza michaelango I took the round about way (unintentionally of course) to get some dinner at another recommendation from beaver. When i sat down to eat, the wind began to pick up and I just had a feeling things were going to turn for the worst because the weather and I just have not been friends this trip. I ordered the house white wine which was phenomenal! I later learned from my wine coinessieur friend michele that it's actually called prosecco and is a common house wine in italy. It was like a is mix between champagne and really yummy white wine, not as fruity as a reisling and definitely not dry like a Chardonnay... It was incredible. It began to rain as i started eating my brushetta and thundered a bit.. And then it started to POUR! Of course i was siting outside and near the edge of the awning so i started to get soaked (and again i had a white shirt on, I just shouldn't wear them!). I moved around to the other side of the table hoping to avoid getting splashed but that didn't help either. And then I got my entree of spaghetti and panicked. There's meat in the sauce! Ethical dilemma! What do i do? It took me a few minutes, but i decided that I was going to take this as a cultural experience and look at it as trying true Italian meat sauce. To be honest, i think the meat tasted the same as the fake meat crumbles i get. The pasta, otherwise, was delicious and definitely a good carb load for the train ride. I waited for the rain to stop then made my way back to the hostel to get ready to leave. Along the way, I started to really feel the pressure in my sinuses and the congestion setting in. I walked in a daze, and i actually walked into a small child which really confused me and I'm sure the boy too. I made it to the train station after stopping for one last gelato to make myself feel better about the meat eating and got to the train with plenty of time. I mean, plenty... Because my train was delayed 145 minutes. Thank you, train strikes in rome. I decided that rather waste a few hours in a nasty train station, id go enjoy a glass of wine. So I went to this place called Bondi that I passed several times and had been wanting to go to. They even had prosecco, so of course i had some. I stayed there for awhile, had some tiramisu, and was entertained by the wait staff. Finally it was time to head back to the train and wait a little longer then i finally boarded my train. When i made my reservation I just got a seat, which wasn't exactly the best decision, as there were 6 of us crammed in this one compartment and they had A LOT of luggage and big ones at that. They were all about my age which gave me some comfort because of all the horror stories i heard about people getting their wallets and passports stolen on overnight trains. We eventually left Florence and at some point during the night made a stop and was rudely awoken by a woman with her daughter yelling in Chinese. Apparently 2 of the people in my little room were in the wrong seats and this lady and her daughter joined us. It was horrible. She was yelling, hitting, and kicking her daughter and it made us all really uncomfortable. It was quite the cultural experience because i spoke English, she was speaking chinese, and the others only spoke italian. At one point, one of the boys tried to intervene to tell her to stop but, she wouldn't listen. Its not like it was 2 a.m. or anything. Eventually she stopped and by morning we were traveling through austria which was absolutely breathtaking. We went through the mountains and I got such the craving to hike. There were castles along the way and little rural areas. Again, i found comfort in the precisely defined patches of land that create a quilt of the land. Cows grazed in the fields and I just loved every minute of it. I could definitely have jumped off the train and got lost in the woods... I can't wait to hike when i get back to the states! After about a 15 hour trek between waiting and traveling we finally arrived in Vienna! I found the hostel and it is absolutely incredible. I thought the one in Florence was nice, but this is amazing. It has a very natural, green vibe to it and reminds me of the place I stayed in Portland called the friendly bike guesthouse. I got here a little after 1 and decided to take it easy and take care of some much needed business: laundry! After feeling like a hobo with dirty clothes for the past week, it was definitely time and this is certainly a good place to do it. My next mission after my clothes dry is to find a razor so i can finally shave (probably too much information, but i neglected to bring a razor and when i remembered to look in France and Italy I couldn't find ANY). I mean, I know I'm into the whole natural thing, but this is just a little too weird for me. So far I'm having good vibes about Vienna and am glad to be out this way on the last few legs of my journey. With 2 nights in Vienna, i plan on taking it easy and resting. My next spot will bring me to Prague which I'm really looking forward to. Will write more about my adventures in Vienna when they happen! Enjoy!