"Honeymoon?"

So, it's obviously been a while since I've updated. This is due to the immense amount of jumping around that I did during Semana Santa. So, I am dividing it into at least 2 posts, and this is the first.

ITALIA!
So, I had been really excited to go to Italy for a long time, and the time finally came! A short flight from Sevilla to Madrid, a long layover, and then a flight from Madrid to Milan, and before I knew it I was there! And immediately once inside the airport, my dear friend Rachel was waiting for me! She is studying in Milan for the semester, and she was gracious enough to coordinate my visit. I can't say how great it was to catch up with her or how kind to me she was while I was there. It meant the world to me. We went to the central square, saw Milan's duomo (cathedral) at night, and ate some real Italian pizza (wonderful)! After a tiny bit of sleep, we packed up and headed for Florence early the next morning!

Honeymoon?
As we walked into Florence to begin our day, Rachel and I passed a multitude of street vendors. [NOTE: For those gentlemen that are privvy to the art of UBM, you may appreciate this new level of awkwardness]. One of the vendors watched us walking by and promptly posed a one-word question that used what was possibly the only word of English he knew as we walked by: "Honeymoon?" Not awkward at all. Needless to say, we got a great laugh out of it and continued on with the visit.

Belleza Extraordinaria
Florence was AMAZING! The day we spent there was one of the best days I've had in Europe! Part of it was that it was well-organized and I had a wonderful amiga to share it with, both thanks to Rachel, and part of it is that Florence was just an amazing place. "The Cradle of the Renaissance" some people call it, and it is clear why. We saw the duomo of Florence, which has a massive dome and is very impressive on the outside. We then proceeded to the Uffizi Gallery, which possibly has the best Renaissance art collection in the world. My favorite artist from the gallery was actually Botticelli, which surprised me, but he had several works that I really liked, including analogical paintings of the virtues. After the Uffizi, we stopped by "Grom" for some gelato (in the city of its invention!). The picture says it all.

After the gelato, we proceeded to the Academia to see Michaelangelo's David. There are lots of other works of art in the Acadaemia, but as we rounded the first corner and saw the masterpiece, everything else faded away. One thing they don't tell you is how big it is...they calculate that Goliath was probably 9'9" tall, but the statue of David had to be over 12 feet (ironic!). We spent over an hour marvelling and trying to dive into the intricacies of this glorious work, and it was one of my favorite parts of the day. Each side of the statue seems to reveal a different sense or aspect of David, and it is probably the greatest work of art I have ever seen.

After the Academia, we walked down to the Duomo's bell tower and climbed it. The view of the city from the top was absolutely captivating as the sun began to slowly go down. The 420-some step climb was 100% worth it.

After that, we proceeded to the Ponte Vecchio (old bridge) for sunset and the Piazzale Michaelangelo for a nighttime view of the city. We ate dinner at a small, cozy restaurant with Rachel's friends Sabrina and Yap (sp?) who are from Canada and Holland respectively. Good times, and another short night's sleep led us back to Milan for a tour of the duomo, lunch (pizza again), and an AC Milan soccer game!

The inferno (AC Milan's fans) were raging, and despite the draw, it was a great experience! Once again, a small stint of sleep separated me from another trip...this one back to my home [thousands of miles] away from home--beautiful Sevilla.

The rest of Semana Santa was great, and I'll describe it later, but the trip to Italy was unforgettable. I'll see Rachel again, and perhaps I'll even make it back to Florence, but I don't think that day will ever be reproduced. I joyfully remain yours.