Failed Rest Day

After a few very big days, with even bigger ones still to come, I decided I needed a well-earned day off. Or so I intended.
I spent most of the morning in bed, taking it easy and enjoying the chance to do absolutely nothing. Eventually, though, I started feeling as though I needed to do something productive to justify the time and money I’d spent getting all the way to Florence. So, I made my way to the Central Market. Outside, it was mostly clothes, leather, and jewellery for sale—none of which I was particularly interested in. A lot of the stalls seemed to be selling the same things anyway, which only furthered my disinterest. Inside, however, things became much more interesting. This was the food section of the market, and it was here that I began the difficult process of deciding what I wanted for lunch. There were so many options, and I am incredibly indecisive at the best of times. My stomach had also shrunk a little after several days of travelling, barely eating, and constantly being on the move, but I was determined to get a decent feed into me.

Eventually, I sat down at a quiet stall run by a lovely old couple. They explained that the most traditional Florentine dish they offered was something called lampredotto. It was actually pretty tasty, with a surprisingly interesting texture. It was only later that I discovered what I had actually eaten. The lining of a cow’s stomach. Still, I suppose that’s one way to experience the culture of Florence. After lunch, I was pretty much ready to wind down and have an early night. Then a guy I had met a couple of days earlier from France messaged me on WhatsApp asking if I wanted to go for a drink. Given that I didn’t have many friends in Florence and hadn’t had many opportunities to meet people, I jumped at the offer. He was also travelling solo. We had met when he randomly stopped me in the piazza outside the Uffizi Gallery and introduced himself. At the time, I was convinced he was trying to rob me or scam me somehow, so I was slightly surprised when he messaged me a couple of days later and it all seemed completely legitimate. It ended up being a much bigger night than I had anticipated for what was supposed to be a rest day. We started in Santo Spirito, where we grabbed a few drinks and got talking. He turned out to be a very interesting guy. He was riding his bike from France to Croatia as a “holiday”, stopping in major cities along the way. Because he camped wherever he could, he didn’t meet many people except by randomly approaching other backpackers in the streets. He would simply set up camp whenever he got tired and was lucky if someone let him pitch his tent in their front yard. Otherwise, he’d find whatever spot he could. Something that would be outrageous, if not practically impossible, in Australia. After a few drinks, we decided it was probably time to try and make some more friends. This is where Italian nightlife became slightly more treacherous. Half anxious and unsure how we were actually going to meet people, we wandered into the main piazza and were immediately swamped by a group of girls trying to talk to us. My mate and I were shocked. It seemed far too good to be true. Then we discovered they were still in high school and, at most, 17 years old. Apparently, Italy’s 18-year drinking age is more of a recommendation. We exchanged a quick look and decided it was definitely time for a “drink” so we could escape the situation. We left and grabbed another drink, eventually finding somewhere to sit well away from the children. It didn’t take long before another group approached us. This time, they were some nice-looking English people asking if we knew where a nightclub was. As foreigners ourselves, we obviously had absolutely no idea. They eventually invited us to join them, and we figured, why not? About 40 minutes of drunkenly wandering through the streets of Florence later, we found ourselves at a very fancy nightclub seemingly in the middle of nowhere. It was expensive, but it was also my first real taste of Italian nightlife, so I couldn’t be stingy and just let myself have some fun.

We had an incredible view over Florence, the music was good, and the English group turned out to be great fun. Eventually, around 3am, we decided it was time to call it a night. We headed back to their accommodation, where they invited me to stay. Given the opportunity to sleep in a comfortable bed, with air-conditioning, after several nights of hostels and exhausting days of walking, I didn’t need much convincing. I jumped at it.

So much for the rest day.Read more