A Small Reflection

I'm sure most of my readers have gone by now, but for the few of you left (or who get an email when I post) I thought I would reflect on some of what I've been thinking about since I've been home.

Before I left I was scared, every time I had brought up the fact that I was going to Italy someone told me something bad they had heard or what not to do or what to be careful about. I had so many fearful stories told to me that it was all I could think about. I remember sitting at my computer faithfully exploring Firenze through Google Maps and thinking that if I could see Firenze like this why would I need to go myself? Wasn't I seeing it all right then? How would it be different? How was I to know that it would change everything to see it in person.

Travel isn't just about seeing the sights. It's about the people you meet, the music of a dozen different languages being yelled in a Piazza, it's the smell of the gelato shop you walk by to get your groceries that happened to be where you got your first ever gelato. It's the struggle of learning how to do everything in a new way. It's the feel of lying down in a museum and staring at the ceiling and ignoring all the paintings and artifacts on the walls because for this moment the ceiling has taken center stage.

It's coming to consider a place so far away from where you started a second home. It's the deep connection you feel, so that when you watch movies entitled "Under the Tuscan Sun" or anything to do with Tuscany you pause on the shot of Firenze and nearly start crying because you would do anything to be walking by with your umbrella in that exact spot.

For everyone who tells you a horror story or a tale designed to frighten you away from escaping your comfort zone I would tell you to go. To see. To touch and smell and taste. You'll find out that they were wrong about so many things and that stereotypes are funny things with more and less truth than you imagined. But most of all, you'll learn about yourself. So go, your adventure awaits.

Things I'm excited about going home for!

I am leaving Florence tomorrow morning, after a brief tour through France for two weeks, I'll be home. I've recently started (read allowed myself to think about) what I miss about home and came up with this list.

1. The people. Of course this is the top, what is home without all of your loved ones? I am ecstatic to see James, my family and all my friends again.

2. To be able to wear shorts in public and not be considered a social outcast or be horribly judged on the street.

3. To be able to wear sweatshirts for the above reasons.

4. The food. Don't get me wrong, Italian food is amazing. However sometimes variety is nice. It's the spice of life right?

5. Free refills. Do you know how expensive pop or juice or anything other than wine is over here? An arm and a leg, that's how much!

6. Speaking of which, free water. Never again will I take for granted going into a restaurant and getting refill upon refill of ice cold water for free. And if you ask, they'll even add lemons or limes! FOR FREE! That my people, is why everyone should love America.

7. Trees. Or for that matter anything green that grows. I tried really hard to convince myself that I could be a city girl. And failed. Not because I couldn't enjoy city life or have any problems with things in the city but because when I find a spot under the trees where you can't see anyone and the green surrounds you I feel at home, all of my stress melts away and I realize just how tense I was. I guess it's a good thing I go to school where I do...

8. I will be able to expect people to speak English! This is more of a comfort thing really, I knew what I was getting into when I came over here, but to be able to walk into a store and confidently ask the person behind the counter for exactly what you want without having to mime parts of it or try and convey your meaning using the very limited vocabulary you have, that is a luxury.

Honestly the list is pretty short, I've loved every minute I've spent in the beautiful city of Florence but after four months away, I am ready to come home.

Finals Week

I haven't posted here in awhile. It's finals week now and we are all preparing to leave this city I've called home for the past 4 months. I've changed, I've grown, and I've experienced so much that I could never fully explain it to anyone else. But now I have a paper to write, a suitcase to pack and a city to say goodbye to so this post is going to be a short one. Just wanted to let you know that I'm coming home soon and can't wait to say hello to America and all of my loved ones.

Visiting Sarah

On Easter weekend I visited Sarah, my best best friend who is staying in Rome! 

The Spanish Steps

We ate a lot of really good food, 

 Dinner by the colosseum! 

Yummy Pizza in a random neighborhood and we watched it hail on the way home.  

We also made a TON of yummy food at her apartment :D 

And talked the entire time we explored Roma! 

The Pantheon during the day, it's a must see while it's light out because it is awe inspiring 

We saw the Stations of the Cross which the Pope led at the Colosseum

 And on Monday we ran into this parade! Completely on accident but we think we overheard someone say it was the anniversary of Rome or something Roman. 

On the Palatine hill, the scarf is because I didn't want my head to get sunburnt (worst place to get sunburnt....).

The Colosseum!  

Beautiful view of the city, despite the rain. 

Saying goodbye :( 

Well the good news is that she is coming to visit me in Florence next! 

Easter Sunday

The Vatican at 6 am. It's actually busier then this picture makes it seem, I just managed to get none of them it. 

Easter Sunday was spent at mass in the Vatican! Sarah had gotten us tickets to the Vatican and when she picked them up they said that they recommended being there at 7. Gates would open at 8 and the mass would start at 10. We decided that in order to get a good seat we needed to be an hour earlier, arriving at 6 am. It takes an hour to get to the Vatican from Sarah’s apartment and so we decided that we would wake up at 4 A.M. We actually managed to follow are schedule and arrived very close to when we said we had wanted to! We at first got in a line that everyone thought was going to lead into the gate where they would check tickets and we could get in. However Italians don’t do lines. So we then just ran up and joined the throng of people at the gate and waited for two hours crushed in the mob. The good news is that being so close to so many people kept us warm!

It was beautiful walking to the Vatican along the river. 

When they finally opened the gates it was a mad rush to get in and get seats. I got stuck behind some people and so I was waving Sarah on (I may also hate running so was going slowly….), it honestly felt like Black Friday and for a minute there I was worried people were going to be trampled.

Only a few people wanted to take pictures....

But we made it! And ended up getting seats very close to the front, 7^th row!! We waited for two more hours for mass to start and between the early morning, the sun beating down on our backs, and a choir singing that really soothing music where you can’t hear/understand any words we were both struggling to stay awake!

Selfies before mass! 

Once Mass started we were both captivated! It was beautiful! And they had a little booklet with an English translation so we could follow along. I thoroughly enjoyed it and the pomp and circumstance that went along with it. It was nothing like what I am used to at home, though Sarah was much more familiar with the different parts of it than I was, but it was an amazing experience that I will never forget. My grandchildren will definitely be hearing about it!

But really... it was no big deal.... 

After Mass the Pope drove around in a little car and waved to the cheering masses (still not sure how I feel about this) but it was fun and we waved and cheered along with the rest of the crowd, standing on chairs to get a better view. Then he went to the window and blessed the crowd. Apparently, if you had brought any holy objects with you, this was the Pope blessing them.

The Pope blessing us :D 

We managed to get home without too much difficulty dodging the crowds and made Easter brunch! It felt like we were back at home cooking together J After banana pancakes, fruit salad, and eggs we took a nap to refresh ourselves having already been up for 11 hours at 3 pm and continued with the rest of our amazing weekend! 

Cinque Terre

Waking up bright and early we arrived at our hotel in Cinque Terre early in the morning. We had an hour or two before we headed out to Monterosso so we wandered the tiny town of Levanto for a while. It was very cute but not at all what I was expecting. A sleepy sea side town with only a few restaurants and cute little stores catering to tourists.

A little after noon we headed to Monterosso where we explored for a bit, got lunch and climbed on top of a giant rock until it was time to leave for the next town. The owners of where we got lunch were so nice! We asked “senza glutine?” and they said “If the store has it then yes” and ran to the store to see if they could buy us gluten free pasta. It ended up being delicious food J

The rock we climbed! We got a great view but Taylor had just seen someone fall off it and get hurt so it was a little nerve racking at the top.  

This store owner was so friendly and kept telling us that we could taste anything! And that we would be dancing by the time we left. We didn't end up dancing out but my roommates bought some stuff and we had lots of samples which were very good. 

After a few hours they herded us back on to the train and took us to Manarola where we were left to our own devices. I spotted this small store that had “senza glutine” on its sign and we wandered in. Turns out they had an entire section of GF food and treats freshly made! We got several and enjoyed them while we walked down to the beach then on the way back we got more! We enjoyed the beach for a while before catching the second to last train to Levanto. The town is so small that the only thing there really was to do was to go out to eat, which we did.

We were only a tad excited.... 

We hung out on the rocks for most of the time and stuck our feet in the ocean! 

Then next day the trains were on strike and it rained. We decided to go on a hike since that is basically all we could do being stuck in such a small town. The hike was beautiful though and I adored being able to hike again! I ended up hiking for much longer time than my roommates while they turned back to get food. There were a lot of nice people on the trial and even though I was a little disconcerted by just how many people were hiking the same trail (I’m used to the UP where if you see more than two other people your entire hike it’s a busy day) I enjoyed it a lot.

Levanto is in the background

I came across this vicious dog on my hike. Honestly the cat looked scarier and glared at me for much longer. 

It wasn’t a long trip or very high stress but it was a good break. 

Learning Experience

Most of my posts here are about my trips, or museums, or places that I visit. This one is going to be a little different. It's about what I've learned, how I've changed, or at least some of my thoughts on the subject.

I've learned a lot here. Not really class stuff, honestly my classes here are interesting but not all that challenging or thought provoking. No, I've learned more from the people here and experiencing a different way of life. Some of it's deep and life changing, some of it's not.

Like how I've learned to feed myself in Italy, so basically every meal should consist of pasta. And the slow food mentality is rubbing off on me. I take more time preparing my food and don't mind sitting for two hours over a meal. Wine at dinner doesn't seem abnormal to me, talking about the different types is a casual conversation. And I know that there are things you pair with white, red and dessert wines and things that you don't. That there is such a thing as a dessert wine. And I don't like it.


Like how people think very differently. I always thought that I had an average way of looking at the world but I don't really. Americans have a very "can do" attitude. I've grown up my whole life knowing that if I wanted to do something I could do it. Over here (the parts of Europe I visited) it's different, not really that they have a "can't do" attitude but more that they view the struggles and challenges in a greater light. We focus on the victory, they focus more on what they have to accomplish on the path.

Or how Italians are very much just Italians. As my psychology professor said, "I am Italian and I can be nothing else". It's not that in America we don't want to be American, honestly I've yet to meet anyone who has as much pride in their country as an American, but that they view their roles differently. When I come home I'm going to have Italian aspects that have incorporated themselves into my life. Pasta as a primo corso might just be in every dinner I cook for people. I'm not afraid to say that I've incorporated other lifestyles or ways of thinking or food into my life, that Italian culture, while never going to be the one I grew up in, seems less alien and strange and more like I could fit in here. But for him, that would never happen. That is like turning his back on his culture, being an impostor. Honestly, I think this has to do with the unique way America was born and what it's culture has always been. We've always been the melting pot, the place where the tides of immigration from different countries can show our history like a clock. In America are major source of "Americanness" is our values. Over here it's so much more, it's where you were born, where you grew up, your family, your food, your Italian culture, and you can't change that. You are far less likely to move, you don't make "ethnic" food and you don't want to (Italians are snobs about Italian food :P Sometimes rightfully so.... but still ).

Like how I have become so much more confident in traveling by myself. Buses, trains, metro, planes, I can book it all! Those map reading skills have come in very handy but I know that I can do it by myself. Before I came over here I was terrified of traveling by myself or the entire booking process. Now I'm much less daunted by it. Before it could easily have stopped me from doing something that I wanted to do. Now, it's barely a consideration.

These thoughts are a little jumbled and may not make as much sense as I want them to but I thought I should give you a brief glimpse of things I'm starting to realize over here. I probably won't know just how much I've changed until I go back home but this is a start.

Museo di Palazzo Vecchio

Don't worry! With all these trips I haven't forgotten to keep exploring the beautiful city of Florence! On Wednesday I went to this pretty museum!

Unfinished Statue by Michelangelo

 The ceilings were gorgeous throughout the entire building! 

This awful picture is not mine (only one on my blog that is not) but shows the tower that I climbed up!

To get this gorgeous view! 

All 243 stairs! 

I forgot my good camera though so all I have our some washed out selfies :) 

The Amalfi Coast!

Thursday night we left at 7:30 for our 7-hour bus ride down to Sorrento. We arrived a little before 3 and checked into our hotel. After freezing for 4 hours we rolled out of bed to make it to the ferry for Capri! Our hotel room was in the basement with no signal or access to the wifi that you had to pay for and was 50 degrees.

Ferry we toured the island in 

I was impressed with the Captain's ability when he safely guided us through the arch with feet to spare and the waves. 

The water was so blue! 

We took the ferry over to Capri then immediately got on another boat to circle the island. We stopped at the Green Grotto and then a much longer stop at the Blue Grotto where we got to swim! It was very cold and started pouring right when we got out but it was worth every penny!

The glowing blue water! 

To get into the grotto, which I would have called a cave, you have to get into these small rowboats and lay down flat on the floor. Then the guide uses a chain and times the waves just right so that you duck through this opening that is seriously only big enough for the boat. I now understand why it’s closed so often because of waves! If the waves had been any bigger we wouldn’t have made it in.

This is my very attractive "This water is freezing but I am in the blue grotto!" face. 

Once in the cave the water glows a beautiful blue. I slid in and froze for the memory; my family would have been proud lol.

The aftermath! 

After we got off the boat we took the funicular up to Capri Town where we only stayed long enough to get these delicious Granitas which are slushies made from freshly squeezed juice! We ended getting these all weekend and they were amazing every single time! Lemons and blood oranges were big there so they were all a mix of those flavors.

This guy pressed fresh blood orange juice for you! Soooo good! 

After enjoying those and the beautiful view we were bused up to Anacapri where we ate lunch! Italy continued it’s amazing streak of knowing about gf and I got some good chicken. After lunch we wandered around the shops for a bit and decided to spend our extra time walking down the Island back to the port.

The water was gorgeous! 

The stairs we took down! A little scary for those afraid of heights... 

Why am I not on this beach now? 

The stairs were a bit treacherous and the height was scary but it was better than being on the road! It’s the size of a one-way road but has two-way traffic and is on a cliff. I felt like I was back on the mountain roads of Mexico…

That night we went out to dinner and the place had GF pasta! On the way home from dinner I ran into Sarah, my best friend from home! This was just the cherry on top of a perfect day.

On Saturday we went to Positano! This was a very nice relaxing day. They let us off at the top of the city and we spent about 30 minutes hiking down to the bottom where the black “sand” beach was. It was really more a pebble beach but it was still perfect for lying out in the sun and listening to the ocean! There was a lot of sea glass on the beach so I made a pile of the pieces around me.

The beach

View overlooking the city

We spent most of the day lying on the beach and broke only for an incredible lunch overlooking the ocean. Once again they had GF pasta!

Right before we left Gianna and I hiked up the city to explore the shops. Over it all it was a wonderful day.

On Sunday we got up and checked out of our hotel, still freezing cold, and headed to Pompeii! We took a guided tour, which I found fascinating then ate a wonderful lunch where I got GF pizza with a Granita!

This mural said "Beware of Dog" 

Plaster cast of fear 

I was very impressed with how well they had planned the city. The larger roads were situated so that the roads would get the most sun, the stones raised up were used so that they didn't have to step in the street. How they dealt with the water in general was very impressive. They thought of a lot more than I ever would have! 

The brothel