Thursday, January 3rd 2019
…and some of Wednesday the 2nd…Meg and I arrived at CVG around 12:30. My suitcase—not at all to my surprise—was over 50 pounds so I frantically shoved shoes and sweaters into carry-on bags. Heidi cried, Meg’s mom told us to remember how smart and talented we are, and they watched us all the way through security. From there, we were on our own. We easily navigated the Cincinnati airport and breezed through an hour flight to D.C. With Starbucks and a little more stress, we waited by our gate for the daunting and unprecedented eight-hour flight to Munich. In the back of the plane, I sat next to German man who elbowed me the entire ride while also constantly shifting my feet to avoid the man who apparently had very long legs behind me. I spent the first four hours of the ride watching movies, the next two trying to sleep, and the last two fiddling with games and listening to music. Tired, confused, and desperately wanting to change clothes, we arrived in Munich, Germany at 7:45am.
We wandered around the airport greeted by bakery stands with beautiful pastries and shops (Gucci, Hermes, Burberry, etc.) that tempted me to spend all my money right then and there. The airport had a dreamy feel to it: it was light and airy with white walls and windows everywhere. Everything was clean and the people were quiet from sleep and travel like it should be in the early morning. We took at least five different escalators and a train to find our next gate and then camped out in a food court to split a panini and a muffin. We said we would work on our class assignments but that lasted only about 30 minutes of the three-hour layover. Then we busied ourselves with setting up our blogs (aspirations are high). The flight into Italy blew by compared to the previous eight-hour monstrosity. We got off the plane with five other kids from our group and found ourselves in a 55º and sunny Florence. After a riveting taxi ride through crowded streets, we were dropped off at our apartment on Via Calzaiuoli. Max and Eleanora helped us carry our massive suitcases up 20 flights of stairs and showed us around our home for the next three weeks. They ended the tour by showing us how to make espresso in our kitchen. The apartment consisted of a living room, a kitchen, two bedrooms, and two bathrooms. It was simple and modest. My favorite part was how the windows open; two sets of giant shutters reveal a barrier-less view to the bustling street below.
The apartment is located right in the center of Florence on a street with hundreds of bars, restaurants and shops. We spent the rest of the day wandering the beautiful streets and alleys and feasting on flower-shaped gelato and pasta. With at least five other excursions planned, I can't wait to see what the rest of Italy has to offer.
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