Florence

This is one of my favorite stories!

When I was a senior in high school I went to Italy. We traveled from Florence to Assisi to Venice to Rome. It is truly one of the most beautiful countries I have ever traveled. The rolling Tuscan hills, the canals of Venice, the art, the people--the food!

I'm not sure if any of you have ever been to Florence, but I have to say they have one of the most confusing street layouts of any city on the planet. I've been to Florence twice in my life and both times I have gotten lost. This is the story of the first time I was lost.

A dear friend and I were exhausted from traveling. The jet-lag, the constant walking tours...we were worn out. So here we are in this market place in Florence with tired legs and sleepy heads. We told our chaperon that we were going back to the hotel to take a nap.

"Do you know your way back?" she said.
"Yes."

We walked around the striped Duomo; a left here, a right there... where are we?
"No, no, it was back this way... are you sure...no..."

Some how we ended up on a street next to the river. There were bridges in two directions and neither one of them looked at all familiar. We walked into a store and asked the clerk where we were. She didn't speak English; therefore we received a business card with a tiny map on the back. It was not helpful.

We walked back down the side walk and came upon at least 10 cabs. We ran to the first one, "Hotel Ambasciatori."
The cab driver didn't even look up. He was reclined in the front seat. "It's too far."
Too far...where were we...

My friend and I are both type 1 diabetics. After all the walking and the travel exhaustion our blood sugars were dropping. I had some crackers in my bag. I rationed them between us. I think this was the point I thought, This really could be getting dangerous.

We picked ourselves up off of the pavement and began walking again. As we walked the winding streets I started to notice more of the city. The architecture was beautiful. The people were beautiful. The way the sun shone on the side of one building and then cast shadows on the sculptures was so alluring. I knew I was lost in the city, but at some point I got lost in the adventure.

We wandered back to a spot outside of a pizza place we had eaten at a few nights before. For an instant we were so excited that we actually recognized something. Then we remembered...we still had no idea where we were. Behind us was a park. We turned and saw an older Italian couple walk hand in hand toward us. The sunlight trickled through the tree leaves spilling on to the pair. We asked them if they spoke English to which they gave us and sad shake of the head.

Finally we plopped down on the curb. We really may never get back, I thought. With our heads resting in our hands we repeated, to anyone passing by, "Does anyone speak English...English...does anyone speak English."

A large group of people walked by and this guy popped his head out of the crowd. "English. Yes, yes. Our guide!"

We jumped up and this guy ushered us to back of what was apparently another tour group. His tour guide understood everything we were saying and promptly told us that the landmark we were looking for was right around the corner. Yes...right around the corner.

We thanked her and took off running. We were laughing and running. I'm not sure if it was the revelation that we were saved from passing out in the streets of a foreign country, or that we were no longer lost, or if it was the deliriousness of travel exhaustion matched with an afternoon trek through Florence; but we were beside ourselves. We laughed, literally all the way home.

We got back to our room, opened the door and found the other members of our party staring at us with the where have you been look on their faces.

No- we did not get a nap that day. Who would want to remember a nap? I would have nothing to write about if I had gotten my way that day. I am so grateful that I did not get my way that I am almost laughing at the thought of it now.

I got a story--an adventure! I'm so grateful that often God does not give us what we are after. It would be boring. A nap--boring. Getting lost in one of the most beautiful cities in the entire world with a your diabetic friend--a total adventure!