On Gelato

Let's display my fine collection of gelato flavours - shall we?

Blackberry and lemon

Blueberry and cream with a waffle cookie

Fig and mascarpone

Banana, Fig & Ricotta

I know, I know. I'm turning into a big girl in Italia. It's bene, really! Tonight, my host mom served us "nocciola" flavoured gelato. Oh, my freaking goodness. It is hazelnut with pieces of nuts scattered throughout. My housemate and I must have had 3 servings. Va bene. I have found my favorite flavour! Though fig is really great too ;)

Ciao for now!

Have you ever been somewhere that you've never been before, but it feels like you were always meant to be there? Italy feels so right.

Cheers to that.

Fun facts:

The dogs are ridiculously well-trained. There are no leash laws, but it's rare to even see one bark, let alone run up to you.

You don't really pet dogs like you do in America. People look at you strangely.

People look at you strangely when you go for a run. I've had it happen three times that someone has laughed and imitated running. Europeans are jelly of my endorphins.

The grapes are not seedless. You have to spit them out.

You have to weigh your fruit and label it before you get to the cash register.

You can't smile at people on the streets like you do in America. Everyone wears their "bitch-face."

Pedestrians unofficially do not have the right of way. Aka cars/vespas do not stop for you when you cross. So many American city-slickers would be pissed/injured!

Truth: I am obsessed with this country.

This bionda bought a hair straightener today! Italiano hair straightener for 43 euros! Bella! Actually it's the equivalency of a Conair (bleh, Ulta snob), but it will do! I got it at a little barber shop on our street. And I bought the whole thing while speaking Italian to the employee! *proud moment*

Ciao ciao!

Cinque Terre

Ciao bella! I am seriously still so jet lagged, but I need to not nap and push through it! I'm trying to get on some sort of normal sleep schedule before this trip is over :) So far, due espressi e uno caffe americano today. And I'm still struggling! On Sunday, we went to Cinque Terre with a tour group. Oh my gosh. I already want to go back. Actually, I want to go every weekend for the rest of my life. Or every day. Um, yea. It was gorgeous! The weather was perfect, first of all. We hiked up 382 stairs to the top of a mountain, where we ate lunch. I had fried vegetables that were amazing and reminded me of french fries - yum! Cinque Terre is apparently known for their pesto, fish and white wine. I tried some of the other girls' pesto dishes and it was indeed delicious! I am going to exclamation the hell out of this post because I am that enthusiastic about this place haha. After lunch and getting somewhat lost, we took the train to la spiaggia (the beach!). It was so beautiful! There wasn't sand, but instead small pebbles. The water was this perfect turquoise color, and crystal clear. Also, I had the best daiquiri of my life. They made it with fresh strawberries rather than sugary syrup! It was delicious and I'm going to try to replicate it back in the states.

Ciao for now! Mwah!

So, last night we went out for my sorority sister's birthday! Imagine that, having your birthday in Italy! We went to Moyo for aperitivo. Aperitivo is sort of like happy hour. You buy one drink and then have access to a free buffet of food. Like, are you kidding me? They could never do that in America because our culture is so accustomed to overeating! This is our new go-to spot because you get free dinner! The buffet isn't basic food either. I had this great sausage and mushroom dish, cooked veggies and of course bread! The girls got Emily a pastry and candles to celebrate like a birthday cake - it was so cute!

After that, we went to Lion's Fountain (the American-esque bar). We stayed for a little there and then went to the club called Twice. It was so much fun. We got to go in the VIP section and danced to "Call me maybe," obviously.

This morning I had a fantastic caprese salad from this restaurant down the street. I also have like, six chapters of political science reading to do!

Ciao XO

Fun fact: Since I've been in Italy, I've heard "Call me maybe" played at least 5 times in restaurants/bars, seen the music video on two TV's, and one chalkboard had the lyrics written.

I’m in Firenze! I apologize for the lack of postings, but my wifi was on the fritz and adapter was nowhere to be found. If I’m slow to respond to a Facebook message or email, it’s because wifi is precious gold here! Firenze is beautiful. That’s all there is to it. There are about fifty gorgeous churches in walking distance of our homestay, which also makes for great landmarks when trying to navigate.

On the flight from Dulles to Frankfurt I sat next to an elderly lady who was on vacation. She was actually an alumni from Sweet Briar, and the school does alumni trips every year to cool places in Europe. She was telling me all about her life, and her cat, Maggie. What a sweetheart! I honestly did not sleep a wink on the plane because I was chatting with this lady. The flight time flew by and all of a sudden we were in Frankfurt.

In Frankfurt airport, we had to go through security again before getting on the plane to Florence. The candle that I got my host mom apparently set off the scanner, so they had to search my bag. Well, wouldn’t you know, they pull out my teddy bear! The German TSA guy – “Is this your best friend?” Me – “Yes.” No shame. Oh, and I also got frisked. Blondes can be dangerous, ya know!

We went out for the first time in Firenze! We went to this bar called Old Stove, where we met these students from Denmark. They were so nice – and basically my twins with the platinum hair! They were seniors in high school and just visiting for the week, so unfortunately we won’t be able to hang out again. After that, we went to this bar called Lion Fountain. It was like being in an American bar. We walked in and they were playing Katy Perry while U.S. college tee’s lined the walls. There’s a JMU one with summer student’s signatures – definitely got a picture! I might recognize a few names ;) They even had a special JMU shot – strawberry vodka and lime. It was delicious and tasted like Jello. After THAT, it was pretty late but we tried to find the last club that we had wanted to check out called Club 21. That place basically looked like something out of a movie. It was so gorgeous, but so hot! Literally, the walls were sweating. I think we stayed for twenty minutes and left! Pizzerias are open very late here, thank goodness! We went to a shop and got margherita pizza, which was super cheap. Five euros for a pie? Okay!

I also just booked a trip to Cinque Terra (?) this Sunday! So excited.

Ciao for now! XO

Packing is going wonderfully!

But really. I have to dye my roots, finish packing, umm.. that might be all. I feel like this could be an all day affair! Also, apparently the flight attendants of my airline are going on strike? Hence, there may be delays or cancellations when we get to Frankfurt. I'm really not too concerned. Extra time in Germany? Heck yes!