Italia

Finally made it to the country I've anticipated most. Arrived in Venice yesterday with my bro and spent the day and night there. Very unique town and very pretty. Hundreds of canals filled with gondolas and bridges all over the place, winding streets and dead-ends that guarantee getting lost (we did), and very old world feel. Public transporation there is by vaporetti, which are water taxi boats.

Jerm and I had a great time seeing the major sights in Venice (Basilica di San Marco, Rialto Bridge, etc.) and just walking around for hours. We grabbed dinner last night and our first Italian dinner in Italy somehow surpassed my obnoxiously high expectations. Had an insanely good meal at this little spot a few streets in from the Grand Canal. Nine euros for one liter of delicious vino della casa (we may have taken down two reds), tomatoes and mozzarella for the antipasto, spinach and ricotta filled gnocchi for my first course, delicious fish for my second (the name escapes me), some tiramisu, and almost too much bread with olive oil and balsamic...but not quite too much. Weight-gain mode in full effect.

After a great visit my brother flew home this morning and I took a train to Florence for the afternoon and night before heading to Rome tomorrow for the weekend. My hostel is right off the gorgeous Plaza della Repubblica, though operated by a guy who seems to be a few slices short of a pizza pie. Ive just been chilling here today and got a much needed haircut and beard trim (pretty high and tight for both the head and stubble, but necessary for the warmer weather) after enjoying un po di gelati. Then I spent the rest of the afternoon walking around amid incredible architecture and scouting the town for when I return here next week to spend more than just a day. Will be relaxing tonight with some more outstanding food and likely my second helping of gelato for the day.