Today was jammed pack with first's and I loved every minute. We spent the morning in Verona, Italy - such a pretty place. We ate breakfast on the square, in front of a Roman arena. It is opera season in Verona right now, so an opera is put on almost every night. We were disappointed to not be spending another night and seeing a show ourselves. We caught the 1 pm train to Venice and were there by 2. We left our luggage with the luggage-storage men in the Venice train station and then headed out into a city I had very low expectations for. I was completely surprised by how much I enjoyed Venice - it's hot, that's for sure, but it's absolutely beautiful! I loved it! We rode a water taxi to a large square on the opposite side of the island from the train station and then began winding our way through the narrow streets. Besides all the people walking around and the gondola men, striped shirts and all, singing, the city was so quiet. I realized it was because there are absolutely no cars - it's crazy how quiet it can be without cars. We had our first real Italian gelato of the adventure and were very pleased - Leah went with caramel and melone, I went with melone and cookies. We walked around markets all day - snapping photos left and right. With our 2.50 euro map, Leah navigated our way through the tiny roads back to the train station, where we caught a train to Florence. We're in Florence now and very happy with the hostel we're staying in. It's just a few blocks away from the Duomo. Can't wait to get out into the city tomorrow!