we made it to florence. today's first log post went something like this-we got up late, missed breakfast, and missed our train. actually we've been relying on brett's cell phone to use as a watch and we still aren't sure what happened with it today, but the time definitely was wrong or messed up on it because we missed the train we had tickets for. it was an easy problem to fix because they have self-service machines where you can simply change the time of your ticket in case that happens. the train ride was beautiful-it was exactly as you would picture the countryside in italy to look like. we saw a lot of hay and fields of sunflowers. we rode first class and i definitely think it is worth the extra cost. they bring you a snack, drink, and the seats are much, much roomier. after arriving in florence we found our hotel, checked in, and went for a walk. we saw the duomo, a famous done here, and stopped to eat. the menu was in all italian-most are in english and italian. so i ordered tripe, which i thought was a certain kind of sandwich. it wasn't....it was some sort of octopus, squid thing. it was the squishiest food i've ever put in my mouth. i couldn't eat it, so brett was a trooper and ate it for me. he said it was good. after that we napped. tomorrow we get to go to the accademia gallery and see the famous statue of david. not sure what else we'll stumble across. we are definitely ready to get to the beautiful countryside. we love and miss you all.