"Up all night at where else... McDonalds " a Florence Travel Page by tuoedisni1

Staring at the Statue of David in the center of town, I couldn't help but giggle out loud. It's so sureal that there's a statue of a naked man in the middle of the town square. But after a few times past the statue, I not only learned to ignore the nakedness, but to appreciate the art.

One of the things I love about traveling are the unexpected bumps in planning. Sometimes they lead to great new experiences. Or they can lead to lock outs that keep you up all night at the local McDonalds.

On our last night in Florence we all went out for a drink. As our friend wanted to retire early, we gave her the keys to the hostel assuming we could ring her to let us in. Wrong assumption. A few hours later, not only were we locked out, but the night manager wouldn't let us in. Nor would he let us talk to our friend. So we wandered the streets of Florence wondering what to do.

We walked aimlessly until we found the only place that was open - a McDonalds. The people watching kept us amused for hours, but after a while we realized we had to find a room.

After a few tries we found a hostel. We didn't know it at the time, but it was the Italian Hotel California. Somehow we were able to walk in, but there was no receptionist. So we went to leave, but found the exit cage required a key. So we snoozed trapped in the stairwell. If it hadn't been for the tourist returning from a very late night out, we may have never escaped!

Eventually we found a place to crash for a few hours. We were exhausted the next day - of course the day we had to drive through Tuscany to Rome. But it's an adventure to laugh about today.

I wish we could have stayed a bit longer in Florence, but my traveling companions were eager to see Rome. If I ever return, I will be sure to visit all the museums again and return to the views of the city from the Piazzale Michelangelo.