Tuesday, April 28, 2009
i left my heart in the amalfi coast...
Thursday, April 23, 2009
back from budapest and off to the amalfi coast...
Thursday, April 16, 2009
weekend getaway to budapest...
Sunday, April 12, 2009
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!
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
only 5 weeks left...
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
pictures...
Monday, March 30, 2009
back from spring break...
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
three midterms down and one to go...
Sunday, March 15, 2009
milan and midterms...
Monday, March 9, 2009
mom and dad visit florence...
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
under the tuscan sun...
Sunday, February 22, 2009
venice and my first florence soccer game...
Thursday, February 19, 2009
fabulous week with bubba...
Friday, February 13, 2009
so excited for tomorrow...
Sunday, February 8, 2009
end of a very relaxing weekend...
Thursday, February 5, 2009
almost friday..
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
the secret bakery...
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
first day of class...
Sunday, February 1, 2009
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 cafĂ© 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
Thursday, January 29, 2009
first shopping experience...
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
just the beginning...
finally have internet!!!!!
Saturday, January 24, 2009
almost there...
Thursday, January 15, 2009
a week away...
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