A Weekend "Home"

Have you ever realized that what may be a simple routine for a local could be something full of mystery for a visitor? When our eyes get used to a place, we start losing the little and most important details; everything turns to be just ‘normal’ and ‘average’. But for a tourist, all is new.

Almost three months of living in Florence has led me to believe that I am now at that stage where I try to not be classified as a tourist in the city. This isn’t working as well as I’d like it to considering I am blonde, and usually carry a camera around my neck. Nonetheless, I am finally starting to feel and understand the difference from living in Florence to just visiting as a tourist. The lost Americans, with their cameras in one hand and maps in the other, are starting to become very obvious to me. It reminds me of how much I must have stuck out like a sore thumb when I first arrived. 

This weekend I found myself sprawled out on the grass for hours enjoying the sunshine. Surprisingly, this has been the first full weekend I have spent in Florence since arriving in Europe. As much as I love jetting off to new places each weekend, there comes a point when you need both a mental and physical break from it all. 

I thought I would regret not taking the opportunity to travel this weekend. However, as my roommates and I spent our weekend at "home", verses playing tourist in other cities, I realized how lucky I was to have had wonderful quality time in this city I have come to love so much.