Night-time journey

So, I still need to post my birthday, and some other pictures, but I wanted to share tonight: night-time Florence revived my soul.

I've been feeling a touch lonely here, it doesn't seem that many people want to forge friendships, or maybe I've just gotten too used to having really close, long-time friends close at hand. I forgot how hard freshmen year of college was. BUT, going out tonight (erroneously, it turns out, to join classmates at a bar) I ended up wandering the city by myself, and it was gorgeous. Something about the lights? The hum of conversation? Minus the tourists and merchants, Firenze is truly beautiful, and I feel like I actually live here, rather than visiting. And, when I'm surrounded by classmates who speak English, it is easy to forget where I am. Alone in the street when an Italian (Spaniard?) stops and asks for directions... I feel quite clearly where I am, and I get excited all over again. It was like reliving my first night here, when I checked into my hostel and went out rather than go to bed early, and visited Santa Croce for the first time. It holds the same magic now, which was a wonderful realization. More night-time travels are ahead for me, even if I'm alone, but next time I'll let my host family know - they locked me out with the door chain on accident! But the father wasn't mad at me, and God knows what the mother thought when I had to ring the doorbell... (she speaks no English)

<3 from Italy,
~me