The Best Reunions Happen in the City of Love

Just a quick recap of the last week- primarily my photography class- and then I'll dive into my adventures in Pariiii :)


Tuesday (April 21st), my photography class went to Santo Spirito- a delightful piazza on the other side of the river close to Michelle and Liz's apartment- to practice shooting street photography. Most of the time, I felt like a creeper. But I am glad of my time there now, as I have pictures that capture the genuine way of life and Italian spirit. Walking back to the school buildings, we took a group break and got gelato (best class trip ever). I also saw a street performer playing Vivaldi's Spring (of the 4 seasons) on the violin while wearing roller skates. I have no idea why she was wearing roller skates because she wasn't moving while playing, but I guess she thought "why not?" I've decided that my new goal is to be as happy as she was that day. 


And now- my weekend trip! Last Thursday, Jackie and I flew to France to see Nadege (the other host student that stayed with the Ricci’s for the first 2 weeks we were in Florence) as she had graciously invited us to stay with her and her husband for the weekend. We were both very excited to see her again, and to be able to see Paris!

When we first arrived, we didn't immediately see Nadege, so we called her on FaceTime- but it went to her iPad which was at home and her husband, Pascal, answered. Seconds later she found us and then drove us to her home in Senlis, France there we met Pascal- in person this time haha. Nadege and Pascal's house is simply gorgeous and the neighborhood is adorably quaint. I would have been happy staying for much longer than a weekend. 

Nadege and Pascal's beautiful backyard/garden!

That night, we did some nice catching up (with Nadege) and getting to know each other (Pascal) before heading to bed.

Friday was a nice leisurely morning with breakfast around 9:30- sleeping in for us! Pascal went to Lo Boulaugerie (what we would probably call a bakery or pastry-shop) to pick up Viennuiserie, or what we would call pastries. We had a wide assortment- chouquettes, pain aux raisins, croissants, pain au chocolat- as well as fresh blueberries, yogurt, and coffee.

Next we went to the neighborhood market with Nadege to get food for lunch, and dinner. We could tell that we were definitely far away from tourists; we stuck out a lot! So neat to see such a unique and authentic part of France- especially with a guide since I knew a total of 6 words in French before arriving (Jackie and I counted on the plane!).

With our shopping complete, Nadege started cooking and Jackie and I took another 20-30 minutes exploration of the streets close by- including the lovely Senlis chapel. We asked the name of the cathedral and Nadege said she didn't know because there is only one so they just call it the cathedral! But the official name is Cathedrale Notre-Dame de Senlis (thanks Google).

We returned and had lunch outside in their backyard (aka paradise) because “this is the last nice day, the rest of the time it will rain”, or so said Nadege. 

Escargot- snails-, daurade royale (Sparus fish), rice, 3 different cheeses (2 goat, one was fresher than the other, and brie), and French bread. For dessert, Nadege had chosen 4 different “Patisserie” (we would say sweets or cakes) from a bakery where they are all made from scratch-so we could try a variety of traditional French desserts. We had: mille feuilles (so named for the "thousands" of layers), Éclair au chocolat (chocolate eclair), une tarte aux fraises (strawberry/pistacchio tart), and une tarte au citron meringuee (lemon tart).

Pascal went back to work after lunch (he's an architect!) and Jackie, Nadege and I went to the castle that was used as an inspiration for Versailles: Chateau de Chantilly. I still want to go to Versailles one day, but this was an excellent compromise since Versailles is very far from Senlis and would take a lot of time to visit. 

First, we walked all the way around the very extensive gardens and trails; only getting lost a couple times. Apparently Pascal had told Nadege to walk down a certain way to see wild turkeys and a kangaroo, but we saw neither; although we did see a couple mute swans!

On our way back to the castle from the grounds, we tried Chantilly cream with raspberries! The region is known for the invention of whipped cream, which (like many other great things) was originally created because of a mistake. 

We toured the inside of the castle, which was primarily in a baroque style but also had many references to Rococo. I saw many of the things we learned about when studying Versailles, such as jib doors and parquet flooring. I also noticed a lot of chinoiserie (aka drawings depicting monkeys dressed in human clothing and doing human activities). 


After our self-guided tour of the interior of the castle, we ran to the horse museum as it was due to close in 30 minutes! The museum was interesting; and they also allowed you to tour the stables! The famous Grand Prix takes place at Chantilly, and although there wasn't a true competition going on, we got to see several jockeys practicing their jumps. 

We stopped at Pascal’s office on the way back home to see the hives of honey bees that he has. In addition to architecture, Pascal makes honey! The labels of his honey jars read "Le miel de l,architecte", or "the honey of the architect."

For dinner that night we had an appertivo of green and black olives, churrizo, radishes, and champagne. Pascal was teasing Nadege because the only thing really French on the table was the champagne. She had brought back the other items from her travels through work the past week (she is a flight attendant for AirFrance). For the main course we had beef and peppers on a skewer that Pascal barbecued in the backyard, as well as white asparagus and a mayonnaise that we helped make- after wasting 4 eggs trying to separate the yolks and whites. Nadege also had problems separating the egg whites, so I don’t feel as bad :p

We spent the rest of the night drinking lovely French wine and talking before heading to bed somewhat early to prepare for our big visit to Paris the following day!

Saturday morning was more of an early start with breakfast at 8:30 so that we could leave by 9 for Paris! We were given a driving tour first as Pascal explained about how the city is planned completely on axis’ and the Arch de Triomphe, the Louvre, and the Luxor obelisk all line up. He impressively parallel parked the car and then our walking tour began.

Our first stop was Laduree café. Gossip Girl was filmed here- it was Blair’s favorite place in Paris for macaroons! So I had coffee (latte) and a raspberry macaroon and took several pictures. Not traditional at all, and very touristy, but still fun!

Next we went to the Madeleine Church. This building was commissioned by the French king at the time and then construction was also overseen by Napoleon. It wasn't complete until after the revolution, during which time they continued building, but obviously the construction went very slowly. The church looked very different from most- it reminded me of typical bank designs with large Corinthian columns.

Jackie and I, near the Louvre

We walked all over that area of Paris, and were able to see the strong symmetry and axis of the city from many different angles. It helps to have an architect as your guide! We went to the lourve, but not inside. I had heard that our student visas would grant us free entry, but after seeing the line I was okay with staying outside. Another thing to do when I return to Paris...sometime. :) I was completely enamored with all the courtyards and beautiful fountains in this area. It started warming up around this time (with no rain in sight!) and everything seemed to be in bloom! 

Just as my tummy started to growl a little, Pascal said we would be stopping for lunch. We went to Alice’s Café- which I never would have gone to on my own. No English menu; so we trusted Pascal and Nadege- just another perk of having native French guides! They recommended croque madam (ham sandwich with egg on top), so that's what I ordered! This is a traditional (and very popular) sandwich in France, and they also have croque monsieur- which is the same thing, but without the egg. My meal also came with a salad which I was very happy about!

Following lunch, we drove to another part of the city and ended up near Notre Dame cathedral. Pascal impressed us with another parallel parking job and then we headed across the bridge to the island that the cathedral sits on (I never knew it was on an island!). They gave us plenty of time to take pictures of the exterior of the cathedral and the surrounding area while they decided which direction to go. Later, Nadege was teasing Pascal for being lost- as he initially headed the wrong way.

We eventually made it to Saint Chappelle-which I studied! Here we were able to get in for free with our student visas (you're the best, France). The church was just as impressive as I imagined (and as Dr. Turpin told us). So many bright colors and lights streaming in through the fantastic stained glass windows. Pascal had been worried it would be too cloudy, but the clouds must have parted just for us, because it was an excellent time to be there. I'm sure my father would have loved it!

Later we stopped for the “best ice cream in France” according to our hosts. Nadege read all the flavors to us very fast, and then eliminated the "Italian" and "American" flavors that we were not allowed to get haha. I tried strawberry and "nut", and it was indeed, very tasty. 

We went across another bridge to a second island and passed two very talented street performers on the way. One was a group playing traditional french songs, and Nadege was singing along most of the time!  On the other island, we walked down near the water. Everything was so beautiful and calm- if I lived in Paris, I would come to this spot every chance I had.

We went back to the mainland over the famous lock bridge where we waited just 10 minutes to board a sightseeing boat that would take us for a cruise on the Seine river. It started to rain just before we got on the boat so we sat on the inside, but then went outside later when we realized the rain had stopped. Neat to get a different perspective and see more of the city- incluudddinnngggg the Eiffel Tower! Pascal was very helpful and gave us a personal tour, since the one on the boat was hard to understand. We all agreed that Pascal could be an excellent tour guide, and he said "I just have to fix my English." (False- his English was excellent)

After our boat ride, Jackie went to mass at Notre Dame cathedral. I took a few pictures of the interior and then joined Nadege and Pascal outside. Pascal wanted a drink (apparently being a tour guide isn't easy) so we went to a small café and were able to sit outside to enjoy the weather. Pascal ordered beers for all of us- quite good, and very light. Afterwards, Nadege led the way to a French bookstore that had a very wide selection of architecture and design books. They were all in french, but I had a good time looking at pictures and recognizing the names of designers I knew. 

Notre Dame Cathedral

Since the bookstore was near where Pascal parked the car, we drove to pick up Jackie after her mass around 7:45 and then started towards Senlis. Before we left the city, though, we stopped right near the Eiffel tower to get perfect pictures because, as Pascal put it, "the light is just there." The tower was beautiful with the bright blue sky behind it and the sun at the perfect angle.

We finally made it back around 9; Nadege jokingly apologized for our late dinner since she had promised us that she eats much earlier than italians- "always at 7!" We had dinner at 9:30, which consisted of pesto pasta with pine nuts, white wine, cheese, foie gras (duck liver!), and then fresh raspberry sorbet and biscotti for dessert. 

We talked some after finishing our meal and then watched some of The Voice (the French version of course) while enjoying the last of our sorbet. Pascal was going to go to bed early, but then he realized that this episode was the finals so he stayed up to watch the show. He kept singing along, and was upset at the end when his favorite contestant didn't win. Nadege told him that next year he can be on the show and win The Voice. So, be on the lookout for that. :p 

Sunday morning after breakfast Jackie chose to stay and make cantuccini cakes with Nadege, and I went for a bike ride around Senlis with Pascal. Nadege was so worried about me getting cold from the wind that she insisted that I bring my coat and lent me a scarf. It wasn't very windy, and after about 10 minutes I was too warm for both the scarf and the coat, but I appreciated her concern. It's nice to have a motherly figure around. :) The bike ride was phenomenal!  I was able to take pictures everywhere and Pascal gave me a very good tour of historic Senlis! At one point we rode past an older building that he pointed out as the hospital where he and his son "were arrived." It took me a second to figure out that he meant he was born at that hospital. Biking was amazing; I forgot how much I love it. My butt and legs are still somewhat sore from riding on all those cobblestones though!

Around 12:30 (after returning from our grand bike tour de france) we grabbed all our gear and loaded up into the car for Day 2 in paris!

This time we went to the Monmarte area of Paris, which is up on a hill. Lunch was at an “American” style burger place called Koff- very good and much more filling than a panino (sorry, Italy). Also the meat was artisean and rasied in Paris; the “best hamburgers in France” according to Pascal.It was somewhat refreshing to have a more American meal, but I know I'll be missing all things European in 3 short weeks. :(

It started lightly raining by the time we left the café, but not quite enough for an umbrella. We walked up many sets of stairs to the very top of the hill where on a non-cloudy day you would see a spectacular view of the entire city. We were pretty lucky with weather the rest of the weekend, though, so I will refrain from complaints about not being able to see all of Paris from Monmarte. (that return trip though...)

We went inside the Sacre-Coeur Basilica (or the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris)- so gorgeous. Photos were not allowed, although I saw many people disregarding this rule and taking them anyway. The interior of the church was gorgeous with multiple highly-detalied mosaics and stained glass windows. 

After coming back down the hill, we had another driving tour around this area of Paris, before heading to CDG airport for our flight back to Florence. We were going to take a jar of honey each and some cheese back with us, but then realized we weren't allowed to check bags with the type of tickets we purchased. :( So now I have yet another reason to return! 

Jackie and I boarded our flight around 7:15. This was one of the first times I remember not being super excited to return to Florence. France was just so beautiful, and it was amazing to stay with Pascal and Nadege. 

On the plane, I had red wine with my sandwich- thanks to Nadege's advise and expertise! We took a taxi back to the apartment after landing in Florence because it was faster, easier, and not that much more expensive than the shuttle bus. 

Until next time- Au Revoir, France! I miss you already!

Reunited with Nadege! 

Jackie and I with Pascal and his honey!

Noch Ein Bier, Bitte!

Prost! I just returned from a weekend in Munich, Germany- mostly to see the spring version of Oktoberfest- Fruhlingsfest.

I was anticipating a super long and awful bus ride; but it actually wasn’t too bad. We left Florence around 7/7:30 Thursday night, I was able to sleep from 11-ish on until we arrived in Munich around 3:30 am—at which point I went straight to bed once we got to our hostel rooms.

Friday morning, we tested out the hostel breakfast (pretty good, I must say- but nothing can top the cappuccinos from Sorrento) before meeting in the lobby at 10:30 to get to the center of town for our bike tour. Unfortunately our hostel was a bit inconveniently located- we weren’t within walking distance to anything and needed to take the metro. Not terrible, but definitely not ideal either. 

Once we figured out the metro for the first time and arrived at Marienplatz station (also the name of the central square in Munich), we met up with the leaders of our bike tour. I’ll admit that I may have started the day with a slightly negative attitude. It’s just difficult to stay positive at the thought of biking in the rain with an expensive camera and no hood.

But everything worked out fine- I was able to buy a 1 euro poncho at the bike station and then it stopped raining anyway about 10 minutes after we started biking. I LOVED biking around the city. We went through a lot of cute parks as well, which certainly made a nice change from the cement and pavement of Florence (OMG-Is that grass??).

Pork Knuckle with Potato Dumpling

After the tour (2:30 ish pm), we had a late lunch at Hofbräuhaus, one of the most famous beer halls in Munich. I split an order of Schweinshaxe (pork knuckle) with Liz as well as a giant pretzel. Our meal also came with a potato dumpling, which I still don’t know how I feel about- just kind of an odd texture/consistency. But everything was delicious, and I was definitely glad I didn’t order a plate all to myself!

As we were finishing up our meal, we glanced outside only to realize that it had begun to rain again. By the time we ventured outside, it was pouring. We quickly ran back to the station and took the metro back to our hostel to relax for a little while since we were still running on limited hours of sleep.

Langos with Nutella 

Later than we originally planned, around 6, we left the hostel to experience the festival for the first time. I had no idea that there were rides and game booths- it’s basically a huge carnival. The first beer tent we tried to go into asked us if we had a reservation and then promptly refused us entry when we gave blank stares and head shakes as a reply. We were able to go in the second tent, but never found a table for the whole time we were there- SO crowded! But also very cool- everyone was dancing on tables and singing German or American songs (there was a band). I had really wanted to rent or buy a traditional dress- dirndl- but there was never really time, and also they can be quite expensive. More room in my suitcase home for other things, I suppose. Next trip :)

That night at Springfest, after finally leaving the tent, we went searching for something sweet and chocolatey- and found just that. Michelle and I split a circle like pancake dough thing with nutella on top- Langos. Aka the most delicious carnival food ever. 

Saturday, Liz, Marina, and I decided to take a day trip to see Schloss Neuschwanstein, instead of spending the entire day at the festival. This palace that was the inspiration for Sleeping Beauty’s and Cinderella’s fictional castles-the Disney versions, of course!

We decided to take a horse and buggy ride to the top of the mountain where the castle was (in lieu of walking). In retrospect, this was a mistake and I wouldn’t do it again. The ride was pretty and it was nice since I haven’t done the horse/carriage ride here yet (very touristy and expensive in most places), but we had to wait in line for almost an hour. Our tour was scheduled for 1:35, and around 1 we realized we might be in trouble. However, it was too late to back out and walk- we’d be late. We were finally able to squeeze onto a buggy around 1:20 and arrived at the castle (after stopping twice for the horses to poop) at 1:38. :( We rushed over to see if we could get in, but the guard just told us to go get a new tour time. So, our tour was changed to 2:05. At least we were still able to see the castle- very pretty and so detailed. 

My favorite part was a cave on the 4^th floor with access to a garden that had a window overlooking the mountain. I have no idea why there was a cave on the second to highest floor of a castle, but it was cool.

The castle architecture combines Gothic, Bavarian, and Romanesque styles. The king that commissioned it used all his own private money to build the palace instead of the public money- which obviously made him very popular in the people’s eyes. However, the King was only able to enjoy the completed castle for 120 days before he died! They have a splendid grand hall that was planned for him to host big events, but he never had the chance.

After our (late) tour, we found other members of the group- finally!- to figure out where the next meeting point was and how much time we had left. They were coming back from a beautiful overlook and a bridge that gave you a view of the castle which we “probably wouldn’t have time to get to and back down the mountain.” Challenge Accepted.

We basically alternated sprinting and power walking over to the viewpoint and then to the bridge- totally worth it! Then we continued sprinting back to the castle and walked/ran down the mountain. At one point, Marina was behind Liz and I and we heard her hurried steps and thought we were starting to run again- at which point we then heard a very adamant “DO NOT RUN, I am just catching up!” In summary- horse ride: bad idea, but made for some great stories and laughs. AND workout- I’m still sore!

Oh, and we made it back to the bus only 5 minutes after the time our guide said. And then there were still others that boarded the bus after us.

The castle is located in Hohenschwangu, which is about an hour and a half-2 hour bus ride from our hostel so we watched movies on the bus/slept. Once we arrived back at the hostel, we took a little time to relax and refresh before leaving again to go to Springfest for the night!

Our primary objective was food, because the overpriced sandwich I had at the castle around noon was long gone. We found one of many stands selling the German version of carnival food and ordered bratwurst hotdogs and pommes frites (French fries). Later, we walked around the festival- just taking in everything and doing some people watching. Then Marina and Liz went on a couple rides and I stayed on the ground.

We wanted to go to a beer tent again, but when we passed the place we had gone the night before and saw crowds of people waiting far into the street (I guess it was a line- more of a cluster though)… we decided to look for somewhere else. We found a slightly different version of a beer tent- much more open than the others. Cool because we were outside and there was more room and air, literally cool because it started getting cold really fast! We all ordered steins of beer-Maßkrugs- which are exactly 1 liter (33.8 fluid ounces). I had some trouble finishing mine because the beer makes you feel very full. 

Around 8:55 we left the beer tent to go meet up with Michelle, Lexi, Margaret, and Kristin. On the way, we ran into 2 Germans who ended up walking with us to our meeting point and talking with us for about 30 minutes as we waited until we decided that they were probably in bed already since they had been at the festival all day. Patrick and Jonas (who asked us to pronounce his name with a hard J instead of the German “yo”- probably because it sounded more American), went back to a table at the beer tent with us and we all talked more- even though they didn’t end up ordering a beer. Around 10:30 we were told by one of the servers to either order something or leave, and if we ordered something we had 10 minutes before leaving because they were closing! So we left, because no one really wanted to get yelled at by a tired and angry German lady.

Patrick singing a german folk song in the metro station!

Patrick and Jonas took the metro back with us, and even walked all the way to our hostel with us before saying goodnight and going back to their respective houses. So nice to be able to meet and talk with them! They kept apologizing for their English, which wasn’t necessary because their English was great. We should have been apologizing for our (not really existent) German!

Sunday was an early morning- we made it downstairs for breakfast by 7:30ish so we could meet in the lobby by 8, with our packed bags stored in the luggage room. From there we took the metro, and then the bus to the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site. We purchased audio guides to enhance the self-guided tour, as entrance was free and the student rate for an audio guide was 2.50 euros.

I found all the information very interesting and thought that everything was laid out very nicely. It was tragically amazing to think about the horrific events that took place there-maybe in the same place I was standing. I enjoyed the museum the most- although I still don’t think I read everything and we inside for almost 2 hours. They had many quotes from survivors of the camp and others that made everything even more impactful. 

There was also a lot of information that I had never hear about before- mostly specific to Dachau, but also about concentration camps in general. The most interesting to me was the press propaganda put out by the Nazis. They made posters with pictures of prisoners and captions such as “professional criminal” or “mentally ill”. This was to make the public believe that the only people in the camps were felons or infirmed and ensure that they felt no pity for them. Dachau also gave tours of the camp to journalists and other foreign ambassadors. During these tours, they were able to show only the prisoners and the certain parts of the camp they wanted them to see and hide the rest. This gave the majority of the rest of the world a flawed, but positive view of the camps.

When we finally finished our walk around the memorial site, we took the bus back to the metro stop and then got a quick lunch at a really cute café. I had a chicken sandwich that also included hardboiled egg slices, lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise, and pickles. Then I also got Nusschnecke (a pastry with nuts) for dessert and a slice of lemon cake for a snack on the bus later.

We arrived back at the hostel just in time to get on the bus and leave for Florence. I had a lovely visit to Munich, but it just so nice to be back in a country where I can usually understand at least half of what’s going on in the native language. And of course, to my own bed and the ever lovely Florence.  :)

Lean Wit' It

As you may have guessed by the title of this post, yesterday I visited Pisa- along with the charming walled city of Lucca. 

I woke up around 7:30 to eat a quick breakfast and get ready, and then met Deanna (my travelling companion for the day) at the Duomo at 8:40 to walk to the bus.

Once we arrived in Pisa, we met up with our tour guide who gave us small amounts of free time every now and then because she was giving the tour in both English and German. So while she explained the first part in German we did our initial exploring and walking around the Piazza Dei Miracoli and took the typical Pisa pictures. I kicked the tower a few times, but don't worry, it's still there. :P


We returned to the group to learn some background information on Pisa and the buildings that were around us. The Cathedral, Baptistery, and bell tower (the leaning one) are all built in a Romanesque style, but with a Pisan flair. 

The cupcake and the paradise path

The Pisans were very religious- and catholic. No one was allowed to enter the cathedral until they had been baptized, which they were able to do at age 21. Immediately after baptism in the Baptistery (or as our guide called it- "the cupcake"), they would walk to the cathedral over a stone path. This walkway eventually became known as the "Paradise Path" because it brought you one step closer to getting to heaven. 

The guide also told us about why the leaning tower...leans. There isn't one reason- there are several. For starters, the main square of Pisa was built on an old riverbed; but the Pisans had no idea how soft the soil there was until after they began construction. The bell tower was made with imported marble that today still looks white even though the cathedral and the cupcake are dirty and yellowed. However, this marble was much heavier. Also, in the plans, windows were supposed to be included in between each arch going around the tower- but they forgot. So- poor and soft soil, heavy marble, and no windows- the tower started to lean before they even finished building the 3rd floor! 

Our walking tour also included entrance into the Cathedral, which was truly spectacular and unique. I think it's so interesting to see the inside of the cathedrals and churches here; you can never guess what they will look like just from seeing the outside- or vise versa. 

Inside, we learned that the gallery of the church where we were standing was the place that men would stand to listen to the sermon (that the priest would preach from the pulpit). There was a strong gender separation during this time, as the women were not allowed to listen to the sermon in this spot with the men. Instead, they stood one floor up on a balcony during mass. Our guide also told us about the particular patron saints of Pisa- Rainerius and Bona. Both are saints of travel and pilgramage. Bona was a nun who assisted pilgrims in reaching their final destination- usually Jerusalem and the Holy Lands. Every year on May 29, the day she died, flight attendants from all over flock to Pisa to tell stories of their work from the year about how they encouraged passengers (just like Bona did). The stories are judged, and for some reason the best stories are usually from the German airline Lufthansa. 



After our tour ended, Deanna and I searched out for a place to get lunch. We found a small Trattoria that was almost hidden behind another building and offered a nice view of the leaning tower. We both got pizza- I had "Pizza with mozarella and salad" which turned out to be just that- and delicious. :)

We finished up our pizzas and our wine, bought postcards, and took a few more pictures. Then we rushed back to the meeting point to join the rest of the group. We were standing there for a while (kind of wondering what the hold up was), when Deanna's received several calls from an unknown caller. Eventually she decided to answer- it was the tour company wondering if we were okay and had made it back to the meeting point because we hadn't checked in! We had never had to check in before, so we had no idea! We quickly did, and then our group started to walk back to the bus. Oops. 

About 30 minutes on the bus later (aka a short nap), we arrived at the Porta Santa Maria (or the gate of Saint Maria) of Lucca. 

Arial view of the city- I obviously didn't take this picture!

The original walls were only a standard depth, and were built by the Romans to protect the city and provide a spot to easily see enemies coming and shoot them down with arrows before they got to close. Much later, the city wanted to adapt and change the walls to withstand blows from cannons. The walls standing now were originally added for protection against war and invading forces, however once they were finally finished the region was at peace and they really weren't necessary. They've never been used for war, but they have protected the city from a flood- when the gates are raised and shut they make a waterproof city that shuts the city center off completely. 


When Italy became one unified country in 1861, the government told Lucca that the walls could be torn down because they were not necessary anymore. However, the city was proud of their walls and their heritage so they bought the walls and turned them into a public park with many gardens that is maintained by the city. I really wanted to rent bikes (you can get them for 3 euros per hour) and ride around the city on the walls, but we unfortunately did not have enough time. :(



As I mentioned earlier, Lucca used to be an ancient Roman city. Along with the walls, the amphitheater and the "forum" from this ancient city are still standing in Lucca. The walls of the amphitheater now show where the city center is and have many apartments and restaurants built into them now. Many of the original arches from the amphitheater are still viable, although filled in with cement. 

We ended our walking tour at a small cafe, where we got to try Buccellato- a traditional cake of Lucca. It was good, although a little dry. It would have been fabulous with coffee!

The free time we did have wasn't long enough for a bike ride, but it was enough time to go shopping on one of Lucca's historic streets. Deanna and I found some nice spring clothes (on sale!) to help our mostly winter wardrobe. 

Around 4:20 we met up with the rest of the group, but not before getting a small treat of gelato! I had pineapple, cream, and Rocher (a type of candy) flavors. Then we loaded back into the bus to drive back to Flo-town. 

On the way back from the train station where the bus dropped us off, Deanna and I stopped at the  grocery store to get bread and wine for dinner. At her apartment, we made a light summer salad- peaches, mozzarella, and basil along with a little olive oil. We ate dinner while watching a movie- a lovely end to such a great day. 

If You Give Your Host Brother a Birthday Gift...

Here is another weekly update to prove that I do actually have class and I'm doing more than just travelling around Europe. Even though this week was stressful because of the lack of Monday and the addition of classes on Friday, it was still pretty good. Although every week is pretty good here :)

On Tuesday in my photography class, I was exposed (ha) to analog photography and working in the darkroom. I don't think it's my calling at all, but it was really neat to learn about and at least each picture I developed looked better than the last. 

Wednesday afternoon, I found a delightful English book exchange store. I went to find a book I need to write my final paper for my literature class (which I found successfully) and then wandered around happily. I wanted to buy everything in the store but I remembered my already tight packing space (and weight limit), so I refrained. I also went into the yarn shop right around the corner from my apartment that I've passed multiple times and found some great yarn on sale! My mom and I can make scarves and such with it and they will be a great reminder of my lovely stay in Italy. 

Thursday morning, I decided to give Yeapsira his belated birthday present: teenage mutant ninja turtle toys! He loved them and refused to stop playing with them after he received them. I got a huge smile and even a hug. Later Francesca had a very hard time getting him dressed and out the door! (Oops) I even saw the toys reappear at dinner that night and at breakfast Friday morning. 

Since my first class on Friday didn't begin until 6 pm (my normal Monday schedule minus pilates class), I signed up for an activity through LDM with Michelle. We went to Villa Petraia with 3 other students and a guide, which is one of the only Medici Villa that is open to the public. The gardens were my favorite part as living in the center of the city makes me feel a little nature deprived. Inside the villa, there were many references to historical styles I have studied along with handcraft techniques such as marquetry woodwork and intarsia stone. 

When we returned to the city, Michelle and I had a nice lunch (salad) and then gelato for dessert! After all... You Only Florence Once. 

When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Limoncello

Last Thursday (more than a week ago, because I've had 0 time to blog this week!), I spent the day relaxing, running errands, packing for the Amalfi Coast, and doing some homework. That night just before I left, Giancarlo made me 3 (!) sandwiches for dinner that I could take on the bus with me since I would miss Francesca's cooking that night. I'm not sure how he thought I could eat 3 giant sandwiches, but the 1 and a half that I was able to finish were delicious. 

Unfortunately, my seat was right next to the speaker and they played very loud movies the entire ride so I never really slept until we arrived in Sorrento around 3 am. 

For this trip, we had the unique opportunity to stay in a hotel. That's right, I didn't have to bring a towel- whhaattt? Our hotel was called Carlton International and I shared a room with Michelle and Marina- Liz, Emily, and Lynde had the room next door to us. 

Friday morning we woke up, showered, and headed down to breakfast around 8. At 8:30 we left for the harbor to take a ferry to Capri. Once we arrived on the beautiful isle of Capri, we got into smaller boats (12ish people per boat) to take a cruise around the island. 

We sailed to the blue grotto (one the the natural wonders of the world!) and had the chance to go in, for a fee of course. The 6 of us squeezed tightly into a tiny rowboat with our driver. The entrance was so small that everyone had to lie down- including the driver who did so at the very last possible moment! Inside, the water glowed blue from sunlight that passes through an unseen break in the rocks. The cave (grotto in italian) is about 150 feet deep and used to be the favorite swimming hole of the roman emperor Tiberius. 

After our boat took us all the way around the island, we returned to the harbor and then walked about 30-40 minutes up steep slopes and steps to the center of capritown. We rewarded ourselves for the exhausting climb with refreshing glasses of fruit drinks- Granita di limone con spremuta di arancia (lemon and blood orange). I would travel back right now just for another sip!

We took a bus up the nail-biting road to Anacapri and ate lunch at a restaurant called Le Arcate where I had tagliatelle with chicken and zucchini. Later, we opted to take a chair lift up to the top of Mt. Solerno where we got a fantastic view of the entire island- including the coastline and rock formations as well as a very faint sighting of Mt. Vesuvius in the far distance. 

Eventually, we chair-lifted (is that a verb?) back down the mountain and wandered over to a small shop to get a free tasting of limoncello and chocolate. The limoncello was definitely not my favorite- too strong!- but I quite enjoyed the various types of chocolate covered things (almonds!).  To get back to Capritown, we took an open convertible taxi which was quite the experience; especially on the narrow and winding road that serves both directions of traffic. 

We walked back down to the harbor, bought some souvenirs and postcards, and then took a return ferry back to Sorrento and our hotel.

The whole day was lovely- Capri was by far my favorite place of the weekend- possibly of the semester! All day it was sunny and warm with bright blue skies and perfectly turquoise water.  :)

One of the most famous rock formations of Capri- Faraglioni

 I was able to take a quick nap before heading out for dinner (Leone Rosso) with the rest of our group. For dinner I had steak with green peppers and a side salad. The steak was a refreshing change from carbs, but the green peppers were small green balls that looked like capers but were spicy! Also, my "side salad" was just a bowl of iceberg lettuce. Kind of disappointing, but not terrible. 

Since we stayed in the same hotel and town the whole weekend, Friday night we decided to go to bed early and explore on the remaining nights of the weekend. 

Michelle, Lynde and I, representing APO 

Saturday we went to Positano! Our bus dropped us off and then we walked down to the beach where most other tourists don't go! The sand on the beach is black because of volcanic ash from Mount Vesuvius.

It was nice to just be able to relax on the beach for a little while. I also collected sea glass, and we took a bunch of fun pictures. Right as we took our last picture, it started pouring rain and my necklace pendant slipped off and got lost in the sand. Such a sad end to a wonderful morning. :(

To escape the rain, we got sandwiches at "Vini + Panini"- I had a caprese (tomato and mozzarella) with pesto sauce. The bread was huge! I could have split a sandwich with someone. Even so, I had enough for a snack later. 

That afternoon, we wandered around to some of the many shops that littered the small alleys before taking our bus back to the hotel. There we rested for a little while and then set out to see downtown Sorrento! Fairly un-eventful exploring because of the constant drizzle of rain, but we did get a very good dinner! I had lasagna and we also ordered a bottle of Prosecco (a sweet, sparkling white wine) for the table. 


After dinner, we went to the English Inn/Beer Gardens. We arrived around 9/10 pm and with the combination of the early hour and the rain we were the only ones there! They let us DJ and we probably danced there for about 3 hours until other people started to show up. Michelle and Emily got gelato on the way back to the hotel, and we were able to go to sleep by 12:30. 

First thing Sunday morning, we went to Mount Vesuvius. Despite precautions that it might be closed due to the pouring rain from the night before, the park was open and we were able to climb to the top. However it was so cloudy and foggy that we were unable to see 7 feet in front of us, much less any other "spectacular" view down. We took pictures anyway (which ended up looking like the photoshopped ourselves onto a white background) and later I looked online and realized we were standing in front of the top of the volcano crater! Ugh. Must go back. 

On the trek back down it started to rain, so we hurried back to the bus. Next stop was the ancient city of pompeii, where we got huge Margherita pizzas and Peroni beer. Just as we were finishing, it started raining again. We got to a small coffee shop just as the sky opened and it began to pour... and then hail! We waited out the majority of the storm before meeting our tour guide at the entrance to the ruins for our... WALKING tour. 

The day was just kind of miserable all around which was just really unfortunate. I had been so looking forward to climbing Mt. Vesuvius and seeing the ruins of Pompeii that I have studied for so long. I did still get to see Pompeii- and it was very cool but it would have been so much better minus the umbrellas and puddles. However, as someone else said- it wasn't the worst day to be there. 

The highlight of the day was definitely dinner back in Sorrento, where I got to try an authentic Napolian dish: La Genovese. This dish is composed of large pasta noodles and a beef and onion sauce. I really enjoyed it! For dessert, we split 3 different dishes: Easter cake, a chocolate torte type-thing, and a pear and ricotta cheese cake. My favorite was by far the cheesecake. This was probably the only time of the entire day that it felt remotely like Easter. I'm definitely looking forward to traditional Easter celebrations next year, although I was able to participate in some festivities with the Ricci's once I returned from my weekend travel. 

Monday we had our last breakfast at the hotel and then loaded our bags on the bus and left for Naples! Once we arrived, our first stop was a coffee shop for a bathroom break. Then I had hazelnut coffee- which was good, but too sugary. 

Next we walked down to the Bay of Naples, where we were able to see more pretty turquoise water and a faraway view of Mt. Vesuvius. It was cloudy, but it didn't rain so I was a-okay with that. Eventually we met up with the rest of the tour
 group and went to a recommended pizza restaurant. I had the traditional Napoli Margherita pizza with buffalo mozzarella. 


We had a little more time to wander around and take pictures, and then we got back on the bus to ride back to Florence around 2:30. 

When I got home, the Ricci's were eating dinner. I gave them their Easter gifts (crocheted chickens that my mother made and sent to me) which they seemed very pleased with. 

My week was kind of thrown off, since I am accustomed to having Monday morning free to catch up on work and prepare for my classes! But overall, Amalfi was worth it. I'm definitely happy to have the weekend here in Florence to relax and get back into my regular schedule.