I have arrived: the introduction

So it has taken me 4 days being here to start this blog. The first four days have been pretty hectic: exploring the city, orientation, going out at night, and beating this godforsaken jet lag. My schedule is still way off. I have been coming back from the pubs at 3, going to sleep at 4, and waking up at around 2. So as you can imagine, days are short here. Florence, however, is just as stunning at night as it is in the day. As I sit here in my living room, I look out my balcony window, with the streetlights illuminating against the rustic architecture across from our 2nd story apartment. It would be an understatement to say I have some good digs here. I'm literally just steps away from the duomo (main cathedral and center of the city), a behemoth of a place that towers above the rest of the surrounding buildings. In the opposite direction, I am just a 5 minute walk from the Arno River, near the Ponte Vecchio. This city is stunning, everywhere I go is just as amazing as the next. I havent even seen a quarter of what there is to see, maybe less. By the end of this semester I plan to know this city by the back of my hand, and hopefully brush up on my Italian and become fluent. I will keep you updated over the next four months of all my adventures (and maybe misadventures) throught Florence and Europe. Ciao