Last day in Florence

Florence has been an amazing experience. The weather was cold and rainy at first but has been warming up. I will take the rain over the snow back home.
Today we were in the Ufizi museum and I saw The Birth of Venus. I have seen a million posters of this, but none of them can compare to the real thing. There are so many elements of the painting that you don't notice until you are up close. We also saw David today. These two pieces of artwork are what I have been waiting for. The churches we have gone in and various museums have had gorgeous pieces of artwork, however these two are by far my favorites. They make someone like me, that knows nothing about art, admire the skill it takes to make something like that.
Erin and I went to Perugia on Saturday. The town is on a mountain and has an absolutely gorgeous view! When we first arrived we couldn't find a map and were rather disappointed. We didn't see anything other than a street with a few shops. We finally found a map and made our way to Piazza Novembre. On our way we stumbled across a market with many handmade jewelry and crafts. I definitely made a few purchases. The day turned out to be worth the 2 hour train ride and I learned a lot about myself. We made it there and back using public transportation in a country that we could not speak their language. The experience showed me how independent I am. It doesn't hurt that I got some amazing pictures and bought some gorgeous earrings.
Oh, by the way, I had some amazing GELATO today!

Ciao!
Ashley