Happy 1 month, Firenze!

Maybe I'll actually start doing this updating my blog twice a week thing...or maybe this will be the only time that happens. We'll see. :)

Monday was the second week of clubs- I signed up for Pilates, which Liz happened to also be in! Also, coincidentally the instructor for the Pilates club is the same man that teaches my wine tasting class. He always wears a hat and I'm wondering if I will ever see his hair before I leave Florence. I't's nice to get back into Pilates; I think I missed it more than I thought I did. I'm planning to buy a yoga mat so I can practice some on my own here in the apartment.

That night at dinner I was just about to excuse myself to go finish homework and go to sleep, when Francesca brought out a special treat- homemade tiramisu! I was already full, but it's a known fact that you can't say no to tiramisu; especially the homemade Italian kind. Francesca also said that she would be willing to teach Jackie and I how to make it- which is excellent news because that means more tiramisu!

I don't remember if I've described breakfast here or not, so I'll just do that again. Basically every morning I have corn flakes with warm milk heated on the stove (SO much better than cold; we're doing it wrong in the US), espresso (with the equal or greater amount of milk), and plain yogurt with a small amount of either strawberry or orange jam mixed in. Occasionally we also have some sort of dessert-like food or sweet cake, like panettone-- a traditional Italian Christmas bread that evidently is made throughout the year in various other forms. In general, the Italians tend to eat a lot of sweets and desserts for breakfast, which I would think is probably better for you than eating them at night because this way you have all day for your body to burn off the calories!

Starting Tuesday night I caught some sort of sickness and I'm still trying to fight that off. Nothing too serious- mostly my throat hurts and my nose is stuffy- but enough to make me wish I was home with medicine I can read the directions of and a familiar house/kitchen to make tea or chicken noodle soup in. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right?

On Wednesday, we had crepes for breakfast! I do love the standard breakfast I've gotten accustomed to here, but I must admit it was nice to have a change. Plus, who can eat cereal when the alternative is a crepe with melted nutella inside? Answer: no one.

For my wine tasting class on Thursday, I was required to buy and bring a bottle of wine to class so we could learn the "correct" way to open wine bottles using corkscrews. However, we still had our 4 glasses of other wines to taste, so I ended up returning with an almost completely full bottle of wine. Since I'm going away this weekend, and because the Ricci's are such excellent hosts I decided to share the wine with everyone (except the kids) at dinner that night.

So now I'm procrastinating packing for my trip to Bologna and Modena, but I should probably actually do that now. It's still weird to comprehend that I can leave every weekend (if I chose) and go somewhere amazing for not too much time or money. Basically studying abroad is kind of the best.

The Duomo, looking especially pretty in the early morning sunlight. 

Brb, Climbing Every Mountain

Stay tuned to hear about my fabulous weekend in Austria... But first, a quick summary of my past week before traveling! 

My photography went to Cascine Park during our studio last Tuesday to practice shooting landscape pictures. Such a great way to learn and have fun while in class! Unfortunately, when I returned to the lab and put my SD card in the computer it deleted all my files and corrupted the drive. Thankfully I had just saved all my pictures from before that day, so I only lost my shots from the class trip. But I still had to go back to the park on my own to re-take pictures for the assignment. Just another reminder that technology can most definitely fail. At least this gave me some extra practice using all the manual settings and more experience with the bus system in Florence!

Jackie and I have now officially booked a trip to Bologna and Modena for this next weekend! While definitely more stressful than doing a trip through a travel company, I'm looking forward to being more on my own time schedule and being able to walk around and explore. We will be touring a balsalmic vinegar factory in Modena, which Jackie is the most excited about. :)

And nowwww Austria! Thursday night around 8:30 I finished eating dinner with the Ricci's and met everyone else in the group (bus2alps) at the Santa Maria Novella train station. We departed around 9 for Vienna- and 10 hours later (accounting for one 30 minutes stop for snacks and several other stops for who knows what reason) we arrived at the hostel. We got there around 7 am- just in time for a quick shower and breakfast. 

Vienna is such a beautiful city! We did group walking tour around the city center that lasted about 2 hours and then we had some free time to grab lunch and explore on our own. Most everyone had wieners- basically fancy and better hot dogs. Then we got torte from the cafe across the street- Vienna is famous for it! I had hazelnut creme, even though most others got the chocolate. The next stop was Starbucks (there aren't any in Italy!) where some people ordered drinks and we ate our tortes. Yum. :)

We were able to purchase 24 hour metro passes for around 7 euros which was great as it let us go basically anywhere in the large city without a problem. Also, I thought the metro system was easier to understand than most of the ones in the US- even in a foreign language. 

At 3 pm, there was an optional tour of a Schnapps museum which I attended-- mostly to make my grandfather jealous. :P The company originally started many years ago by producing non-alcoholic raspberry juice until the founder traveled to the world's fair and bought a schnapps making machine. Later he was employed by the empress to supply drinks for her party, and he recieved several medals when he was able to get everyone drunk! It was interesting to learn about how the schanpps is made (many things can go wrong!) and we even got to try some at the end of the tour! Most of them were way too strong for me, but I did like the hazelnut creme liquor- I think it would taste amazing in coffee! 

Before getting dinner, we climbed the 343 steps of the tower of Stephansplatz, or Saint Stephen's Cathedral. This church is very old and has been burned and rebuilt numerous times. At one point during the reconstruction, all the men refused to do the roofing work because of the intense slope of the roof (it's almost vertical!) so instead 6 women rose to the challenge and completed the roof. The view from the top was amazing and we timed it perfectly as we arrived just in time to see the sunset! The climb- or the descent, for that matter-was definitely not easy however. The tower is not very wide and after about 3 minutes of walking up or down the spiral staircase everyone started to become very dizzy. I was very happy to be back on the ground and outside of the church!

Dinner was at Figlmüller, a restaurant known for their authentic Schnitzel! I tried Radler beer- mostly lemonade with 2.1% alcohol. Liz and I split a plate of Wiener Schnitzel (veal) along with parsley potatoes, and then, of course, we had apple strudel for dessert!

Even though I was very tired, I decided to stay out to explore more of Vienna. What an...interesting night. Essentially, we snuck into the opera. That night the Swan Lake ballet was being performed. The opera house in Vienna is world famous and while tickets are not cheap, they also offer a standing room that patrons can access for much less money. 
However, by the time we finished dinner the ballet was already half finished, all seats were sold, and the standing room was full. So we wandered around for a while, waiting to see if anything would free up by the second intermission. Margaret and Kristin ended up buying tickets off a lady who we overheard arguing with the opera employees about her seat. After being overly dramatic, she deciding to leave the theater because they refused to refund her money. Liz and I found the control room used to film the show to be broadcasted live online. We stood at the door quietly watching for a while until the man in the room saw us. We thought he was going to tell us to leave, but instead he said "you can come closer!" So we watched there until the second intermission, where we met up again with Margaret and Kristin and attempted to switch off with them and use the tickets. Long story short- that didn't work, but we later watched more of the show from the screening room. 

After the ballet finished, we had some tea at a cafe and then we were able to see the interior of St. Stephens Cathedral which was covered with purple neon lights! Although I'm not quite sure the rationale for this, it was certainly gorgeous! To end the night, we walked to see the Danube river before boarding the metro to take us back to the hostel for the night. 

The next morning after packing our bags, putting them in a storage room, and eating breakfast, we took the metro to Schönbrunn Palace and bought tickets for a self-guided audio tour of the interior. Marie Antoinette was the daughter of the emperor and empress that used to live here. Also the interior was all designed in a Rococo style, so it was very cool to see that. I felt like I was walking around in my interior design history textbook. *Please excuse the quality of the picture- technically cameras are not allowed.* 

That afternoon we stopped for kebabs (or kebaps, if you spell it in German) on the way back to the hostel/bus. I was expecting a stick with meat and vegetables, as I think most others were as well. However, my lunch was more like a sandwich- and very good. I believe the name kebab refers to the giant "stick" of meat that small slices are carved off of and put in sandwiches or wraps. Search "doner kebab stand" on google images to get a better idea of what I'm talking about. 

On the 3 hour bus ride to Salzburg, we watched the sound of music to get in the spirit!

Once we arrived in Salzburg (approximately 3 pm), we checked into the hostel and walked to Mirabell Gardens, which I'm sure would be much lovelier in spring but were still beautiful. This is one of the locations the Sound of Music was filmed at; the horse statue in the gardens is seen during the "Do Re Mi" song. Afterwards, we ventured over a bridge that crosses the Salzach river. I got another bowl of apple strudel (arguably better than the first one) at an adorable little cafe called Schatzi. 


That evening we visited the Augustiner Brewery, which was originally founded by monks! They sold beer by the half liter or the liter (3 euros for half, 6 for whole liter). You just grabbed whichever size mug you wanted and paid for it, then handed the receipt to another man who filled it up for you from giant barrels. It was difficult to find a table, but once we finally did about half of us went to go buy dinner. I split 3 different plates of food with 4 other girls- which ended up being great because I got to try a lot of different things and only paid 4.50 total for dinner! Later that night, we also went to an alehouse where I got to try cider. I wasn't really a fan of the beer at the brewery, but I did like the cider! 

Sunday morning we had breakfast at the hostel (unfortunately this one didn't have a cappuccino machine like the hostel in Vienna), and then it was time for the sound of music tour! This was one of my favorite things of the entire trip (ha, see what I did there?). 

The movie was actually filmed in quite a number of different places. All the scenes that happen inside the house (Maria's room, stairwell, ballroom, etc.) were created inside a Hollywood studio. We got to visit the house that the scenes that show the back of the house, the patio, and the lake were filmed at, however; the house that provided the front facade view we were only able to drive past - and too quickly for a picture. Many other scenes were filmed far in the country outside of Salzburg- one in particular was in Mondsee where St. Michael's Church is and the wedding scene took place. Unfortunately, the opening scene was filmed all the way in Germany, so I didn't get to run across the field or see those particular hills alive. Our guide also let us in on some other "secrets" of the film. For example, the actress who played Mother Abbey had her voice dubbed on the soundtrack. 

Later, we stopped at a grocery store to get snacks/lunch quickly before starting the ride home to Florence. 

My weekend was amazing... and so were the 11+ hours of sleep I got last night/this morning. :)

Zuppa di fagioli for dayzz

Welcome to week 3 of my blog, in which I still don't update it frequently enough. 

The dish on the left is called Minestra di Fagioli (we had it on Friday). On wednesday we had relatively the same soup, but without the small riggatoni like pasta in it. That type is called "Zuppa di fagioli." With or without the pasta, the soup is made from garbanzo beans, milk, and bread. I would be perfectly happy if Francesca decided to serve it every single night- SO good. 

At least 3 times now, I've been to the chocolate fair (near Santa Maria Novella Chiesa). I believe this was the last week for it, which is sad because that means no more free chocolate samples. I basically just walked along the entire row of tents and by the time I got to the end my sweet tooth was well satisfyed. Most every tent (booth?) gives out samples. I strongly considered buying some- because...chocolate, but everything is 1) really expensive and 2) sold at a certain price per 100 grams, which I have 0 concept of how much or little that is. So I was content to walk, get samples, and take pictures. 


This weekend, I stayed in Florence- which was nice after a busy week. It also allowed me more time to hang out with the Ricci family and bond more with the kids- mostly Sofia. 

Friday I did some more exploring and walking around Florence (with no particular destination in mind) with Marina, Madeline, Lynde, and Deanna. It was the perfect day for it- blue skies and no rain.The night before I had been able to get some nice rain boots and 2 scarves, so while they shopped some (and found some nice shoes!!) I enjoyed window shopping and taking mental notes of stores to return to or restaurants I want to come back and try. 

We ended up going across the Ponte Vecchio and got lunch at San Spirito Ristorante- a more expensive lunch because we sat down and hence had to pay the cover charge- but sooooo worth it. I had gnocchi with truffle oil and cheese, as did everyone else at the table, aside from Lynde who had spaghetti with cherry tomatoes. 

All along our walk I was taking pictures of the city/people and testing out my camera's manual mode/my ability to use my camera's manual mode. I'm really happy to be taking the photography class here because it ensures that I take even more pictures than I normally would; especially after I feel at home in Florence and lose some of the initial awe. I hope I am moving past merely a visiting tourist taking pictures of everything just to take pictures of everything- but taking pictures in and around the city to truly capture the beauty of its architecture, nature, and people. 

Saturday was a more relaxing morning (breakfast at 8:15, instead of 7:30!!). I worked on some homework/this blog and took a small nap at some point as well. I also gave out valentine cards that I brought with me from home to Sofia, Lapo, and Yeapsira (and also one to Francesca). They seemed to really enjoy them and Sofia immediately taped them all up on a wall in the kitchen near their calendar. She also tried to translate them all, and did so flawlessly until she got to the word "Stylin'." I explained to her that it was slang, and that I picked it for her because she's cute and fashionable- fashionista! 

Later, I showed Sofia my mask for carnevale- which she was in love with! I asked her if she had one, and when she said no we got Francesca's permission to walk to the 1 euro store (basically the best store ever). After much deliberation, we settled on a silver mask with pink and red decoration and a feather at the top. She wore it for most of the day, which was more than I wore mine!

Francesca and Sofia at the "flash mob"

After lunch (leftover quiche from the night before, toast with sausage, and penne pasta with olive oil and cheese), Francesca, Sofia, Yeapsira and I walked about 3 minutes down the street to see Francesca's flash mob! Not exactly what I was expecting- there was no dancing, but still interesting. It was more of a gathering of people to raise awareness and draw attention to equal marriage rights. It was also very, very short. The main part of the "flash mob" consisted of hugging people around you, and then waving signs in the air and cheering. And then it was over! 

We then returned home so "i bambini" (the kids) could prepare for their carnevale festival! It was not a town festival like I originally supposed, but rather an event put on by Lapo and Sofia's school. Before arriving at the actual event we met up with 2 children that go to school with Francesca's children and their mother. And then also Sofia's cousin and her father. At Piazza di Santa Croce they had an excellent time having a confetti war. I am still finding small pieces of paper in my clothes and all over my room. 

Sofia and Lapo opted to spend the rest of the day with their cousin and uncle while Francesca, Yeapsira and I went to the school festival (ironic because it's their school; Yeapsira goes to a different school since he is younger). The festival was fun- reminded me of events we have at home like field day, Octoberfest, or other fund raising events that take place on a non-school day. I also got to try numerous cakes and foods that are traditional for Carnivale and specific to Florence. Unfortunately I was too busy eating them to photograph them. :/

Sunday I slept in some before meeting up with Deanna and Ferrah for lunch at a very popular sandwich shop. The line extended into the street on both sides (evidently they have a store on either side of the street) and we kept having to shift or move slightly every time a car or bike wanted to pass. The sandwich was delicious though (well worth the wait, and the 5 euros). I had turkey,mozzarella,tomato, lettuce, and black truffle oil. 

From left to right: Lapo, Lilliana, Yeapsira;
& Sofia on top

When I returned home, Francesca's sister Barbara and her husband were visiting with their 2 year old daughter (Francesca's niece) Lilliana. I got to talk with them for a while and play with the kids who were already hyper due to lollypops that Barbara brought over. 

I left around 4:15 to meet up with Marina to walk around some. She was looking for a rain jacket, but after no luck we returned to her apartment to make tortellini for dinner with Lynde and Madeline. I spent the rest of the evening planning trips and weekends for the rest of the semester since there are several sales going on right now. Planning and figuring out travels is much more stressful than homework or anything else, but it's a nice stress to have. :) 

We paused the research and travel investigations around 8:30 for a gelato break. Francesca had recommended a specific gelateria to me earlier; evidently Sofia's favorite place! So we walked there, even though it was across the river-- gotta walk off that pasta somehow-- and I'm so glad. You can usually tell if a gelateria is authentic by their use (or the existence of) shiny metal plates that hide the gelato. Many touristy and "fake" gelaterias pile the gelato very high and it looks fluffy-> that's bad gelato! The place we went had the metal plates and everything was delicious. As Madeline correctly stated: "gelato is life changing." And if that's not the perfect ending to this post, then I don't know what is!

Masks and Sunsets

Earlier I set a goal of one blog post per week but I may need to update that since it’s been less and I’m already struggling a bit to remember everything. Oops.

Wednesday night was Michelle’s birthday so a large group of us had dinner at Il Gatto e La Volpe to help her celebrate her 21^st! As we finished eating, the restaurant turned out all the lights, sang happy birthday, presented Michelle with cake, and then smeared chocolate on her face. Shortly afterwards, 2 of the waiters came and kissed some of the chocolate off of her face!!

Thursday I had my wine tasting class! Evidently there is a LOT more to learn, but so far I was briefly introduced to the topics of tannins and acids as well as the basic difference between red and white wine. Each week we will taste 4 different wines and learn about the process of making the wine as well as the different characteristics and how to determine a good quality wine. Sometime in April we will take a field trip and take a tour of a winery in Chianti!

Friday was Nadege’s last day in Firenze, so before she left we walked around the city a little on Thursday afternoon and then said our “see you later”s around 1 on Friday. She has invited Jackie and me to stay with her at her home a little later in the semester- she lives about 30 minutes away from Paris and would like to show us around the city!

Later that afternoon, Jackie and I met up with Deanna and a new friend- Farrah- and walked to the central market. I was able to get a genuine leather wallet for 15 euros and Deanna got some gloves! We also stumbled across a chocolate fair/event going on and got to try several free samples of chocolate which I definitely didn’t mind. :)

I had dinner (pesto pasta and the Italian version of fried meatballs) with the Ricci’s and Jackie, before meeting up with other friends at Emily’s apartment and socializing/watching Mean Girls.

Saturday I went to Venice!! My day started at 7 AM with a shower and then 7:30 breakfast with multiple small cups of expresso. I met up with Deanna, Shelby, Marina, and Madeline to walk from the duomo to Burger King (our bus stop). We were supposed to leave at 9, but we probably ended up actually leaving around 9:30 or 9:45. The drive took about 3 and a half hours, not including a 30 minute stop for a bathroom/snack break. We arrived in Venice around noon-ish and then boarded a boat to take us directly to St. Marc’s Square.

After seeing a very short glass blowing demonstration, we found lunch and wandered around a little. Venice was very crowded since the Carnevale festival was in full swing. There were many people in traditional costumes and masks (as well as some dressed as other characters such as spiderman and smurfs), and we also got to catch a small glimpse of the parade going on that day!

Around 4,many people opted to take a Gondola ride, however since I did that the last time I came to Venice I decided to spend my time on land exploring something new. I walked around the Academia section of Venice with Margaret. I think this was my favorite part of the day, as it was the most unstructured and we were able to just wander and truly enjoy the beautiful city. We stopped for cappuccinos and also postcards. We even ventured as far as the Ponte Realto (the famous bridge of Venice that allows you to cross the Grand Canal) before running back to meet everyone else.

Even though we were only given about 45 minutes for dinner we still managed to find a nice place with excellent pasta (although slightly pricy) and get back to the meeting point on time. However our one mistake was not using the bathroom at the restaurant. I (and a couple others) ended up having to pay 1.50 euro to use the public restrooms. :(

To return to the bus we ended up walking about 40 minutes instead of taking the boat- I think they may only run during daylight. After we got back to the parking area, we got on the bus and drove back to Florence- finally arriving around midnight. Needless to say, I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow and didn’t wake up until 11 or so the next morning.

On Sunday, Jackie and I had a nice cup of coffee with Deanna and then lunch at a different store. While lunch wasn’t necessarily bad, it also probably isn’t a place I’ll return to. I had a plate full of vegetables that I felt had been missing from my diet the past week or so. Jackie and I then returned home to help Sofia bake a cake! Or…rather, to watch her make a cake. We were slightly useless as the recipe was fully in Italian and most of the words were unfamiliar to me. 

Later, we met up with others from HPU (most of the interior design class of 2016) and walked up a giant hill to Piazza Michelangelo to view the sunset. Wow. Such an amazing view of the entire city of Florence, as well as the surrounding area!

Dinner was at Gusta Osteria; I had my favorite pasta here: gnocchi. When I returned home I had planned to skype with various friends, but the internet was out. :( It hasn’t returned today, so I’ve been kind of camped out at the library which works, but certainly isn’t ideal.

This morning/afternoon I also met up with a new friend- Angie. We had lunch and then we finally made it to News Café to get the famous cappuccinos with drawings on the top. Mine was a bear and Angie got a replica of a Picasso painting!

Fingers crossed that the wifi signal is working when I get home tonight!!

Any day that includes a nutella waffle is a good day

Just trying to get in the habit of updating this frequently, even though I don't have a lot to report (every minute is part of the experience, right?).

The biggest "news" is that classes have now officially started! [As of now] I only have one class on Monday...at 6 pm- Intermediate Italian 2. The class also meets on Wednesdays, so I'll be going again tonight, this time with the book. I was quite nervous before class- "Yay, I got into the right level of Italian! Wait, what have I done?? This class is going to kill me!"- but it was actually quite good. It definitely won't be easy, but I think it will help me learn a lot more and I will be able to improve more than I would at home because of how much application practice I can do here. I.e.- talking to everyone in Italian. :)

Monday night, LDM had a welcome dinner for all students so Jackie and I went to that instead of eating with the Ricci's. It was very good, but I could tell it was more processed. When we got home, I could still smell whatever delicious food Francesca made for dinner and I was a little sad to miss out. But we did get to have some very good dessert!

Yesterday I was in class alllll day. Both of my studio classes (each 5 hours long, with a 30 minute break in the middle) are on Tuesdays. I'm attempting to switch into a different photography section that meets Monday mornings, but I'm not sure if that will work since at this point all the sections are full. Womp. However, I am very excited for both classes! In the morning, I had Graphic Design. My teacher's name is Paolo and he seems very casual and down to earth. We started right away with a lesson and a project; because there is no such thing as "syllabus week" for art majors. I now feel slightly more comfortable with Photoshop and I went to Hawaii! Or...well...sort of. ;)

My next class was photography at 3, which seemed to last longer because my professor took the first hour of the class to read the syllabus word for word. At the 30 minutes break I spent .60 euro for a cappuccino to make sure I didn't fall asleep in the remaining portion of the class. I'm going to learn a lot about how to use my camera in Manual mode, which seems very confusing now- but will be really cool once (if) I learn how.

Today I have literature and then Italian (again). I've been pretty lucky with not having to buy too many books so far, but I doubt my luck will continue in a course designed to analyze writing. 

Tomorrow is Nadège's last full day, so we have plans to take a nice walk withe her in the afternoon and maybe stop for a cup of coffee somewhere. I'm sad to see her go, but she has invited Jackie and I to stay with her in France later this semester so I'm very excited for that possibility. 

Ciao!

Let's try not to get lost

Fourth day in florence; first blog post since arriving in Florence. As you can tell, I've already been super busy- even though classes don't start until tomorrow! 

I (finally) got to the Florence airport on Thursday night around 5:30 pm (11:30 am NC time). I found the huge line of taxis, put my luggage in the first one, and told the driver my address. About 20 minutes later we arrived at my new home for the next 3 months and I rang the bell labeled "Ricci" in order to be let in the main door. Francesca (my host mother) and her daughter Sofia met me basically as soon as I got inside. We took the "lift" up to the second floor with my luggge; which is really the 3rd floor since they start with "ground" and then 1st. Sofia is 11, so she opted for the stairs instead of the elevator and made it there before us. Once we went inside the Ricci's apartment, I was given the grand tour by a very enthusiastic Sofia followed by some easier to understand explanations by Francesca.  

A little later I met my new roommate, Jackie, who is from Cedar Rapids, Iowa and goes to Iowa State University. Then we had supper: pasta with tuna, tomatoes, spinach, and some other unidentified vegetables and spices. I was just thinking of possibly getting another spoonful, when the second course was served. Oops. That included rosemary chicken and a potato dish. (Dinner is served around 8:15-8:30 every night, which has taken some getting used to since I usually eat much earlier.) At dinner I also met Francesca’s husband, Giancarlo, along with her other children: Lapo (8, boy), and Yeabsira (5, boy, adopted from Ethiopia, and full of SO much energy).

On Friday, we had breakfast at 7:30 which was struggle city because 1) I was exhausted from flying the day before and probably jet lagged and 2) I woke up at 3 am and couldn’t go back to sleep until 4 am. But it was good- I had muesli with warm milk; basically oatmeal. J After breakfast I took a 30-ish minute nap and then headed to the Uffico Postale (Post Office) to buy an Italian SIM card.

I had orientation at 11:45, where I received a lot of papers and important information about the school and my time here in Florence. Directly afterwards I ran off to take my Italian language placement test and found the building on my 4^th try. I’m super happy to report that I was able to place into the class that I was signed up for- intermediate 2!!

That night for dinner we had a traditional soup from Tuscany with Kale and turkey. The dish is unique because bread is also added and allowed to absorb the water and then dissolve. I wouldn't have known there was bread in it, if Francesca hadn’t told me!

 

Saturday I slept in until around noon, although I woke up very briefly at 11 to flip the switch to heat up the shower. If you don’t do that about an hour or 2 hours before you take a shower the water will be…not warm. So then I showered around 1, before going out to explore Florence a little with Jackie and walk to the buildings our classes are in. Later we found lunch at an adorable (and tiny) panini shop.

Since we don’t receive meals on the weekends, Jackie and I ate dinner at a small restaurant near the apartment with Marina, Shelby, and Lynde. I had gnocchi with mushrooms and prosciutto, minus the prosciutto. We split a liter of wine between the 5 of us, basically because it’s cheaper than water and well, when in Rome… (or Florence)

Sunday I had great plans to wake up early and get a cappuccino as you will apparently receive odd looks or may even be refused if you order one after 10 am. Buuuutttt, I ended up waking up around 11.

Along with Francesca and Giancarlo, Jackie and I, and the 3 children, there is also another lady staying here for a short time from France. Her name is Nadège and she works as a flight attendant, but has also been taking classes for the past week or so in Florence. She leaves next Friday.

Nadège wanted to show us around Florence some, so Sunday, as soon as I woke up I got dressed quickly and we were off! On the first day of every month in Florence, the museum fees are free! We went to Castle Vecchio and climbed to the top of the bellower (well, not the top, but as far as the public is allowed to go). This was an amazing view of the city of Florence. So beautiful. Next we crossed over the Ponte Vecchio (basically the city landmark) to the other side of the river. The Medici family used to live in Castle Vecchio before they moved across the river to another castle, and they would use a tunnel located above the bridge to walk across the river and see what was going on in the town without having to be seen.

We found a pizzeria for lunch; I had Magherita, which is basically the equivalent of American “cheese pizza.” After lunch, we had small bowls of gelato (possibly the best part of Italy), even though I was already pretty full from lunch! So then we walked back across the river to the Uffizi museum where Nadège thought the David is located. Even though we found out that the sculpture is instead at the Academia (a different museum), the Uffizi Gallery was quite impressive. I found several pieces of art that I had previously studied in my interior design history class.

Jackie and I decided to let lunch hold us over, instead of getting more food for dinner. So we snacked a little before winding down for the night. Classes start tomorrow, although my first class is not until 6 pm.

So, that’s my (very long), first post from Italia. More to come soon! J