6/11/2018 0 Comments May 13After a jet lag induced slumber, I finally rolled out of bed around 3 pm and forced myself to get dressed and enjoy the city. Since our Maymester had a pretty dense schedule attached to it, I needed to take advantage of as much free time in Italy as possible. After plugging in directions into google maps using the hotel wifi while I still had it, Florence Tip #3: If you are staying in a smaller hotel, the chances that you have a consistently good connection are extremely slim. Treasure a strong wifi connection when you have one and take that opportunity to download any information or maps that you may need. Maps.me is a great app for downloadable, interactive maps. I ventured towards the Piazza della Repubblica, which is where a lot of the stores and restaurants are located. I ended up doing a little bit of shopping in Zara. Florence/Europe Tip #4: For some reason, Zara is a lot cheaper in European countries. For example, 29 euros for a pair of pants vs. 50 dollars in America. It might have to do with import fees & the exchange rate. If you enjoy their clothing, take advantage of it! Afterwards, I found myself eating in a restaurant near the Piazza, on a side street. I tried to avoid the "tourist trap" restaurants on the main piazza, although I realized the restaurant was a tourist trap as soon as the bill arrived. Florence Tip #5: Be wary of certain restaurants and always remember that there will always be a coperto charge and a water charge (if you get water, but they will charge you for it even if they offer it to you and do not mention that it is never free). These costs are typically higher than in a non-touristy restaurant. I believe that the coperto in this specific restaurant was four euros (as opposed to the usual 2) and the bottle of still water cost 4.50 euro. All in all, it was good day and I looked forward to meeting my group in the morning.
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