First taste of Florence

Editor's note: Second-year students from Cottey College have arrived in Florence, Italy, the first leg of their international trip, filled with sights, sounds, tastes, and accompanying educational modules on the history and culture of Italy. Cottey Public Information Director Steve Reed is sharing the trip with readers, in the form of letters to Mama. Watch for updates throughout the coming week, in the Nevada Daily Mail.

Buon giorno, Mama!

We are all now in Italy. One of our groups had a very long day, however. The last group to leave was delayed by weather in Chicago and Kansas City. They were stranded for several hours in Kansas City, and by the time they got to Chicago, their connecting flight to Europe had long since departed. They were able to get re-routed, but they didn't arrive at our hotel in Florence until 9:30 last night. By comparison, our group arrived about 11:30 in the morning. Still, we are all here safe and sound.

Suzanne was our tour group leader when we arrived. She's been on every Cottey tour I have, so it was like greeting an old friend. I asked if the economy had affected the tour business. She rolled her eyes and said, "We shall all have plenty of free time for reflection and meditation this year."

Patrick, another tour guide who also has been with us for several years told me that tourism is off about 30 percent this year. Patrick lives in Paris and said that although France did not have the subprime real estate issues the United States did, the economy was noticeably down. I feel quite fortunate that Cottey is still able to provide this amazing opportunity to our students to have a unique and memorable travel experience. I believe that travel to another culture is transformational and I know our students will get so much out of this. Kudos to Mary Haggans and Dr. Rogers for continuing to provide this trip.

Suzanne gave our group maps and took us on an orientation walking tour once we had stashed our bags at the hotel. We passed familiar landmarks such as Santa Croce, the Palazzo Vechio, the Baptistry and the Duomo. When we stopped at Santa Croce, Suzanne asked the students which famous Florentines were buried there. None knew the answer so when Suzanne asked if anyone knew, I immediately piped up with "Michelangelo! Galileo! Macchiavelli!" Suzanne probably didn't remember that I did an educational module last year on Santa Croce and had done research on this church and took a group of students there.

Too bad she didn't ask more about Galileo. I would have loved to tell the group that not ALL of him is buried there. His middle finger is on display at the History of Science Museum. No, seriously. My Florence module this year is taking students to that museum tomorrow (Tuesday).

I can't wait to see the students' expressions when they see Galileo's finger. I'll write more about it tomorrow, Mama.

By the time we finished our walking tour, it was about 2 p.m. Several of us still needed Euros, so a group of students and I went off to an ATM. I'm always amazed at how many ATMs there are on the streets in Europe. Then again, so many people walk that there need to be more available.

After we'd gotten some cash, it was time for something really important: gelato! How I love Italian ice cream. It is so good. I had a cone of lemon gelato and skipped lunch. I decided to save my appetite for dinner. After I finished my gelato, I wandered around the Mercato Centrale (Central Market), a big open air marketplace selling all kinds of stuff: leather goods, cashmere goods, T-shirts with Homer Simpson on them. Like I said, all kinds of stuff.

I was beginning to tire a bit and so returned to the hotel to check in. It was so nice to freshen up a bit. It was nice to brush my teeth, wash my face, and just put my feet up for a bit and have an espresso.

That evening, John and Mary Haggans, Mari Anne and Leon Philips, Gary Lunkenheimer, Megan McIntire and I set out for dinner. First, however, we hiked up to Piazzale Michelangelo, the park on a hill that offers a spectacular view of the city. It was so pretty seeing the night lights of the city reflected in the Arno River. I have some great photos to show you when I get home, Mama.

We walked down the hill to look for a restaurant Michael Richardson recommended. We did find it, but thought it was a bit more than we were willing to pay. We kept walking and found an amazing pizza place with a wood-fired oven. In keeping with my spirit of adventure, I ordered a pizza with some ingredients I didn't recognize. What I got was the most beautiful pizza I have ever seen. Everyone at the table "ooh-ed" and "aah-ed" when it came out. It was so gorgeous, I took a picture of it. It had tomato sauce and pesto, so the basic pizza was red and green. It also had cheese, spinach, whole black olives, and halved cherry tomatoes. It was every bit delicious as it was beautiful, and yes, I ate the whole thing.

After filling my belly, it was definitely time for bed. We enjoyed our short walk back to the hotel in the crisp Italian night air, and it definitely put me in the mood to retire, full of the best Italy has to offer: great food, great atmosphere, and great friends with whom to share it. I can't wait for tomorrow, Mama. It's going to be a fun morning looking at old telescopes and searching for Galileo's finger!

alla prossima,

your loving son,

Steve