Venice - carnivals + Family

After three jam packed days of Florence sightseeing with the family we boarded our high speed train to Venice this morning! I'm so glad i had the opportunity to share some of the different things I love about Florence with my parents- plus, we were able to eat well and soak it all in before tourist season hits peak. Alas, we had to leave my homebase city for more adventures though! I had only seen Venice with the thousands of others who flock to see carnevale, so I was excited to see it in a new light! We really hadn't made any plans for this portion of our trip so we took some time to enjoy just window shopping and taking in the picturesque scenes around each corner that this city is famous for. We're all super sleepy though so hopefully a good night's rest will give us the energy to see everything Venice can offer. I couldn't be more thankful for this vacation, what a great way to spend spring break!

The mothership has arrived

Well, I'm happy to report that Frank and Cathy are alive and well visiting me here in Florence! If you haven't heard from any of us it's because I've been whisking them around Florence trying to squeeze in all there is to see! We've covered some major ground and I'm so glad to share the place I've been calling home the past two months with them. It's been nice to put on my tennis shoes and jeans on too and play tourist for a little bit! Going on auto pilot every day to classes and running errands sometimes makes you forget to stop and admire the little things that make Italy so unique. One touristy thing I haven't done is climb to the top of the Duomo. Fortunately, Mama is in tip top shape and was willing to climb the 461 steps to the tip with me! Definitely an exhausting climb for sure, but well worth it! Tomorrow we head to the Accademia and Uffizi and will try to see the rest of the city despite predictions for rain. It's been too nice having my family here, and I am super thankful for Spring Break!

Two Days of Happy...?

The past two days have been freakishly difficult but instead of going into explicit detail of the physical and mental stresses of them, I'd rather talk about the happy things I have seen and experienced!

1. Yesterday I took three midterms. And now I am done with them. That, is a happy thing.

2. The streets are getting more and more crowded as I walk home from classes, and consequently I see more hilarious things all the time. Yesterday, it was three Italian women trying to figure out the phrase "Sweet Home Alabama", and succeeding in unison. I have no context as to why it happened, but I chuckled.

2. After our foods exam, we had a cheese and balsamic vinegar tasting! Both are things I wasn't sure if I liked, but I really enjoyed it! We had parmesan with aged balsamic, pears with pecorino cheese, strawberries with regular balsamic (aged about one year), celery with gorgonzola, and Tuscan bread with olive oil and salt. My favorites were the parmesan with the balsamic (who knew aged balsamic would taste so much better?!) and the pecorino with pears. I don't really usually like cheese, but I loved the combination of those two. I didn't try the gorgonzola... it looked too much like sour cream with chunks in it... I couldn't stomach it!

3. Today after my two miterms, I got Grom gelato. I try to limit my trips to Grom because I can get two cones at Antica (my favorite gelato presently) for the same price as just one Grom cone.  However, as a means of celebration, it was worth it.

4. I got to pet two dogs today.

5. My parents are coming tomorrow morning!!!

6. It is a beautiful day in Italy. I've got the windows open with a happy view of the sunshine!

7. Here begins Spring Break 2012: Italy style... aka mostly spent with my parents. PUMPED!

I have three midterms tomorrow.

And therefore, this blog post will be brief. So here are a few interesting things that have happened to me in the last couple of days.

1. Kenan and I went to Vespers at the Duomo. We were the youngest people there by no less than 10 years, and there were maybe 10 people there. We, not being Catholic and not speaking Italian, had no idea what was going on, but it's basically a lot of singing of scripture (I think?) led by monks. One of the monks stared at us a majority of the time, probably so confused as to why on earth we were there. Just another Italian adventure!

2. I have found a local bakery that I love, finally! Today I got a mini nutella and custard pie (ate the whole thing...) and some bread. Unfortunately, it was Tuscan bread, but it is still fresh and delicious. If you don't know what Tuscan bread is and ask any American in Italy, you will just get a disappointed sigh. Tuscan bread is beautiful, but it is unsalted, and don't let the simplicity of that statement fool you: unsalted bread is quite simply similar in taste to cardboard. However, as Ainslie explained to me, it is like tofu in that if you put anything on it, it can become delicious. So, I enjoyed a slice of mine to clear my bowl of homemade tomato sauce I had for dinner tonight.

3. I have continued to volunteer at the elementary school working with english speaking kids on reading and writing. It continues to be a major struggle, as there is no discipline in the school and no materials, but we survived. At one point there was a kid under my feet, one on top of the table next to me, one rocking back and forth on the bench across from me, and one spinning in circles to the left of me. But really, who are these children? It's difficult because every child is on completely different levels of proficiency and could all use one-on-one assistance, but it's just not possible! I hope I'm making a difference at least!

4. This week must coincide with many an American spring break because the tour groups have arrived! Whether it be matching book bags or jackets, they are easy to spot and get tangled in on my way back to the apartment! I'm beginning to see why Italians kind of despise tourist season! At the same time though, it does make me feel like I know what I'm doing when I pass camera toting, mouth agape Americans navigating the streets. Shh, don't tell anyone that person was me two months ago!

That's it for now, I need to go study some Italian vocabulary, learn some recipes, and compare Plato and Aristotle. Yikes.

Two months

Today I had the chance to celebrate a special relationship in my life. We've been going steady now for two months, and although it was love at first sight followed by a little bit of inconsistant commitment (where i dabbled with others of Spanish or German flair), we've stuck together through and through. He could be a little cold to me sometimes, but it was nothing a little retail therapy couldn't fix. He has made me gain a little weight, but doesn't make me feel bad about it and just continues to find me new delicious things to eat. He never fails to impress me whether it be with trips through the countryside or showcasing outstanding art and culture. Although I sometimes have to cheat on him at dinner, he is understanding of my need for a little fried chicken in my life. He's seen me at my best and worst, and when I wanted to leave him, he gave me a warm bed to mourn in but then provided some sunshine to remind me that there's life to be found just outside my window. He's been my friend even if I can't understand a word he says. So here's to Italy and I, united for two months today and I couldn't be more blessed and thankful for the time I've had. Italy, get ready for two more months of honeymoon bliss, because we've still got lots of things to see and do together! 

Carolina in my mind

This weekend could not have been better! With midterms looming this coming week, and a make up class on Friday, at first I thought I would be in Florence for the weekend with no excuse but to study... ho hum.  However, a special treat of tickets to the James Taylor concert in Lucca became our saving grace for an excuse to take a quick trip out of Florence for a little break!

Lucca, if you remember from my second week in Italy, is about an hour and a half away by train. We're finally getting the hang of the whole train transportation thing (ok, it's really not that difficult but I'm still proud that I know what I'm doing) and left on a 1:38 train out of Florence. Our trip took a little longer than expected, mostly because we spent the last 30 minutes going at a steady pace of about 10 miles an hour. This seems to be a typical study abroad moment--being on public transportation and actually having no idea what is going on. However, we finally made it to beautiful Lucca and could not have been happier. After checking in our slightly odd hotel (but at 18 euro a night, I can't complain), we decided to rent bikes and check out the path on the city walls. Lucca is famed for having its complete set of protective walls that were built over many years as a means of protecting the city from nearby Pisa and Florence. Years later, the city invested money into creating walking and biking paths on top of the walls, which could not be more charming or beautiful.

The paths are lined with trees, there are little parks with benches hosting (mostly) cute Italian couples, locals were walking their dogs, and the birds were chirping. Need I say more? It was awesome! The ride around the complete set of walls at our leisurely pace took around 40 minutes and it was totally worth it--something I'd recommend to anyone who gets the chance to visit Tuscany!



The highlight of course of our trip though was the James Taylor concert. The theatre we were in was pretty small but it was the perfect environment for an intimate and comfortable concert. James has definitely still got it, and serenaded us with all my favorite songs and more. Nothing makes you think of Carolina more than James's sweet songs about the state he grew up in. It definitely made me nostalgic of my home I left behind, but it really was a once in a lifetime experience to see him live in Italy! After the show, James stayed after to sign what seemed like every person's tickets and to take pictures and talk with fans. We got the chance to talk with him at the end of the line and snap a picture and there's no way to make it sound less than what it was... it was awesome! Definitely an unforgettable experience I know I'm lucky to have!

On the way back to our hotel, we were so euphoric that we weren't really paying attention to what road we were on. We stopped at probably the only open restaurant in town for a slice of midnight pizza, and asked for directions. The man at the counter asked if anyone in the restaurant spoke english and if they could help us find our hotel. Two couples in their late twenties were headed the same direction as us so they offered to walk us there which was so nice! As we walked and talked with them, we shared many laughs about the man's Italian family members who live in Louisville where he doesn't want to visit because, as he repeated often, "there is nothing in Kentucky!" His sweet girlfriend who is learning english and would make us answer her elementary english questions (for example, "what do you study?" "how old are you"), as we cheered her on when she got phrases right. It was a pleasant mistake to get lost and meet such charming Italians!

We had a great time in Lucca and I wish that I didn't have to study for midterms! However, it is unavoidable so off I go to contemplate the theories of Aristotle and Plato.

I'm running out of creative ways to title blog posts

Yesterday was a day of class that usually doesn't exist! We had a makeup day for classes we will be missing in May, which just made this week drag out a little longer! We went on another field trip with our Renaissance culture class though which was a nice break from being in the classroom at least. This time we visited the Palazzo Medici Riccardi, which was the Medici's palace in Florence's historic center for many years until they moved to the more impressive Palazzo Vecchio and later the Pitti Palace. We've started learning about the Medici's power in Florence during the time of the Renaissance so visiting their first grande home is fitting. However, I'm glad we came here with our class because the building now is less than impressive for tourists. Some rooms are still used for meetings with government officials, and there isn't too much open to the public. But, I'm glad I got to see it-- another museum checked off my list!


After literature class I did a little shopping and strolling through town (I still love wandering down new streets), enjoying the sunshine. After a lazy afternoon, Kenan and I met people from my cooking class to head to our teacher Michele's cafe. We had to take a bus there which is always an adventure, but we were so glad we did! We paid 10 euro for three drinks and all the pasta and pizza and mini panini we wanted! Needless to say, we ate way too much but we had a blast with a few other girls from our program. Michele was a great host and definitely a good chef-- I'm glad I have him teaching me how to cook! We thankfully were able to figure out the bus back home as I honestly have no idea where we were (somewhere outside the city center... yep that's all I know).

In a few hours I'm headed to Lucca where tonight we will be enjoying a concert with none other than the Carolina man himself, James Taylor! I can't wait to get a little taste of home and to enjoy the Tuscan town of Lucca!