i left my heart in the amalfi coast...

wow--i am still in awe of how wonderful the past weekend was. we started the trip in naples, which is really just a big, dirty city. but i was really excited to try the pizza! last year i read the book 'eat, pray, love' and the author talks about this tiny pizzeria that is considered the best in naples. she goes on to say that if the best pizza in the world comes from italy, and the best pizza in italy comes from naples, and the best pizza in naples comes from this pizzeria then technically its the best pizza in the world! after the reading the book i knew i had to find this place. after a little research, i found its location and two of my roommates and i went on our search to find it. the pizzeria was totally full of locals which was another good sign. they only offered cheese pizza but it was, without a doubt, the best pizza i have ever had! it was worth the 45 minute walk to find it. 

after our delicious meal, we began our drive to mijorie, a small town on the coast next to positano. the drive was spectacular! the winding roads went through vineyards and lemon groves on one side, with a flawless view of the ocean on the other side. it was like a scene out of a movie. when we arrived in mijorie, i immediately noticed the smell of gardenias and fresh lemon in the air. the ocean breeze made the entire atmosphere seem even more unreal. in addition to the beautiful scenery, the southern italian men were just as charming. it is true what they say--southern italy is where you find the stereotypical italians who are just so friendly and love life. 

the next day we took a ferry to capri for the day. once we got there, we hopped on yet another boat to take a tour around the island and see all the grottos. it was a blast!! the weather was perfect, i was in great company, and our boat driver was an absolute italian stud! it was during the next few hours on our excursion that i officially fell in love with italy. i wish i were a better writer and were able to describe just how beautiful the views were from the boat, but words just cant describe them. 

after the boat ride, we went up to capri and spent the day eating (of course) and walking around the town. the shopping was insane! prada, gucci, stewart weitzman and one of a kind jewelry lined the streets. the best part of capri were all the dogs and cats i saw throughout the day. i wanted to take them all home with me. but i think they would rather bask in the sun and eat fish all day then come to live with me..i dont blame them! the next day we headed to pompeii to check out the volcano ruins. it was interesting but nothing could compare to capri.

i have lots of pictures to upload so i promise to get those up soon!

mom and dad went to visit bubba this past week and dad is continuing for the next few weeks on another motorcycle trip throughout the east coast! so, send some positive thoughts his way--i still get nervous when he leaves on these trips!!

mom--cant wait to see you in 2 WEEKS!!! schweebop!

lovelovelove

back from budapest and off to the amalfi coast...

sorry i haven't written sooner--the past week just flew by! 

budapest was absolutely fantastic! cory and i had no idea what we were getting ourselves into and it ended up being one of the best trips we've made. when we arrived on friday, we checked into the hostle and met ulga. she is the owner of the 'buda bubble' who we had heard so much about. from the minute we walked in, she was so warm and welcoming! she sat down with us for a good half hour and told us all about the city and where we should spend our time throughout the weekend. it was great because she encourages everyone staying in the hostle to go out together and get to know one another. she gave off such a wonderful vibe and we felt right at home. 

we spent most of friday just walking around trying to find our way around the city. that night we we decided to hop around and sample a bunch of different foods instead of doing a sit down dinner. we found a great little street that was lined with bars, restaurants and pubs all with outdoor patios lining the outsides of the streets. between the goulash, cheese french fries topped with horseradish mayo (supposedly a hungarian specialty), and various types of pickled veggies we were stuffed! while we were walking around that night we saw this guy drinking a HUGE three liter beer. cory and i decided that we had to try it! the bartenders thought it was hysterical that two girls were trying to tackle the massive drink but we were up for the challenge.  as we sat on the patio for almost two hours finishing the beer, we made SO many friends! people were constantly stopping to talk with us when they saw what we were drinking. 

the next day we decided to cross the river and walk on the buda side through the gorgeous hills. the buda side is mostly residential and totally different from the pest side. it was a beautiful day to wander through the parks and take some really fun pictures. we found an adorable coffee shop where we tried a bunch of different local coffee drinks. we became friends with the guy who worked there and he let us try the traditional hungarian liquor. it reminded me a lot of fruit infused sake--mom, you would have LOVED it! after chatting with him for a few hours, we continued our walk up to the national museum and church that looked over the parliament building. the church was one of my all time favorites! it was so different from anything that i've seen in florence. the top of it was tiled in bright colors and in the sunlight it was spectacular. by the time we finished walking the buda side, it was almost time for dinner. after a quick nap back at the hostel, cory and i went for dinner along the river to see all the bridges and buildings lit up. we decided to call it an early night because we had lots of plans for the next day.

on sunday, our first stop was at the local market. cory and i have made it part of our itinerary to see the local markets no matter where we are. its a great chance to check out all the local food and shopping. after trying even more incredible food we went to visit their synagogue. it is the largest in europe and the second largest in the world! it was unreal! i have never seen anything like it. we then went to the 'terror museum' which we had read about as being a must see when in budapest. the museum is in the building where nazi's used to live during the holocaust. our last stop of the day was to see the bath houses (hot springs) and the huge parks that surround it. the parks were filled with playgrounds and families having picnics. it was a great way to end our trip! one of the best things about this trip was that, because of the conversion, everything was DIRT CHEAP! we spent less than $100 the entire weekend, including our hostel.

with only three weeks left, school is starting to get a little hectic but my roommates and i still found time to celebrate cory's 21st birthday. it was a blast! and as for this weekend, we are leaving tomorrow for amalfi, capri, pompeii and naples. i continue to remind myself how lucky i am! 

i will post pictures as soon as i can! i hope everyone is doing well!

lovelovelove

weekend getaway to budapest...

i am SUPER excited for this weekend!! one of my roommates cory and i will be leaving tomorrow morning for a weekend trip to budapest! she is such a fabulous travel buddy and i know we are going to have an outrageous time. supposedly their food is just as yummy as italy so we cant wait to try their traditional dishes like goulash. we heard the greatest reviews from a hostel called 'the buda bubble" and were lucky enough to get a reservation. usually people book months in advance to get a spot. we were also told that things are relatively cheap in budapest but the currency conversion is bound to confuse us. i didnt realize that they are on the forint system and not the euro where 1 euro equals about 293 forint! i had a similar experience with this type of conversion when i was on my europe trip after high school. i forgot where we were, but at the ATM we each took out what seemed like an insane amount of money when in actuality it was only 50 dollars. 

while i am very excited to see a new city, everything in florence has been so fabulous that i am a bit sad to leave. the girls and i have been laying out on the local bridges in between classes to get some color. the weather has been absolutely wonderful! we are always finding new and exciting aspects to the city. florence continues to amaze me. it is impossible to go a day without seeing something that reaffirms just how lucky i am to be here. 

im sorry the pictures have not been posted yet. internet connections are still slow and i will make sure and post the link as soon as i can! i hope everyone has had a fantastic week. thank you for keeping up with my adventures!!

lovelovelove

happy easter!!

first off, i want to wish everyone a happy easter! i hope it is a fabulous day filled with lots of family and chocolate!

this weekend has been fabulous! yesterday, one of my roommates and i decided to make a day trip to chinque terre--a beautiful area north west of florence. the stretch of land on the coast consists of five towns that are all totally breathtaking. we started out at the 5th town and worked out way down the coast. we hiked from the 5th town to the 4th. the hike was really difficult! we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. the scenery was incredible because the trails take you directly along the coast line.  the 4th town (the picture above) was our favorite of the day. we decided to stop and have their specialty food which is foccacia bread with olives, pesto, onions or cheese. we tried a little of each--they were so yummy!  from the 4th town, we took a fairy past the 3rd town and directly to the 2nd. the hike from the 2nd to 1st town is a breeze compared to the hike we started the day with.the buildings in the towns were painted different vibrant colors built up against massive mountains. there are even little beaches in each location. all of the towns looked like they were straight out of the movies 'sisterhood of the traveling pants' and 'mama mia'. it was a long day but absolutely worth it. it is one of my all time favorite places--i cant wait to go back someday!

this morning, the girls and i went to an easter mass at a great church located on the other side of the river all the way on top of a hill. the church is called san minato (mom and dad--thats the one i took you to when you were here!) a great story behind the church is that during the war, michelangelo covered it with mattresses to protect it from being destroyed. san minato was one of his favorite churches so he had all the florentines carry their mattresses up the hill and tied them all together to cover the face of the church. the mass was in italian but i could piece some of it together but for the most part i was lost! as for the rest of the day, i am planning to hide easter eggs around the apartment for the girls and they are going to hide the packages that mom gave me to open on easter. could mom be any more amazing? im half way across the world and she still finds a way to bring me gifts from the easter bunny!

thats all for now but ill make sure and post pictures from the weekend as soon as possible. again, happy easter and big hugs to all!!

lovelovelove

only 5 weeks left...

everything around here has been pretty low key since spring break, which is exactly what i needed! after a fabulous week of non stop traveling, it is nice to be back "home" and catch up on sleep and school work while making time to bask in the beautiful spring time weather. the only down side to the arrival of spring is the number of tourists who have taken over florence to also experience this wonderful time of year. i was talking with a couple of locals the other day and they joked that between april and september they "forget what native italians even look like". the tourists really do just flock to the city and fill every inch of the piazzas with their obnoxious yelling and double decker tour busses. my roommates and i had no idea that florence streets were even big enough to allow for those kinds of busses! i know that i sound snobby referring to others as tourists when, in actuality, i too am a tourist in some ways-- but i try to blend into the local scene as much as possible.

everyones parents have been visiting for the past week which makes me feel a little homesick sometimes, but the upside is that i have had a wonderful meal almost every night! its fun to go out to dinner and meet parents because you are able to see why your friends act the way they do. 

school continues to go really well. history of christianity is still my favorite class! my professor is such a wonderful person and a fabulous teacher. i finished the book 'under the banner of heaven' that i was required to read as research for my paper and wow--what an interesting book. i would recommend it to anyone!

the girls and i will be spending easter weekend in florence. we are really excited because weve heard that the city has some fabulous festivities to celebrate the holiday. we are going to cook a big easter dinner on sunday night and spend monday having a picnic at one of the local parks. on the monday following easter, the entire city is pretty much closed and its a tradition to spend the entire day outside! hopefully we can even get a little tan!!

it should be a fun weekend and i will make sure to post pictures sometime next week.

lovelovelove

pictures...

here are the links for the two albums from spring break. i am still adding but for the most part, all the pictures are up!

album 1

album 2

lovelovelove

back from spring break...

the past ten days have been a total blur! my crazy spring break began on friday with a 2am trip to the secret bakery since we were already awake to catch our 3am bus to the pisa airport. after an hour bus ride, we caught our 6am flight from pisa to eidenhoven where we took another hour bus ride to amsterdam. the whole reason we took that particular flight was to save money, but at the end of the experience, i think i would have rather paid the extra money to get a direct flight from florence to amsterdam! regardless of our lack of sleep, my roommate mairin and i were so happy to finally arrive in amsterdam around 11am on friday. it was so different that i had remembered it to be! while the city has its crazy parts, the residential areas are BEAUTIFUL!!! it reminded me very much of london. the first thing we did was find this restaurant that a couple of my other roommates had told us about called "wok to walk". everyone who has been to amsterdam says this place is amazing--and i couldn't agree more! you choose from different noodles, veggies and sauces. then, they mix it all up on these big iron bowls. yum! on our last day, we went to the anne frank house which was just as interesting as i had remembered it.

from amsterdam, we took a train to paris to meet up with the rest of our roommates. the three days we spent in that city were just so fabulous. the entire time i was there i couldn't stop thinking about my mom. every little thing there reminds me of her--it is such a magical place. we did all the typical sights along with some great restaurants and shopping. i told a couple of the girls that we needed to go to the trucadero where we could get an unbelievable view of the eiffel tower and take some great pictures. the minute we got there i had the most unreal flashback from my europe trip with my friends after highschool. on that trip, we took some of the most incredible pictures! i could close my eyes and imagine my highschool friends standing right next to me. as happy as i was to be there again with my new friends, i still wished i could be back in that moment from a few years ago. while in paris, we found the most delicious macaroons at this bakery called laduree--i have never tasted anything like them! 

after paris, we took another train to bordeaux. honestly, i had no idea what to expect! but once we got there, we had a blast. the tourist office told us about a wine and cheese tasting that was only 20 euro so we couldn't say no. the tasting ended up being just our friends and it lasted 3 hours. the best part was at the end when they told us it was time for the cheese tasting. they led us downstairs to this little room FULL OF CHEESE and said, "grab a plate and help yourself." we just about died!!!!! i had never seen that much cheese in one place and i didn't even know where to begin. every single bite was a bit of heaven!!! our favorites were the cheese rolled in apricots and the fabulous selection of brie. wow--even thinking about it now makes me smile! but the best part of bordeaux was yet to come. as i said, we had no idea what to do or eat while we were there so i went online and researched some places to eat. i came across a review for a restaurant called "cafe cassolette" that sounded great so we decided to go. it was probably the best decision we made while we were on spring break! the entire meal, start to finish, was totally and completely fantastic. we decided to order off of a section of the menu that allowed each person to select 5 different dishes--all of them were served in little casserole plates. our favorites included: chicken salad with pesto, salad topped with sauteed onions and cheese, chunks of potato with melted cheese and bacon, warm bree rolled in pepper, and warm apple topped with melted white cheese. i feel 20 pounds heavier just thinking about how much we ate. honestly, if anyone ever has a chance to go to bordeaux or is even in the area, it is worth it to go in to the town  JUST TO TRY THAT RESTAURANT!!!! we loved it so much that we went back both nights for dinner. i definitely left a part of my heart at that restaurant.

we took an overnight train from bordeaux to nice which was interesting. it made the most sense based on our limited amount of time to travel, but it wasn't the most comfortable choice! regardless, we got to nice early friday morning for the last part of our spring break. it was such a relaxing and fun town. by this point in the trip, only three of us were left (the rest had gone form paris to venice). it was the first time our bodies had seen bright sunlight in months! we were blissfully happy. as we sat on the beach drinking bottles of wine, we had to pinch ourselves to make sure it wasnt a dream. we agreed that we are, without a doubt, very very lucky girls. the rest of our time in nice was spent eating great food and visiting all the adorable local markets. we had read about a local speciality called "socca"--a thin chic-pea bread. while at one of the markets, we saw a woman cooking it so we immediately got in line to try it out. of course, it was delicious. i don't think we ate anything we didnt like! thats probably the reason some of my jeans don't fit anymore--good thing its springtime and i can wear dresses!

our last train from nice to florence was a long one but i was with great travel buddies so the whole experience was perfect! once we got back to florence, i was so excited to be "home". i just love italy! i had such a sense of calm when we all walked into the apartment after a crazy ten days of traveling. all in all, spring break was an absolute success. out of 7 girls noone lost their passport, missed a train, or had anything stolen--horray!

i have a bunch of pictures to post and will have that done tomorrow so i will post the link as soon as possible!

and now it's back to classes! 4 out the 7 girls  families are visiting this week so it is bound to be busy. i can't wait to continue exploring the city and preparing for my next trips to cinque-terre, budapest, the amalfi coast, capri, pompeii, sicily and possibly a day trip to naples just to taste the pizza. with only 6 weeks left i know i have to make the most of every moment!

i hope all is well with everyone! thank you for continuing to read about my adventures!!

lovelovelove 

three midterms down and one to go...

this week has proved to be one of the most stressful weeks thus far. my history of christianity midterm was on monday and i feel like it went well. i made a call to nana and g-dad the night before to have them help me with some of my unanswered questions. aren't i such a good little christian? :-) im actually really excited for my final paper in that class. we were able to choose any topic regarding christianity and my teacher suggested i look into mormonism. i was totally thrilled with his suggestion because i have always wanted to know more about the 'revivalist' religions (as my teacher calls them) like mormonism and jehovahs witness. he gave me the book 'under the banner of heaven' by jon krakauer to read as a jumping off point for my paper and from the first few pages, i can tell it is going to be really interesting. as for my midterm on tuesday, i just had to hand in a paper so that was a nice break from the constant chaos of memorization that all my other classes require. today i had my italian test which was, surprisingly, really great! tomorrow i have my history of the medici midterm which is going to be tough but ill keep my fingers crossed for the best. 

all plans are still on for spring break and it is bound to be memorable. a trip to budapest is also being added to next months agenda. i called mom yesterday because i had myself all worked up over the idea that i wasn't going to be able to accomplish everything i had planned to do. i listen to all the kids in my class talk about the fact that they travel every single weekend and i started to think that i wasn't making the most of my time over here. mom was kind enough to allow me to vent and today i feel much, much better. unfortunately i had allowed myself to become completely comfortable here in florence--i was taking this situation for granted which is something i never wanted to do. i talked about it with my roommates and we all agreed that we need to continuously remind ourselves just how blessed we are to be here. i can't be concerned with how the other kids in my class spend their time here, i just need to be satisfied with my experience and not try to 'keep up with the joneses'.

i will try and write while on spring break, but if not, i will post pictures and updates as soon as i get back! the weather here has been absolutely spectacular and i hope that everyone else is having a similar experience with the arrival of springtime!

lovelovelove

milan and midterms...

i just got back from milan and spent the last few days with mom and dad. i honestly did not expect to love milan as much as i did! it is such a fabulous city with absolutely ridiculous shopping! wow--if i lived there i would be in so much debt!! the quick 2 day trip started on thursday night when i met mom and dad at this great little restaurant with the best risotto i've had so far in italy. of course, mom and dad had already become best friends with the restaurant owner so he showered us with grappa and lemonchello. i've learned it doesn't hurt to get to know people in the restaurant business over here--they love giving free food and drinks to costumers they like. saturday started out with mom and i shopping all around the city. the clothes are like artwork over there. everything is so beautiful and i couldn't imagine actually wearing any of it. the entire trip mom and i kept saying that sofie and emma (my fabulous fashionista friends) would look incredible in EVERYTHING! mom read that above all of the designer stores like prada, louis vuitton and chanel there are apartments for the designers to come and stay--not a bad way to live, right? i found the most incredible prada bag and i couldn't bring myself to buy it. but they also have a great prada store here so i will have to bring all the roommates to get their opinion before i make my decision! i was super excited to find a really funky pair of reading glasses in this little eye glass store. i try to follow after mom and go for the totally unique glasses and milan definitely had them. after shopping, we went on a little tour of the city and to see da vinci's 'the last supper'. when i think about why i wanted to study abroad in italy--being able to see that painting was, without a doubt, one of the most prominent reasons. i am just so captivated by, not only its beauty, but also the controversy that surrounds it. the church where it is located only allows 10 groups of 25 people to see it every day. the process of even being able to get into the room is like trying to get into fort knox. you must past several automatic doorways that do not allow you in until the sensors can tell that everyone is within a certain parameter of the doors. when we were finally into the room, i was at a loss for words. it truly is just so magnificent. later that night, we went back to our favorite restaurant for dinner. the next morning, mom and dad had to leave early to catch their plane so i spent a couple hours walking around the city before catching my train back to florence.

as for now, i am studying for midterms! i had kind of forgotten that i was here for school! but it will all be worth it after this week because i leave for spring break on friday morning. i am going to amsterdam with one of my roommates (the rest are going to london), then we all meet in paris and continue on together to bordeaux and nice. it was probably the most stressful spring break i've ever planned but i know it will all be worth it! i went to amsterdam with mom, dad and bubba back when i was younger and to paris a few times (i feel so lucky to be able to say that!) but each experience is different and i can't wait to see all those places again. i am not the same person i was when i visited those locations last time, so i bet i will have a whole new outlook this time around. i won't have room to bring my computer but i will try and update yall throughout the trip.

mom and dad--thank you so much again for everything! you have no idea how much it means to me to share this experience with you! please please please give all the babies kisses for me. make sure that taco tummy has plenty of food, harley has lots of snuggle time and mr. max has his pillow just right.

s0f--you MUST go to milan. that city was made for you. mom and i kept saying that everything was "soooooo df!!"

julianna-thank you for taking care of mr. harls while mom and dad were gone. he was such a lucky boy to have you walking him!

hope everyone is doing well and has a great week!!

lovelovelove

mom and dad visit florence...

wow..the past week has been non-stop with mom and dad! it was so amazingly fabulous to see them! while i was able to meet up with them in rome for a night, i decided to take a train in a day early to see some sights on my own. i actually ended up seeing EVERYTHING in that one day! who says  you can't do rome in a day? it was really empowering to find my way around the entire city by myself, but there were times when i wish i could have had someone to look over to and say, "wow look how beautiful that is!" and although the history in that city is truly incredible, it wasn't my favorite place. it just felt like a big, dirty city to me. i have become to used to florence and it's tiny street corners and alleyways--rome just felt so...crazy and fast. but i would go back again in a heartbeat just to see the sistine chapel again. WOW!!! absolutely breathtaking.

mom and dad didn't get in until 11 that night so i decided to grab some dinner while i was waiting for them. the entire dinner experience was a bit weird. i made a reservation for one, and people just kept asking me, "are you sure no one is joining you?" every single person in the restaurant was staring at me all night! maybe italians don't eat alone. i brought my journal along  to update while i was eating--so i would sit and enjoy my dinner then open a page up and write some things down. i started to notice that the owner of the restaurant was even coming out to look at me. i think they thought i was a food critic! once i caught on to this, i would really act the part--id take a bite, think about it for a little, then write in my journal. it was pretty funny! after dinner i went back to the hotel and waited for mom and dad. the next day was rainy so we just did a little sightseeing before i had to get back on my train to florence.

on tuesday, mom and dad arrived in florence. i felt like i had so many places to take them so we got started right away and went to all the great restaurants and markets. i finally found a leather jacket that i wanted but i wanted to make sure that mom and dad thought the quality was nice. they loved it just as much as i did and mom surprised me and bought it as a late valentines day gift! ive worn it every day since then!! on saturday, dad decided we should rent a car and drive to lucca. i had heard so much about this tiny town and had been wanting to go since january. after finding our way out way out of the city, it was about an hour car ride to lucca. the entire city is walled in so we walked almost the entire wall while stopping to get lunch. it is a much more family oriented place than florence. it was so peaceful and quiet--one of my favorite places in italy. after a few hours there, we got back in the car and began the journey to find mom's favorite olive oil. we were driving directly on the coast! it was breathtaking. we ended up finding our way through the mountains at this beautiful house/ranch where they made their own olive oil! they spoke very little english so i had to piece together my italian to try and buy stuff for mom. we bought a five liter tin can full of their home made oil!! we have no idea how it tastes so i can't wait for mom and dad to try it when they get back in the states. 

while they were here i took them to some of my favorite places like the boboli gardens, san michele church, a bunch of fabulous restaurants and my new favorite place--the mago merlino tea house. one of my professors had told me about this place and because this professor is such a weird guy, i was interested to see what it was all about. i had gone for the first time last week and i knew i needed to take mom and dad. you are able to sit on the floor in this back room filled with pillows and just sit and drink all different kinds of home made teas. the chi tea is to die for! all the walls are lined with moroccan tapestries and the rooms smell like incense. it might sound like a shady place but it really is very cool. besides dragging mom and dad around the city, we were also able to relax and catch up. i can't believe they are already gone, but i am meeting up with them in milan on thursday!

this week i will be studying for midterms and getting my last minute planning done for spring break. i hope that this post finds everyone happy and healthy! ill update again as soon as i can!

lovelovelove 

julianna--i tried grappa and WOW!!! it really is like lighter fluid but i really really like it!! 

under the tuscan sun...

i can't believe it's already wednesday! time is starting to fly by. the title of this entry felt appropriate becuase i watched the movie 'under the tuscan sun' for the first time last night. i feel so lucky to be living in such a beautiful country. that movie shows the most incredible country side views along with scenes from florence right at the beginning. it is still a bit surreal that i am living here.

this week has been very productive and exciting. i am in the final stages of planning my spring break (which is only a month away) and also getting ready to see mom and dad. i am meeting up with them in rome for a day this weekend. from rome, they are coming to visit me in florence for a few days before continuing on throughout italy. i can't wait to show them around!

i had my first test this week in italian and i was super excited to find out that i got a 94%! this is a COMPLETELY different experience than i had with my first semester of italian at SMU. it makes sense though--learning italian in italy is much easier than learning italian in dallas...right? I have a quiz on monday in my history of christianity class which shouldn't be too hard. that is my favorite class thus far. as for the rest of my classes, everything is going really well. 

i have updated all of my pictures from venice and the soccer game. i will post the link below!

click here to see the pictures

i will update my blog again as soon as i get back from rome!

marmar--I CANT WAIT FOR NEXT YEAR!!!! YAYYYYY LOVE YOU! SCHWEEEEBOP!

lovelovelove

venice and my first florence soccer game...

i have officially fallen in love...with venice. as i previously mentioned, two of my roommates and i decided to go to venice for the last weekend of carnival. i had heard my parents talk about their amazing memories while they were there, so i couldn't wait to see it for myself. we took a train from florence--i LOVE trains! i think there is something so old fashion about them and i feel like a little kid every time i travel on one. after a short 3 hour trip, we arrived in venice and immediately took a water taxi to st. marks square to get to our hotel. (side note: mom has been the most fabulous travel agent ever and she helped us find a great hotel right off the square.) i had an ear-to-ear grin the minute we stepped off the taxi. the city was so colorful and vibrant yet old and beautiful. everything i had ever wanted italy to be is exactly what venice was. not to say that florence isn't wonderful--florence has so much character and beauty, but venice is just perfection. it definitely goes on my list of favorite places in the world--along with gimmelwald (switzerland). 

the two girls i went with were the best travel buddies. we were there to see and do--not to get drunk and sleep. the first day we took the elevator up the campanile (the bell tower) and saw the most amazing view of venice and st. marks square. while we were up there the bell actually started ringing because it was 3 o'clock. it totally scared us but it was fun to see. afterwards, we went to the rialto bridge and shopped around the city. that night we had a great dinner followed by dancing in st. marks square. the entire square was lit up and big speakers were playing the most incredible euro-pop techno music and everyone was dancing! the three of us were laughing and smiling the entire time. 

the next morning we took a boat to murano to check out the glass blowing factory and walk around the island. i was completely in awe of the glass work. the artists who do it are so talented. the island was quaint and relaxed--i never wanted to leave. when we got back to venice, we took a tour of the doge's palace right next to st. marks square. the frescos on the walls were flawless and full of innovative ideas. the palace housed a jail and several living quarters, along with court rooms. the ceilings throughout the entire palace were spectacular. and i was absolutely speechless when i walked into the grand ballroom. everything just seems so elegant from that time period. from there, we grabbed a quick lunch, walked around a little longer and took a taxi back to the train station. we needed to be in florence by saturday night because we planned to go a florence soccer game on sunday (today).

the soccer game was a blast!! it reminded me of the world cup games in munich that we saw when we were on our big europe trip form high school. the fans are intense! if a player makes a mistake during the game, they start cursing and giving him the finger. but once he scores, they go back to praising the team and proudly singing the florence soccer songs. the team color is purple so we were all decked out in purple and cheered all the way into overtime. i fell in love with player number 10--i know nothing about him other than the fact that he was adorable AND he scored the winning goal for our team. florence won 2-1.

this week is going to be very relaxing and i couldn't be happier about that. we are lucky enough to have a washer in our apartment but we have to hang our clothes to dry on clothes lines outside our big kitchen window. the clothes turn out fine but they don't have that 'straight out of the dryer' smell so i am going to head to a laundromat this week and do a load of clothes in the dryer so they will smell better. i feel like a snob for not being satisfied with the way my clothes come out, but i really love sleeping on fresh smelling sheets. besides laundry, i plan to catch up on sleep and discover new parts of the city. i am at the point where i now feel really really comfortable here. i know my way around, my italian is improving, the weather has been beautiful,i am surrounded by great people, wine and food--i couldn't ask for anything more.

i will post the new link to my pictures tomorrow when i have internet at school--so check back in later! i hope everyone had a fun and relaxing weekend! and thank you for continuing to read about my adventures.

julianna--this week i WILL find that drink you keep telling me about. i can't wait to try it. if you like it, then it must be good!

mom and dad--can't wait to see you soon! love you and please give all the babies big kisses for me.

bubba--miss you and thank you for everything

marmar and molly--come visit me NOW. or else...

lovelovelove

fabulous week with bubba...

wow i can't believe my first visitor is already leaving! 

this past week with bubba was such a whirlwind experience. between the constant eating and excessive drinking, it's safe to say that we made the most of our week together in florence. each day would start around 11--i knew this was also his chance to catch up on sleep so i didn't want to drag him out of bed at 9am every day. we would usually wander around the city and find somewhere fun for lunch. after that we would look for places to shop for him and then he would go back to his hotel and take a nap while i went to class. during his stay, we found an 'ettro' store. this is one of our all time favorite designers and we thought the company was based out of england but in actuality--it's italian! the prices were not much different than in the states but the selection was much larger. i love shopping for men's clothes and since everything looks good on him, he's a fun boy to shop with! on his last day (today) we went to visit the 'david' statue and i took him to piazza michelangelo (thats where you get the most amazing view of the city). i had waiting to see david until bubba was in town so i was ecstatic to finally see him! that statue really is the most perfect form of a man--it's breathtaking. and as for piazza michelangelo, it was fun to experience that with someone besides my roommates. i love them, but i loved seeing bubba's initial reaction to the view from the top. it truly is marvelous.

we went out to eat every single night and WOW!! the food was insane! i thought i understood good italian food before he got here but now i really know why people gain so much weight while they are here! probably the most incredible restaurant was called 'aqua al due'. i had heard from several people that this place was the best in the city. we started with the pasta and salad sampler, followed by their signature dishes--the blueberry steak and balsamic steak. i opted to go with the blueberry while bubba decided on the balsamic. every single bite was, without a doubt, the most incredible steak i had ever had. if you ever have a chance to come to florence--this restaurant is a MUST! of course, we finished the meal with the dessert sampler which consisted of tiramisu, chocolate cake, cheesecake and a whipped cream pie. i was glad i wore a dress that night because there is no way i could have fit into a pair of my pants by the end of dinner.

it was so sad to say goodbye to him tonight. he really is one of the most important people in my life and i feel so lucky to be able to share this trip with him. luckily, i leave tomorrow for venice so i can distract my upset feelings with the excitement of this trip! two of my roommates and i chose to go to venice because it is the last weekend of carnival! it is a huge celebration throughout the city to celebrate the week before lent. everyone wears masks and drinks and eats all day--it sounds pretty perfect to me! our train leaves early tomorrow morning and we get back in time to go to a florence soccer game on sunday. it is going to be a very fun weekend! i will update pictures and my blog as soon as the weekend is over.

i hope everyone had a wonderful week!

lovelovelove

so excited for tomorrow...

after a totally exhausting week, i am THRILLED to have bubba arrive in florence tomorrow!

i meant to update my blog earlier this week but since monday morning i have been on turbo speed trying to get everything done! i booked spring break, which was a big weight off my shoulders. i am going with one of my roommates to amsterdam, paris, bordeaux and nice. all seven of us will be meeting in paris and continuing the rest of the trip together. i have been to both amsterdam and paris before but it's always fun to share those experiences with new people. in addition to booking spring break, i bought train tickets to milan and rome to meet up with mom and dad when they come on their trip to see me. at the last second, two of my roommates and i decided to go to carnivale next weekend in venice. that is going to be SO much fun! the last trip will be to the amalpfi coast, capri and pompeii. all seven of my roommates will be going on that as well. i feel so lucky to be able to jet set around europe! the planning has been unbelievably stressful which is why i wanted to get it done as soon as possible. 

yesterday my roommate mairin and i went to visit one of the most beautiful places in florence--the boboli gardens! i had no idea what the place was all about so when i saw the breathtaking views and picturesque gardens, i was completely overwhelmed. honestly, it didn't feel real! the entire experience felt like i was in a movie! we saw kittens all over the gardens! seriously, these cats live the ultimate life. imagine wandering around the boboli gardens all day! they were beautiful and really healthy! i tried to post the pictures from our day but only one would load. the rest can be found on this facebook link: 

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=34134951&l=6c274&id=18811585

as for next week..i am planning to take bubba all around florence! hopefully we will have a chance to go to greve in chianti and do a little wine tasting. 

i wish i could spend my favorite holiday with all of you but i hope yall have a fabulous valentines day no matter where you are! 

mom and dad-i love and miss you very much! i cant wait to see you oh so soon!

marmar-SHHHWWEEEEBOP! i miss you so so so much! happy valentines day lovebug.

molly-when are you coming to see me?!?! 

nana and gdad-lets try to skype soon! i miss you!

end of a very relaxing weekend...

this past weekend was wonderful! we were unsure of the weather so we ended up staying in florence and saving the wine tasting for another weekend. during the day on friday, a couple of my roommates and i went to the BIG local market right next to the san lorenzo market that i mentioned in one of my earlier posts. this particular food market is indoor and you can buy absolutely anything and everything is fresh. we wanted to make a big dinner that night so we walked around and tried all the different foods and decided to buy ricotta and spinach ravioli for the first course (italians have pasta as the first course so we figured we should follow suit). we literally saw them make the ravioli that we bought. i have never tasted pasta so fresh. we tossed them in a pesto sauce that was also delicious! then, we went to the meat section and had them cut up some chicken breast that we were planning to cook in olive oil, seasoning and sun dried tomatoes. while in the various meat departments, we had our first sense of culture shock. italians buy every single part of an animals body to cook with--stomach lining, feet, ears, and even full cow heads. at one point, one of the butchers was carrying around an entire cow leg. oddly enough it didn't make me feel queazy. at least it's not like china where they sell dog and cat at the markets (or maybe that is just a myth). but the butchers were so friendly and noticed that we were staring at the cow heads on the counters. they came over and explained to us that when cooked with fresh veggies and sauces, cow heads taste delicious. we opted to buy JUST fresh veggies without any cow parts.

our dinner that night was fantastic! we were very proud of our culinary masterpiece and decided to finish off the meal with some gelato from downstairs. i don't know if i previously mentioned the fact that we live DIRECTLY above the best gelato in florence. its called vivoli--all the locals and guide books agree that it is the best in the entire city. the sizes are funny because there are about 7 to choose from. the large is 10 euro and huge! we all decided to get that size the night before we leave to celebrate. i always get the extra small (which really is an extra small size) with two different flavors. my roommates and i want to try every flavor before we leave. we also understand that our jeans will not button at the end of the trip but that is a sacrifice we are willing to make.

the next night we finished our leftovers for dinner then went a pub that is right down the street from us. it's called the lions fountain and after that night, it is one of my favorite places in florence. the atmosphere was so casual and fun. when i went up to order a beer, the bartender was this adorable girl who spoke perfect english. i found out she was from boston and is only 18. she graduated from high school and didn't want to go to college so she moved to florence and is taking classes here and speaks fluent italian. she was so sweet--i cant wait to go back and hear more about her life! she seemed really interesting. 

on sunday, one of my roommates, marian and i decided to head over to piazza micchelagelo. its on the other side of the bridge and was supposed to have the most incredible view of florence. it was a beautiful day so the 20 minute walk was wonderful. we had to walk up a HUGE flight of stairs to get there but once we got to the top--it was absolutely worth it. i was speechless--we could see the entire city! it was at that moment that i truly realized where i was and what i was doing. obviously i have appreciated this experience from the beginning, but being able to see the city like that was so beautiful. florence really is such a spectacular place. i took a video of it so i will post it on youtube and put the link on my blog. i cant wait to take bubba, mom and dad to see it when they visit. i am going to try and visit that piazza as much as i can while i'm here.

since the weather ended up being nice this weekend we didn't want to do the museums, so i didn't get to see david. but i definitely will pay him a visit this week and also while bubba is in town. i cant believe he gets here on friday--it will be so fun to have him here! mom was so nice to send my ugg boots to wear around the apartment because it is SO COLD!! she also included a little valentines gift for me to open--i cant wait to see what it is! mom has seriously been my rock throughout this entire process. and dad too--there is no way i could have done any of this without them.

the paper i mentioned in a previous post is due on tuesday so i am starting that today and hopefully it will go well. this next week will consist of booking flights for spring break, planning things for bubba's arrival and homework.

i hope everyone had a great weekend and i will update my pictures and videos as soon as possible.

lovelovelove

almost friday..

not much has gone on since my last post. i only have one more class in a few hours and then i am officially done with my first week of classes! its a weird feeling because time goes so slowly here but i love it! the days seem to go on forever and i cant believe i've only been here for a little over a week. 

one of my best friends from high school (stef norris) is also studying here but we are going through two separate programs and live on opposite sides of the city. we had not seen each other until last night when we met at this super fun pub right next to the duomo. our incredible english teacher from high school (brad dicus) told us to go because it was his favorite pub. it was a very laid back atmosphere with an amazing view of the duomo. it was so great to see her and meet all of her roommates. i love catching up with old friends and realizing that regardless of how much time has passed since you've seen one another, some things never change. 

two of my roommates are leaving tomorrow morning for amsterdam. a bunch of their friends who are all studying abroad are meeting there for their friends 21st birthday. the rest of us are going to go wine tasting on saturday and possibly horseback riding in greve. the train ticket is only 3 euro and the wine tasting is just 8 euro. the tasting includes cheeses, breads and different types of meat to try with each wine. we are pretty excited! none of us have classes on friday so tomorrow i think we are going to climb the duomo. we've heard such great reviews from people who have previously done it. ill make sure and take lots of pictures at the top! as for the rest of the weekend, we hope to go on the other side of the bridge and just walk around to try and find a cute place for lunch. also, we are hoping to see the statue of david at the uffizi. that statue is one of the reasons i've always wanted to come to italy (along with 'the last supper' in milan). the best part of going to the museums is that the school provides us with a card that gets us in to almost every museum in the city for free AND we get to cut all the big lines and walk right it. this fairfield program has really been amazing so far. my friends in other programs have not been able to do nearly as much as i have.

we are all starting to plan the trips we will be taking this semester and the task of organizing them is REALLY tough. the school offers some amazing trips which is nice because it takes away the work of planning. all 7 of us signed up for a trip to capri and the amalfi coast which is later in the semester. but that still leaves spring break and weekend trip planning up to us. i made a list today of some of the places i want to go, so this weekend i will start looking at airline prices and dates. hopefully it all works out. if anyone has any suggestions as to fun places or traveling tips--i appreciate any help i can get!

i am counting down the days till my favorite holiday (valentines day) which is also the day that bubba arrives in florence. i am so excited to see him and show him all the wonderful parts of the city. even though it is a little weird that i will be spending the most romantic holiday in one of the most romantic cities in the world with my brother, it is still nice to spend time with someone you love and can laugh with. 

ill make sure and update pictures and everything once the weekend is over! have a fabulous weekend!!

lovelovelove

the secret bakery...

last night was probably one of the best nights we will have in florence! 

i had heard from a friend of mine who studied in florence last year that at 1 am a bakery opens and sells fresh, straight out of the oven, pastries but the catch is--its impossible to find. my roommates and i had talked about the fact that we wanted to find it early in the semester so we could show all of our family and friends who come to visit (and also so we could try these amazing pastries). we even found a blog online that a student had written and he described the bakery like this:

"visit the unnamed secret bakery, of no certain address. the glow of a frosted glass door awaits you on the corner. you go inside. the bakers try to ignore you (this is not a retail outlet, but a manufacturer of the pastries seen in many bars around town) and get back to the brioches. you get their attention and ask whats available. if you dont speak italian, its possible to get away with pointing. everything is just out of the oven and fabulous: still warm, flaky, magical. if your lucky, they still have some sfogile left, with a cream or marmalade or, the best, apple filling. if not, a chocolate croissant has been known to move one unnamed friend to tears of joy. if your in the mood for something a little more unusual, ask for a budino di riso, a small, hot, moist cake. after the first bite, you expect to owe your soul to the impatient woman who wants to get back to her ovens; after all, most of the customers are drunk. but she demands only 80 cents from you and shoos you away. you stumble out into the alleyway and begin your journey home in bliss, with chocolate on your lip. if only your pastry lasted the whole walk home...next time youll have to buy two."

needless to say, after reading that yesterday afternoon we were set on finding the bakery. we decided to go to a local pub and have a few beers. after an hour or so we realized it was time to go find the bakery. we had heard rumors as to where the bakery was, but most people said that we would just have to follow the scent. and they were right. when we walked out of the pub, we instantaneously smelled fresh made pastries. we followed the smell for about a block and before we knew it, we turned into a back alley and saw the magical glow coming from big frosted doors. we were ecstatic!!! we spent about five minutes just jumping around and laughing because we were still in awe that we had found the secret bakery. i will never forget the smell of that kitchen the minute we opened the doors. it was seriously a small piece of heaven. the baker saw us walk in and asked what we wanted. we asked for one of everything!! (hey, this sort of night was only going to happen once and we wanted to experience all of it, even if our jeans wouldnt fit the next morning.) we saw the man take the pastries straight out of the oven and into a bag for us. at this point i think we were all drooling. and the best part was, not only did they have pastries--THERE WAS PIZZA TOO!!! we paid practically nothing for our little pieces of heaven then walked outside to take pictures and enjoy the fruits of our labor (we did have to work pretty hard to find the place). i can not explain just how amazing the food was. it was still warm and so unbelievably fresh. i have never tasted anything so delicious in my life (except for moms meatloaf). we met an italian man on our way out who was so friendly. i asked him if this was the only special bakery in town and he gave me the strangest look. he told me that this place isnt really a secret to local florentines, but americans always refer to the bakery as 'secret'. we laughed and i told him that it was probably just a stupid american thing. he smiled and said that he loved americans we werent stupid--he went on to say that his wife is american and even though she has lived in florence for 20 years, she still believes that the bakery is a big secret.

so please remember that i would love for anyone to come visit!! and if seeing me wasnt a good enough reason to come, i can now say that if you visit, i will show you the super secret bakery. 

lovelovelove

first day of class...

well yesterday was the first day of class and so far, they seem like they will be really interesting. each class is usually 2 hours but for most you go on walks around the city--rarely do you spend the entire time in the classroom. but it makes sense--we are in one of the most beautiful and historic cities in the world!! 

i just had writing class and our professor starts out with the question 'what is a journey?' ok, i thought this class was going to be more of a journalism thing than a philisophical class. my head starts thinking a thousand different things...what do you mean 'what is a journey'? can you elaborate? do i need to take notes? is there only one right answer? am i even in the right class? then all of the sudden this girl (later i find out she has traveled all over the world and done everything with her life while practially curing cancer) answers with some insanley over the top comment involving animals and society. at this point, i am already lost but figure that i should stick it out till the end to see what this class is all about. for the next 2 hours i realize that the kids in my class are so typical of every english major student ive ever met. (sorry bubba--you are the exception) when given the chance they love to talk about themselves and hear the sound of their own voice. when asked what color the sky is, they cant say it is blue--they respond with "it is the color of my spiritual connection to all living things" or something complicated like that. so some of the answers these kids were giving just made me laugh. towards the end of class we were given our assignment and the professor asked for voulnteers to read their finished papers aloud at the next class. two students (the girl i mentioned earlier) and another guy (who also had made it very clear that he was over qualified to be in the class) volunteered, so i decided i should do it as well. keep your fingers crossed that my paper ends up going well!! oh and by the way, the answer to the question 'what is a journey' ended up being 'a transformation'.

my weekly schedule looks like this:

monday-history of christianity 9-11:30 and italian 3-4:15

tuesday-travel writing 12-2:30

wednesday-italian 3-4:15

thursday-history of the medici family 3-5:30

i am so excited to have fridays off to explore the city or take little day trips! this week thus far has consisted of class and grocery shopping. it is so fun because we have grocery stores near our apartment but we also have wonderful markets where we are able to buy exactly what we need at little specialty carts. it also gives us a chance to practice our italian. the fruits and veggies here are SO fresh! we have been making our meals at home the past few days and we love cooking with all the italian spices and ingredients.

as promised, here are some of the pictures! it is on my facebook account but this link allows for everyone to see the album even if they do not have a facebook. i still have more to add but my internet at the apartment is SO UNBELIEVABLY SLOW!!!!! i need to get wi-fi set up at the school so i can use my computer there with faster internet. 

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2126295&l=1d3db&id=18811585

i just had lunch with a friend of mine from high school who has spend the entire year in florence! it was really nice to see a familiar face and catch up on old times.

anywho, enjoy the pictures and i hope yall have a great week!!!

lovelovelove

back from traveling..

first off..i am still working on pictures and my next post will have a link for an online photo album!

this past weekend was loaded with traveling so needless to say i am super tired—but it was definitely worth it.  we started in assisi which was one of the most beautiful places ive ever seen. i had been excited to go because i had heard so much about st. francis of assisi while growing up. the town was so quiet and picturesque! st. catherine’s church was very interesting—it was turned into a hospital during the plague so they painted over the beautiful artwork with white paint to sterilize the building. it was fun though because you could still see the colors of the original artwork underneath. then, all of the sudden we turned a corner and saw this absolutely incredible church on top of the hill. the st. francis church really is one of the most breathtaking sights. we were able to go and see where he was buried and i lit a candle in the church on behalf of our animals at home. i miss the babies so much but it felt nice to be in the church of the man who is always watching over them.

next we went to perugia—the church there was stunning. i love seeing all the details throughout the building. it is beyond me to think that someone painted and sculpted those details by hand. there is a college in that town that supposedly is a big place for american students to study but it would be a little too small for me. i learned that due to some conflict that happened thousands of years ago, the town was not sold salt for their bread, so now the bread that you eat in that town is made without salt. it had an interesting taste! after an hour or so in purugia, it was time for dinner so we found a cute place for pasta (obviously) and walked around for a little before heading to bed. we had an early morning the next day so we wanted to be ready for it!

by the time we got to siena, it was freezing!! even the kids from the east coast were saying it was cold and if they thought it then it MUST be cold! we saw more beautiful churches—i lit another candle in the church on behalf of all my loved ones. what i remember most from siena was the huge town square. it was a big open area where everyone comes to sit and eat their lunch and people watch. it had a very relaxing and casual vibe. for lunch i had my first pizza since ive been in italy and it was everything i had hoped it would be! it was delicious—as bubba would say—they definitely mixed a little crack in the recipe.

after siena we to san gimignano—the views were fantastic! there was a great little market in the middle of the town square where they sold clothes and fresh candy and even puppies!!!! it took everything in me not to buy this little yellow lab that was sound asleep even though it was so noisy. he looked so peaceful!

the best part of the day came that night when we went up this HUGE mountain to the castello vicchiomaggio for wine tasting and dinner. we had a tour of the wine cellar downstairs before the wine tasting and dinner. this particular castle made super tuscan wines along with chianti classico. they were so delicious!! the dinner was even better, we had a five course meal followed by a dessert wine that we dipped biscotti in. the dinner was in this giant room with big windows looking down on the city. there was a piano in the corner of the room, which a bunch of the students and chef’s played on after dinner. we sang all these ridiculous american songs—it was hysterical! we all agreed that it was the best time we have had thus far.

we came back to florence that night but left this morning for pissa. it was rainy and cold! there isn’t much to do in pissa besides seeing the leaning tower—so the trip was short. i forgot that the leaning tower was in italy so when i saw it i was really excited! we took the typical american pictures where, from a certain angle, it looks like you are holding up the tower. after that we ran inside to get a quick cappuccino (im officially addicted!) at a little café before we left. we were planning on going to lucca but the weather was so bad that we decided to come back to florence and visit lucca on an afternoon where we could really experience the supposed beautiful views from the town.

tonight i am planning to stay awake and watch the superbowl game at a pub right down the street. they have advertised that they will be showing the game so a bunch of americans will be there. a couple of the guys in our program found out i was from arizona and said they were cheering on the cards tonight with me so it should be a good time! the first day of school is tomorrow and i cant wait! Ill update yall more on how things go after class.

nana--i bought a prayer card for you at the st. francis church—whos the favorite grandchild now?

sof—ive told everyone about deuxfashion!!! they think you and em are so dang cute!

mar-i wear my necklace every single day!!! it makes me think of you! miss you lovebug

have a great week!!!

lovelovelove

 

first shopping experience...

today the girls and i went to san lorenzo market about 10 minutes from our apartment. it is right next to the duomo and is a popular place for both tourists and locals. there are big carts set up on the streets selling anything and everything leather, scarves, soccer jerseys, jewelry and glass art. the whole experience was so exciting but completely overwhelming. it took us 4 hours to get through the entire thing. its a little frustrating because i knew that i wanted to get a leather bag and gloves and jacket--i figured that italy would be the best place to get them. and while i found TONS of beautiful things, they were all more expensive than i had expected. we all agreed that since we are here for so long, we have time to be picky and we didnt need to buy things right away--but its hard to know where to get the best value for the best price. we went from cart to cart looking at EVERYTHING and making a mental note of the prices so that we could compare and contrast with the other vendors. we met one vendor who spoke wonderful english and when i asked where she was from she said canada. she went on and on saying how she would look out for us and help us find what we needed. she told us that not everything is authentic even though it may look and feel like italian leather. but after we had finished talking with her, we realized that she may not even be from canada--maybe she just learned english because it helps american customers to trust her. the minute we heard her speak we all felt a little at ease--but you cant help but feel skeptical underneath it all. its hard to know that you cant really trust anyone to give you honest answers--its all about money and how much they can get you to buy. after the 4 hours of looking, i was the only one who still hadnt bought anything. i then found the most adorable pair of leather gloves at the last cart. they were camel brown with red stitching all over with a cashmere lining inside--but when i heard the price i had to say no. that particular vendor was not in the mood to debate prices with me. i know that i have plenty of time to find just the right bag, jacket and pair of gloves, but it would be nice to use them while i am here which is why i wanted to try and find them towards the beginning. at least i have an idea of what i am looking for after today. we all are planning to go back again and i think ill take bubba there when he gets in town.

tonight we are making dinner at the apartment and staying in! tomorrow morning we are leaving for lucca, assisi, pisa, perugia, san gimignano, siena, greve in chianti and vicchiomaggio castel (castle) for wine tasting. we will be gone for 3 days!!

i did find a cord to upload pictures but our internet connection is a little slow so as soon as i get back from the weekend trip, i will spend some time and put them on the page. 

have a wonderful weekend!!!!

lovelovelove

just the beginning...

oh my gosh i don't even know where to begin. everything is just amazing! 

after the looooong flight here i checked into a really cute little hotel right on the river. i had planned to try and stay awake and grab some dinner so i could go to bed at a normal time so that my clock wasnt all turned around. but i was so tired and fell asleep around 4 in the afternoon and woke up around 1am. It was so hard for me to fall back asleep and when i finally did, i overslept and missed my alarm! by the time i got to the school to pick up my keys for the apartment it was noon. i was so excited to see the apartment!! i took another cab with all my luggage from the school to the apartment and when i got there, one of my roommates, whitney, was standing outside. she had been there a few hours and was the first of us to arrive. she was so cute to help me carry all my bags up two flights of stairs!! the second i walked into the apartment i was totally shocked--it was ADORABLE! i will upload pictures as soon as i can--i think i left the cord to connect my camera to my computer at home but one of the other girls is bound to have one that will work. the whole place is done with ikea furniture and pictures. we even have a little flat screen tv! i saw that there were four bedrooms--three with two beds and then a single room. i had decided a while back that if i could have a single room i would take it. i love being with new people but i also like having my own space. 

the rest of the day was a blur!! the other roommates came and with seven of us, it was just loud and fun getting to know everyone. cory and her friend from syracuse lauren (but we all call her by her last name, sisca) took one of the rooms up in the front of the apartment. whitney and steph (both from fairfield but they didnt know eachother) took another room up front. the last two girls alenea and marin (friends from home who both go to mulenberg) took the room in the back next to mine. we only have two bathrooms but its worked out so far. 

all of my roommates are so fun! each of them have their own personalities and its great to have that many people together. we all agree that our personalities are a perfect combination for one another. we also think we have the best apartment!! 

the building we live in is in a great part of town. on our street we have a couple little resturants, a bakery right below us and a wine bar! the grocery store is right by school which is only a few blocks from our place. the walk to school is so beautiful. we have the most amazing piazza a block from our house where they have open-air markets every sunday. at the back of the piazza is a HUGE church! it is so gorgeous!  every time we are all walking somewhere we always stop and say "oh my gosh can you believe that we are actually here?" it is refreshing to be surrounded by people who appreciate the experience as much as you do. 

last night we all went out for the first time to a local club. it was crazy! all 7 of us were dancing the entire night. the other thing i love about the girls i live with is that they seem really loyal. we are always looking out for eachother. it might seem odd that ive only known these girls for three days because we act like weve known each other for years. the program has a lot of students--maybe 50--but nobody else seems to have as much fun as we do. so for now, our apartment pretty much sticks together. 

well i think thats it for now! we have orientation in an hour where they walk us around the city to show us where our classes are. afterwards, i think the 7 of us are going to just wander around the city and find a fun place for dinner. 

molly-i cant wait for you to come visit!!!! get your sassy self here as soon as possible!!

mom and dad-give taco tummy and the rest of the babies a big kiss for me

bubba-get ready for the time of your life when you get here! 

julianna-i have been writing everyday in the journal you gave me!! thank you again.

lovelovelove

finally have internet!!!!!

oh wow i have so much to write about because this is the first time i have had internet since ive been here!!! i am using the computer at school but am on my way to pick up my laptop from the internet store here. i will make sure and write all about everything later today..i just dont have enough time right now!!! everything is absolutely perfect and i cant wait to fill yall in on my adventures!!!!

lovelovelove

almost there...

well my trip has officially started! i am currently at the airport in arizona waiting for my flight to denver. from there, i will take a flight to frankfurt and connect to one more flight to florence.

it was so hard saying goodbye to mom and dad. i was crying on my way through security and the guards were so nice. they kept offering me tissues as they checked my bags. i know that this entire experience is going to be nothing short of amazing but for now, i am still incredibly nervous. 

mom and dad--thank you again. i love you both more than i could ever explain. i am so lucky to have you both. make sure and give all the animals big kisses for me.

hopefully, ill be able to update several times today throughout my travels. so, stay tuned!!

lovelovelove

a week away...

ciao!

welcome to my italy blog!! while in florence, i will be writing as much as possible about my experiences throughout the next four months. please keep in touch and remember that i am only a plane ride away, so feel free to come and visit!!

lovelovelove