Arrivederci, Italia!

Wednesday night we all went to this family style resturant with a HUGE group of people that went on our Amalfi trip to a resturant called Gatto y el Volpe (cat and the wolf?). They served 3 trays of antipastas and 3 different pastas...oh and don't forget the unlimited wine. We then took our friends to THE BEST gelato by our house and tried to make a night out of it but the city seemed kinda dead.

Thursday: We had class in the morning to say goodbye to our AMAZING Italian teacher, Matilde. She took us to coffee and then let us out early. Christa and I took this as a sign to go shopping and grab lunch before our housing walk-through. After the walk through we went back out to shop and got caught in a huge storm but bought some sweet ponchos from a gypse and made the best of it. We headed back to our apt to get ready for farewell dinner and then headed out as a group. The dinner was right below Piazza Michelangelo, but since it was raining we couldnt go up to see the view of the city. Dinner, however, was quite the ordeal. It lasted 5.5 hours! 2-3 antipastas, 3 pastas, 2 meat dishes, and dessert! It was obviously good but not the best. Afterwards I crashed.

Friday morning, I ran a few errands , finished packing, and headed off to Viareggio (an Italian beach about an 1.5 hrs outside of Florence). I met up with 3 of my friends from the FSU/Colgate program and laid out for the rest of the day. We got a great dinner with more fresh pasta and a wonderful house wine, then headed back to enjoy sitting on the beach at night.

Saturday our friend, Jeff, came and met up with us. We all laid out, swam in the ocean (since you have to have swimming caps to swim in any of the pools), grabbed lunch, magnums (really good ice cream bars), back to the beach, caught a train back to florence, packed, got ready for dinner...then came the walk to dinner. About 45 minutes from my apartment to the restaurant, passing the Duomo, Piazza del Republica, Piazza Signori..thats when leaving sets in. It was just before sunset so all the buildings had a mystical redish light glow. I took in the last moments of being in the city and then finally arrived at the restaurant to meet 4 friends from FSu program. They convinced me I had to order the bistecca alla floretina (since i'd yet to have it) and caprese salad...and red wine. It was the perfect meal. After saying goodbye, I made one of the guys walk me home and stop at my favorite gelateria with me. It was a great fair-well :)

Now im sitting in O'hare, already in reverse culture shock and wanting to be back in Florence. Nothing will ever replace that trip!

"A day in the Life"

Last night we went out for one last dinner with the lacrosse girls. I had heard about this resturant- il Latini - that was supposed to be great so I made reservations for 9:15. We get there and they seat us immediately at the cutest table by a window. They open a complementary "fiasco" of wine (1.5 liters) and bring 2 bottles of water. Then they start rattling off all of these choices and just say "we'll bring it all to share." Those are the best words to hear in Italy, I promise. The dinner included: house red wine, 3 pastas, a meat tray for 6 people including rosemary pork, roasted basil chicken, t-bone steak, and ribs, white tuscan beans in pomodoro sauce, spinach, and rosemary potatoes. Then they brought us out 6 glasses of complementary dessert wine and lemoncello shots. It was an amazing meal and so much fun. Then we headed out to meet our other friends at a bar. After 30 minutes at one bar, we headed over to Be Bop which is a really small cool bar here.

It has a Beatles cover band that all dress and sound (sa much as they can) like the Beatles. Thus, we spent the night singing, screaming, and dancing to the Beatles, which culminated in us getting on stage to sing "hey jude" with the band. It was a great night! We came back after that so we could sleep a little then wake up to study for our final. We had free pizza before our last final today which was nice and the test wasnt too bad at all. I came back and started packing (so weird) and now i'm about to take a nap!

When in Rome...

A week to recap:

Wednesday night – more drama than I’ve had since 5th grade, but luckily we were able to meet up with our new friends from the FSU/Colgate/Lafayette program to redeem some part of the night.


(Hanging out with Kendall on the Bar Crawl)
Thursday – The lacrosse girls from Vandy came in that night so I planned a dinner and found a pub crawl to introduce them to Florence with. We went to this amazing restaurant that is famous for its handmade ravioli with pear and asparagus! It was great. They gave us complimentary champagne when we sat down. It was so great to be around great friends and have a wonderful meal. We had so much fun catching up, swapping Italy stories, and laughing at old memories. Then we headed to the Duomo to start the bar crawl. We meet up with other Vandy kids as well as our FSU program friends. After 3 bars, the group was very split up so we called it a night.

Friday – We had a 5 hour art history class to see the David, the Pitti Palace, and the rest of the Bargello museum. It was interesting but we were so tired that it was definitely a struggle to get through. Afterwards I took a very long nap before meeting up with the lax girls again. It was Ally’s birthday, so we went to a really nice restaurant with famous blueberry steaks and pastas to celebrate. I was still exhausted and I was leaving for Rome in the morning so I decided to call it a night after our late late dinner.



Saturday morning I woke up, finished throwing things in a medium sized Long Champ and headed to Rome by myself. The plan was to spend the day alone in Rome doing all the things I wanted to do, then meet up with my friends from the FSU program (please keep in mind, I meet these people on my birthday) to stay with them from the night and see the Vatican with them the next day. I finished reading the Italy section of Eat, Pray, Love on the train which made me super excited for Rome. I arrived in Rome at 11:30am with only a Long Champ and a wonderful map (courtesy of Mrs. Putrino). I went straight to the coliseum and was wandering around to see everything when I ran into the FSU group. I said hi then decided to go find the Roman Forum. I stopped by a cool litte church on my way then found the forum. I went inside and looked around at everyting, took a million pictures, and then of course ran into their group again (while they were getting lectured by their teacher). I dipped out of the forum after about an hour of trying to walk through ruins in Jack Rogers (not an easy task, I must say), and headed to the metro station. Some how we’re I exited the forum was right next tot eh Capital, so I stopped by there for a moment before going to the metro! I went to a station close to the Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterno (where the Pope says mass on holidays) and stopped for a great and cheap lunch. The lady who served me was a middleaged woman who insisted on trying to make conversation despite the fact we didn’t speak each others language. Luckiy I know how to say I’m studying in Florence and meeting up with friends tonight in Rome in Italian so she didn’t think I was a complete loner haha. I wandered to the Basilica and was completely in love with its beauty. By some random chance, the church was nearly empty. There were a few devote women praying in side chapels and maybe 5 tourist looking around, so it was a very peaceful visit. And it was cool inside so I was able to sit and rest for a bit. After seeing the church I took a metro to the Spanish Steps. They were cool but a bit overrated…and very crowded. From there, I meandered to the Trevi Fountain and people watched while sitting by the fountain for a while. I then headed to the Pantheon (the church of all gods). Once again I ran into the entire Florida State group and talked to them for a bit. I looked around the church then decided to wander Rome a bit without a specific direction. I found two beautiful churches (one was Marcello’s which had the Seven Sorrows of Madonna painting in it) and then found the Piazza Venezia which I’m in LOVE with! I then headed to the train station to meet up with my friends and find the hostel we were staying at…here begins the real adventure.

--Disclaimer: The following are all real events, nothing has been changed or exaggerated –

I got a call from one of my friends telling me that there had been a mix up with the hostel and we didn’t have a room but to come find them on a street by the train station. I found the street which was sketchy and deserted. They came out to find me and told me we had another hostel room now. We went to that hostel which was on the other side of the train station. At first glance, it seemed to be in a much better area. The owner, Monty, met us at the corner. He showed us our rooms (I was with Diana in a private double with a bathroom, while everyone else was split in communal rooms). The accommodations seemed fine, nothing too nice but not terrible. He showed us a place where we could leave our bags in the morning, which was a laundry mat with no room to lock them in and owned by his brother. We asked him for dinner recommendations and he told us to meet him downstairs at 9 for dinner. After showering and settling in we went to meet him. He had counted our money twice in front of us, but then told us when we meet him for dinner that we were 20 Euro short. We argued and told him he had counted it in front of us and finally he let it go. He showed us a restaurant that seemed a little strange and they showed us to our table. The table was downstairs in a cellar that seemed like a well. The walls were damp and it we were the only people in the room. Our waiter was overly eccentric and told us he was Monty’s brother…not a good sign. He also told us he was a singer, actor, and dancer and a judge for Bangladesh’s version of American Idol. He did some dance moves, sang to us, insisted on showing us youtube videos that were clearly not him but he said they were. The food was terrible. He kept delaying our check so we were convinced we were getting robbed while we were at dinner. We got out of there as quickly as possible and went back to check on our things. Everything was there luckily, but we decided that we would carry all of our valuable from then on. We were sitting in one of the other girls rooms when the Aussies in their room told us that Monty had told them he used to be a pimp for ten years and that is why he knows 8 languages…CREEPYY. We had some wine then decided to go out since anywhere was probably better than the hostel. We went towards the colesuim and found a really hoppin’ gay bar. It was fun but we were ready to see other things. Some of the boys on the trip had some problems so we checked on them to make sure they were all okay.

Then I went to the Trevi fountain at night with one of my friends because I didn’t throw coins in the first time I went (and my dad insists its beautiful at night). I threw in two coins (1 to return, 2 to fall in love in rome, 3 to get married in rome, 4 to get divorced in rome). Then I sat by the fountain and enjoyed its beauty. It was not as crowded as it was in the day time and so much pretty lit up at night. My friend knew what all the statues stood for, so it was nice to have a private guide! We went back to the hostel to get some sleep before the Vatican.


(On top of St.Peter’s with Jeff and Kara)

Sunday: We woke up super early and quickly got ready. We went to the train station to store our bags (since the laundry mat did NOT seem reliable) and then took the metro to Vatican City. We waited in line for the Vatican Museum and the Sistine chapel, both of which were beyond stunning. I have never been in such amazement of art and architecture in my life. The Last Judgment and the school of Athens paintings were so amazing to see in real life. It was great (minus the men that shush people and yell). Then we went to St.Peter’s Square to see the Pope’s blessing on all the screens since he was in Spain. We went to St.Peter’s Basilica and climbed to the top of the copula. It was by far one of the best experiences of Rome. We got to go inside the copula (the dome of the church) and see the ceiling and mosaics up close. Then we went to 2 different levels on the outside that overlook all of Rome and the Papal Gardens. It was so beautiful. Afterwards we grabbed a quick lunch and jumped on a train back to Florence. Within ten minutes of getting on the train, we were all passed out on top of each other. Luckily I set an alarm so we woke up right before the Florence stop! I came back showered and passed out for 11 hours.

Monday: Class, shopping, studying for a final, then dinner with the lax girls.

Today (Tuesday): Took our Italian final and oral, went to the outlets, now I’m resting and “studying” before our final dinner with Kendall, Hannah, Ally, and Court (the lax girls). Tomorrow is our last final. Can’t believe the end is so soon!

:)

WORST CLASS OF MY LIFE IS OFFICIALLY OVER!!! final is done!

BEST FRIENDS COME TOMORROW :) cant wait to see kendall, hannah, ali, and court!

Other updates - class in the Uffizzi, saw a hidden garden that princess diana used to go to in Florence, made chicken picatta last night!

Venice and Verona...and a stop in Bologna

Friday morning, I woke up early and headed for the train station. On the way there I passed my favorite granita place where the owner was just opening up for the day. Since Christa and I have become regulars, with the same order each time, the man knows us. He came out to say hello and had a quick broke English-Italian conversation before I headed on my way. It was a great way to start the morning, feeling like I has an Italian friend and wasn’t just an average tourist! I arrived in Venice with 3 other girls to be greeted by a phone call from Giuseppe. He called to let us know that there had been a mix up in the reservation but not to worry because he had arranged for us to stay in a hotel right next to the hostel for the same price. He assured me that he would “send message to my phone of address” before saying “ciao ciao!” He sent the sweetest text with directions and an address, along with wishing us a great stay in Venice. We arrived at our hotels after figuring out the ferry system and realized the mix up had been a blessing. The hotel was very nice and had AIR CONDITIONING, which believe me is all you want in Venice. It was moto caldo (very hot) every minute of the day and night in Venice but so beautiful that it almost didn’t matter. After dropping off our bags, washing our faces, and putting on sunscreen we headed straight to St. Mark’s Square (about 3 minutes from our hotel). We took turns of 2 people standing in line and 2 people looking around until we got into the church. The church was utterly amazing. Everything was covered in gold leaf. We took some time to wander though the church and take in its beauty. We went back into the square and took pictures by the gondolas and then decided we HAD TO ride one! We bargained with the gondola man and reduced the price 50 Euro (Kathie, I learned from you!). It was perfect! Our gondola man answered all of our questions about the floods, the lifestyle, the tourists…everything. We went through back canals, into neighborhoods, back to the Grand Canal, through more populated areas, everything! We were all on a high from the experience so we decided to wander around Venice and just go over all the bridges we could find. Our gondola man told us about an area where there were no tourist and that had shade to walk around, which ended up being really cool. It was the only part of Venice that we saw that was 100% Italian – no tourist, no street vendors, just everyday Italians walking their dogs and getting groceries! We then went to the Guggenheim Museum by ferry. I decided I want Peggy Guggenheim’s life from her 30s on. She decided one day to move to Venice, by a beautiful house on the Grand Canal, collect tons of famous art (Picasso, Dali, Kandinsky, Pollack..), and open her house up to guest and friends. Now it’s an amazing museum right on the water. We wandered through it and imagine her life, while hearing my friend Sarah (who is an Art History major and just took a course on modern art) guide us though each painting. We headed back to the hotel to shower and change for dinner. We found a great restaurant with a view of the canal that wasn’t too expensive. I had a great meal of crab spaghetti!! Then we walked though St. Mark’s square where there was a concert and hung out for a bit. Once we got annoyed with the crowds we moved on to find Harry’s Bar (where the Bellini originated) then got gelato and along a side canal! (Side note: the gelateria has smurf gelato – who knew!) The next morning we went shopping for Murano glass and looked at all the amazing masks in every window. I decided that I’m going back for Carnival before I die!


Sarah and I headed to Verona that afternoon! We meet up with our friends Maddy and Christa who had gotten in earlier that day. We went to our B&B then began wandering the streets of Verona. We went to the Juliet sector, where the wall of all the letters to Juliet are. We saw the balcony modeled after the play, as well as the statue of Juliet. We all rubbed the breasts of Juliet for good luck in love and then crafted a group letter to Juliet to put on the wall. We continued walking around the city into the main piazzas, churches, and sites before heading back to great ready for the night! We took a little rest and showered then headed out to dinner! We went to dinner and had one of those meals that you don’t want to end just because you are enjoying the conversation so much. After dinner we got a bottle of wine to share a we wandered the streets before the opera started. At 9 we headed to the Arena to find our seats for Madame Butterfly by Puccini! The arena is a roman amphitheater that seats thousands and is in the open air! It was beautiful. Although we didn’t quite understand the whole story line, we caught the main idea and enjoyed the beautiful language of Italian. Luckily, the rain held off until the middle of the night when we were sleeping. The next morning we woke up to much cooler weather and went to the medieval castle and bridge. After enjoying how beautiful everything in Verona was we went to the train station. On the way there, we all decided we were craving pasta Bolognese, and where better to find it then in Bologna. Hence, we decided that we would stop in Bologna for lunch on the way back and have the best tagliatelle alla Bolognese ever! We went to the oldest trattoria in Bologna which was a ten minute walk from the train station. The family that owned it was adorable and laughed at us/ with us when we took pictures eating the pasta! We were the only non-italians in the area so we definitely got some stares but the food was unbelievable! I don’t know how I’ll ever eat ragu sauce again! After an amazing lunch, we headed back to Florence! Now I’m back and getting all the little things done (like laundry, homework, unpacking..).

A wonderful week!

Monday night a girl from Vandy that is living in Germany was in town, so we went to a restaurant we had all been dying to go to called ZaZa's. It was soo great! The service was excellent - we had a very personable waitress named Christina and they were so quick serving everything! I had the best risotto I’ve had in Italy with mushrooms in it! After dinner we went to a very relaxed bar called Moyo to meet up with some of our friends from the Amalfi trip. We meet up with the rest of our Vandy crew at another club and had a huge girls dance party, which seems to be a common theme on the trip! We turned in early to save some energy for the rest of the week!

On Tuesday after class we went to a great salad place where you can make your own salad with 8 things and then went to the train station to get tickets for Venice this weekend! Afterwards I decided to walk around the park and fort that are by my apartment and enjoy the afternoon outside. It was nice to just wander around and see tons of locals playing with their kids in the park! For dinner, our Italian housemate taught us how to make her mom's recipe of cous cous with fresh peppers, chick peas, and zucchini! It was soo good!

Wednesday for art class, we went to San Marco and saw amazing frescos by Fra Beato Angelico including his Annunciation fresco. We also saw many statues by Donatello! After class we strolled around the streets and finally made our way back to our apartment (after stopping for a midday gelato, that is). We meet up with a good number of people from the FSU/Colgate/Lafayette group for aperativo at Christa and I’s regular place. They loved it! We went to their apartment to have some wine and meet up with the rest of their group. They live right on the Arno next to the American Consulate – definitely a nice location. But better than that, they have AIR CONDITIONING and ICE CUBES! The apartment houses 15 students and has 5 bedrooms, 2 kitchens, a living room and a extra closet room. After hanging out there and having our own little karaoke dance party, we went to the bar to be at on Wednesday nights, Central Park. It’s outdoors by really cool and chic. We had a great time dancing the night away!
Today was much more relaxed. We had a very easy Italian quiz then spent the day resting. Christa and I went to a wonderful dinner at Acqua al 2 and shared a Gorgonzola pasta and blueberry steak! It was WONDERFUL! I just finished packing and am about to go to bed so I’ll be rested for my weekend in Venice and Verona!!

One of the best birthday weekends I've ever had!!

I know you're thinking that this title is a little extreme since I've had birthday's in Phuket, SharpTop Cove, St.Pete, Colorado, etc..but honestly this weekend was nearly perfect! Thursday started it off with being sung to in Italian class (in Italian of course) and a surprise gelato cake party from my good friend, Christa! She organized a few girls to come over and sing to me with the BEST cake of my life right before we left for the weekend. It was creme di medici flavor (the specialty flavor of my favorite gelato shop)..its like cookies and cream but much better! The cookie pieces are covered in some sort of chocolate fudge and the cake had a pretty red rose on top!! Then I left to meet the group at the train station for leave for the Amalfi Coast. We got on a bus to start the 7-hour journey. Sounds miserable but it was actually fun! We popped a bottle of champagne at midnight for my birthday and passed it around! Slept a good bit, talked with our awesome tour leader, watched some movies...not too bad! We got into Sorento at 2am and left for Capri at 8am.



We took a ferry to Capri, and stopped in the Blue Grotto on the way. We had to get into a little boat for 4 people to get into the grotto, and our driver serenaded us from my birthday as he showed us around! The water in the grotto was unreal. I've never seen water that bright of a blue before!! We finally arrived on the island of Capri and hiked up to the top to see the amazing views. We went to lemon cello and chocolate tastings and then went to lunch! We got to hang out at the beach a little before heading back to Sorrento! Capri was unreal. It was so beautiful and the water was so clear and blue. I felt like I was living in a postcard or a movie. Apparently Jessica Simpson was there that day too, but we didn’t see her. We had some down time to rest and shower before heading to a group dinner.

I put on a fun birthday dress and we meet the group in the lobby for dinner. It was a good long walk to dinner but it was great because the weather was perfect and we meet some great friends on the walk. We ended up sitting at their table for dinner and had an amazing time. They are from the FSU program and some were from Colgate. I decided to indulged at dinner, since it was my birthday and got a wonderful steak! We all shared wine and the restaurant sang to me and brought me tiramisu for dessert! We had espresso con grappa after dinner as a table...definitely a strong drink. Then our favorite tour guide took the 10 of us to a local bar to hang out. We ran into our friends from Vandy that went on different trips to the amalfi that weekend and had a great time dancing and hanging out! It was a amazing night with great friends!!

We got to sleep in a little the next day, thankfully! Then we headed to Positano to go cliff jumping and lay out on the black sand beaches. We got there and laid out for an hour or two then went on a boat tour where we stopped at these cliffs and secluded beach. I only did the first cliff which was 15 feet high...a few brave souls did the high cliff which was 37 feet high. We got to swim around in the clearest blue water and lay on the warm beach for a while before returning to the center of Positano. We grabbed lunch and hung out until it was time to leave. The entire time I would just look around in amazement of the beauty of the dark majestic cliffs against the bright blue sea and the matching clear blue skies. Another perfect day! We showered and napped a little then had dinner at the hostel and watched the consolation match of the world cup on a projector screen, After we got some wine and went to the rooftop with our new friends and hung out. We headed in early to get some sleep.

This morning, we got up early again to leave for Pompei. It was definitely a cool thing to see. The whole city was much more intact than I would have imagined. It was cool to be somewhere that you remember stories about from your 4th or 5th grade classes! We went through houses, temples, saw bodies that were petrified, saw a brothel, and of course saw Mt. Vesuvius in the distance! Then we headed back to Florence. I passed out for the beginning of the ride then woke up to watch Shawshank Redemption, which is now one of my favorite movies. I, of course, cried a little at the end it was so good! Now we're back and settled into our apartment. Started laundry, showered, made dinner, and anxiously watched the World Cup! I’m soo happy that Spain won, but find it very ironic that I was living in Spain when Italy won four years ago, and I’m not living in Italy when Spain wins! Still have so much love for both countries! VIVA ESPANA!!

Midterm Week

On the 4th of July, I finally got to sleep in! Then Christa and I met up with a few girls for lunch and shopping! We were rockin' our red while and blue all day long too! At night we went to "the American Diner" for dinner. AMAZING! Much needed on the 4th - a cheeseburger with fries and a diet coke with ICE (ice doesnt really exist here)! Then we wandered the streets and stumbled upon multiple street artists and concerts! We found one on the Ponte Vecchio that was so much fun! He started playing "Don't Worry, Be Happy" and an old couple started swing dancing. Within a few moments 30 or more people were dancing in the streets, so naturally we joined in! We decided it probably won't get better than that and headed to a big piazza with a bluegrass band. We listened for a while and then headed to bed. Monday we had class for what felt like forever. Our first class was at a small theater an hour and five minutes from our apartment. After class we lounged and napped, and i tried to take some medicines to help my throat. Yesterday was great though! Our italian teacher decided the classroom was too hot and took us to a fresh market. We learned the names of all the fruits, vegtables, meats, and cheeses for our quiz tomorrow and then bought some fresh pasta. I got raviolli with spinich and ricotta that had just been made for 1.70 Euro! We went home after class because we had to study for a midterm and quiz that we had today. I made the pasta as my study break though and it was wonderful! I just got out of my second midterm and i'm so happy its over. Christa and I are about to go enjoy SALDI (sales - in every store starting today!). And then study for our Italian quiz tomorrow! After 12pm tomorrow it is officially my birthday weekend! I'll be heading to Capri, Sorrento, and Pompei! Ciao!

Lake Como & Catania

After the USA win (long ago, sadly), we went to an aparitivo restaurant that was amazing. it was 8 euro for a buffet of great Italian cuisine and 1 drink. Great deal! We watched the Germany v. Ghana game then went wandering the streets, hung out on the streets of the Duomo, and then ventured home.
The next morning a group of 8 of us left for Lake Como. We stayed in a town called Domaso, which is on the northern end of the lake. It was precious. It's a small town so everyone knew everyone. We stayed at an amazing hostel/apartment place that made us a bowl of Sangria one day. They gave us great dinner recommendations. Our first night we went to dinner on the lake and it was one of the best meals yet. I had mussels in spaghetti, which wasn’t on the menu, but the owner recommended it because they had just caught the mussels. The next day 4 of us went touring around some of the cities including Bellagio and Varenna. In Bellagio we walked though these botanical gardens with a famous villa in it and it was beyond gorgeous. In Varenna we only had time for a luxorious lunch overlooking the lake and a small walk around the city. I defintily want to go back and take a sailboat out on the lake! We went back to our hotel to lay out at the "beach" some and got ready for another great dinner in a garden. We meet some Spanish firefighters later that night to watch the Spain game with then got gelato and headed to bed. We made it back to Florence to relax and rest some.
On Sunday, four of our close guy friends came in town to visit before their program at London School of Economics. We had a great dinner with them at our apartment that night including a abundant amount of gourmet pizza and wine! We watched some world cup games and hung out before sending them back to their hostel. Monday we went to class, but our second class was cancelled so we met up with the boys for lunch then showed them the Ponte Vecchio and sat in the Santa Maria Novela Piazza for the rest of the afternoon. That night our entire group went out to dinner with boys and defintly took on the American loud teenager stereotype. We then wandered Florence and sat on the steps of Santa Croce then headed to a bar and a discoteca with everyone. Tuesday was much more relaxful since we had a midterm on Wednesday. The exam was pretty hard and took over 2 hours. Not fun. But then we left for Catania, a city in Sicily, with the whole group. We arrived late at night so we didnt see much on Wednesday. On Thursday we had a walking tour of the city then had some free time. We didnt have enough time to go to the beach unfortunately, so we tried to find a good place to eat lunch. We asked this lady in attempted Italian where we could go, and she replied in perfect english, then walked us to a great resturant, talked to the owners to get us a great table and help us get started! The lucnh was amazing and clearly the people were so great there! We then had hte WORST class ever. We were in a classroom which is a not fun when you're in a beautiful city for such a short amount of time. We had a great group dinner afterwards to make up for it though! The next day we "hiked" mt. etna, which was more a stroll along the lower parts of the volcano. It was interesting but built up a little too much since we never saw lava. We went to a seafood restuarant for dinner then walked around the city. We saw 5 different brides taking pictures :) And then we stumbled upon a little kids fashion show outside of Coin (a department store). SOO CUTE!! It was ages 2-12! We then FEASTED on desserts, including granitas (famous and amazing in Sicily). Today we made it back to Florence after a 3-hour class on the Mafia (most interesting class yet). An organization that works against the mafia came and talked to us and gave us free shirts! Now im back in my apartment and I'm about to go to bed so I can celebrate 4th of July tomorrow!!

U-S-A! U-S-A!

I'm on a highhh from the game!! SO pumped! Last night our housemate Chiara made us an amazing dinner with cous cous and vegtables, as well as meatballs from her mom's recipe. It was soo wonderful. Classes are done for the week in honor of St. John's feast day so we're off to Lake Como tomorrow! Now we're getting ready for the night while celebrating the big win with my new favorite pinot grigio! Updates after the weekend!!

fiesole & siena

On Friday I went with my friend, Christa, to the duomo area for coffee, where we met up with two other friends. The four of us then mastered the bus system and went to Fiesole. It is a small town that overlooks all of Florence. It is also where all of the Medici villas are (the famous political and wealthy famiy of Florence). It was absolutely gorgeous. We explored the top of the hill, where you can see the best view of the city and where the church is. Then we wandered around the town, found an old tuscan tomb, and hung out. We ventured back to Florence to meet up with more friends for lunch at one of our favorite places: il Frattelinni. Its a hole-in-the-wall place with THE BEST sandwiches i've ever had for 3 euro and a glass of wine for 1 euro. PERFECT! We went into a few stores before making our way to a pub to watch the end of the Germany game and get good seats for the USA game! We watched the game with a good size group at a great pub called "the old stove".

On Saturday we were supposed to go on a wine tour of tuscany by bike. However, it was pouring rain when we got to the top of the mountain/hill. They gave us a short tour of the castle, let us try wine and olive oil, then brought us back down to Florence. We were able to reschedule for free. Christa and I wandered in the rain a little before we decided it was a great time to have a nice lunch at her favorite resturant. We shared a pear and walnut salad and homemade fresh pasta! We shopped around a little then went back to our apartment. For dinner we went to a famous hole in the wall pizzaria (pizza spera, it was on jay leno). Eight of our friends came over and had a little dinner party with us!

Sunday I went to Siena with three other girls. It was raining a bit so we bought colorful ponchos and umbrellas and found a warm pub for lunch. We tried Irish coffee to warm us up. Then we met up with one of our friend from Vandy that is studying there this summer! She took us on a short walking tour of the city, which is beautiful. We saw St. Catherine of Siena's Sanctuary which houses her relic, and a beautiful chapel and garden. We went to the campo (main piazza) and then the Duomo. It is BY FAR the most beautiful church i've ever seen. I could have stayed there forever. We headed back to Florence to cheer on italy against new zealand.

Today our first class was cancelled so i went for a run aorund our neighborhood and a local park. Then we went to our art history class. It was very interesting - we looked at the original statues that used to be on the outside of the Or San Michael. We also learned about the founding hospital and grabbed coffee with our class. We went to the grocery store, made dinner, and then i attempted to do laundry. I was handwashing some clothes and hanging them to dry (there are no dryers in Italy), and i apparently did not wring my clothes out enough. A man started yelling at me in Italian and then told me in english "miss, need to wring more." full with hand motions. Please note that below the back of our apartment is a concrete parking lot. We all started dying laughing as I re-wrung my clothes. Also note that the last 2 days it has been raining constantly, so the pavement hasnt been dry anyway. Great moment. Now i'm attempting to focus and do some homework! Ciao!!

Quick Updates

-Last Tuesday we had a pizza making class at a local pizza restaurant. AMAZZZINNNGGG. I ate the entire pizza i created (thankfully it wasn’t as big as a normal delivery in the US). Fresh basil, fresh mozzarella, mushrooms, etc...so good!!

- Today we got stuck in a torrential downpour, including large pieces of hail, while walking home from Italian class. Later in the day we climbed to the top of the belltower to see all of Florence. Then we went for aparitvos (happy hour/ tapas type of thing) at a really modern hip place.

- Classes have been great! Yesterday our culture class was a 3-hour class on the fashion industry in Italy. A woman who has been involved in finding trends and buying for the entire company of Saks, Target, Harrods, Bloomingdales, and one other place came and talked to us too! Then our art history class was about the doors of the Baptistry and the Duomo. SO interesting! And we ran into Kelly Rip & family then later Santo Versace. Very cool! Italian class has been really fun and HELPFUL! The teachers here are amazing, as are all the program directors.

- Our Italian housemate, Chiara, is the nicest and most sincere person. She’s wonderful and fashionable. I love love her.

More to come on life and such!
Ciao!!

Adventures

On Friday, the Hirsch family was in town (our family friends), and took me out to dinner at a wonderful restaurant. It was so great to be with family friends and people from home. THe conversation was so light-hearted and fun (which is obvious is you know their family). Afterwards, Zack and Dakota came out with me and the other girls from the program. We had some wine and caught up while we waited for the night to begin. We went to a american bar in the Santa Croce area of florence which would have been sketchy if we didnt know the guys we were with. We ended up running into a kid from Vandy there which was so much fun! We were all having so much fun that we lost track of time and ended up getting home around 5am. oooppss.

On Saturday, Christa and I struggled to get out of bed and rushed to the train station to make it to our train to Lucca on time. We met up with 3 other girls and had a blast in the cute little town of Lucca. We walked around the city and on the wall that surrounds the city for about 5 hours. We stopped for lunch at the cutest plaza and had so much fun hanging out. Italy is definitly about spending time eating and enjoying the scenary. The restaurant had a sign that said "good wine, great friends" which sums up our trip so far!

Sunday was by far my favorite day! We woke up super early to go to Cinque Terre (five towns that hug the coastline and are connected by hiking trails). We got to the first town which was gorgeous in itself and started the hike. Literally every single view was beyond beautiful. We took soo many pictures but it was hard to resist when you were standing in awe of the sight. The first 3 towns were my favorite just because the last 2 were really touristy. We stopped for lunch in the third town and found a back road with a cafe to have lunch at. For 3 Euros I had the BEST lunch of my life. It was a pesto and motzarella pannini. The region is known for their pesto and its much deserved. Christa and I bought a bottle of it to share for our apartment and we've already had pesto pasta with it twice!

Today we had our first day of classes. They are long but not too painful. We're headed to the grocery store now and then to the main piazza for Italy v. Paraguay game in the world cup! GOOO ITALLIAA!!!

Firenze

Florence is AMAZING!!! soo hott here though! Gelato & Sorbetta popsicles have become my new best friends! We're planning our trips right now and trying to avoid protests/strikes in Europe!!! We're going to Cinque Terre and Lucca this weekend though! We had a amazing 4 course welcome dinner last night with an antipasta dish containing bruschetta, patte, grilled eggplant, zucchini, and proschuito. The next course: rissoto & a meat pasta. Followed by: turkey, salad, and potatoes. Finally: tiramisu. Of course there was wine to go along with it. Such a great meal but soo filling. For lunch today we also had by far the best sandwich of my life froma hole-in-the-wall place called il fratelleni! We're finished with orientation but it wasnt much, just an overview of classes and the city. We found a library that has a bar in it? New study place? I think so! We got a little lost last night - kinda scary but were al okay and just know to pay better attention to how to get home. Thankfully we were traveling in a group of four and were all really aware of our surroundings. Our apartment is great too. It's a little annoying that were not with all the other girls but its a nice place! The view from nicole and i's window is awesome. You can see the mountains, italian buildings, a church...just a cool scenic look. I kinda feel like im looking at a painting of a window until i see the tube of our portable AC unit sticking out the window!! We went to the supermercado and the fresh market yesterday and got the essentials (including wine) and some really fresh fruit!! Wish yall were here with me! Much love!

Moving In :)

The apartment is UNBELIEVABLE!! There are 2 bedrooms, one bathroom, a nice living room and kitchen! I'm living wiht a girl names Nicole from Harvard. She's so much fun and so easy going! The air conditioning is a slight struggle but we're hoping to figure it all out tomorrow. We meet up with most the girls on the program for pizza and were able to explore our neighborhood a little before that. Dinner last night was the BEST! I had homemade pasta and it was soo good. More updates to come :) Miss all of you!

A Marathon of Cities

Last night in Paris: We went to the highest point in the city..monte-somehting? It was not that great, full of tourists and beggers, so we left once we got to the top. Then we headed back to Champs Elysees to walk around and eat dinner. We found a great resturant with a view of the Arc and the street. While we were eating the had police essort a group of over a hundred bike-riders down the road! It was so crazy but awesome! When we went to the train station in the morning, the train to Avignon was full so we had to wait 4.5 hours for the next one. At first I was disappointed, but then I started reading "Like What for Chocolate" and it is soo good! Jenny you need to read it! You'd love it! Finally we made it on the train and we're off to our adventure...

We got to the car rental station in Avignon and my mom had to ask how to put the key in the car. Not a good sign haha. Then we drove to Arles, where we stayed at a BEAUTIFUL hotel that used to be a monastary. We walked the city and had dinner! I loved the look of the city at night. Many of the buildings looked so old but so beautiful. There was a dance recital in the amphitheatre and it was packed! The next morning we left for Saint Tropez and Sanremo. (Sidenote on Arles- we had to ask a French couple to show my mom how to put the car in reverse....they definitly thought we were challenged).

Saint Tropez was STUNNINGLY BEAUTIFUL!!!! I am slightly obsessed with it. The view of the water there was unreal! Ahh soo cool. We went to this really trendly bar place for drinks; it had black sand, khaki and white linnen chairs, ect! Sadly we couldnt spend much time there since we didnt want to drive in the dark. We crossed into ITALIA and drove to Sanremo. We found a great hotel there and luckly they had room for us! We took in the view from the balcony and enjoyed dinner and wine! The next morning we went swimming and laid by the pool there. Driving out of Arles was a disaster!!! Funny now that I'm removed from it, but in the moment i was close to tears. We went the wrong way on a one way adn got stopped by the police. They let us go with a warning. Then we got lost for an hour on crazy roads above the town. Finally we made it out alive! A little while later we arrived in Pisa! The hotel from the outside looked worn and had graffitti on the walls. Inside it was great. It was basically a two-story apartment with 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and a living room!! First thing we did was go to see the leaning tower of Pisa! Obviously we took the tourist picture of pretending we were holding it up! Then we walked around that area for a while, which is really cool and had a great church! We left early the next morning for FLORENCE (Firenze)! Now we are here (my new home for the summer) and loving the city! Tonight we're going to dinner with Christa (one of my roomates) and her parents! Ciao!

J'aime Paris

Paris is AMAZING!! I may never leave! I'm officially jealous that my friend, Kaylen, gets to live here for a semester! Our taxi drive was a great introduction to the city (strange I know), but he gave us a guided tour as we passed monuments. He also tried to teach us a few much needed French phrases! We arrived in the afternoon, and headed straight to the Arc de Triomphe de Paris and walked the Champs-elysse! The city is just so beautiful and interesting in every detail. We were sitting on a bench looking at the Arc and a man from Paris started talking to us and giving us dinner recommendations. We walked around and found a great place for dinner! Literally I haven’t had a bad meal or even a mediocre meal here - everything has been so flavorful and delicious! The view from our balcony is unbelievable as well. We have a great view of the Eiffel tower from both of our balconies!

Yesterday was a marathon of experiencing Paris! We went to the Louvre Museum in the morning and saw the Mona Lisa, the statue of Aphrodite, and all the other amazing pieces of art there. After, we went to grab a bite to eat. As we were walking we bought some cool paintings of Paris from a man on a bridge! Then we went to a cute cafe and people watched. I had my first crepe in Paris (grand marnier), by recommendation of my stepmom, Kathie - - delicious!! We ventured to Notre Dame and I was astounded by the architecture and stained glass windows. Its right by the Latin area of Paris, which had a really cool feel to it. It was very busy and full of life! We went home to take a quick break before heading to the Musee de Orsay because it was open late last night! We saw many more impressionist pieces, including "water lilies" by Monet and many more! We came back to our side of town for dinner, which again was great. I don’t think bad food exists in Paris. And we’ve sat outside for every meal and people-watched!!! After dinner, Ali and I brought a bottle of wine to a walking bridge. We sat, talked, and drank on the bridge, looking over the river & Paris. Lots of people were on the bridge or below on the seawall. Eventually we started talking to five rising seniors from Tufts! They were just finishing up there semester abroad in Paris, so they offered us lots of advice and tips! We hung out with them for the rest of the night then headed back home.

This morning we had chocolate croissants and coffee on our way to the Eiffel tower. Then we waited in lots of lines and finally made it to the top!! The skies were so clear that we were able to see all of Paris (the rivers, the bridges, ect). We meet some cool Aussie guys in line, and the CUTEST French 3 and 4 year old girls with their mom! I definitely love the people here, as well as the fashion, the food, and the architecture. After the Eiffel Tower, we had lunch and headed out shopping! One of the girls from Tufts told us about a cool area to find French boutiques that weren’t outrageous in price. We all ended up buying something there and had so much fun looking around! We stumbled upon the cutest park that was pretty crowded with people. French children (like 3 year olds) were stripping down into their underwear to play in the fountain! Now we’re back in the hotel, planning out our last night in Paris! Au Revoir!

Venturing outside the city

After breakfast we took a train to Koog-Zaardijk, a famous windmill town in Holland. We walked through cute little pathways past 4 or 5 wooden windmills. There were goats, sheep, beautiful colorful pansies, and adorable wooden walking bridges. Everything was green! We went to a cheese factory and sampled cheeses, then went to a wooden shoe-making museum. We walked through the residential area of the town a little then took a break at a café along the water that had an amazing view. We then took a train to Haarlam, a medieval town. It was a busy but less hectic version of Amsterdam. It had a great plaza for people watching and tons of alleyways with shops. We stopped for a glass of wine in the plaza to watch everyone riding their bikes, walking, and enjoying life. When we got back to Amsterdam, Ali and I went exploring a little. We found the palace, which is under construction, hence why we had missed it before. We looked at different restaurants and shops and just enjoyed walking the city some more. Now we’re back in the hotel freshening up for dinner and the night! Off to Paris tomorrow afternoon! Doi! (goodbye in Dutch!)

* Kathie you would be proud to know that I’ve been stopping to take pictures for couples and families everywhere we go!

I AMsterdam.

Our hotel includes breakfast – and it is wonderful!! I had fresh strawberry orange juice, French style scrambled eggs, lots of fresh fruit, and some coffee! To get an overview of the city, we took a canal cruise of Amsterdam. We saw the Mayors house, Anne Frank’s annex, lots of bridges and building from the water. A nice teenage boy from Germany sat with us and talked with us for a while too. We then headed towards the Van Gogh museum. We walked past (literally past, as in without noticing) the Palace and through the “dam” which is just a small plaza with street performers. Then we came upon THE CUTEST café (the Luxemburg Café), where we stopped for lunch. We sat outside and watched Dutch people ride bikes past us, tourist stop for pictures, and all sorts of different activities. We then found the I AMsterdam sign and, of course, took pictures with it. Once we got to the Van Gogh museum, we took our time reading about each piece and his life in general. It was so interesting to see his talent progress in such a short amount of time. I found my new favorite painting by him that is of a beautiful coastline with sailboats…..Ali and I also found a very cute guy haha. We ventured to the Vondel Park (where we saw the cute guy again) and enjoyed the beautiful lakes and sidewalks. The park was FULL of life. People riding bikes, running, walking, having picnics, laying by the lake, ect everywhere! There were cutest kids on their parents’ bikes, enjoying the ride. We went back to our hotel before dinner to rest. After dinner we went to the red light district. Although it was a bit of a culture shock, it was so interesting to witness. It’s hard to imagine prostitution from a legal standpoint, and hard to explain my thoughts and feelings seeing it happen in front of me. I’m so glad I was able to see it though. After that we just headed back to our room. On the canal cruise they said that Amsterdam is not known from its monuments, but for its people, and i can definitly attest to that. The people here and the lifestyle are wonderful. So many people ride bikes, which makes the city seem so quaint and personal. The flowers, canals, and ally ways are gorgeous. It may be known for pot and prostition, but it is definitely much more than that. I will write more later, for now I'm off to bed!

Figuring out the Euro Rail: A Puzzel

Our last morning in London – we journeyed to the Tate Britain! It was interesting but not as cool as some other museums we’ve seen. It was definitely a mix of modern and classic art. We walked past the park on the side of Parliament, took more pictures (a nice way to leave since its also where we started our trip in London), said goodbye to our favorite concierges and headed to the station. Getting on the bullet train was easy. Getting off at Brussels – no problem. Trying to figure out where to go to get the Amsterdam train – a little more difficult. We got on the Euro Rail to Amsterdam and half way into the trip when the ticket people checked our tickets and informed us we were sitting in the wrong section and that we hadn’t gotten our tickets stamped properly. Finally we arrived in Amsterdam, found our hotel, and grabbed dinner. We were exhausted so we planned the next day and went to bed.

Side note to 725, dad, and Kathie: we drove past a café front that was advertising clotted cream. I burst out laughing and immediately thought of you! Miss you all so much!

God Save the Queen

This morning we woke up much more rested and energized than yesterday. We got ready for the chilly day and headed to town. We stopped at a local coffee shop that had great coffee and breakfast pastries. Then we figured out the bus system and took it to Victoria Station. The pub next to the station was roaring with excited and anxious Millwall F.C. fans that were already yelling chants, even though the football (aka soccer) game had yet to begin. We were a little turned around but a nice guy from NY that now lived in London, directed us towards Buckingham Palace. After we had walked for about a minute the guy came back and told us he had directed us the wrong way and didn't want us to get lost, so he pointed us in the right direction! I'm telling you something about London makes everyone nicer! We made it to Buckingham Palace but it was raining a little so the changing of the guards was delayed! We had a great spot right against the fence so we could see everything. We learned the the guards are practicing for the Queen's birthday that is coming up, thus the changing of the guards incorporated the practice for that parade as well! It was so cool to witness. You could tell where the Queen's carriage went, where she would be getting out to wave, ect. We made some friends from Oregon while waiting for the guards to start, too! Then we went to Westminster Abbey - coolest thing yet! It was stunningly beautiful, with so many historic tumbs. We saw the tombs of Kings, Queens, Charles Darwin, Jane Austin, Charles Dickens, ect. AMAZING! THe gold and wood work was also amazing. We listened to the audio guide and who knew that if you upset the Royal family you could be dug up from your grave, hangged, and beheaded. Very interesting tour!! We grabbed a quick lunch and headed to the Brittish Musuem that houses the Rosetta Stone, as well as pieces of the Parthanon and other ancient works. We headed back to the hotel (and never got lost!). More MFC fans with painted faces, celebrating the win! We took a break, went to a very packed Latin resturant and then headed home! Tomorrow we are off to Amsterdam!

Just touched down in London Town!

A LONG DAY FOR SURE! Flight out of Newark was delayed an hour and a half. We took the underground loop to a station near our hotel then a taxi. Ali almost got left behind at a station in the loop with the doors closing, but luckily she made it! We put our bags down and immediately started exploring...on foot. We walked past Big Ben, the Beckingham Palace, and through St.James' Park, where we stopped for coffee. We then walked past the end of the changing of the guards at the Palace. After we stopped into a little Brittish pub where I had my first Brittish meal - fish and chips with a pint of beer! Our waiter, David, was great at recommending things and chatting with us! Then we got lost (for the first time). We finally made it back to the hotel to shower, change, and get ready for the Globe..or so we thought. Once in the hotel we checked our email to realize that we had missed our showing of Macbeth at the Globe- a major disappointment. But we made up for it by going to Harrods (my new idea of heaven) where every perfect shoe and dress you can imagine exists! We walked through Piccadelli Circus and then got some good Indian food for dinner. We decided to call it a night since the jet lag was making it hard to stay awake. Then started the adventure of getting lost..part II. After walking 45 minutes in the wrong direction we realized we were NO WHERE near a hotel, hailed a taxi, and made it back safely. Thankfully we are about to go to bed and catch up on some much needed sleep. I now LOVE Brittish people. They are the nicest people I've ever meet. A random stranger carried my suitcase up flights of stairs when exitting the undergroud. The concierge, Filip, has become our new friend, too! So far I am loving the city, despite a few mishaps.