"Are you guys from America?"

Well folks, we have a confession.  We didn't go to Venice this past weekend.  We went to Florence instead.  Beautiful, historic, filled with culture Florence....and we didn't take one single picture.  A certain someone, who shall remain nameless, decided to take the camera out of my purse, and forgot to put it back in.  So, I encourage you to Google "Florence, Italy" and look at some pictures, because you won't be getting any from this blog post. 

We decided to change our plans last minute when we found out a friend was having his "Last Hoorah!" in Italy and was going to celebrate in Florence.  So we crammed 5 people into a small Mercedes coupe on Saturday afternoon and started the three hour drive through Tuscany to begin our adventure. 

Once we found a hotel to stay at, we decided to walk into the downtown area for drinks and dinner.  Our first stop was The Lion's Fountain, an Irish pub that plays American sports, and has tons of US college t-shirts stapled to the ceiling (and a Army Ranger flag hanging in the front window).  After hanging out there for a while we made our move to a restaurant across the way.  Florence is famous for their bistecca florentina.  It's a thick slab of meet, a lot like a T-bone, but it's from an oxen, served rare, and with a pinch of salt.  Two people usually order one and share.  We got this, along with big spaghetti (thicker and more delicious than the normal spaghetti noodle we're used to) and both were incredibly delicious. 

This is pretty much where our "cultural experience" in Florence came to an end. 

We ended up going to another bar filled with American exchange students and playing the Alabama vs. Penn State game on television.  Upon leaving this place, the night took some interesting turns and we ended up with a VIP table in a club, bottle service, in which they brought out the drinks in a bucket equipped with a jeweled crown on top, sparklers, and a fruit tray.  They were playing songs including, but not limited to, Backstreet Boys, J-Lo's "My Love Don't Cost A Thing", and Eve.  There was more hair gel and ridiculous dance moves in that one building than I had ever seen in my entire life.  It was like a 7th grade dance, but more hilarious. 

The next morning, in hopes to redeem ourselves for the terrible job we did at sight-seeing, we walked by the Duomo, a beautiful cathedral in the center of Florence, on the way to McDonalds.  I really do encourage you to Google this.  The Duomo...not the McDonalds.

Needing to get back to Vicenza, we packed up early and hit the road.  On the way home we all laughed about what a terrible job we did exploring one of the most beautiful cities in Italy.  However, we did have an extremely fun time and our friend enjoyed his last weekend in Italy.  Without a doubt, John Ralph and I will be going back there soon.  I just think next time we will make sure to take our camera and stay away from the American bars.