1/18/09

Yesterday both of my roommates slept in and woke up really late. I was very excited to go sightseeing that day, but because my roommates woke up that late, we didn't get to do as much as I hoped. Kathleeni and I decided to go get some groceries before our sightseeing adventure. It turned out that the grocery and all the other stores were closed for a three hr lunch break. So then we took a 45 min walk through town to get to the Duomo, the very beautiful cathedral. It is right in the center of town and you could see it from practically anywhere because it is so grand. It is so intricate on the outside, but on the inside it is dark, spacious, and very intimidating. It was beautifully designed by Brunelleschi in the thirteenth century. The dome on the very top had a huge fresco of Judgement Day. Jesus was sitting in a throne on top with all the good people in heaven and the rest of the people were either being thrown into fire or tortured by really scary wild animals/monsters. That kind of image would definitely get people to come to Church back then! The foreshortening on the very top of the dome was incredible! Kathleen and I climbed all the way to the top of the dome (about 500 winding steps). The view from the top was breathtaking. We were able to see the entire city and the mountains in the back. We also walked around the dome from the inside and were able to take a closer look at the fresco.
Then we had to climb all the way back down and by the time we got to the bottom our legs were shaking. All that hard work made us hungry and we decided to go for some real Italian pizza. Then on our walk back to the house we passed by that really drunk kid from the other night.
I think I got a little sick so I had a chill night in the apartment. My room is so cold...I walk around wearing at least 3 layers and 2 blankets wrapped around and I'm still cold.