ROMA is AMAZING. I am obsessed with that city. I love that it is a big city, yet it has so much history. You've got the city atmosphere like Paris and the art/history that Florence has... it truly is Amaze. I want to go back there as much as possible because there is so much to see and it just has that vibe that I LOOOOVE... all they need to do is get a starbucks and you've got me sold.
Sooo the trip was nice and short... I def needed an extra night in Florence after Croatia and Barcelona two weekends in a row. We met at school at 8 am friday and took a 4 hour bus ride down to Roma. When we arrived at our hotel we had just enough time to drop our bags, change, and by metro tickets. Our first stop was group lunch at the HARD ROCK CAFE... it was just what we all needed. I think we all got burgers, fries, and all the RANCH you can eat... it was AMAZE. I am literally obsessed with ranch so its been something I def. miss from home. We all devouuuuured our burger or whatever else we ordered... sooo American of us, buts it def. what we all miss. The next trip was optional, but I'm pretty sure alll of us attended. Fr. Pham, our jesuit priest, lives in Rome during the week and gave us the Jes tour of Rome. We saw the Jesuit mothership Church, Gonzaga's tomb, the Jes Res with amaaaaze views of the Vatican at sunset, some other Jesuit Church, and Ignatious' bed room. We also hit up the Trevi fountain on the way. The tour was awesome to see, especially with our very own Jesuit leading the way. The next stop was a 3 hour night walking tour, after a 3 hour Jesuit walking tour... We saw the Trevi again, the Spanish Steps, every Piazza I swear in the city, ect. It was awesome, but we were soooo tired after it. A solid group of girls decided to catch the bus and head home since the metro was alot futher away. The bus was fulll of creeps so we were estatic to make it home. We all changed and then camped our on my bed to watch Kardash... we were in heaven... Our day was super complete... ranch dressing, trevi fountain, spanish steps, and Kimmie Kourt Khloe and Kris.
The next day was GO GO GO. We left at 745 AM to go to the Villa Borghese... The Museum was full of cool stuff... none of which i knew annnnything about... I def wished we had a guide for that trip. I did see the adam and eve painting in the opening of Desperate Housewives... I was stocked for that. My abroad trip is a constant search for anything and everything pop culture! After an hour in the museum we left to see the Colleseum before we had to meet at the Vatican. Six of us went with our student life guy Larry to see it, which was such a wise decision. Lar bear knew to go to the Roman Forum first to get tickets, instead of waiting in the HORRRIBLE line for the Col because you get entrance to both... So we saw both without waiting in an hour long line... and only paid 12 euro... our friends had to wait in line, then managed to get on a tour but for 18 euro... sooo if you ever go to Roma... follow Lar Bear's lead... the Roman Forum was awesome... totally old... but the Col was epic... so cool to see it.
The next stop was the Vatican Museum... oh my god... i love the Vatican... it is sooooo cool. The Museum is real cool, especially this one hallway which has an EPIIIIC ceiling... but the coolest part is def the Sistine Chapel. The guards are intense but I managed to snag some awesome pics... it is seriously amazing how it was done... totally mind blowing... next we went to St. Peters... that was probably the coolest thing i have seen to date... the dome is actually mind blowing...I felt like I was in such history... def top 3 thing I've seen abroad... probably number 1 even...
That night 40 of us went with Fr. Pham to an asian buffet (can you tell were a bit sick of italian food...) in like the ghetto... or actually we just drove through the ghetto... but to get there we had to take a bus... which was already packed before we got on... and then we shoved 40 extra people on... nooooone could move an inch... it was sooo intense... but we made it and it was amaze... it was a buffet and a grill where you pick your raw meat and veggies and they grill it up for you... all you can eat.... so worth it...
The next day was POPE time. We wanted to go see his blessing obvi. So like 8 of us got on a packed bus again to go see him. I was with 3 friends in a huddle basically getting violated by creepy old italian men... it was terrrrrrifying.. and sweaty gross... we were estatic to get off that. And we then got to see the Papa in all his glory which was such an amazing experience... he spoke like 20 languages.. it was amazing... We then just walked around that area, found a carousel... and then headed back to go home.
The bus ride home was even epic since we watched Toy Story 3... all of us were watching and enjoying this story of our childhood... we grew up with andy... its seriously the best. But now I'm back home in Flo for the weekend. Saw Harry Potter 7 Part 1 last night... oh my god sooo amazing... thats another story we literally grew up with... I can't believe its almost over... gahh. CIIIAO.
Music Guide: "Bad Romance" by Lady Gaga
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Monday, November 8, 2010
I'm in Barcelona Trick!
Death on wheels...
Just driving down the road... soo out of the movies
olympic stadium in all its glory
peace in a picture
i whip my hair back and forth...
the walk home... fall at its finest
why are the parks in Spain soo pretty
oh hey escalators up hills... you rule.
the passage ways in Guell Park...
longest bench in the WORLD...
la sagrada familia... and its construction stufffff
man up fc barce
hurry down sun down
chilly...
those were toooo good...
getting crazzzzy in the icebar hehe
i love the icebar!
from ice to the beach... its good to be in barce
reunited and it feels soooooo good.
PS. I FORGOT MY CAM IN FLO... SO THANKKKKS GREG AND SEAN FOR BEING PAPARAZZI ALL WEEKEND!
All Year Long We Wait For Sun... At The Beach We Come Undone
I'm back... for now! This past weekend I spent my time in sunny, amazing, beautiful Barcelona! It was absolutely gorgeous there... and it didn't help that it was freaking November 5ish and it was in the 70's... pure heaven. The trip was supppper amazing... but I def had trouble rallying for it. I have realized that it is really hard to pick up and leave every weekend. I am never in the same city for very long... it takes its toll on you. SOO long story short, I was kind of dreading this trip. I spent all of last weekend in Croatia, had two days at home, and had to leave again... I was NOT mentally prepared... but I forced myself to get a move on and it was SOO worth it. The actual trip to Barce is a trek! Seriously! We flew out of Bologna on Ryan Air so just getting there was a hassle. I took the fast train to the station and then the 4 of us hopped in a cab to go to the airport. We waited for our gate to open, sat in the airport for 2 hours, and finally boarded the plane to Girona. The flight was uneventful, but then we had an hour bus to Barce. We finally got to the hostel (nicest one to date... eek I really hate hostels!) and all settled by 10:30, perfect time to get dinner, walk around, and go to bed. Travel days really do suck!
The next day started out with a bang. We wanted to find an interesting way to see the city, and some of our friends recommended renting go carts, so obviously we were interested. My friend Greg and I were the only two to have our licenses, so therefore I had to drive. It was probably one of the most terrifying experiences of my life. We drove around the legittt streets of Barcelona in little yellow go carts. It had GPS and told us where to go... so we went. I drove all around the streets, seeing the Sagrada Familia, La Rambla, ect... all from my little yellow car. The GPS was pretty good, but sometimes it didn't quite let us know what to do in time. We got so off track and stuck in roundabouts... all while cabs are honking and vespas were breezing past from all directions. I could not get over to save my life... I thought I was going to die. I think I may have kissed the ground when I got out of that death mobile... but it was an adventurous way to see the city forrrr sure.
After the death tour we went to find the Olympic Staduim. It was up away from the city and it was just a beautiful part of town. It was so serene being up there. It was quiet, spacious, and peaceful. It didn't help that it was 70 degrees. We decided to walk back down the hill rather than spend more money on the subway. That turned out to be an awesome decision. We walked through this amazing, green park, right by this castle looking museum, down into the heart of the city. It was a nice little jaunt... we even sucked it up and walked back to our hostel.. we LOVE walking on GIF. We walked down La Rambla for dinner... and I got starbucks for the 2nd time that day... too amazing!
The next day was GO GO GO. I got up early (for some reason I could not sleep past 8 this weekend... who am I turning into??) and ready to go! After getting my fix of starbucks (#3 hehe) we decided to head to Guell Park because everyone said it had the worlds longest bench, which it did but it had SO much more! We took the subway to the foot of the hill, where we were met by escalators (thats right... Spain knows whats up... so much easier!) and got to the top of the hill where we entered the Park. Right away there is an awesome view of the city, and a nice little hill you can walk to where there is some crosses and an AWESOME view of the entire city. There was a nice little path as you wrapped around the Park, with these cave like passages.. it was amazing. The bench was there as well... it was all tiled and beautiful. The park is extra beautiful because it is the creation of Gaudi. His architecture is just cool.... like fo reals. We continued with the Gaudi trend by visiting the Sagrada Familia up close and personal. It was blocked off on the inside cause the POPE was there that weekend to bless it.. too bad we didn't get a glimpse of the PAPA in his pope mobile. That church is ridiculous. Gaudi once again is out of control... and its stillllll not finished.... who knows when that will happen.. but it sure is cool. The next stop of the day was the FC Barcelona complex. They weren't in town so we didnt get to go to a game, but it was an awesome complex. We went to the Mega store which was legit... even picked up a scarf... maybe I'll start liking soccer over here in Europe...(but I reallllly just wanna be watching my ZAGS play!) The last stop of the day was the Marina to watch the sunset. It was heaven... made we miss those lazy summer days in Magnolia down by the water.
That night was truly ridiculous and one of the most fun experiences ever. We went to the ICEBAR... on the beach... weird I know. We got a big puffy jacket and headed into the ice room. The drinks were GREAT in our ice cups... and it was just so fun being in there... we were a bit out of control... taking more pictures that ever... it was such a blast. We totally changed climates and walked out to spend the remaining hours of the night on the beach... getting asked if we want drugs (and turning them down!) by sketch ball spaniards. It was such a blast.
Barce was a bundle of fun and even though we did a ton! it was relaxing to be by the water and in the 70 degree heat when it was the beginning of November.... and I got starbucks 5(!) times... finally got my fix... i wanna go back! Ciaooo for now.
Music Guide: "All Summer" by Kid Cudi
The next day started out with a bang. We wanted to find an interesting way to see the city, and some of our friends recommended renting go carts, so obviously we were interested. My friend Greg and I were the only two to have our licenses, so therefore I had to drive. It was probably one of the most terrifying experiences of my life. We drove around the legittt streets of Barcelona in little yellow go carts. It had GPS and told us where to go... so we went. I drove all around the streets, seeing the Sagrada Familia, La Rambla, ect... all from my little yellow car. The GPS was pretty good, but sometimes it didn't quite let us know what to do in time. We got so off track and stuck in roundabouts... all while cabs are honking and vespas were breezing past from all directions. I could not get over to save my life... I thought I was going to die. I think I may have kissed the ground when I got out of that death mobile... but it was an adventurous way to see the city forrrr sure.
After the death tour we went to find the Olympic Staduim. It was up away from the city and it was just a beautiful part of town. It was so serene being up there. It was quiet, spacious, and peaceful. It didn't help that it was 70 degrees. We decided to walk back down the hill rather than spend more money on the subway. That turned out to be an awesome decision. We walked through this amazing, green park, right by this castle looking museum, down into the heart of the city. It was a nice little jaunt... we even sucked it up and walked back to our hostel.. we LOVE walking on GIF. We walked down La Rambla for dinner... and I got starbucks for the 2nd time that day... too amazing!
The next day was GO GO GO. I got up early (for some reason I could not sleep past 8 this weekend... who am I turning into??) and ready to go! After getting my fix of starbucks (#3 hehe) we decided to head to Guell Park because everyone said it had the worlds longest bench, which it did but it had SO much more! We took the subway to the foot of the hill, where we were met by escalators (thats right... Spain knows whats up... so much easier!) and got to the top of the hill where we entered the Park. Right away there is an awesome view of the city, and a nice little hill you can walk to where there is some crosses and an AWESOME view of the entire city. There was a nice little path as you wrapped around the Park, with these cave like passages.. it was amazing. The bench was there as well... it was all tiled and beautiful. The park is extra beautiful because it is the creation of Gaudi. His architecture is just cool.... like fo reals. We continued with the Gaudi trend by visiting the Sagrada Familia up close and personal. It was blocked off on the inside cause the POPE was there that weekend to bless it.. too bad we didn't get a glimpse of the PAPA in his pope mobile. That church is ridiculous. Gaudi once again is out of control... and its stillllll not finished.... who knows when that will happen.. but it sure is cool. The next stop of the day was the FC Barcelona complex. They weren't in town so we didnt get to go to a game, but it was an awesome complex. We went to the Mega store which was legit... even picked up a scarf... maybe I'll start liking soccer over here in Europe...(but I reallllly just wanna be watching my ZAGS play!) The last stop of the day was the Marina to watch the sunset. It was heaven... made we miss those lazy summer days in Magnolia down by the water.
That night was truly ridiculous and one of the most fun experiences ever. We went to the ICEBAR... on the beach... weird I know. We got a big puffy jacket and headed into the ice room. The drinks were GREAT in our ice cups... and it was just so fun being in there... we were a bit out of control... taking more pictures that ever... it was such a blast. We totally changed climates and walked out to spend the remaining hours of the night on the beach... getting asked if we want drugs (and turning them down!) by sketch ball spaniards. It was such a blast.
Barce was a bundle of fun and even though we did a ton! it was relaxing to be by the water and in the 70 degree heat when it was the beginning of November.... and I got starbucks 5(!) times... finally got my fix... i wanna go back! Ciaooo for now.
Music Guide: "All Summer" by Kid Cudi
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
I'm in Croatia and Bosnia trick!
Were on a BOAT!
Climbing up a MASK... smart decision.. but SUCH A VIEW
Hello Miami aka KARDASHIAN VILLE... oh wait I'm in Croatia
The tunnels of Diocletions Palace... where the markets are
RACH MOMENT #5000... we got our faybans on in the hostel... wait have you seen hostel?? or taken??
Medjugorie! The church
IVANNNNNNA!
Appriation Hill... we treked that in flats
Oh hey Bosnia..
Mary Statue
Time to Reflect...
The leaky statue...
Our obsession with Ivanna... too much.
Breakfast on the Boardwalk... you know its NOVEMBER right...
LOVE... ps im super tall
At the top of the Hill... love it
Views for dayz.
Where You Lead.. I Will Follow
I just got back from probably the best weekends I have spent since I have been here. I went to Croatia, with a quick day trip to Bosnia, and it was just epic. I think it was because of the BOMB group we went with. Most Gonzaga in Florence kids went to Barcelona for the weekend, but a solid group of about 25 of us went on this trip. It was a perfectly chill group, and it was so nice to get to know these BOMB people more. It seriously was just sooo fun.
The actual trip to Croatia is a trek! We left Flo at 3 pm on thursday, took a 4 hour bus ride to the coast, where we met our overnight cruise to Split! The boat was actually a blast. We just chilled in the bar for awhile, but had an awesome dance party on the top deck at midnight because it was my friends 21st birthday. We jammed to Beyonce, Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga, ect... basically we had a blast. It totally made us kinda sorta forget that the boat was a rockin. We passed out on the floor for like 2 hours and woke up just in time to get off the ship at 7 am. After we got off the ship we dropped off our stuff and headed out in search of breakfast. Split is seriously like the Miami of the Adriatic Sea... or thats what it felt like. We walked along the boardwalk surrounded by palm trees... SO BEAUTIFUL! It was a nice little retreat from real life... We walked through the market for days, which was fabulous! They had legit fake Ray Bans for days, logo and all. I picked up a couple of pairs. It was such a nice day we headed to the beach and swam in the Adriatic... yup I swam in the Adriatic Sea in pretty much November... my life is awesome. We all headed to a Croatian restraunt, all 24 of us GIF people had a fabulous meal together. After dinner was maybe one of the funniest experiences of my life... A bunch of us girls had an early morning the next day so we headed back... On the way we saw snickers icecream bars and at that point in time we needed it... The guy working in the store was a crazy old Croatian man... a creep... at one point he said "I like Girls!" hahah we were absolutely dying!
The next day was probably one of the greatest experiences I have ever had. A group of 14 of us girls decided to go to Medjugorie in Bosnia. This is one of the Mary Apiration sights... and it was such an amazing thing to see. We took a 3 hour bus through the Croatian and Bosnian country sides. Boy was that a rollercoaster of a ride... The rode winded throughout the hills and probably were not made for greyhound buses. Luckily I was able to sleep through most of it. We got to Medjugorie around 10... just in time to make the English mass at the church in town. It was so nice to hear a priest from the United States talk... somehow made me feel a lot more comfortable in church in BOSNIA. Church was very nice, but it was def. time to see the town afterwords. Luckily my friend Morgan's parents had been to Medjugorie and knew of a woman who could take us around. Ivanna was AMAZING. All of the 14 girls who went on the day trip are actually obsessed with her! She has lived in Medjugorie her entire life (except her 5 college years in the United States) and actually knows the people who Mary appeared to. She was soooo knowledgable and we like fell in love with her. She took us to appiration hill, which is where Mary first appeared. I though it would have a nice path or something, but they kept it just how it always was... a hill of jagged sharp rocks. It was a trek in flats, but so worth it. There is 5 points in which you stop, all marked by the 5 joyful mysteries. We prayed the rosary along the way together and it was amazing. I am not the most in tune with my religion... but this was an amazing experience. I felt so at peace and whole as we were climbling the hill. When you get to the top there is a nice statue and place to sit and reflect. We sat there for a solid 15 minutes in silence, overlooking the hills of Bosnia. Its insane to imagine how wrecked this country is, because you don't feel it there. All I felt was peace... it was totally powerful. The top wasn't without some humor. Some crazy lady came up to my friend and started to talk to her and want her to take pictures with her... haha. Ivanna was like DONT TALK TO THEM.. there is always the crazys wanting to take pictures.. Typical.
After the Hill we went into town to see a statue behind the church. It is a large bronze statue thats right knee has been consistently leaking water since they put it in. Ivanna explained that becuase of the climate there is no way that could be on purpose. In the winter it would freeze and in the summer it would evaporate... its truly unexplainable.... After that we headed to the most shmancy restraunt in town to dine with our new best friend Ivanna. We all were ravenous since we hadn't eaten all day and were estatic to find out the prices. We all got drinks, A soups, a meat course, a side, and part of Ivanna'sIvanna... a bunch of us want to go back second semester. The night ended in the most perfect way. After the second rollercoaster bus ride all of us were exhausted and wanted to just go back. We all climbed in bed and watched Clue together. It was a purfect Halloweeen flick... too bad it wasn't Hocus Pocus.
The next day was soo relaxing. We got up and ate breakfast along the Miami esque boardwalk. It was amazing and warm. Croatia is magical. We decided to climb to the top of the Hill overlooking all of Split, which was AMAZING! After stairs for days (I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be a GIF trip if we didn't climb 954321 stairs) we reached the top for some pretty spectacular views of Split! Croatia is beautiful, I have to say GOOOO if you ever get the chance. Its such a hidden gem. We spent the rest of the afternooon walking around the market for the 10th time, shopping for faybans and scarves, and then had a 3 hour dunch to kill time before the boat took off.
Halloween night on a boat was interesting. We all just kicked it in the bar, trying not to focus on the insane rocking the boat was doing... We planned to stay up a bit later than we did, but most of us were a bit out of it because of the boat... so I think we were in bed by 1. Just in time for our early morning arrival into Italy... gahh Croatia was epic. Seriously one of the best weekends. I loved the people I was with and loved the places I saw. GO GO GO if you can...
Music Guide: "Where You Lead" by Carole King
The actual trip to Croatia is a trek! We left Flo at 3 pm on thursday, took a 4 hour bus ride to the coast, where we met our overnight cruise to Split! The boat was actually a blast. We just chilled in the bar for awhile, but had an awesome dance party on the top deck at midnight because it was my friends 21st birthday. We jammed to Beyonce, Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga, ect... basically we had a blast. It totally made us kinda sorta forget that the boat was a rockin. We passed out on the floor for like 2 hours and woke up just in time to get off the ship at 7 am. After we got off the ship we dropped off our stuff and headed out in search of breakfast. Split is seriously like the Miami of the Adriatic Sea... or thats what it felt like. We walked along the boardwalk surrounded by palm trees... SO BEAUTIFUL! It was a nice little retreat from real life... We walked through the market for days, which was fabulous! They had legit fake Ray Bans for days, logo and all. I picked up a couple of pairs. It was such a nice day we headed to the beach and swam in the Adriatic... yup I swam in the Adriatic Sea in pretty much November... my life is awesome. We all headed to a Croatian restraunt, all 24 of us GIF people had a fabulous meal together. After dinner was maybe one of the funniest experiences of my life... A bunch of us girls had an early morning the next day so we headed back... On the way we saw snickers icecream bars and at that point in time we needed it... The guy working in the store was a crazy old Croatian man... a creep... at one point he said "I like Girls!" hahah we were absolutely dying!
The next day was probably one of the greatest experiences I have ever had. A group of 14 of us girls decided to go to Medjugorie in Bosnia. This is one of the Mary Apiration sights... and it was such an amazing thing to see. We took a 3 hour bus through the Croatian and Bosnian country sides. Boy was that a rollercoaster of a ride... The rode winded throughout the hills and probably were not made for greyhound buses. Luckily I was able to sleep through most of it. We got to Medjugorie around 10... just in time to make the English mass at the church in town. It was so nice to hear a priest from the United States talk... somehow made me feel a lot more comfortable in church in BOSNIA. Church was very nice, but it was def. time to see the town afterwords. Luckily my friend Morgan's parents had been to Medjugorie and knew of a woman who could take us around. Ivanna was AMAZING. All of the 14 girls who went on the day trip are actually obsessed with her! She has lived in Medjugorie her entire life (except her 5 college years in the United States) and actually knows the people who Mary appeared to. She was soooo knowledgable and we like fell in love with her. She took us to appiration hill, which is where Mary first appeared. I though it would have a nice path or something, but they kept it just how it always was... a hill of jagged sharp rocks. It was a trek in flats, but so worth it. There is 5 points in which you stop, all marked by the 5 joyful mysteries. We prayed the rosary along the way together and it was amazing. I am not the most in tune with my religion... but this was an amazing experience. I felt so at peace and whole as we were climbling the hill. When you get to the top there is a nice statue and place to sit and reflect. We sat there for a solid 15 minutes in silence, overlooking the hills of Bosnia. Its insane to imagine how wrecked this country is, because you don't feel it there. All I felt was peace... it was totally powerful. The top wasn't without some humor. Some crazy lady came up to my friend and started to talk to her and want her to take pictures with her... haha. Ivanna was like DONT TALK TO THEM.. there is always the crazys wanting to take pictures.. Typical.
After the Hill we went into town to see a statue behind the church. It is a large bronze statue thats right knee has been consistently leaking water since they put it in. Ivanna explained that becuase of the climate there is no way that could be on purpose. In the winter it would freeze and in the summer it would evaporate... its truly unexplainable.... After that we headed to the most shmancy restraunt in town to dine with our new best friend Ivanna. We all were ravenous since we hadn't eaten all day and were estatic to find out the prices. We all got drinks, A soups, a meat course, a side, and part of Ivanna'sIvanna... a bunch of us want to go back second semester. The night ended in the most perfect way. After the second rollercoaster bus ride all of us were exhausted and wanted to just go back. We all climbed in bed and watched Clue together. It was a purfect Halloweeen flick... too bad it wasn't Hocus Pocus.
The next day was soo relaxing. We got up and ate breakfast along the Miami esque boardwalk. It was amazing and warm. Croatia is magical. We decided to climb to the top of the Hill overlooking all of Split, which was AMAZING! After stairs for days (I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be a GIF trip if we didn't climb 954321 stairs) we reached the top for some pretty spectacular views of Split! Croatia is beautiful, I have to say GOOOO if you ever get the chance. Its such a hidden gem. We spent the rest of the afternooon walking around the market for the 10th time, shopping for faybans and scarves, and then had a 3 hour dunch to kill time before the boat took off.
Halloween night on a boat was interesting. We all just kicked it in the bar, trying not to focus on the insane rocking the boat was doing... We planned to stay up a bit later than we did, but most of us were a bit out of it because of the boat... so I think we were in bed by 1. Just in time for our early morning arrival into Italy... gahh Croatia was epic. Seriously one of the best weekends. I loved the people I was with and loved the places I saw. GO GO GO if you can...
Music Guide: "Where You Lead" by Carole King
Monday, October 25, 2010
So Sweet, You Make My Mouth Water... I Want Chocoloate.
This weekend was chocolate HEAVEN... literally. It's midterms week this week so I took the weekend off from long distance travel, but still decided to take a day trip to Perugia for the Eurochocolate Festival. Man oh man was there ever chocolate. The trip to Perugia is pretty short, but boy was it eventful. It started out by me waking up late. I scrambled to get ready in the dark without waking up my roommate, and ran out th door at 7:40 for and 8:02 train. Good thing my pensione is just right up the block from the train station, but it doesn't help when the ticket machines are having mad issues. First the machine wouldn't take my credit card, then it wouldn't take my friends... then we had to switch to a machine that would take cash, had to wait in a line, finally bought our ticket with 0 (yes you read that right ZERO) minutes left on the clock. We sprinted to the train, hopped on, and it left. That was a CLOSE call. The train ended up being relaxing, even if we were accidently camped out in first class and had to move, and I slept for the next 2 hours. When we got off the train, we realized we had to take a bus to the actual center of the city. We were told we could hop on any bus, but that proved to be false and we got on the wrong bus... what a suprise for how our morning was going... When we figured it out, we hopped off the bus, and asked the first person we found for directions (in ITALIAN yeaa) and they told us it was just a 15 minute walk. We went for it and it was beautiful. Perugia has trees and FALL, something I crave in Florence... so the walk was AMAzing. We climbed the hill towards the top of Perugia and got to see the beautiful country side. It was a much needed walk!
The chocolate festival itself crazy... so many people and soooo much chocolate. We bought a 5 euro chocolate card so we could go raid 10 stands for free samples... YUMMMO. The samples were excellent... and it was kind of like a scavenger hunt to find them. We got to walk through the entire festival in search of the weirdest chocolate we could find... I ended the day with 3 chocolate bars, hot chocolate, a chocolate cell phone case, chocolate liquor, and chocolate bubble bath... successful day I guess haha. Those were all free (well 5 euros combined), but the best thing I had all day had to be the hot chocolate I bought for 3 euros at the beginning of the day. The hot chocolate at this festival was legit a melted candy bar... so thick. I had to get some after a long morning on the train and the chilly walk, so I got one with a cinnamon twist... omg it was maybe the best thing I have ever had... well I mean it was really good.. well worth the 3 euros..
We left pretty early after seeing the festival in about 3 hours, and got home at 6 ish. My friends had been lounging all day at the Pensione, so it was fabulous to come back to them wanting dinner... real food besides chocolate... So we went to our favorite bar in the bottom of our Pensione building... after hours of crayon drawings and amazing pizza... I was exhausted hahah... early bird special. The rest of the weekend was nice and lazy... filled with catching up on tv shows (YAY... ps GREYS is on top of its game.. I'm sure rin knows what I'm talking about...) and studying for midterms. This weekend was a success... maybe only because I came back from Perugia as a Seattle Catholic School graduate without killing my roommate... CIAO!
Music Guide: "I Want Candy" by Aaron Carter
Friday, October 22, 2010
And I Can't Hug You on the Phone, So Hurry Home
Ahh... this weekend is finally a chance to really stay around Florence... even if it is not that relaxing due to the amount of studying and work I have to do for midterms.. but it is nice to take a little break from all that constant travel. I was talking to friends this week about how excited we were to actually sleep in. It seems like once we came abroad we forgot how to sleep. I literally don't think I have slept more than 6 hours since I have been in Europe. We don't even sleep in on the weekend because we have so much ground to cover in the cities were in for a whopping 3 days. We were laughing about how in Spokaloo we would literally go to bed late, but not roll our of bed until 11/1130 to head to Cog Bruch... but as we were talking about it we all realized how much we miss Cog Brunch... and then we realized how much we miss Gonzaga's Gym... or Spokes for that matter. I for one have seemed to have a rough adjustment to the European lifestyle. I knew I was a homebody goign into this adventure... and through it, although it has been so fun, I have realized I can't wait to be home. There are so many things I miss about home... I thought I would share some of the randoms... (But don't get me wrong, Europe is this adventure that I need to take... when else will I get the chance to do this... I guess I can survive 6 more months without constant starbucks)
1) Chai Lattes: I never realized until I got to Italy where they dont believe in starbucks or coffee bigger than a shot for that matter that I was truly fueled by starbucks iced grande nonfat chai lattes. I basically lived off of them in the Spo and for those early morning shifts at the hotel. I am so sick of cola light as my form of caffine.. I just want chaiiii. Starbucks never tasted better than in Paris.. even thought that quite possibly was one of the worst Chai lattes I ever had... I literally can't wait till I can get in my car and drive through starbucks or caffe... and till i get back to the creepy baristas at the Gonzaga starbucks where they have memorized my order.
2) DRIVING: ahh Europe is not a place for driving. The people are out of control. I mean the roads were made when horses were the main form of transportation so obviously driving is not too fabulous... but i miss just hoping in my car with my sister and driving. We sometimes just need to get out of the house so we beeline to the car and head to anywhere... and drive... literally just vent... our favorite drives are bully runs (magnolia bolevard is so clutch) where we circle the drive till were mentally able to make it home... miss ya rinnnn
3) TARGET: hahah one of our favorite places to drive to and the best place ever to buy clothes.. cutttte clothes for fabulous prices... and nothing beats 5 dollar movies.
4) nikos: enough of this kebab crap and sketchy meat... i want a CHICKEN gyro meat salad asap.
5) the gym: get me to a place that understands why americans like to work out... i am a terrible runner... even more so when im getting stared at like I have a third head.
7) my cell phone: hehe i miss texting and calling people... on that note i really miss the same time zone situation...
8) stable internet: is that too much to ask... and my dvr asap... im need to get over technology.
but no really Europe is such a fabulous experience for me to push myself... its nice to get out of my comfort zone and have to live without some things... I know this is such a cool experience and I'm going to try and see as much as I can. Starting next weekend it is go go go till the ened of the semester.. where is time going... Its CROATIA, then BARCELONA, then ROME, then NICE/CANNES/AIXENPROVENCE, then LONDON, then MUNICH... and then the fam arrives... yay... my only request is that my favorite furball comes too.. i hear pets fly cheap...
Music Guide: "Hurry Home" by Jason Michael Carroll
1) Chai Lattes: I never realized until I got to Italy where they dont believe in starbucks or coffee bigger than a shot for that matter that I was truly fueled by starbucks iced grande nonfat chai lattes. I basically lived off of them in the Spo and for those early morning shifts at the hotel. I am so sick of cola light as my form of caffine.. I just want chaiiii. Starbucks never tasted better than in Paris.. even thought that quite possibly was one of the worst Chai lattes I ever had... I literally can't wait till I can get in my car and drive through starbucks or caffe... and till i get back to the creepy baristas at the Gonzaga starbucks where they have memorized my order.
6) POODISE: my favorite family member (haha just kidding i gueeeeeessss) but no really who would not miss the cutest fur ball I know... i need my reggie fix asap.
Music Guide: "Hurry Home" by Jason Michael Carroll
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