Il Finale Perfetto: Snow in Firenze! Part 2

     When I woke up the next morning my stomach was in knots. I knew I was alone and this made me sick to my stomach. Sure, I had woken up alone in the apartment before, but this time it was different: no one was coming back. As I crawled out of my tiny twin bed for the last time and began walking through the apartment I couldn't help but notice how empty it was (and I how empty I felt). Shannon and Claire's room was completely spotless for the first time in four months, the two couches in the living room which were almost always pushed together and which we had named our "play pin" had been separated, clothes were no longer covering every surface that could possibly be used as a drying rack, and most importantly I could no longer hear the sounds of the voices and  laughter coming from the 6 girls who were once my roommates. Within those few minutes I realized for the first time that my four month adventure in Italy had truly ended... and I had never felt so sad and alone.

     Before I could start crying, I decided that it was time to get out of the apartment and enjoy my last morning in Florence before my train left later that day. After I had bundled up, I walked outside and saw something unexpected that made me smile: our Christmas tree. Because our apartment had to be clean before we left, we had to get rid of our small (and crooked) Christmas tree that we had purchased for 10 Euro at the grocery store. Caitlin and Stesha had taken it out the night before and instead of putting it next to the dumpster (where I had thought they had put it) they had placed it in the middle of a small square right outside of our apartment where everyone who passed by could enjoy a little Christmas spirit. When I saw our Christmas tree memories flooded my mind: Cami and I going to the grocery store, picking out our tree and then carrying it up 9 flights of stairs, everyone decorating the tree and the apartment together while listening to Christmas music, and last but not least all 7 of us gathering around the tree on our last night together exchanging Christmas presents. Seeing our tree and recalling those fond memories made me feel as though my roommates were still there with me and made me feel so much better.
   

     For the next hour I walked around the streets of Florence for the last time, admiring the beautiful city that had become my home. First, I stopped at Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral to gaze up at the beautiful and infamous dome that was covered in pure white snow. I knew that the sight in front of me was very rare and that not many people have the privilege of seeing this beautiful landmark covered in snow, so I made sure to take the time to really appreciate what I was seeing. I took a bunch of pictures and even made a poor American girl take at least 10 pictures of me in front of the church until she took the perfect one. lol



View of the snow covered Duomo from my street

Perfect Picture!

The Baptistry, the Duomo and the Bell Tower

    
     I saved the best stop for last... Piazza della Repubblica: my absolute favorite place in Florence. When I arrived, I made my way through the snow to a spot on a bench right next to the carousel... and I just sat there for a good 20 minutes reminiscing on all the great memories I had had in Florence as well as in this Piazza: the beautiful sunset in September that marked the beginning of my feeling at home in Florence, eating cannoli's (many times) at Paszkowski's located on the corner of the piazza, riding the carousel with Caitlin and Stesha after our cooking class, sitting in front of the carousel at night during Christmas time listening to Ave Maria resonate through the square, and visiting the night before watching the carousel spin round as snow fell from the sky. This place had brought me so much joy during my four months in Florence and I didn't want to leave. Unfortunately, my rain boots were no longer protecting my feet from the coldness of the snow and my toes were on the verge of becoming frostbitten, so I decided it was time to leave. I took one last look around the beautiful Piazza and then began making my way back to my apartment.

     A few hours later, after having thoroughly enjoyed my last panini from the best sandwich shop ever (Salumeria Verde!) it was time for me to begin making my way to the train station. At this point I knew it would be almost impossible getting a taxi, but I decided to give it a shot anyways. After 20 minutes of calling multiple taxi companies, I was completely unsurprised at my inability to get a taxi. I had come to terms with the fact that I would be walking to the train station... with my luggage... through the snow... long before I began making calls, but that didn't mean it was going to be any less miserable.
     Before I began my trek, I gathered my bags to the front door, took one last look around the apartment and then closed the door behind me for the last time. I did this all very quickly knowing that if I gave myself time to think about the fact that I would never be returning to this apartment, I would break down in tears. I slid my bags down the 9 flights of stairs (all the while thinking to myself how much easier this was compared to my first day in Florence when I had to carry all of my bags UP the stairs. lol). Once I reached outside, the first thing I did was take off my long coat. Although there was still snow on the ground and it was quite cold outside, I knew that I was about to begin one hell of a workout and that I would shortly be drenched in sweat... and that's exactly what happened.

     With a suitcase in each hand I attempted to roll close to 100lbs of luggage through the snow/slush, on the narrow sidewalks/uneven cobblestones of Florence for 1.7km (a little over a mile). The wheels, as well as the bottom of my bags kept collecting snow making it even more heavy and difficult to move, my bags kept twisting and toppling over (which required a large amount of effort for me to correct), and let's not forget the unhelpful and unsympathetic Italians who refused to move out of my way despite my many polite "scusi's" (let's just say I ran over a few feet with absolutely no remorse).  Although it was the ultimate FML moment, I couldn't help but laugh at myself and the absurdity of my situation. I'm sure many a Florentine passerby were giggling at my expense, but at least I can say that I spent my last moments in Florence making people smile!
     As I approached the final leg of my journey I stopped on the corner of one of the busier streets in Florence and gazed up at the city's infamous landmark: the duomo. Over the past four months I had had the fortune of being able to enjoy this beautiful site almost every day, and as I stood there in that moment I knew that today would be the last. As I looked up at the duomo, memories of the first day I arrived in Florence flooded my mind... I remembered sitting in the bus from Pisa, approaching the city center, and anxiously awaiting my first glimpse of the duomo. After what seemed like forever, it finally came into view and I was overcome with emotion. After months of planning and preparation, and an extremely long day of traveling I couldn't believe that I had finally arrived in the city I had fallen in love with two years ago, and that it would be my home for the next four months. I was so excited... and so unbelievably happy... just as unbelievably happy as I was standing there in front of the duomo on my last day in Florence. The last four months had been the best of my life and although I was sad to leave, I knew that I was leaving the happiest I had ever been.
   

My friend Lauren joined me on the train to Rome.
Here she is on the platform with all of our luggage.
 Sad to have had such a nightmare getting to the train station
... and sad to be leaving Florence.