back from florence! i am EXHAUSTED, because i still haven't learned that one still sleeps when travelling. it was lots of fun, although unfortunately lots of the churches with Important Art we were trying to get into were closed.

we had an epic dinner that was 11euro for wine, water, first course, second course, and a side dish, so i think i'll take the parents there if i can find it again. i had ravioli with pesto, chicken with yellow peppers, and the most amazing roasted potatoes i have EVER had.

speaking of that restaurant (trattoria contadino, in case you're ever in town), it took a while to find because the streets in florence have "red" numbers and "black" numbers, which means there are doubles of every address! fortunately a very sweet hotel manager explained this to me when i asked why we were standing in front of a hotel and not the restaurant we were looking for.

for some reason all the trains back to bologna this morning were full in second class, but i found a first class ticket on a really run-down train that was cheaper than second class on the trains i usually take, so that was new and exciting i suppose. i was in a little six seat cabin with five italian people in business suits that shot me dirty looks the whole time and refused to move their legs when i was trying to get out. first class is serious business!

it occurs to me that i don't need to set my alarm clock again until thursday morning. oh. my. goodness.