Wherein Gwendolyn forgives Snooki -G

Friday June 3, 2011
3:30 in the afternoon

I wrote a long blog entry last night about the great beauty of this city and how in love with it I am. Firenze is undeniably one of the most magnificent places in the world. The post was philosophical, humanistic and the complete opposite of the ones Mario writes. ;) ...Mine had very little humor and very long wordy run on sentences about the meaning of life- with no big words whatsoever (i always defer to mario for those). In it, everyone was beautiful, every sound moving, every sight overwhelming! Then, i was out. I fell asleep half way through my writing and Mario had to sneak the iPad back from underneath my heavy head to play his Vegas Tower game.

Today, after breakfast we entered into the heart of Florence for our last day. It has been 6 days and it feels like a lifetime wouldn't nearly be enough to cover all of the experiences of Tuscany. We entered with all of the love and gratitude in the world - for the people, for the art, for the food, for the limoncello! We turned the corner for one last glance of the grand Catthedral in the morning light. I couldn't resist. I stopped by a lamppost to get my camera out, held it high at just the right angle- ...and got run over by Snooki. It wasn't enough that we had the fortune of bumping in to the male cast members of The Jersey Shore a few days before. This time, it was not a gentle glance from afar. I literally got run over by Snooki. The camera man trampled me first and then all I could see when my senses returned were giant fuzzy mohair boots, an over adorned python print dress and a big fluff of hair. They all brushed by me at shoulder level, and Im only 5 foot 3. ;) It wasn't a pleasant brush, nor a brush with greatness, but I'm in Firenze- here the greatness is in the air! I straightened myself up, removed a few strands of the long hair Pomeranian fur from my sleeve and returned to the beauty that lay before me. Ancient sculpures, cathedrals, exquisite boutiques, the fragrance of jasmine at every turn. To Snooki and some of my other favorite American tourists from today...it is generally phrased as either "permesso" or "excuse me". Pick one or both, and remember to fall in love with Firenze while you are here. There is a gift around every corner. This is one of the most exquisite places on earth.

And thank you Firenze for welcoming all of us with open arms. We all have much to learn from you.
______
Snooki & her boots