Even though the majority of this day was spent on the bus, I am fond of saying that a boring day in Italy is still more fun than a good day at school. This was apparent in the fact that the Italian gas station food was of far superior quality to sone of America’s actual dining establishments. The salmon was particularly good, and again, I’m still shocked by the fact that I had high-quality salmon at a gas station.

When we arrived in Florence, everyone was nervous about pickpocketing, especially since we had to carry our luggage out in the open for several city blocks. Once our luggage was safely in the hotel, we walked over to the Uffizi museum, which as an artist is very important to me. I was able to see many works that I had known previously in person, and discover new art and artists to explore. I was very impressed by our tour guide. She was able to handle our large group, and was very knowledgeable both about the elements of her tour and about many other details of the museum. She was also remarkable at making an art history tour accessible and interesting for a group of engineering and business students will little artistic background.

After the tour, the entire group went out for a multi-course dinner, which was fabulous as always. I was able to go out for gelato afterwards with a different group of friends than usual, and see the city of Florence at night. The multi-colored marbles of the Duomo were beautifully lit, and we were able to sit on one of the many bridges across the canal. I look forward to experiencing even more new perspectives on this wonderful city