May 22, 2007
Editor's Note: The Arizona State women's basketball team is currently in Italy for a nine-day tour of the country. Throughout their stay updates will be provided on their daily experiences. To comment back to these journal posts please visit: http://globalcafe.asu.edu/.
Day Three (Sunday, May 20) - Florence
Well Sunday was an interesting day. We drove for I believe 4 hours to Florence and got to visit the museum of Michelangelo where we got to see the real David. That was pretty cool especially to see it white and clean because it had just been cleaned three years previously. After the museum tour we had a walking tour where we got to see the Duomo of Florence and the golden doors of the octagonal church across from it.
After our walking tour we got about 45 minutes of free time where I walked and had ice cream with Kate and Bri. Once we got settled into our hotel we went to eat dinner where once again I had pizza. After dinner we got more time on our own to shop until bedtime. Unfortunately almost all of the shops were pretty much closed, so instead we went in search of a calling card. On our way to do that we went past many vendors with fake bags and sunglasses. I didn't try to purchase anything because we were told if you get caught buying a fake then it was fine of 3,000 euros. After all that excitement I went to bed, after watching a movie in the hotel.Thanks for listening.
KT
Ciao! On Sunday we left Lake Como and drove several hours to Florence ... During the road trip we got great views of the Tuscan hillsides. When we arrived in Florence the group went straight to a tour of the statue of David. We had a great tour guide who explained the history behind Michelangelo and his masterpieces.
After our tour of David we walked through the city and saw the beautiful Duomo of Florence that was made of red, white and green marble. The style of this one was much different than the style that we saw in Milan. After that we got a chance to walk and shop in the streets of Florence. The girls played a joke on Reagan by pretending to pick pocket her fanny pack! It was super funny!
The hotel that we stayed at in Florence was a renovated castle and it was pretty creepy. Maybe I just have an overactive imagination. In Italy everything comes to life at night. It seems that everyone is out in plazas having coffee and enjoying the night. We got a special treat as a procession of churchgoers honored the feast day of a saint with a candlelight vigil through the city. Tomorrow we are going to Pisa and I'm really excited!
Ciao from Florence!
Cristina
Day Four (Monday, May 21) - Pisa
Today we went to Pisa to see The Leaning Tower of Pisa. The drive from Florence to Pisa was only an hour and a half which was not too bad so I slept the whole way.
When we arrived in Pisa we were greeted by many people trying to sell us fake things (watches, sunglasses, etc). We walked to Pisa to see the Leaning Tower. We were a little late for our appointment to climb up the tower, but we were able to make it on a later tour. While we were waiting we saw the University of Arizona women's basketball team. What a small world!
The climb up the tower was rough. There were spiral staircases leading up to the top and we made it the whole way up! The view from the top was amazing! After the tour we took all sorts of pictures of the tower. A few of us took pictures of ourselves pretending to push the leaning tower and holding it up. Those pictures were comical!
After the tour we had a little time to shop around and then we went back to Florence to get ready for the game. We had a pre-game meal and then went to play our game. We arrived at the gym and it was so hot it felt like a sauna in there. By the time we were done with warm-ups it felt like we had just finished a game. After the game we had some pizza and then on the way home we stopped off to get some gelato. It was delicious! We then headed back to the hotel. Until next time friends, Ciao!
Nia Fanaika
P.S. Don't climb the Leaning Tower of Pisa on the same day that you have to play a game!