florence, you have my heart.

As Im laying in bed, studying for my Italian test, and wishing I had a water right now, all I can think about is how much fun Florence was!

Before leaving for Florence on Friday, my Thursday night was spent at my favorite neighborhood restaurant Pizzeria San Marcos. I had the most amazing pasta with tomatoes and mozzarella and the most amazing house wine, which was also very cheap :) Natalie, Bri, and I got a little tipsy and went back to the apartment. Just our luck, there was no internet for pretty much the entire night, so we spent some of the night making silly videos on my photo booth.

We woke up at 730 to get ready and leave for the train station to Firenze (Florence in Italian). The train ride was exceptionally fast and was enjoyable because of the pretty scenery. We arrived in Florence just to have enough time to shop around before our walking tour. Immediately, I noticed how more beautiful and cleaner Florence was than Rome. A big difference. We ate lunch at a very cute cafe on the street where Meghan and I split delicious caprese pizza and four cheese gnocchi. We shopped around and noticed our hotel was literally in the center of Florence near the famous Duomo and near all of the greatest stores. We found a wonderful wine shop where I picked a few surprises for my family and Ray. The store owner was such a great person, because he sold me the best wine and I knew it was real, because the wine was not overpriced at all. After checking into our hotel, we had our walking tour, where we saw the Duomo, the river, the hills, and had the best gelato of our lives. Since we woke up so early that morning, we took a huge nap and then woke up just in time for us to head out to dinner. We heard Dante's was a great place to eat for students, because dinner included a liter of free wine, can you say too perfect?? Well, since we were so hungry we decided not to wait for the group and we told them we would meet them there...sure enough we get to "Dantes" and realize it is a totally different Dantes and that there are about 20 in Florence. When in Florence right??? So we eat there and luckily dinner was absolutely phenomenal. We got two huge liters of house white wine and the best lasagna and best tiramisu I have ever had in my entire life.

After leaving the restaurant, we decided to go to the Fish Pub, which we were notified of us as a place to get shots for 1 euro each! We hung out there for awhile and left to go to the next pub where we ran into our entire study abroad group and the LMU Tuscany one as well. Florence is amazing to me for this reason, because it is small enough and very cozy. We all headed out to a disco, which is the European version of an LA nightclub, called Twenty One. It was such a fun night and so worth the pain of waking up at 730 for yet another boring tour. The next morning we visited the Uffizi gallery, which had a lot of famous artwork by artists such as Michelangelo and Raphael. After the museum, we went straight home to take another nap, which lasted much longer than we hoped for. Fortunately, we woke up with just enough hours to go shopping!!! All I can say is that H&M is so much greater than the American version and European shopping kills American. That night consisted of a program dinner and heading out to a very hip and beautiful wine bar called Slowley. The bartender was exceptionally talented when it came to making gorgeous drinks with flowers, fruit, and deliciousness. We went back to another pub and another disco with one of the most fun groups yet! After the club we were on a mission to find some really good pizza, which is a very hard task at 2AM compared to California. We finally found the BEST pizzeria and left to go the hotel.

The next morning we got up early, checked out of our hotel, and went to the museum where the Statue of David was. Now I can really say that this was the most interesting and fascinating piece of artwork I have ever seen. It may seem not too incredible to sculpt a statue of a man, because so many artists have done it, but this statue seen in person will blow anyone's mind away. It is ginormous and just the process in sculpting David fascinated me. After the museum, Jelly, Kelly, Kristine, Hannah, and I climbed the 414 stairs to the top of Duomo bell tower and saw the most beautiful view of Florence. I can honestly say that Florence is my favorite city in Italy, but there is still Venice to see, but for now definitely Florence :)

Today, I booked Paris!!!!!

Weekend of Cinque Terre and More Rome!

So not this weekend, but the last Meghan, Macy, Bri, and I went to Cinque Terre which is in northern Italy near Florence and Pisa in the Italian Riviera. We knew our train was leaving at 345 so we left at around 315 for the train station. This obviously didn't go well. We were rushing and running and sprinting because we knew that time was almost out, and sure enough we got to the station right as our train was leaving. Without us. So we buy the next ticket for a 6PM train two hours later. There was a coffee shop around the corner and we decided to get some caffe lattes, which are heaven compared to American coffee, and wait for the next train. After it got really close to 6PM we walk over to find our platform and realize we only five minutes till the train leaves. Sure enough, we run around screaming the number 18 thinking that is the platform our train is on. But, no, that was what time it was leaving...6PM in military time. Our train leaves our stupid butts behind and we have to wait another two hours for the 8PM train to La Spezia. Fortunately, we are all optimists and just laughed and laughed about how we jinxed ourselves and how silly we were for missing two trains. We got to La Spezia around 1AM, starved, so we found the only open establishment, a pub. We walk in the pub and sit down to order some burgers and hot dogs. Apparently in Italy, burgers and hotdogs are just like paninis, but with the meat that Americans use. After eating we get to our hotel and pass out.

We woke up the next morning at 11AM and ready to hike! We took a short and very, very cheap train to the first town of Cinque Terre called Riomaggiare. Cinque Terre consists of five small villages on the coast, in the mountains, and on the beach. There is beauty EVERYWHERE. We started the hike called Via Del Amore, which made miss Ray very much and left me wishing he was there to experience of all this with me. But, no worries, I will be going back to CT. We hiked to the second town, where we got an amazing seafood lunch and took some gorgeous pictures. The next part of the hike was to climb 368 stairs to the third village and then after that hike up a 2 mile mountain. This was much more rigorous than we could ever have imagined. We finally got to the fourth town, Vernazza, where we took a break, grabbed some nutella gelato, some water, and just enjoyed the quaint little town. It was around 5PM when I was dying to go swim in the ocean. We took the train to the fifth town, which is the biggest, the busiest, and has the best beach. Monterosso was everything I wanted for my Italian swim. I immediately jumped in the ocean, which is still to this day my favorite moment of my study abroad trip. Floating in the Mediterranean sea and looking at all the lush green mountains and clear, bright blue water, made me appreciate the precious opportunity that was given to me. Traveling is my favorite thing in the whole wide world.

The next day we went back home to Rome, which is weird to say, but it was nice having some place familiar to come back to. Our apartment is surprisingly "homey" and something nice to come back to from a weekend getaway. On Monday, we went to buy some Tiesto tickets for the next day from some random guy who couldn't speak English. We were just hoping and wishing that the 11 tickets we bought for almost 400 euro would turn out to be legitimate. We were right! On June 1st, a group of us got together to go to a concert in Rome to see the most famous DJ in the entire world, TIESTO! Ever since Ray and I have been dating, Tiesto has become one of my favorite artists and it was just an amazing chance to be able to see him live and for that matter in Europe, his very own home. To put it simply, he was absolutely incredible live. It was nothing like an American type of rave, but much more of a concert and everyone wore jeans and t-shirts, not slutty neon outfits!

Another highlight of this week was an interesting meal that Natalie, Macy, Meghan, and I had. On Wednesday we decided we were growing tired of the Italian meals and we remembered we saw a mexican restaurant when we were out a pub one night. We went to go get dinner there and realized it was actually a Spanish restaurant. Pleased with listing of tortillas and nachos on the menu we decided to eat there. We ordered the nachos, tortillas, and the traditional Spanish delicacy chicken and fish Paella. Shortly, the nachos turned out to be chips and salsa, the tortillas turned out to be cornbread, and the "fish" paella was actually full of shrimp, mussels, and other live looking creatures. Don't get us wrong...all of it was delicious and it left us feeling especially curious about what else we could order and be surprised. In fact, we ordered the chocolate and cream biscuit for dessert which turned out to be pudding and finally we ordered churros, which turned out to be just delicious churros. Anyways, it was definitely a cultural experience and one thing learned is that nothing is what it seems and it is always better to look at your food before you order it! Which, fortunately, Italians LOVE to do.

Tomorrow morning, our LMU study abroad group will be jetting off to Florence for the weekend! CIAO!!!!

May 24th-May 26th

So on monday we had orientation where we met all of our teachers and the whole study abroad group. We went on a walking tour of Rome, which consisted of us listening to the earphones while the tour guide speaks into the walkie talkie. Although it was amazing to see some new churches and monuments that I had never heard of, the tour was a bit "touristy". Until we got to the Pantheon, I was just tired and overwhelmed from the long day. The Pantheon was something I just heard of by name, but when we got to the building it took my breath away. It is seriously out of an ancient Rome movie, with Latin written across the top and just being humongous. Once we went inside there was even more details and breathtaking art. On top is the dome, which is open, so when it rains, it rains inside the Pantheon as well. After the tour, everyone was pretty much exhausted. We went back home to take a nap and afterward had some wine and some great home-cooked italian food. Our apartment is great, but like a lot of things in Rome, it is also ancient. But! Being in Europe makes up for everything.

On Tuesday, we had our first classes, Italian and Art History. Italian is for two hours M-Th. The subject is great, because I love learning a new language and this time I am actually going to be able to use it and it will help me learn even more. It's exciting to learn in class and use it outside. The only downside is that we are in a class room for two hours, when we are in Europe! Art history is a little better than Italian, because it is "on site", meaning that we get to go to the actual places we are studying. Our first visit was the Colosseum! Now this is something that at first sight is everything and much, much more than you could think it is. It is bigger, more magnificent, and much more exciting to see in person and incomparable to what read and learn about. I'm a little bit of a nerd and was so happy to be able to touch such an ancient ruin where gladiators used to fight and the most famous emperors used gather. There is so much history in the eternal city that it trumps any city in America, leaving so much to take in when here. The Colosseum is a bit destroyed but still in tact enough to look at the stadium as a whole. Our teacher is awesome, because even though she gives us an intense amount of lecture and history while there, she gave us a 20 minute break to just walk around ourselves and take pictures. After the Colosseum, we went to the Forum which is where all the Romans would gather before going to watch the games at the stadium. This is more of a ruins type of place with many different structures and temples that have a lot more history. If you want to learn an interesting story read about the Trajans Column and The Vestal Virgins. After our class we went to get some gelato, which is the Italian form of ice cream, before our group dinner. All Italians eat gelato and they seem to eat gelato everyday, which is confusing because all of them are in such great shape! After gelato, we went to eat at this place called Hostario, which is right by the Accent center in Piazza De' Orologio. We had the most amazing pasta sauce, which is made of cheese and tomatoes, as is everything amazing in Italy. It was nice getting to know some more people on the trip.

Today, Wednesday, we went to our favorite snack bar, which is a place where all Italians get breakfast and sometimes a quick lunch. I am not much of a coffee drinker, but Rome and this place in particular, has the BEST cafe latte I have ever had. Andddd is it is only 2 dollars! We also get these little sandwiches, which are triangles with either tomato and cheese, mushroom and cheese, or ham and cheese. After breakfast we went to Italian class, where we learned more phrases and a lot more vocabulary. Some of our art class decided to go to do one of our homework assignments on Palatine hill, but when we got there we weren't allowed in as a group, so instead we went to visit this big white building, which Italians don't like very much. It is more modern, because it was built in the 1800's, and the Italians think it is an eye sore because it is white. We heard there was an incredible view of the city on top so we all went to see it. It definitely lived up to our expectations and more, because we were basically on the highest point of the city with absolutely nothing blocking our view. We stood, took pictures, and were just mesmerized by the view of the city. From each angle you could see the Colosseum, St. Peter's, The Vatican, our neighborhood, the mountain regions, basically EVERYTHING. It was definitely one of my favorite moments so far on this trip. Afterwards, we walked towards the park called called Villa Borghese, but instead decided to stop at a pub and get a glass of sparkling red wine, which tasted like heaven. We relaxed there for a bit and then headed down the most amazing shopping area I have seen in Rome yet!

Sunday Funday

Us on the way to Campo De Fiore

My bed!

We left the hotel at 11am this morning to arrive at our program center, Accent in Piazza De Orologio. The taxi driver was super nice, but spoke barely english, which did not affect his touring skills. He showed us the Colosseum, St. Paul, and other touristy attractions that Americans get excited about, including us. The streets are very narrow in the center of rome, the sidewalks are covered with cobblestones, and the buildings are incredibly old, but extremely beautiful. We got our packets of information and the keys to our new apartment, which is located a thirty minute walk away from the program center where our classes are held. Our apartment is in the neighborhood of Prati, which is located in the center of Rome. It is HUGE and there are 8 of us girls total who live in the one apartment. Macy, Meghan, and I share a room. The kitchen is tiny, our windows look out on the street, and our bathrooms have that funny European sink/toilet thing that I do not know the name of. We dropped our bags off, met some of our roomies, and headed off to lunch at the cafe called Portofino a block over. I had a Caprese panini, which was delicious as well as splitting this incredible gelato, dry ice cup with berries. MMMMM :) The picture is above.

Since Italy enjoys a "siesta' from 2-4pm, we had to rush to the supermarket to buy groceries. It was completely different from the usual stores we are used to back home and everything is in Italian! After checking out we walked back to our apartment and unpacked everything. After unpacking, we relaxed for awhile, met some more of our roommates, and then decided to change and head to see the Trevi Fountain. This is my number one site I want to visit in Rome so of course I was ecstatic. Meghan, Macy, and our other roomies Bree and Natalie headed out with our map to find the fountain, which was supposed to be a 25 minute walk. Well, it turned out that we got lost so many times, we didn't make it to Trevi, and instead went to the famous Campo De Fiore. This plaza is popular for its wine bars and cafes. We weren't hungry yet so we got some glasses of wine and just enjoyed ourselves. Afterwards, we went back home, where we got lost again and again, until it started raining. Luckily, our apartment was finally around the corner! Now, we are just hanging out until it stops raining and then we will go to dinner :) Just another day in beautiful ROME!

The adventure to ROME!

So here is my first blog!

Right now I am in bed at our hotel in Rome, stuffed from a delicious italian meal and completely ready to sleep. It is 8PM here, but Macy, Meghan, and I are all super jet-lagged. We got to the airport on friday and left for london at 4, which is a 10 hour plain ride. We were on British Airways, which is on strike right now, so our plane was half empty, leaving us plenty of room! This was amazing because I got an entire row to myself...perfect for sleep! I read some of my new book Little Bee and watched It's Complicated, which wasn't that great, before taking a 6 hour nap. We got to London around 10am and by this time all of us were still exhausted. Although, I realized we were in a brand new city 3,000 miles away, which gave me an adrenaline rush, leading me to take some pictures of London (at least what was visible). We shopped around some airport boutiques and I bought a sandwich at Starbucks that was titled "mature cheddar with pickle". For me that was being adventurous and eating a true "British" sandwich. We left for Rome, which was a 2 hour flight, where I read some more of my book and took a small nap. We finally arrived in Rome at 5PM and caught the shuttle to the hotel, which wasn't that far from the airport. l We decided to walk to this restaurant and eat a real italian dinner! I got pesto pasta with zucchini, Meghan got pizza, and Macy got tomato pasta! IT WAS DELICIOUS!