Our class was given a free day today, and it was glorious.
Laura and I slept in and then stopped for a quick breakfast in the lobby of our hotel, PlusFlorence.
Following breakfast, I got ready for my day and attended a beautiful Italian mass. I did not understand much, but taking in my surroundings of being in a different culture was a great religious opportunity.
It is not very often that I have the chance to attend mass in such a beautiful church. There were many tourists at this church so nobody noticed that I was an outsider which I found comforting.
There were many differences that I picked up on throughout mass. (Check out my upcoming website article for more information!)
After mass, I went shopping for a couple of hours and grabbed some pasta and gelato for lunch.
On my walk back, we stopped at the Ponte Vecchio. Laura captured this awesome moment of me blowing my nose. I can’t let the head cold get me down though!
Laura and I took the 414 stair climb to the top of the Bell Tower. The view was breathtaking. I could see the mountains miles away and the thousands of rooftop patios surrounding Florence.
We bonded with other tourists on the way back down by encouraging them that they were almost at the top.
Laura and I stopped by the pool to spend some time in the Sauna and Turkish Bath before preparing for the move to Venice tomorrow.
For more pictures, visit my Instagram: @Courtalicious3