Day in Florence: it's a small world

Florence never ceases to amaze me with its multitude of unique little shops.
So many artisan shops exist here and have such history connected with them. Yesterday, I decided to explore Florence without a destination in mind; my goal was to simply to soak in the atmosphere, as I had a free morning before class.

I ended up meandering into the Bargello Museum -- which focuses on sculptures and houses works by Michelangelo and Donatello. Although I'm not into sculpture as much as painting, I garnered a greater appreciation and was in awe of the works displayed. 

At the end of my perusing, a group comes in and I recognize my tour guide from Fiesole, Paola, who lives in Firenze. It was a pleasant surprise to run into an Italian that I knew, and she explained that she was taking a class -- this was a field trip. It's interesting because I knew she had already finished school, and worked in the tourism business. It seems like everyone here studies art and tourism in school as a basic curriculum.

After some more wandering, I happened to see a cafe that I recognized would take our meal cards, so I went on in and ordered a cappuccino and croissant. Can I just say -- delicious? What a wonderful way to start a mid-morning. My first cappuccino in Italy did NOT disappoint, and it's no wonder they don't have Starbucks here (or even Subway, for that matter). I don't know how I'll survive when I have to go back to Ohio...

The croissant isn't much to look at, but when I asked them to pick for me, he deemed this one his favorite. There's this raspberry jam in there that has the perfect sweetness and balanced texture. Most of the food in Italy is just so fresh and delicious! 

(I'll need to practice my food-describing skills..)

What's coincidentally weird here, is that I recognize and see the man who works/owns this printing shop near school (who I just saw the day before). He's chatting with the owner of this cafe, and all I'm thinking is, what are the odds…

To me, Florence seems like a city, bigger than my hometown, and I never happened to run into people I  know even in my town. Later in the day, I run into another guide I had just met that day, but at the Leather School in Florence. It was just one of those days!

I actually enjoyed spending my morning alone. I didn't think I would like sitting in a cafe by myself, but I stayed busy and really got to reflect and enjoy the experience without the distraction of someone else. I'm learning that although I'm a huge planner, I do enjoy being spontaneous and venturing off without a destination sometimes. :)

This, by far, is the best panino I've had in my life. It doesn't look like much, but it's from a shop called La Dispensa. Everything is simply there: bread, meat, cheeses, etc. You simply ask for a panino, and choose what you want. It's all fresh: you get to watch him cut the cheese of your choice, the turkey, tomato, etc. There are so many options that it's actually quite overwhelming!

I wasn't even hungry when I got it, and was intending to save it for later. Let's just say that I completely devoured it within the next 15 minutes! :)