Who would have thought that camping would make me feel better?

So when I went to book my hostel for Florence pickings were getting kind of slim, but some girls at the hostel recommended a camping place, where they have platform tents and a great view of the city. I figured it couldn't be any worse than the hostels so what the hell, right?

And you know what? It is fantastic! The tents are for two people but nobody ever showed up to share mine (and actually the price is low enough that you couold buy both beds for only about 10 euro more than the hostel), so it was the first privacy I've had since I left Leah's. There are cots with thick foam pads and they are just as confortable as the crappy bunkbeds I've been in up to this poitn. And finally there are decent showers where you actually have enough room to work without touching the gross walls. I was able shave my legs for the first time in a week!

I also met a nice American girl who is traveling alone so we had dinner and are checking out the city together today, which is just what I needed. I know that this is a great opportunity to meet people from other countries and talk to them, but honestly half the time you cannot do anything beyond chit chat due to the language barrier, and going over and over the "Where are you from? Where have you been? Where are you going?" gets old really fast. It's been nice to be able to have an actual full conversation!

Florence is just as gorgeous but much less crowded than Rome, so I'm really enjoying it so far. There is more art on the street here than in all of the museums of SF I think, it is amazing. The two main museums have giant lines, but I'm going to see if I can make reservations to catch those later. Today I'm just getting the feel of the place and checking out the awesome markets for souvenirs. I also have a list of about six Mail Boxes Etc. so I am bound and determined to find a place to ship some of this crap home (so I can start refilling my backpack of course).

So all in all, I'm loving this place. It is beautiful and accessible, and people have been so helpful so far. I think I'll probably stay a third night here and then head to the sister campsite in Venice, which has a pool and should be a great place to relax. I was getting overwhelmed with running from place to place so I think I'll probably cut out a couple of stops (Switzerland still uses francs and I just can't handle another currency at this point), but I still have so much to see and do in the next week and a half! I think I finally feel prepared for it though.

Oh and when I got to the internet place (only downside about the camping is that their comms are really pricey) I realized I had bird shit in my hair, but that's means good luck, right?

Love and miss you all, wish you were here!