So I finally moved into Villa Corsi-Salviati Wednesday in beautiful Sesto Fiorentino. I got a single which is pretty sick in itself. The only problem is that the rooms don’t have a/c and the furniture is pretty uncomfortable. My first night was pretty brutal as I had to try and sleep in a 90 degree room with the sounds of Vespas zooming by my room at 2 am. Anyway, I bought some groceries and A FAN for my room on Thursday and life has gotten much better. The fan has become the greatest thing 15 Euros has ever bought.

Every day in Europe has been pretty rough, albeit awesome. It’s been rough because of the ridiculous amount of walking I’ve been doing but it’s awesome because I’m seeing things that are older than the USA by at least 300 years. I’m really enjoying my time so far and I haven’t gotten homesick yet (it’s only been a week…).

Yesterday we went to one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen: Siena. There, we went into multiple churches and museums and saw some ridiculously famous art (including “La Maista” by Duccio and “Allegory of Good Government in the city” by Lorenzetti). It has been pretty surreal seeing these works of art when you consider how old they are and the mythical men who painted them.

In addition to getting more culture, I’ve also checked out the finer things Europe has to offer: Cuban cigars and a lower drinking age. In fact, I bought two Cubans from a “Tobbachi” shop in Siena and when I asked the man if they were Cuban, he simply said “you must be an American”. In all honesty, though, I haven’t really felt any anti-American sentiment as I believe they understand that we are all genuinely good people regardless of what our government does (no, I’m not being political).

I look forward to writing more but I am so tired only another episode of Curb on my laptop will make me feel better.  I’ll load some more pics up later (it takes forever).

Peace