Our first Italian city...Florence!

Eurail pass in hand, Camden and I were back on our own after our lovely stay with Alexis and Claude.Our first international train ride was ahead of us and we knew it would be a doozy, the total journey was 15 hours!The train rides weren't so bad, considering the amazing view of the French coast and the lovely company we met along the way!Camden and I love traveling together but sometimes it's nice to meet new people and talk about life and share our travels with others! With that being said, while we were on a train from Nice to Ventimiglia, we heard the group sitting next to us speaking (American) English too! Something we hadn't heard in while. Luckily for us, they were just as interested in us as we were of them! We immediately hit it off and made new friends with Kathy, Mike and Ginger!Per usual, It was time to part ways and we exchanged information and said we would remain in touch and keep up with each other's journeys!The following day, Camden and I finally made it to Florence!!! The sun was out and we were excited to ditch the pants and jackets!! We dropped out bags off and set out for the city!Our AirB&B was about 1.5 miles out of the city center; so we walked along the Arno River to get into town. It was such a beautiful walk! We were lucky enough to walk this both days we were here!! We finally made it into the city with our list of things to do; but the streets made it so hard to concentrate. It was a town meant to get lost in. So we just went on a whim and decided to let fate be our guide for the day!Florence has many, many markets on side streets, alley ways, piazzas (plazas) and vias (or as we call them, roads). They are filled with tapestries, jewelry, and of course Italian leather purses and coats. They were hard to avoid, so we jumped right in!All the streets were intertwined making sightseeing very easy! There was a statue or piazza or beautiful building behind each corner! As we walked around we came upon the Duomo, the Piazza Della Signorina and the Piazza le Michelangelo.As we all know, there is an insane amount of churches in Europe. Almost to the point of monotony. But the Duomo was like no other before. Camden and I literally stopped in our tracks and said, "what in the world....?!". This building is beyond words and I promise, if you ever visit, you'll do the same as we did. We just sat and stared at this building for quite some time. It was gigantic and beautiful and unlike any other church we have come across. We had to go inside.At first, the inside seems to be a let down after the grandiose appearance on the outside. But as we walked further, we looked up and saw an incredible piece of artwork on the ceiling of the dome. Again, beyond words. People all over were laying down to take pictures and straining their necks for as long as they could.Once we pulled ourselves away from the Duomo, we came across the Piazza Del Signorina. This plaza is massive with handful of famous statues lining the perimeter. People, including Camden and I, would just sit on the steps or in the center of the plaza and eat gelato, drink coffee and people watch. The two statues that caught my attention the most were, the golden turtle in the center and the statue of Akelius defeating Medusa. Both were so amazing and so different, which is why I loved that they were in the same square. The turtle was more "modern" and the the medusa scene was more mythical and ancient looking. This plaza was a good way to pass the time and enjoy a beautiful part of Florence and it's are for free.I'm sure some of you are thinking by now...what happened to the free walking tour?! Well believe me, we tried to find it. We walked and walked and walked. Nothing. But to our surprise and as fate as our guide we ran into Kathy, Mike and Ginger in the train station!!! It was destiny! We were all so happy to see each other again and planned to meet up during our stay! We were so happy to be reunited! They went to settle into their rooms while we explored a little more.Giddy with excitement that our new friends had arrived into town, we began to walk around the city again. We ended up on this amazing old bridge, which I immediately fell in love with! It was so rustic and the character was like no other in Florence. Their were colorful houses protruding from each side of the bridge; there were patches of worn, old brickwork along the sides and a full swing market in the middle. It was great! I could have stayed on that bridge forever, but then we spotted a sign for the Piazza le Michelangelo and we had to find out what it was!We were met with a pretty substantial hill. After walking allllll day long, Camden and I looked at each other and decided it was way worth it to climb to the top. Even if our feet didn't agree. When we made it, we were met with a spectacular view of the city of Florence. There were all the bridges we had walked across, of course the Arno River, the Duomo, and all the other buildings in the city and hillside. It was a beautiful view and a beautiful day. To make the deal even sweeter, Michelangelo's "David" statue was placed in the center of the plaza. Some say it's a replica but it was still very cool to see!After a long and tiring day, we headed back to our home base. For some much needed rest for the next day.We woke up the next morning determined to meet up wth Kathy, Mike and Ginger! The day before hadn't worked out so today was our day to make it happen!After some time, we found each other outside of the Ufuzzi Gallery and started our day! They took us to a little side street cafe, where we drank wine, beer, ate some Italian appetizers and talked the afternoon away!!We all got to know each other pretty well after that and Camden and I asked if we could spend some more time with them! We loved spending time with them and didn't want to say goodbye just yet! They were delighted to have us tag along so off we went!! We walked around the city again, getting lost, looking at the Duomo and enjoying the company of one another!Time flew by and before we knew it, we were back at their hotel drinking Italian wine and making dinner plans! Mike found a fantastic restaurant down the road and we pilled in! I looked at the menu and there it was....GNOCCHI!!!! I MADE IT TO HEAVEN! I was so incredibly excited (if you couldn't tell already).We had the most delicious meal in Italy so far, and talked even more. It was 10:30 by the time we had to leave each other. We were so so sad to say goodbye our "Florence parents" but we hoped we would meet again in Rome!We made our way back to our "home", and went to bed immediately. Tomorrow we had a big day ahead of us. We had to pack up our bags, and catch a train to Venice. Sad to say goodbye to this lovely city, but thankful we were able to experience it!Like I've said before, traveling is amazing. It's a game changer for perspectives, that's for sure. The people we have met on the road have opened my mind and my heart. My faith in humanity always falters, especially during the present times in this crazy world. But when we meet people like Mike, Kathy and Ginger; I am reminded that goodness and love still exist in this world. That spontaneity is key. The ideal that seeing with open eyes, thinking with an open mind and feeling with an open heart is the key to life.