Day 17: Fiesole

     I woke up bright and early at 9 am. I forgot we don't get breakfast on Saturdays, so I got cereal, and all the family was having coffee around the table. It took me all day to realize this, but I now realize why they were surprised to see me up. Oops!

     After that I got ready and went to the Duomo to wait for Nick. Nick showed up a half hour late, and I was just about to leave when he showed up. While I was waiting two guys sat down next to me and started talking to me. At first they were nice, but then they were calling me "bella" and asking me if I wanted to get coffee or was my boyfriend (I told them Nick was my boyfriend so they'd stop asking me to leave with them) the jealous type, and they just wouldn't leave me alone. I kept calling and texting Nick but he didn't answer. Grr.

    FINALLY he showed up and we got a 10:40 am bus to Fiesole. We explored the town and parts of the outskirts. It had very beautiful views; the whole time I wished I had brought my zoom lens. We spent most of the time walking uphill. Urban hiking! Nick got us lost four times. Finally, I lead the way and found an info center and a map. We stopped for lunch in the center at a touristy place, but the fettuccine with pomodorini e basilica dish I got was really good. It's really hard to get bad food in Italy; I've only managed to one time. We also talked to two girls next to us; one was visiting Firenze, and the other taught English abroad (which is exactly what I want to do!). They were really nice, and we stuck around an extra twenty minutes talking to them.

     After more urban hiking, we found a secret trail that clearly no one had walked on for awhile, if at all. I was scared of ticks and bugs, but it was very beautiful, so we kept walking. It was definitely worth it. The end of the trail led up to a random side street and a driveway. After that, we took the bus home (around 4ish). I skyped my mom for an hour. I miss her lots! I spent most of the rest of the day just relaxing and planning trips I might want to go on while I'm here. This weekend was definitely needed.