"Costa 10, but ok ok I give you for 5!"

Sunday was our last day, and I felt like I was done with Florence so I arranged for Caitlyn and I to go with Ashley and Katy an hour west to Pisa for a few hours. I didn't like Florence, I much prefer Rome. I'm not sure I can explain it, it's just like Florence is a lame half-version of Rome. Plus it smells so bad there, everywhere you go you get a whiff of something. The scent reminded me of the swamp in our greenbelt, kind of like decaying plants. So I was ready to leave. We checked out of the hostel around 10:30, ate another cappuccino and this time apricot croissant for breakfast, and me the girls at the train station.

We bought cheap $5 tickets to Pisa and made it there in an hour. No sweat. The sweat came when we had to treck with our bags all the way to the opposite side of the town. It was a pretty small city, very quaint, but it was a decently long walk. Once we made it we took countless pictures messing around with the leaning tower, then got bored and were ready to leave.

Before heading back to the station, we looked at some street vendors for sunglasses for Ashley. We each bought shot glasses while at it, they're cut so they lean like the tower. Then I found some sunglasses and had her try on a pair which looked fantastic on her. The owner said they were 10 euro, and Ashley didn't feel like she was that desperate. Plus we still had to buy tickets back to Firenze. So we were leaving, and through my bardering skills, I got the guy down to 5 euros! We couldn't pass that up, so she had to get the glasses :) I guess I should try doing that more often.

We got a super quick lunch across from the station at this cute caffe. I got some generic pasta and pear juice because it sounded interesting. So far I've eaten multiple pears and bananas on this trip, things I never ate at home. My mother would be so proud. We rushed to catch the train, which ended up being delayed so the rest of the day was all waiting and riding then more waiting and riding. On the way to Rome, the 4 hour trip, I sat in a compartment with Mary and Morgan, Caitlyn and myself. I felt very awkward and still upset about the last few days with them, so Caitlyn and I plugged in our iPods and chilled the entire way home. I watched most of the Tuscan countryside pass me while my iPod shuffled me through lots of Death Cab, Dashboard Confessional, Dave Matthews (lots of D's huh?) and Nada Surf. I didn't realize how much I missed my music. I can't get Pandora on the internet over here because of the IP address or something, and I miss it desperately. Thank God we still have youtube!

Congrats, you made it all the way through! I told you it was a busy weekend. I think I'm sticking around Rome for Easter and I plan on getting some rest, so it won't be like this one for a while. Look forward to pictures soon.