Date: July 19, 2024
Location: Florence
Blogger: Addie Kalich ‘28
Hometown: Shiner, Texas
Ciaowdy from Florence!
Many of us had to start our day off early by packing and getting ready for breakfast so we could have enough energy for the busy day. After breakfast, we rolled all of our luggage from the hotel to the train station, where many of the girls were faced with their biggest struggle yet: the stairs. Our arms were sore after lugging our overpacked suitcases up and down two flights of stairs to get to the correct train platform, but we got a short break while waiting for our train to arrive.
Once we got on the train, many of the boys were kind gentlemen, loading the girls’ luggage on the overhead shelves for us. When we finally took our seats, we were delivered disappointing news from the train communication system. Apparently, the train station in Florence had lost power, and our departure from the station was delayed by ninety minutes.
During the delay, many of us occupied our time by sharing snacks, listening to music, and playing games. Many of the boys really enjoyed the milk chocolate almonds I bought from Buccee’s and began to play games like Wordle, Spotle, and Sudoku to pass the time. Finally, around 11 a.m., we were able to begin our train ride to Florence. On the way, some of us even made friends from Brazil and Italy with whom we were able to test our newfound knowledge of Italian and previous knowledge of Spanish when having a conversation. A group of us also met a fellow Aggie who graduated in 2016 and currently works in China while on the train.
Once we arrived in Florence, we went to check in at the hotel and then went out in groups for lunch and different activities. Many of us went to McDonalds for lunch, where I had their nine-piece chicken McNuggets with peach tea and some macaroons for dessert. Everything was so good and was such a refreshing change from all the Italian food I had earlier in the week.
After most of us enjoyed our McDonalds, the group I was with went out and explored the many different shops in Florence, where I spent way too much money, but hey, “When in Rome,” right? When shopping, we got to stop by a really beautiful bridge that was located next to where we were shopping. After visiting the bridge, we walked back to the hotel to get our things situated and set all of the souvenirs we bought down to give our arms a break.
We then left the hotel and went to dinner at Matto Matto, where they served short pasta with ragu, mixed salad, and panna cotta for dessert. When having dessert, the panna cotta came in so many different kinds, such as blueberry, strawberry, and chocolate. I had the strawberry, which was delicious, and I highly recommend it. Once we finished dessert, we left the restaurant and went back to the hotel to talk and get settled into their rooms for the night.
After everything today, we were met with unexpected and various setbacks. However, we learned various lessons from this experience by understanding how to make use of our time and overcome the hardships we are faced with.
Addie Kalich