A Special Visitor

I have never been so excited to wake up after a night of drinking as I was Saturday morning. I had to get up to prepare for a very special guest visiting me for a week. I did some last minute cleaning before heading out to the florist down the street. I picked out a rose and some mimosas to go with it. I went back home to get my backpack filled with homework and slipped the rose in. I was ready to walk to Florence's Santa Maria Novella train station and catch a train departing to Pisa. I bought my ticket and hopped on the train, anxiously awaiting my arrival at Pisa Aeroporto. I did some homework, made some flashcards to study later, and listened to my i-Pod. The train could not get there fast enough. When I finally got there I made my way to the arrival gate and began the long wait for a flight from British Airways to land. I bought two tickets from Pisa to the Florence train station. I couldn't sit down, I had to walk around. I went outside the airport to walk around aimlessly. It was a beautiful day so I ventured around outside to ease my mind. I wandered back inside and tried to sit down, checking the arrival board constantly. I met up with another friend studying in Florence from Marist who was there to meet her boyfriend and we shared our anxieties. Waiting, waiting, waiting... would she just walk through the door already!?

Finally after staring down multiple crowds of people, I saw a beautiful girl walk through the gate. Her face was familiar, although very overwhelmed. I walked up to her and handed her the beat up rose I had brought from Florence. We embraced then moved out of the way so others could greet those who had just landed. I was so glad to see my girlfriend Elizabeth, I didn't even think of proceeding out the door to catch the shuttle headed to Pisa. (There are no direct trains from Pisa Aeroporto to Firenze). We found our shuttle and got off at the Pisa Centrale stop. I looked for our track number at the train station and proceeded to the correct platform where the train would pick us up. This was my first experience with Trenitalia being late. We got on and spent the whole ride home catching up on everything going on recently. I did not even mind that our train got stopped and we were delayed forty minutes, except for the fact that I had to share leg room with the older gentleman sitting across from me. We eventually got back to Florence and walked to my apartment. Elizabeth was amazed to see the Duomo and how close our place with the balcony was from it.

As soon as she was somewhat settled, I took Elizabeth out to see everything I had experienced my first day in Florence. We went through Piazza Signoria and made our way to the Ponte Vecchio. I took her across the Arno to the breathtaking Piazza de Michelangelo, the best view of Florence besides the top of the Duomo. We stayed here past dusk just taking in the panoramic scenery as everything started lighting up and the air got colder .

After awhile we left to get ready for my friend, Lauren's 21st birthday party. It was a prom-themed party because she told us she was deprived of a prom in high school. Her house was amazing. All of her housemates worked very hard to decorate and make everything look nice. They even had a photo-op spot to stand with a placard, "Guelpha Prom 2010." It was a very classy party, set up for some good old-fashioned "wine pong" (a mixture of our American game with an added European touch). The first game Elizabeth and I took on my roomate Jay and our friend Vinny. I ended up having to force the arc of my shot over a paper-ring prom decoration. It worked out well because we easily won. Our next game was against one of Lauren's roomates, Ali and her boyfriend who was visiting. Her boyfriend was pretty good and the prom decoration was getting in the way, which resulted in us losing a close game.

Next, we had plans to head out to possibly the craziest discoteca in Florence, called Space, to show Elizabeth what the nightlife was all about. Of course we had to do it up big and reserved a VIP table. Some VIP sections at certain clubs aren't a big deal, but at Space it was amazing and the price was proof we were in for a fun night. We got to the door and stayed in a tightly-knit group as a promoter escorted us up two floors to the VIP section. From this spot we could see everything, it was just crazy. Everything you expect VIP at a club to be; this was it. (I would add a picture but it would never be able to do it justice) We sat down at our table and were poured our drinks of Jim Beam with some Coca-Cola mixers (heavy on the Jim Beam, not as much on the soda). We danced the whole night on the balcony/terrace overlooking everyone in the club. It was the best time I've ever had at a club. What a great first night.