I woke up this morning to the sound of.......church bells!!!! And to the light shining in my bedroom window, which faces a Florentine courtyard with a vista of clotheslines and plants hanging from the 600 year old buildings. I don't believe I am here. I felt at peace as I heard the Duomo bells softly in the distance. My bike didn't make it with me to Florence yesterday, but I am not worried....it probably never made it out of Paris and I'm sure I'll receive it. I am just sooo happy to have arrived. I took a taxi from the airport and was a little surprised when we stopped at my new front door. I hadn't imagined the front door to be so ancient! The stairs are tough! But when I walked into my apartment I was startled. It was exactly as I had pictured it. My new landlord Nicola was there to greet me and to show me how everything works. He hooked me up to the internet. He doesn't speak English, so this is good for me!
I spent the day getting familiar with my new neighborhood. I found the Standa supermarket which is just up the street and bought some basics....great bread, olive oil, basilico, parsely, garlic and some fresh new towels. I then took a stroll down to the Duomo, the magnitude of which still startles me. Then I went to visit Scuola Leonardo da Vinci, one of the Italian language schools that I am thinking of attending. Surprised that I was showing no signs of jet lag, I decided to spend the rest of the day watching Carlo Conti on TV and scrubbing down the bathroom and sorting out all my bathroom necessities. The bathroom and the washing machine are kind of small, bu I'll adapt. I don't know how anything works, but I'll learn with experience.
I feel at peace here in Florence.
