Eat, Pray and LOVE

This was the first trip I planned back in January, and I was so excited for it to finally get here! Although it was weird how fast the time has gone by! Seriously, quickest semester of my life! It was also a nice surprise to realize that a bunch of TCU kids had signed up for the trip as well!  Anyway, heres all the details about my weekend at the Amalfi Coast (Sorrento, Positano, Naples, Capri, Pompeii).

We left for Sorrento on Thursday evening and got there around 2 in the morning. Since we did the trip with Euroadventures (the same company I went to the French Riveria with) they take care of hotels/travel which can definitely make things a little bit easier (but also less adventurous)!  Our hotel was absolutely amazing, the whole grounds were covered in lemon and orange trees and we stayed in a beautiful little villa with a balcony and rooftop terrace.  Definitely a welcome break from hostels! Also, Bruno, our guide was AWESOME (for those of yall who went on the Hawaii trip way back when, hes so much like Mr. Schwartz!) and made the trip so much fun. He knew everything about everything and took us to see a lot of things we wouldn't have known about otherwise!

The villa we stayed in

Lemon/orange trees in front of the villa

Friday morning we caught the bus to Positano, which is a coastal beach town.  Unfortunately it was kind of rainy on Friday, but we made it work! Positano is so picturesque and has beautiful blue water and cliffs with houses going all the way down to the beach.  We explored the beach some (and took a bunch of pictures!) and walked around the town/ had lunch.  The Amalfi coast is famous for Lemoncello and there were about 200 shops devoted strictly to selling it! Also, the lemons from this area are literally the size of your head and are pretty cool to see (but not touch, there are signs that tell you not to as I learned).

After spending a few hours in Positano, we took the bus farther down the coast to Amalfi (the town) and saw the beach/ poked around some more.  The area is so cute and different from other parts of Italy I've been to so far! Also, everything smells like flowers and fruit, a welcome change from the cigarette smoke and exhaust in Firenze! 

Amalfi

For dinner, Bruno took us to a really great pizza place (pizza was invented in this area of Italy) and bought us all wine and crostinis, seriously though LOVE HIM!  He used to be an art professor and likes to sketch so he also passed around his sketch book from that day and let us all pick one to keep! After dinner we went to an amazing gelato place that the pope actually has gelato sent to Rome from! I was definitely surprised though to walk in the shop and see floor to ceiling pictures of women in bikinis/ no bikinis.... guess the Pope hasn't actually been to there! Then it was early to bed so that we could be up at the break of dawn to get to Capri!

Dinner

Pope's Gelato

Saturday we were up super early (6:30!) to catch the 8 o'clock ferry to Capri (pronounced Cah-pri.... don't let Bruno hear you saying it differently!) Unfortunately the sea was pretty rough and sitting in the bottom of the ferry for the 1 hour ride didn't sit very well with me... you know its gonna be bad when they pass out plastic bags to everyone! After we got on dry land though, things definitely picked up! The weather was SO great, thank goodness, and I couldn't believe how beautiful everything was! 

Capri Harbor

Bruno told us that he was going to climb the 1000 steps up to AnaCapri, but for anyone that didn't want to do that, there was a bus that would take you there as well.  Stupidly, I thought that if a 65 (or more?) year old man could climb 1000 steps and with all of my step climbing experience in Florence that it would be a breeze.  Then after about 200 steps I realized that Strozzi (a building that has most of my classes in Florence) has 87 and kills me EVERY time... and the Duomo has about 500 and is complete death.  This was more than 2X the Duomo and 10X Strozzi, genius move I know.  40 minutes and 5 heart attacks later, we FINALLY made it to the top and the view was incredible! 

made it to the top!

We had lunch in AnaCapri and I got some anti-nausea medicine at the pharmacy (I didn't even have to tell him what I needed, guess its a big seller on Capri!) and then did some serious off road hiking down the the Blue Grotto which was closed due to the crazy waves that day! It was such a bummer because the Blue Grotto was part of the reason I wanted to go to the Amalfi Coast, but the rest of the weekend was still great! Then we went back down the the main beach and hung out for an hour or so until it was time to catch the ferry back to Sorrento! Such a great afternoon! 

Sunday we packed up and caught the train to Pompeii! I have been there before but again was such a brat and didn't realize how awesome it was at the time so I had to go back! Pompeii is seriously so so cool! It is crazy how preserved it is (due to being buried in ash for thousands of years) and kind of creepy at the same time.  The whore house was particularly interesting, especially the murals on the walls... don't remember seeing those when I came with my family (although Bruno was very keen on pointing it out to us!), as well as the body casts.  There is one of a 19 year old pregnant girl that was just kind of sad to see, especially because she's basically my age! Then we got back on the bus and headed back to Florence.

All in all it was a GREAT weekend, with great food, beautiful views and good (new) friends! So much fun! Hope all of yall in Texas are surviving starting to study for finals, I'm definitely enjoying my last easy semester before it gets crazy in the fall! Good luck! XOXOXO

Easter Weekend in Ireland

Hey Yall! Hope everyone had a great Easter! I headed off to Ireland for the long weekend, heres the details!

Thursday: We caught a 7 am flight (which meant we had to be on a 4:30 train to Pisa!!) and upon arriving in Dublin, took a train straight to Galway.  Galway is an absolutely incredible town.  Its exactly what I was picturing when I thought of Ireland with all the stone walls and green fields! So beautiful! When we got to Galway, we explored the town a little bit and then walked out to a lighthouse.  Then we went to dinner and had traditional Irish food (chicken and mash) and then turned in early after a VERY long day!

Friday: We took a bus and then a ferry to the big island in the chain of Aran Islands. They are so picturesque and just so Irish! We were planning on biking around the island but it was way windy and raining a little bit so we decided to do a bus tour instead.  The bus driver basically just dropped us at different points on the island (which is about 9 miles) so that we could make the most out of the time we had there! First we went up to this old fortress on a cliff called Dun Aonghasa.  We were some of the only people up there and it was such a cool experience! 

After walking around the fortress for a while, we had lunch in a little cafe with a thatched roof. They had  homemade soup and homemade bread.... AND homemade carrot cake, all of which was so so so good! Then the bus picked us back up and took us to the 7 churches.  These are basically ruins of what used to be 7 churches but have now been turned into a cemetery for locals on the island.  It has a beautiful view of the ocean and is surrounded by fields of green! Not a bad place to be burred I guess! 

After seeing the 2 main sights on the island, our driver took us around the rest of the island and showed us various beaches, harbors etc.  All in all it was an absolutely amazing day! When we got back to the hostel, we had planned on going to the pubs that night, but as we were informed, on Good Friday, Ireland turns into a DRY COUNTRY! Of all the countries to do this, seriously? Ireland? Instead we made do with watching a movie with new friends in the hostel and getting a good nights sleep!

Saturday: After sleeping in, we walked around Galway one last time and ran into a cute little farmers market! We tried oysters, amazing homemade bagels and doughnuts, fruit and homemade breads! Everything was about as good as it sounds! Especially the oysters!

That afternoon we took a train to Dublin and got to the city around dinner time.  So far, in all of my traveling this semester I have had really good experiences with hostels. They have all basically been hotels but with bunkbeds! Some have even had bars/ clubs and free breakfasts! Thinking this tradition would continue, we checked into our hostel in Dublin only to find that to our horror it was an absolute pit.  Seriously there were literally holes in the wall! The bathrooms never had toilet paper (I started stealing it from public restrooms around Dublin) and our room had floorboards that could be lifted up. Needless to say, we spent our time in Dublin avoiding our hostel like the plague (in case we could actually catch the plague from it!) but did make some great new Danish friends in it! Saturday night, we went to the pubs in the Temple Bar area with them! This is basically the 6th street of Dublin, and all of the pubs have live music and are a ton of fun! We had Guinness, met some boys on a Stag Party (british bachelor party) and listened to traditional Irish music! It seriously felt out of the movie P.S. I Love You (if anyone has seen it?). 

Sunday (Easter!): After our night at the pubs, we slept in and then went on a walking tour of Dublin. We saw Trinity College (made me miss being on campus at TCU!), old churches, St. Stevens Green, the lego buildings (not actually the name but thats what they look like!) and a lot of other buildings and sites around the city! 

After our tour, we were wandering around St. Steven's Green and ran into our Danish friends from the hostel! We started heading back to the hostel and ran into a street performance by "Tremendous Trevor"! He juggled knives and fire all while riding a unicycle! 

probably my favorite statue ever!

Sunday night we went to the pubs again, and ended the night at Whelans... the pub used in P.S. I Love You.  There was this rap band playing that was actually pretty good... they had a band accompanying their rapping that consisted of a trumpet, drums, saxophone and bass. It was pretty cool! 

Monday: We caught the bus to Wicklow Mountain National Park and spent the day wandering the trails. It is probably one of the most beautiful places I have ever been, everything is about 20 different shades of green! It was drizzling most of the time that we were there, but it just made it seem so much more Irish! 

It was pretty windy!

That evening we went and saw the Hunger Games!! Sadly, this was probably one of the things I was most excited for this weekend! It didn't disappoint (for all of yall who say it was bad, you're wrong!) and was so fun to see in Dublin! Then I had to get back to the hostel so I could sign up for my classes via my iphone! Thankfully all worked out with that as well, and my schedule for next semester is bomb! It definitely makes me a little depressed though seeing all of what I am taking next semester... clinicals here I come! 

We headed back to Florence on an early flight Tuesday morning and I spent the rest of the day resting, catching up on homework and skyping with my parents.  While I was in Ireland, my parents had to put my dog Molly to sleep which was really hard to be away for! When I left for Florence in January, she was completely healthy and went downhill so fast! It feels weird to think she won't be there when I get back! Just another reminder that life goes on while I'm gone (weird right!?).  

Anyway, I'll post the rest of the pictures on facebook soon. Now I'm headed off to the train station to catch a train to Rome and hang out with Megan for the night! CAN'T WAIT TO SEE HER!

Highlights from this week

Hey Yall! Sorry I've been so lazy with blogging this week. Here are a few highlights from my week!  Unfortunately the blog isn't letting me post pictures right now, but I'll put them up on facebook!

Monday: I learned how to make gnocchi in cooking class which was so fun! I didn't realize that instead of the potatoes being a filling, they are completely mixed with the pasta dough.  Also to make the pattern, you roll them over this fun little textured block.  It was one of my favorite cooking classes so far!

Tuesday: The TCU study abroad representatives came to Florence to make sure we weren't dead yet, and took us out to a really nice meal! It was at a place called 4 Leoni and we had a 4 course meal! My favorite course was a ricotta and pear stuffed pasta with a cream sauce that was absolutely amazing! Probably some of the best pasta I have had so far in Italy! I would have never thought that fruit was good in pasta, but boy was I wrong!

Wednesday: Wednesday afternoon I went to lunch with my friend Nicole at this cute rooftop restaurant in Piazza Republica.  The food was of course so good, but the view was even better! Later I went to dinner at my friends' Jenna, Stephanie and Brianna's apartment.  They cooked this amazing breaded chicken and veggies! After dinner a bunch of us went out and like all good nights out in Florence, ended up at Yab.  We accidentally stayed out until 4:30 in the morning, but luckily I didn't have class the next morning!

Thursday: After sleeping in, I met Emily at the steps of the Pitti Palace for a picnic.  We had PB&J and mimosas, very classy!  After the picnic, I went to a gelato making demonstration at a really good gelato shop.  They showed us how to make chocolate gelato and we got to taste all of the flavors!

Friday: Jenna, Emily and I went up to Fiesole which is about a 20 minute bus ride above Florence.  It is such a cute little town and has such a beautiful view of all of Florence. It was so nice to get above the city and get some fresh air!

Saturday: Jenna, Emily and I took another day trip to Cortona, the little Tuscan town where they filmed Under the Tuscan Sun. It was the most amazing little town that was so adorable. We walked up to this hilltop church which had one of the best views I have seen my entire time abroad.  We could see for miles, all the way to a beautiful lake and were the only ones up there. The area was filled with Pine trees and flowers and reminded me of Texas! After our hike up the mountain (Cortona has the steepest streets in all of Italy) we had the best lunch ever at this restaurant with a beautiful terrace full of flowers.  It was such a nice day, probably one of my favorite so far!

Sunday: A group us decided to go to the Fiorentina soccer, I mean football game. We all dressed in our best purple and red (their colors) and took the bus over to the stadium.  It was so fun to hear all the funny chants and watch the little kids tear up paper over and over again to make confetti for throwing.  The beer wasn't too bad either! Although I got a little bit sunburned, it was still such a fun afternoon.  After the game, we went to the Hard Rock Cafe, and before you judge, remember that it has been 2 plus months since I have had huge glasses of ice water and mexican.  We felt like we were in America for our  dinner and got our fill of the USA.  After dinner, we were so glad we were still in Florence!

Berlin and Florence with my parents

Okay I have some serious catching up to do in terms of blogging, its been a crazy couple of weeks! Since its been a few weeks and things are starting to blur together, I'll just put up some pictures and explain them!

Wednesday, March 7th I flew to Berlin to meet up with my parents! They rented an apartment to stay in and when I got there around 8, my mom had already made chicken soup! It was such a nice way to start our visit together!

German History Museum, spent several hours in there! Its such an amazing collection of artifacts, paintings, costumes, weapons etc. 

part of the Berlin Wall memorial.  It used to run directly through this area

Berlin Wall memorial, only part of the complete original wall still standing

German food/beer is so good! 

Climbing the dome of the Reichstag.  It is a government building that has been rebuilt since being destroyed by bombing in WWII.

checkpoint charlie! Old USA checkpoint to cross from East Berlin to West Berlin... my fav part was Snackpoint Charlie next door

Jewish Memorial...absolutely unbelievable to experience. Also cool, when I was in Prague, I learned that it is based off the Jewish cemetery in Prague.

Mom and I in front of the Brandenburg Gate! The Berlin wall used to run right in front of it.  Something cool that the city has done is have a brick sidewalk go all through the city where the wall once stood. 

EU Bear, they have them all over Berlin painted with different designs.. kind of like the Longhorns in Austin!

Worlds largest chocolate store! AMAZZINNNGGG! They had statues of different buildings etc. made out of chocolate!

Mom and Dad went to Cinque Terre for a few days while I took midterms and then came back to Florence! It was so much fun showing them around and taking them to my favorite spots, especially Gusta Pizza (we went twice..). We also went to the Boboli Gardens, shopped in the leather market, climbed the Duomo, and walked through the different piazzas in Florence! 

Piazza Michelangelo... best view of Florence!

Gusta Pizza!

Overall it was a really great week and I was sad to see them leave... but not too sad because the next day I left for my Spring Break trip! I'll blog about that later!