Well, it has been a very, very long day.  I left Boston around 4:30 ish yesterday and met a boy from Northeastern that could pass for Andy Bernard from The Office.  He looked like him, sounded like him, and even had the same expressions.  Weirdest of all, his name was Andy! It was a very entertaining encounter.  

         On the way over to Germany I was seated next to a German couple and an American women who was going to a string quartet conference in Budapest.  I asked her if she knew Ronald Crutcher the cellist and president of Wheaton but she did not.  She was very enthusiastic about finding out who he is though.  I hope she doesn’t think he is that exciting!  

         Seven hours later I arrived in Frankfurt.  It was here that I caught the beginning of the sunrise.  I continued to watch the sun rise as our plane crossed the Alps.  By the time we had reached Florence, morning had broken into dreary day.  However, the rain did nothing to dampen my excitement for I was fully prepared with an umbrella and the fog hung over the surrounding mountains in a very picturesque way.

         My apartment is beautiful, and just about a ten-minute walk from the heart of Florence and the Palazzo Del Duomo. There are five living here on Via San Gallo and the large kitchen is practically begging us to host dinners!  I will post pictures soon

         I spent the rest of day exploring and on my own.  Later on, my roommate and I got fresh Paninis from a woman down the road.  She didn’t speak English, we didn’t speak Italian, and so she called her enthusiastic twelve-year-old son in to speak to us in both Spanish and English! Even with the communication issues the meal was superb!

         And for your entertainment, I bring you pick up lines that should be avoided at all costs.  This one was directed at my roommate while we were walking through the market.

Man: “Ciao!”

Girl: “Hello”

Man: “Miss, you dropped something!”

Girl: “Oh, I did?”

Man: “ My heart and it is breaking into many pieces on the ground!”