I took the train to Venice by myself. I had ordered train tickets before anyone else. I got the cheapest train ticket. (It does you good to order at least a week beforehand otherwise prices get steep). Livia bought her ticket the day of so she paid a good bundle. She arrived in Venice an hour after I did. So, while I was waiting for her, I did some sightseeing on my own. I mostly just took a ton of pictures of the cute canals and bridges. I loved how a lot of the buildings had flowers draping over the balconies. It was really pretty.
The amazing thing, though, was that I didn't see a single car while in Venice. Not once.
Everything was about the boats, the Murano glass, and painters. Livia has bought a small painting from every town/city she has visited. So, we had to get one in Venice. We found this really cute old man next to the Rialto Bridge (most famous bridge in Venice). He was so sweet. We got a good deal on paintings. Livia got two and I bought one. I'm so excited to get it framed and hang it up!
I bought a little map at the train station to direct me through the streets and over bridges to get to St. Marc Square. However, Venice had many signs so I didn't really even need a map. I found that Siena and Venice have been the easiest cities to navigate. Florence has definitely been one of the trickiest cities to figure out. There's no grid pattern to it at all and every dimension looks completely different on a map than in person.
San Marco Square was gross. I hated it, actually. The pigeons were everywhere. That was something I had always heard about but assumed was an exaggeration. It wasn't. They were flying around everywhere and landing on people's heads. No wonder Darcy refused to go back to Venice with me since she is deathly afraid of pigeons. I took as many pictures as I could of the Piazza and then Livia and I hustled out of there. The tourists were enough to drive me crazy, and the pigeons just put me over the edge.
We walked around and looked at shops for a while. I bought a watch, some earrings, and a hair clip made of Murano glass. They have some really beautiful things. It would have been cool to get to the island of Murano to see the blown glass being made.
We ate lunch at this cute restaurant near the Rialto bridge. I can't remember the name (my food writing teacher would kill me if she knew that). All I know is that we were starving and picked the first place we could find with good prices. I ate the most delicious pasta I think I've had so far. It was tagliatelle pasta with zucchini and grape tomatoes in a light olive oil/butter sauce. It was sooo good!
Livia only had half a day in Venice, but it gave us a pretty good idea of what Venice is like. We saw a lot considering the amount of time we had. We didn't go in any museums, but we peeked in on a few small churches which were spectacular. It's funny how even the smallest churches that people pass by without looking are some of the prettiest. I've loved a lot of the churches I have seen while in Italy. My favorite is the one in Siena. My least favorite is San Lorenzo (it was not very ornate and kind of dull).
I want to go back to Venice someday and see more of the surrounding islands. I'd also like to get to Verona someday too. I'm a little bummed that I didn't get there. But I've been to a lot of different places and I've experienced so much.
Just to summarize where I've been and what I've seen....
First week was the Cultural Introduction to Tuscany. I flew into Rome and began my journey there. I saw all the major sites. Then, we went to a small town in Tuscany called Bolgheri and did some wine tasting at a winery called Tenuta di Vaira. After that, we went towards the Tuscan coast and stayed in a hotel in Cinquale. Right near Cinquale, we explored the towns of Pietrasanta, Forte dei Marmi, Carrara, and Viareggio. We toured some of the marble quarries, tasted Lardo di Colonatta, saw some of the floats for the Carnevale in Viareggio, and went to the beach! That was also the week of the infamous Beach Club which has still been the best club I've been to all summer.
I arrived in Florence to a historical soccer match in front of Santa Croce. We went to a pub that night to watch the game. This is when I met a lot of new people which was so exciting!
The first weekend we went to Cinque Terre and explored the towns. I went cliff jumping for the first time there. I also hiked a 1.5 hour hike from the fourth to fifth town which was so hard but worth it! On Monday I went to Siena for the Palio. The atmosphere was by far the most exhilarating. I was right in the middle of all the action. People were crying. The rivalry between the districts in Siena was so intense. I could feel the tension. If you want to really get to know the people of Italy, going to an event like this is what you should do! It has definitely been one of my favorite experiences!
The second weekend in Florence I left Friday night to go to Barcelona. This was a weekend planned on our own. No Bus2Alps. It was kind of stressful. Our plane flew out of Pisa, so we had to get ourselves to Pisa and then to Girona, Spain and then take a bus to Barcelona. Once in Barcelona, we had to take the metro to our hostel. There were six of us going but it turns out that we split into two groups. We had different interests of what we wanted to do. I didn't really know much about Barcelona before going, so I just wanted to walk around and see what it was like. We went to the famous church called La Sagrada Familia and to the park Parc Guell by Gaudi. We went to the beach and explored the markets. Fruit juices were the thing to get at the markets. I ate a lot of Paella there and drank a ton of Sangria!
The third weekend I went to Croatia. I knew absolutely nothing about Croatia before going. Darcy kept begging me to go, so a group of us went. I'm really glad I went. Croatia is a hidden jewel. Not many people think of Croatia when considering where to go in Europe for vacation. Croatia is sort of like Italy, but I found the city Split (where we stayed) to be a lot cleaner than Florence. The architecture was beautiful. Beaches were nice and the water was spectacular. That was a pretty relaxing weekend. The rafting trip was fun as well. The boat cruise was just okay, although I did get to see some great scenery!
The fourth weekend I went to Interlaken, Switzerland. It was an 8 hour drive, but the difference between Italy and Switzerland made it seem like I was on the other side of the world. The mountains were a huge contrast to the thousands of buildings in flat Florence. The temperature was 40 degrees cooler. It was rainy (not one day of rain in Italy yet). The weekend in Interlaken was pretty much all about outdoor activities. I went Canyoning on Friday (with only two hours of sleep under my belt). Saturday we went hiking (or attempted to in the rain). We spent a lot of time relaxing in the hostel. It was really nice to just chill outside, play some card games, and drink some beer. I loved the Strongbow beer they had there. The food was pricy there, but delicious! Canyoning was so incredible! Like Siena, it was another one of my favorite parts of my trip. It was so outside of my comfort zone, but I did it! The guide said jump 30 feet in that tiny hole to the bottom of the waterfall and I did! Whoa! Yall should be proud :)
The fifth weekend I went to Amalfi Coast. It was a busy weekend exploring the different towns. We stayed in Sorrento, but toured the Island of Capri, Positano, and Pompeii over the course of the 3 day weekend. The views were breath taking. The water felt great since it was so incredibly hot!
During the weekdays between weeks I went to a couple of places. I got to Pisa before the Barcelona trip. There was nothing there except the leaning tower of pisa, the cathedral, and the baptistry. I'm pretty sure the people of Pisa purposely knocked over the tower just so thousands of people could go there every year and spend money. It was a dirty town. A lot of pick-pocketers. I was not impressed.
I went to Bologna with Darcy and Madison a week later. I really liked the architecture of Bologna. The covered walkways were incredible and the buildings were gorgeous. I wish the churches had been open, though. All of them were closed.
Venice was another day trip during the week which I mentioned above. I really liked it even though I was expecting not to like it.
As for Florence, where I've spent the most time, I've fallen in love. I'm so glad I picked this city to study abroad in. It's not too small, yet not too big either. It's relativity easy to navigate. I haven't needed a bus or subway at all. You can get to everything in the historical center under 30 minutes. Even though I am farther from my friends and main sites, I've enjoyed living across the River near Santo Spirito and Pitti Palace. Most locals live over here, so I get to enjoy the true Italian culture. Restaurants are great and prices are definitely better! One of my favorite parts about living in Florence has been the markets. I think that if I've taken away anything from being in Italy, it's been the food. Not the art, history, or architecture, but the food. I've never been really interested in food. I've never been the cook in the family (ask anyone). But, being here in Italy, I've seen how food shapes every aspect of Italian life. I've learned to live by learning how to eat. It sounds kind of cheesy and odd, but it's true. Everything is centered around the dinner table. It's not just taking in nutrients to fill your stomach. Food is a social and emotional thing as well. Families sit down to eat together every night - sometime for hours. Italians keep cooking simple by using fresh ingredients. Since I'm here during the summer, fruits and vegetables are in abundance! My new favorite food is the Tomato. No joke. I've enjoyed sitting on benches and just watching people pass by. It's a great people watching place. I've learned to hate tourists making me feel like an Italian resident. I really do feel Italian when I'm hurrying to class and I've got two of the slowest asian people in front of me. Oh my gosh! There are so many asian tourists here. Not to sound racist or anything, but they are taking over the world. Just the other day while going to class, I passed three tour groups of 40 asians each. Seriously, what is going on here? Florence's streets are busy. There was a huge difference in the number of tourists between June and July. July is the busy season. Most Italians take there month long vacations starting the end of July when all the tourists are moving in. The weather has been so much hotter in July as well. April would be absolutely beautiful here - so if you want to go to Italy, Spring Break may be a better time. I love roaming around the streets in Florence. I feel safe. Only at night walking back from the bar do I feel a little uncomfortable and walk a little faster, but overall, it has been absolutely fine. Yes, the guys gawk at you and make awkward comments, but there is nothing that cheers you up faster than a bunch of guys yelling "Ciao Bella" to you all day long. I wish my boyfriend would say "Hello Beautiful" to me every morning haha. When rounding a street corner in Florence and seeing the Duomo in front of you, there's no words to describe just how incredible the sight is. It creeps up on you. Every time I've passed it, I still get the chills. The same goes for San Lorenzo and Santa Croce. One of my other favorite parts about Florence has been exploring the gardens of Pitti Palace. I definitely recommend doing this to anyone who travels to Florence. The gardens are beautiful and there are some great views of the city from there. At night, it's even more beautiful watching the sunset from the gardens! Talk about a great date spot! I know I loved it on my dates!
I only have a few more days in Florence. It's gone so fast, yet it feels like forever ago that I boarded the plane to go to Rome. So much has happened. I know that I've learned a lot and I can never look at Italy or my life the same again. I'm a different person in some ways, yet still the same in another ways. It's hard to describe. I think this trip has helped me overall learn to enjoy life and just be happy. I've learned to not take the little things for granted. I've learned to let myself go and live a little. I'm used to always being in control of everything and being the planner. I've learned that a spontaneity in my life goes a long way. The best things happen when you least expect them to. I've seen a lot and learned a lot (even things I didn't want to), and I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm so blessed that I had the opportunity to do this study abroad trip. It's been amazing. I know I needed this for myself. It was an investment in myself, and I can honestly say that it's been worth every penny. Thank you so much everyone for your love and prayers. I've missed you all so much! I can't wait to be back at home and school and incorporate what I've learned into my everyday life. I will definitely have to make an Italian dinner for everyone back at school!
Ciao,
Aly
