Wednesday, March 25, 2009
It's a big update
Sunday March 22,was a great day! After mass my friends and I went and got kebabs at this little hole in the wall place in Florence. They were so good! When then headed over to a professional soccer game! It was a blast it was Florence vs. Siena. Siena is our biggest rival so it was really funny to listen to everyone's comments. At the game they put the Siena fans in a cage. It was probably 20 feet tall and surrounded by security. I think we need something like that Chief's games. It was funny though because the Florentine fans would go up and taunt the Siena fans. It was a great game that we won and it was a great experience. One other girl and I walked back after the game. It was a really long walk,(we live in a neighboring city), but our friends that took the bus got back to the villa 5 seconds after us. We are awesome...that's right. But the day still gets better because after dinner the friends that I went to the soccer game with and I go outside to over look the BEAUTIFUL view we have outside, drink wine, and smoke some vanilla cigarettes. We had a fantastic time talking about how lucky we are that we get to do this. Do you think the day can't get any crazier? It does. We then went upstairs and operate on my friend, Frank's leg. A little over a week ago he fell down a rock slide and cut his leg to the bone and had to get A LOT of stitches. So Sunday night we took them out for him, to save him 23 Euro. As Jenn and Addie were taking them out they found more than what the doctor said were in there. It was funny to watch and film. We were glad our Resident Director was out of town though because she would have killed us. We were still in a bit of trouble when she showed up but the look on her face was priceless. One of our professors came in though while we were doing it and he said, "you guys shouldn't be doing this!" But then he just stayed and watched and then left saying, "I didn't see this." We are all in our 20's but I think we may still need adult supervision.
On Wednesday March 25 my friends Frank, the one who fell down a small cliff, and Adrienne went a built a bridge at the point where Frank fell and cut out his leg. I went to check it out and back there is a beautiful waterfall and a great flat area of land and we were talking and we decided to clean it up then one day before we leave we are going to steal a bunch of blankets from the Villa and camp back there. Addie and Frank managed to dig a nice fire pit and we plan on having bonfires back there because we have been told by the villa that our plans to roast marshmallows is not allowed. Well we have found a solution to our problem. And it’s about ¼ of a mile away from the Villa…we’ll show them. LOL
On Thursday we had a BBQ with games and hamburgers and hot dogs. It was going to be great. I was really excited for some MEAT, we don’t get much meat here. The first game we played was one where a string was tied to a fork and we string it inside our clothes from top to bottom until everyone was connected. It felt really weird to have the string going through my clothing. The second game we played was one where people started up at the top and had to bob for fruit, then run down the hill and drop it in a bowl. At that point two people had to cut it up and make a fruit salad. The team with the best salad won. One person on my team dropped the fruit on the gravel and we still had to use it. Needless to say I didn’t eat it. The last game was a water balloon/dodgeball game. It was a great idea. Expect when I got nailed in the stomach by a water balloon, thrown by one of the strongest people here.
At that point not only was I out but I was in pain. I came really close to throwing up so they took me to the hospital. I rode in an ambulance and ended up being in there until 4 am. When it was all done with my resident director came up to me and apologized for the medical bills and kept telling me that I was being charged a lot. I finally got the amount out of her and it was 176 Euro (roughly $225) for the ambulance, medicine, and all of the tests run. And anyways my insurance covered everything because I have $0 deductible. I was trying to explain to her that it was a fantastic deal compared to the United States. I thought it was pretty funny.
I was pretty ticked that I had to go to the hospital though because I was suppose to go to Venice early on Friday morning but because I felt so ill I didn’t go. I was feeling a bit better at the end of the day though on Friday so my friends and I decided that we would just go Saturday and Sunday.
So on Saturday I woke up at 2:30am to watch the KU basketball game only to see the get defeated. I went back to bed and then woke up at 6am to head to Mestre ( just outside Venice) where my Aunt Simonetta’s parents live. Once we got in my aunt’s mom met us at the bus stop and took us back to her house for a great lunch. It was fantastic to have good Italian food. The food at the villa sucks! After lunch the girlies and I went into Venice and walked around until we ended up at the Rialto then San Marco Piazza. We were having so much fun in Venice that we almost forgot that we had to get to mass. We ran back to the bus station and we got on the right bus but it didn’t finish its route so we had no idea where we were. Thank god that we had another guardian angel on that bus because he got off and spoke perfect English and was able to tell us where we needed to be. We got to mass seconds before it started.
On Sunday we went back into Venice but it was raining so we came back to the house and just got spoiled for the afternoon.
This Tuesday I got to meet up with the infamous Bret Mach and his girlfriend Robin for lunch. They both are studying abroad at Oxford and they were in Florence for a few days. It was so great to see an old friend from back home. Yeah Kansas people!
Tomorrow around 12 I leave for Berlin, Germany. I am getting very excited. I can’t wait to see the rest of Europe. Now my trips will really begin to take off with Ireland in 7 days, Pisa the weekend after that, then Rome, Barcelona, and Paris all in a row! Then it is back to Chicago for a week and I head home to Kansas City on my birthday.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Assisi
I arrived in Assisi on Monday with my class and we went straight to a tour of the city and we started at the basilica where they keep the tomb of St. Francis of Assisi. It also contained the bones of St. Clare. In the crypt there was almost a museum. They had habits of both of these friends and also St. Clare’s curly hair. We also went to the place that is believed to be St. Francis’ birthplace. It has now been turned into a small chapel.
I instantly fell in love with this town because the presents of St. Francis is felt everywhere. There seem to be as many monks and priests here as there are in Rome. It is a beautiful town and there isn’t a bad view anywhere. It is up on a hill that over looks the valley below. You can see vineyards, olive trees, and small towns in every direction.
On Tuesday I went to Perugia where we had our professor (who lives there) give us a tour of the town. He walked us around THE ENTIRE TOWN! When we finally got our lunch break my 4 friends and I got a show. As I said in an early post, the PDA (public displays of affection) here is very bad. We were sitting at a look out point and there was a couple that you could only laugh at because it was just so ridiculous. If there was ever a time to say get a room this was it. It went on for over 50 min because they were going at it before we even got there. During this time my friend Maggie decided that she would start an album on Facebook called, “I’m a creeper”. She started taking pictures of all the PDA she that she finds. The problem is when she goes in for the picture she will act like she is taking a picture of the scenery but she will have a huge grin on her face. It is the funniest thing. Later in the day she scored double points because she got a picture with 2 couples in it.
Tuesday was also St. Patties Day but by the time dinner and desert was over it was after 9 and I decided just to have a pint with one of my professors down at the bar in the hotel. By the end of it we had about 6 other people sitting with us and we were singing and telling stories. He has great drinking stories. My favorite was back about 20 years ago when he had bought a bottle of Bailey’s. After about a month of having it there was a bit gone but he couldn’t remember having any. Another month after that half the bottle was gone and he still hadn’t had any. So he talks to his daughter who at that time was a junior in high school. He just casually started talking about how he likes Bailey’s and that he must like it a lot because he can’t remember having any and half the bottle is gone. She replied, “Yeah, we (all 4 of his kids) all do to, we put it on our ice cream.” He said it was so funny that he just couldn’t be mad. They didn’t know there was alcohol in it.
Today we piled on a tour bus and went to 2 towns stopping at random things on the way. The first town we went to was St. Benedict’s birthplace. He only lived there for a short time but there is a basilica and a cathedral there for him. In April I will be going to his monastery, Monte Casino in Rome. We also went to what is believed to be his birthplace and is now a chapel and we also went to an old Roman bathhouse that is connected. .
The next stop was an old Monastery that is still in use. It is called Abbazia di S.Eutizio, it’s in Valle Castoriana. On our way there we pulled over to the side of the road to take pictures. As we are standing there a Shepard and a hurd of sheep come through. It was so awesome! The dogs failed at their job when the sheep were in the road because a car came through and it had to stop because the sheep wouldn’t move.
This has been a great trip and a nice break from school. I head back to Florence tomorrow afternoon.
I instantly fell in love with this town because the presents of St. Francis is felt everywhere. There seem to be as many monks and priests here as there are in Rome. It is a beautiful town and there isn’t a bad view anywhere. It is up on a hill that over looks the valley below. You can see vineyards, olive trees, and small towns in every direction.
On Tuesday I went to Perugia where we had our professor (who lives there) give us a tour of the town. He walked us around THE ENTIRE TOWN! When we finally got our lunch break my 4 friends and I got a show. As I said in an early post, the PDA (public displays of affection) here is very bad. We were sitting at a look out point and there was a couple that you could only laugh at because it was just so ridiculous. If there was ever a time to say get a room this was it. It went on for over 50 min because they were going at it before we even got there. During this time my friend Maggie decided that she would start an album on Facebook called, “I’m a creeper”. She started taking pictures of all the PDA she that she finds. The problem is when she goes in for the picture she will act like she is taking a picture of the scenery but she will have a huge grin on her face. It is the funniest thing. Later in the day she scored double points because she got a picture with 2 couples in it.
Tuesday was also St. Patties Day but by the time dinner and desert was over it was after 9 and I decided just to have a pint with one of my professors down at the bar in the hotel. By the end of it we had about 6 other people sitting with us and we were singing and telling stories. He has great drinking stories. My favorite was back about 20 years ago when he had bought a bottle of Bailey’s. After about a month of having it there was a bit gone but he couldn’t remember having any. Another month after that half the bottle was gone and he still hadn’t had any. So he talks to his daughter who at that time was a junior in high school. He just casually started talking about how he likes Bailey’s and that he must like it a lot because he can’t remember having any and half the bottle is gone. She replied, “Yeah, we (all 4 of his kids) all do to, we put it on our ice cream.” He said it was so funny that he just couldn’t be mad. They didn’t know there was alcohol in it.
Today we piled on a tour bus and went to 2 towns stopping at random things on the way. The first town we went to was St. Benedict’s birthplace. He only lived there for a short time but there is a basilica and a cathedral there for him. In April I will be going to his monastery, Monte Casino in Rome. We also went to what is believed to be his birthplace and is now a chapel and we also went to an old Roman bathhouse that is connected. .
The next stop was an old Monastery that is still in use. It is called Abbazia di S.Eutizio, it’s in Valle Castoriana. On our way there we pulled over to the side of the road to take pictures. As we are standing there a Shepard and a hurd of sheep come through. It was so awesome! The dogs failed at their job when the sheep were in the road because a car came through and it had to stop because the sheep wouldn’t move.
This has been a great trip and a nice break from school. I head back to Florence tomorrow afternoon.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Irony
So tomorrow, bright and early, I leave for Perugia and Assisi. I am going with the class and before I leave I have to pack up my entire room and leave my bags in the cantina. Tonight I have the laundry shift from 11-12 and I am doing my laundry. But we don't have a dryer so I hang it out my window to dry, even though I am not allowed to, because I need it to dry fast. Just as I shut my window it starts to thunder. God likes a good laugh every once in awhile.
What a day!
This weekend has been a fantastic weekend, but I feel as though I say this every time. Friday was not the best day however because there was a bus strike and my friends and I were stuck in town until 8 at night. The funny thing is that they planned they would only be on strike until then. I did manage to find some great buys on some really nice clothes. But shopping for 5 hours go boring quick.
On Saturday there was a group of 10 of us that went on a day trip to Abbazia di Monteoliveto Maggiore and San Galgano. Abbazia di Monteoliveto Maggiore is a cloirstered monastery. It has frescos everywhere and the artist that painted them had a feud with the abbot pretty much the whole time and there would be times when the abbot wouldn’t pay him on time. It one of the picture he painted the abbot with a very large nose. In another he painted the monk in charge of finance stealing a roll from the person sitting next to him. And one time when the abbot made him really mad he took one of the painting and had it be Saint Benedict (their patron saint) being tempted by prostitutes. He then put a second layer over that where the prostitutes were completely naked. He did a great unveiling and they chased him out and he went into hiding for 2 months. He then returned to show him that it was only a joke and that it could be removed. If I was a painter I think I would be like him.
After that we just drove around the Tuscany country side and admired it’s beauty. The hills were soft and rolling and looked as if we could bounce off of them like a pillow. It is definitely the most spectacular place I have ever seen. I have never seen anything so peaceful looking before in my life.
We then moved onto San Galgano where there is the church that has the rock with a sword in it, aka the Excalibur rock. It was put there because it looks like a cross and it was were the knight Sir Galgano would go to pray everyday. A short walk down the hill and there was a church that had no roof. It was build in the French Gothic originally but eventually the roof was pillaged and everything inside as well. Now only the walls remain. It was so weird to look up and see only sky. It was very beautiful there so we had lunch and played games. We had so much fun but it was eventually time to go to our wine tasting.
While we were in town waiting to go wine tasting there was two little boys playing soccer. I said, “Hey pass it to me!” They didn’t respond so I asked a friend how to say it in Italian. Then the little boy perks up and says, “We don’t speak Italian!” in a cocky little voice. I just busted out laughing by the way he responded to me. Eventually they let me and a few others joined them and we played with them for awhile. Their parents loved it because they were able to just sit outside and relax without the kids bothering them.
After the wine tasting and dinner we headed home. I was in the van that held 8 of us and the administrator for the program. She is the same person who drove me last weekend too. It was the best car trip ever. We had the radio playing as loud as it would go and we were flying down the highway. Once we got to Florence we just cruised around so we could listen to music longer. We went up to one of the look-outs and if I haven’t said it yet PDA (Public Displays of Affection) are a real problem here. And of course there was a couple making out on the look out balcony. So Jennifer drives up over the curb and parks her self like 1 foot away from them we roll down our windows and we are still blaring music and the guy just turns around and had the best look on his face ever. It was a mix of confusion and laughter. So we are laughing so hard I thought I was going to pee my pants after a bit she backs up turns around and points the car at a couple behind us, sitting on the steps, and turns her brights on, but they just kept going at it though. It was a very creative way to deal with it and I loved it. Then for probably another half hour we just drove around playing catastrophically loud music and singing at the top of our lungs and annoying anyone that got in our way. Just thinking about the night still makes me laugh.
The church without the roof
A fresco that has faded and all that is left is the outline, how sad
A blue tree?!?!
Notice the lovely faces on 2 of them
Fresco where the monk is stealing the role
On Saturday there was a group of 10 of us that went on a day trip to Abbazia di Monteoliveto Maggiore and San Galgano. Abbazia di Monteoliveto Maggiore is a cloirstered monastery. It has frescos everywhere and the artist that painted them had a feud with the abbot pretty much the whole time and there would be times when the abbot wouldn’t pay him on time. It one of the picture he painted the abbot with a very large nose. In another he painted the monk in charge of finance stealing a roll from the person sitting next to him. And one time when the abbot made him really mad he took one of the painting and had it be Saint Benedict (their patron saint) being tempted by prostitutes. He then put a second layer over that where the prostitutes were completely naked. He did a great unveiling and they chased him out and he went into hiding for 2 months. He then returned to show him that it was only a joke and that it could be removed. If I was a painter I think I would be like him.
After that we just drove around the Tuscany country side and admired it’s beauty. The hills were soft and rolling and looked as if we could bounce off of them like a pillow. It is definitely the most spectacular place I have ever seen. I have never seen anything so peaceful looking before in my life.
We then moved onto San Galgano where there is the church that has the rock with a sword in it, aka the Excalibur rock. It was put there because it looks like a cross and it was were the knight Sir Galgano would go to pray everyday. A short walk down the hill and there was a church that had no roof. It was build in the French Gothic originally but eventually the roof was pillaged and everything inside as well. Now only the walls remain. It was so weird to look up and see only sky. It was very beautiful there so we had lunch and played games. We had so much fun but it was eventually time to go to our wine tasting.
While we were in town waiting to go wine tasting there was two little boys playing soccer. I said, “Hey pass it to me!” They didn’t respond so I asked a friend how to say it in Italian. Then the little boy perks up and says, “We don’t speak Italian!” in a cocky little voice. I just busted out laughing by the way he responded to me. Eventually they let me and a few others joined them and we played with them for awhile. Their parents loved it because they were able to just sit outside and relax without the kids bothering them.
After the wine tasting and dinner we headed home. I was in the van that held 8 of us and the administrator for the program. She is the same person who drove me last weekend too. It was the best car trip ever. We had the radio playing as loud as it would go and we were flying down the highway. Once we got to Florence we just cruised around so we could listen to music longer. We went up to one of the look-outs and if I haven’t said it yet PDA (Public Displays of Affection) are a real problem here. And of course there was a couple making out on the look out balcony. So Jennifer drives up over the curb and parks her self like 1 foot away from them we roll down our windows and we are still blaring music and the guy just turns around and had the best look on his face ever. It was a mix of confusion and laughter. So we are laughing so hard I thought I was going to pee my pants after a bit she backs up turns around and points the car at a couple behind us, sitting on the steps, and turns her brights on, but they just kept going at it though. It was a very creative way to deal with it and I loved it. Then for probably another half hour we just drove around playing catastrophically loud music and singing at the top of our lungs and annoying anyone that got in our way. Just thinking about the night still makes me laugh.
The church without the roof
A fresco that has faded and all that is left is the outline, how sad
A blue tree?!?!
Notice the lovely faces on 2 of them
Fresco where the monk is stealing the role
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Arezzo
This last week has been so much fun and so busy. Any free time my friends and I have we spend watching/listening to stand up comedy routines.
One Friday I spent the day being lazy and that night I went out with a few close friends for a few drinks. We went to a bar and as we were ordering our drinks we talked to the bartender and he ended up giving us free screwdriver shots. I enjoyed it! It was great to get into town and have a few drinks while talking with friends. Those are some of my favorite nights. We were going to go to a disco after that but they weren't open yet so we just decided to head home. Worst idea ever because the bus we had to get on was direct from sketch-ville. There were 3 gypsys on it and they were drunk or stoned, I'm not too sure but they kept trying to talk to us and kept asking if we wanted hugs. Can you say Creepers!? Slowly the bus emptied out and we were really getting scared that it would just be us(3 girls) and these guys. We weren't afraid anything would happen on the bus but what would happen if they got off on the same stop as us because we are the last stop and we have a walk to the ville. We started looking around for someone in there we felt like we could trust. But slowly those people got off too. All that remained was this younger man in a red shirt with blond hair and there was just something about him I trusted. Eventually the men got off a stop before us but that whole ride I just felt like that young man stayed on just to be a buffer between us and the gypsys. He was definitely my guardian angel. Needless to say when I got back I looked up some handy phrases just in case this happens again.
On Saturday one of the guys came down to breakfast saying he was going hiking by himself and nothing was going to stop him. It wasn't 5 min and he was in the hospital. He has found the trail behind the ville but there had been a land slide. As he was trying to climb over it he fell and cut his leg down to the bone. Since he was all by himself he had to walk back. Our poor RD had to take him to the hospital and they were telling her he was going to need 100 stitches, he ended up getting a wopping 11. We hung out in his room until we left for Arezzo and he was getting treated like royalty. He got cheesecake and wine and little finger foods. When we started teasing him about it they brought us our own helping of everything too. It was pretty sweet.
That afternoon we left for Arezzo but Frank had to stay behind. On the car trip (first car trip in Italy) there our administrator was driving. The speed limit was 80 kmph. She was going between 155 and 160. We didn't actually know how fast that was we just knew she was WAY over the speed limit. When we got back we did the conversion and found out it was around 99 mph. Italian drivers are crazy and if people thought I was horn happy in high school you should come to Italy because it makes me look tame. There are hand gestures and horns honking everywhere.
There were 7 of us that went and toured around and went to a concert. Arezzo is where Life is Beautiful was filmed. It was awesome to walk around there and we got really good food for dinner. We had appetizers and pizza. I even tried duck liver, yes I DARA ALEXANDER tried DUCK LIVER. I didn't know it was duck liver when I tried it though. I did like it so I can't complain too much.
The concert was Irish/Scottish and there was a fantastic flute player there and an incredible guitar player. It made me miss my musical instruments so much. I wish I could take lessons from these guys.
Sunday was Women's Day, a day we are severely lacking in the United States. All women get flowers and yellow mimosas at stores and all the museum are free for one day, but just for the ladies.
The rest of this week I have just been busy with classes. I'm not sure what my plans for this weekend are but on Monday I am and going to leave for Assisi and Perugia. I can't wait to see these place, I have been waiting for this all semester.
The other night I bought my plane tickets for Ireland, Barcelona, and Paris. I have so many exciting trips coming up in the next 2 months.
Cafe from Life is Beautiful
Frank being spoiled
Where I ate lunch on Saturday
One Friday I spent the day being lazy and that night I went out with a few close friends for a few drinks. We went to a bar and as we were ordering our drinks we talked to the bartender and he ended up giving us free screwdriver shots. I enjoyed it! It was great to get into town and have a few drinks while talking with friends. Those are some of my favorite nights. We were going to go to a disco after that but they weren't open yet so we just decided to head home. Worst idea ever because the bus we had to get on was direct from sketch-ville. There were 3 gypsys on it and they were drunk or stoned, I'm not too sure but they kept trying to talk to us and kept asking if we wanted hugs. Can you say Creepers!? Slowly the bus emptied out and we were really getting scared that it would just be us(3 girls) and these guys. We weren't afraid anything would happen on the bus but what would happen if they got off on the same stop as us because we are the last stop and we have a walk to the ville. We started looking around for someone in there we felt like we could trust. But slowly those people got off too. All that remained was this younger man in a red shirt with blond hair and there was just something about him I trusted. Eventually the men got off a stop before us but that whole ride I just felt like that young man stayed on just to be a buffer between us and the gypsys. He was definitely my guardian angel. Needless to say when I got back I looked up some handy phrases just in case this happens again.
On Saturday one of the guys came down to breakfast saying he was going hiking by himself and nothing was going to stop him. It wasn't 5 min and he was in the hospital. He has found the trail behind the ville but there had been a land slide. As he was trying to climb over it he fell and cut his leg down to the bone. Since he was all by himself he had to walk back. Our poor RD had to take him to the hospital and they were telling her he was going to need 100 stitches, he ended up getting a wopping 11. We hung out in his room until we left for Arezzo and he was getting treated like royalty. He got cheesecake and wine and little finger foods. When we started teasing him about it they brought us our own helping of everything too. It was pretty sweet.
That afternoon we left for Arezzo but Frank had to stay behind. On the car trip (first car trip in Italy) there our administrator was driving. The speed limit was 80 kmph. She was going between 155 and 160. We didn't actually know how fast that was we just knew she was WAY over the speed limit. When we got back we did the conversion and found out it was around 99 mph. Italian drivers are crazy and if people thought I was horn happy in high school you should come to Italy because it makes me look tame. There are hand gestures and horns honking everywhere.
There were 7 of us that went and toured around and went to a concert. Arezzo is where Life is Beautiful was filmed. It was awesome to walk around there and we got really good food for dinner. We had appetizers and pizza. I even tried duck liver, yes I DARA ALEXANDER tried DUCK LIVER. I didn't know it was duck liver when I tried it though. I did like it so I can't complain too much.
The concert was Irish/Scottish and there was a fantastic flute player there and an incredible guitar player. It made me miss my musical instruments so much. I wish I could take lessons from these guys.
Sunday was Women's Day, a day we are severely lacking in the United States. All women get flowers and yellow mimosas at stores and all the museum are free for one day, but just for the ladies.
The rest of this week I have just been busy with classes. I'm not sure what my plans for this weekend are but on Monday I am and going to leave for Assisi and Perugia. I can't wait to see these place, I have been waiting for this all semester.
The other night I bought my plane tickets for Ireland, Barcelona, and Paris. I have so many exciting trips coming up in the next 2 months.
Cafe from Life is Beautiful
Frank being spoiled
Where I ate lunch on Saturday
Thursday, March 5, 2009
The David
Today as part of a class we went and saw the David by Michelangelo. It was incredible how big the sculpture was and the details that went into it. You could see the veins in his arms and the imprints on his feet. We weren't allowed to take pictures which is a shame but I guess that means I will just have to go back. Also in the same museum was a music exhibition. They had musical instruments through the ages and for me it was the best part. I miss not having my musical instruments here with me and not being able to mindlessly make music.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Shark?!?!?!
You read it right, I had shark for dinner. Tonight was potentially the worst meal of my life. The first course was this orange soup that tasted like firecrackers, FIRECRACKERS! It was not good. The second course was shark, it was tough, VERY fishy tasting, it was bad. Then there was a cauliflower casserole, it might sound like it could be good but they managed to make it suck. They had a salad too, and by salad I mean finely chopped iceberg lettuce with nothing else, no salad dressing, nothing. How is it that I am in Italy and the food can suck so much?
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Cinque Terre
Getting sprayed by a wave
View from a swing I found
The view from my balcony, you could see the ocean too but this photo just can't do it justice
Bright and early Friday morning my 8 friends and I took off for Cinque Terre. All of us put together made for a very loud but fun trip. On the trains people would get up and move away from us. When we finally got to our final destination the stop was in a long narrow tunnel, really narrow! We didn’t know we were suppose to get off until it was too late, 3 people got off the train before it started to move on us. So that left 6 people (me included) going too far in the wrong direction. We ended up having to by tickets to get back to where we were suppose to be. Oops! I couldn’t stop laughing because it was just that ridiculous. We were split and only Addie had the hostel information.
When we finally got there and got checked in, it was SO nice. We paid 15 Euro a night and it came with a full kitchen, 3 bedrooms for the 9 of us and 2 bathrooms. And all the rooms were large. O and we had a huge balcony that we could see the Mediterranean Sea from. The weather was great until Sunday, but it is probably good that it rained on Sunday because otherwise I wouldn’t have left.
Friday after we got to the hostel we went on a walk along the coast. It was incredibly striking and I got sprayed by the waves. We just strolled, climbed, and laid on rocks for hours.
On Saturday I woke up early and made an American breakfast for everyone because that is something we have been craving like mad. It seemed like it was the best breakfast of my entire life, even though I know it wasn’t. LOL. After Breakfast we broke into 2 groups and one went hiking in the mountains and mine went hiking along the coast to get to the other towns. It was just Leighanna, Maggie, and me. It was nice to be in a small group for this walk because we could just take our time and soak it all up. I wanted to cry because I wanted to know what I did right in life to deserve this.
One of my favorite parts of the day was when we found a coffee shop that was on the trail and hung over the side of a cliff so I drank my coffee over a cliff watching beautiful waves crash on rocks. For lunch we went to the beach in the furthest town (Monterosso al Mare) and ate lunch close enough to the water that it would come up and touch our toes. It was warm and I just laid out afterwards and soaked up my first bit of sun for the year.
picture from my coffee break
where I ate lunch
Saturday night I realized I was homesick but not for Kansas City or Atchison but for the Villa in Settignano. It has become my comfort zone in midst of all this commotion and traveling.
Yesterday on the train I sat next to a lady from Ireland. I told her I was from Kansas then she went on about how beautiful it was when she was there in October last year. All I could think about was how much I wanted to go to Ireland and how beautiful it would be there. I guess the places you come from never seem as perfect as the places you visit.
I am so glad I had my friends with me for this incredible weekend because by myself it would have been nice but it is always better when you have someone to share it with.
View from a swing I found
The view from my balcony, you could see the ocean too but this photo just can't do it justice
Bright and early Friday morning my 8 friends and I took off for Cinque Terre. All of us put together made for a very loud but fun trip. On the trains people would get up and move away from us. When we finally got to our final destination the stop was in a long narrow tunnel, really narrow! We didn’t know we were suppose to get off until it was too late, 3 people got off the train before it started to move on us. So that left 6 people (me included) going too far in the wrong direction. We ended up having to by tickets to get back to where we were suppose to be. Oops! I couldn’t stop laughing because it was just that ridiculous. We were split and only Addie had the hostel information.
When we finally got there and got checked in, it was SO nice. We paid 15 Euro a night and it came with a full kitchen, 3 bedrooms for the 9 of us and 2 bathrooms. And all the rooms were large. O and we had a huge balcony that we could see the Mediterranean Sea from. The weather was great until Sunday, but it is probably good that it rained on Sunday because otherwise I wouldn’t have left.
Friday after we got to the hostel we went on a walk along the coast. It was incredibly striking and I got sprayed by the waves. We just strolled, climbed, and laid on rocks for hours.
On Saturday I woke up early and made an American breakfast for everyone because that is something we have been craving like mad. It seemed like it was the best breakfast of my entire life, even though I know it wasn’t. LOL. After Breakfast we broke into 2 groups and one went hiking in the mountains and mine went hiking along the coast to get to the other towns. It was just Leighanna, Maggie, and me. It was nice to be in a small group for this walk because we could just take our time and soak it all up. I wanted to cry because I wanted to know what I did right in life to deserve this.
One of my favorite parts of the day was when we found a coffee shop that was on the trail and hung over the side of a cliff so I drank my coffee over a cliff watching beautiful waves crash on rocks. For lunch we went to the beach in the furthest town (Monterosso al Mare) and ate lunch close enough to the water that it would come up and touch our toes. It was warm and I just laid out afterwards and soaked up my first bit of sun for the year.
picture from my coffee break
where I ate lunch
Saturday night I realized I was homesick but not for Kansas City or Atchison but for the Villa in Settignano. It has become my comfort zone in midst of all this commotion and traveling.
Yesterday on the train I sat next to a lady from Ireland. I told her I was from Kansas then she went on about how beautiful it was when she was there in October last year. All I could think about was how much I wanted to go to Ireland and how beautiful it would be there. I guess the places you come from never seem as perfect as the places you visit.
I am so glad I had my friends with me for this incredible weekend because by myself it would have been nice but it is always better when you have someone to share it with.
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