i'm back!

Ok, after a week out of the country, I'M BACK IN FLORENCE!

So...summary:

DUBLIN, IRELAND
-love the accent, love the humor, love the friendliness (though it's also a little unnerving), love that there's huge trees with vines running up them in the park we visited and that there's football/tennis courts everywhere.
-listened to Irish music in a packed pub. i think i was the only person with a 7-up and not a Guinness.
-saw where Jonathan Swift was buried in Saint Patrick's Cathedral. (i am a very enthusiastic fan of his satire "a Modest Proposal" about dealing with the widespread famine in Ireland in the 1700s).
-was refreshed by the lack of things to do.
-would be quite happy living there i think if it weren't for that pesky and constant rain during the year (thankfully, except for a couple quick bouts of hail, it was all sunshine and wind for us this trip).
-i got lost for the afternoon.

PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC
-gothic style is everywhere there and is the Russian influence. wow.
-the prices are BEAUTIFUL. reasonable prices in fancy shops and adorable market streets.
-down side: with its own currency, the Republic of Czech stole a good portion of my money and then i felt like i had to use up the remainder just so that i didn't get out-and-out robbed again.
-watching a new korean tv show with Missy.
-Charles Bridge--cool.
-fried cheese burgers--thank you, Missy for all the new foods you introduced me to! this was definitely my favorite though. :)
-i got lost for a couple hours in the afternoon.

COMING BACK
-left Missy and Prague at 9 a.m.:
two flights
+ nine-hour layover
+ hour bus ride
=I'm back in Florence central at 2:45 a.m.

Make it back to my room by 4 a.m. I still have not slept. Breakfast is only in a 1/2 hour...(at 8 a.m.)

And that's all folks! I took a surprisingly few amount of pictures. Hopefully I'll post something soon....