Terrible Tuesdays.... or not!

Today officially began at 4 o' clock this morning when I woke up and couldn't fall back asleep. We all know its because I was so excited about the next three days of Italian language at 8 o'clock in the morning... but I will say I am surprised that I survived the day. Classes from 8 to 5:30? Not exactly something I signed up for, but in the end it was easy to get through it because the last five hours were full of exciting experiential education classes--- hands on learning; something I've been craving ever since I got out of high school.

I'm incredibly excited about my "Current Trends in Italian Cuisine" class. I was ready to make food before, but when I found out how much we were experimenting with food, my excitement rose and I knew I made the right decision with taking this course. Dishes we will prepare this semester range from Crab stuffed with ricotta and asparagus to a homemade chocolate gnocchi.  I didn't even know you could put those two together! Today in class we spent time going through the market learning how to buy foods there rather than cooking them. Let it be said all of our stomachs were grumbling by the end of class. Luckily, the girl at the bread booth is always making samples for everyone to try.

After cooking, I headed right over to my Sketchbook in Florence class. When I arrived I learned we had an exam today right when class started. Immediately, I tensed up and started to wonder if a non-art major like myself had what it takes to participate in this class, especially with one student around me saying he had taken professional art classes since they were 11 and another saying she had been studying art in Florence for 4 years now. Turns out I did okay, obviously not the best but I got a good critique from my professor and she really got me jazzed about the class. Basically we are learning how to build sketchbooks and throughout the semester, we will be visiting some of the most famous museums in Florence and in the world to sketch the work of the masters and everything we see in everyday life. It brings me back to the days of Mrs. Wu and IB textbooks. Since the whole class is focused on building a chronology of sketches and annotations rather than the night before the project is due, I simply cannot wait for this class to really begin. I will treasure those high school sketchbooks forever; I can't imagine how this one will turn out.

I couldn't have been happier to return home and see a comfortable chair and FOOD (not that I haven't eaten enough here.) I decided to try something a little different tonight (and by little, I mean microscopically different) and sauteed mushrooms and paired it with some angel hair pasta. It turned out to be really good and really, really simple..... Either or, it was a successful dinner. Good news came as well-- A beautiful place on the Gulf of Orsei of Sardegna is officially our destination for Spring Break! I'm excited for a week of relaxing, hiking, sightseeing, and maybe even a little sun!

But for now it continues to be winter and it is SNOWING. And its supposed to continue. Wishful thinking, inside out pajamas and all of the other silly things to do to keep the snow coming will be happening tonight. Maybe walking in a winter wonderland will help get me up before seven tomorrow morning? Let's only hope. A Presto!

Sorry about the lack of pictures guys... hopefully Florence will be covered with the white stuff tomorrow so I can snap a couple... hundred.

Lazy Sunday.... and Saturday

This weekend was very relaxed and we decided not to leave Florence. Yesterday I took a run (a very short and slow one) around the Ponte Vecchio in the morning. The streets were crowded but I still couldn't believe the spectacular buildings that cheered me on during my "run". Later on in the day I decided to get out of the house and take a walk, a hour and a half later I was still walking, past the Ponte Vecchio, past the Pitti Palace and past the Boboli Gardens. It was nice to finally have no plan in particular after days of planning different trips (even if it was just a walk). I tried to make it into the Boboli Gardens but the guard there said it was about to close.. I think. I will be going there soon because from what I got to see-- the gardens look absolutely brilliant.

Like I said, the last few days have been spent planning. I finally have three plane tickets to my name for my european excursion. Paris in 3 weeks, Sardegna and the Cinque Terre for Spring Break, and London in April. Its hard to sit here and only look at pictures of these places now and not turn my tickets in for the next flight there, but I can't stop thinking how lucky I am to be able to visit all of these places that I have been dreaming about since before I could remember. And of course, the excitement of the trips makes it even more fun.

Today was another relaxing day that began with a short (but a little longer) and slow (but a little faster) run around the Ponte vecchio. The sun was shining and the weather was beautiful. A perfect day! In the evening, Kaitlin, Anna, and I went to the euro store to get some really authentic notebooks (that have puppies and flowers on them) for school... that starts TOMORROW. But on the way there we saw a bunch of tents in the distance, so we had to see what was going on. It ended up being a flea market that happened every last sunday of the month. (At least I think thats what the man said...) There was everything from sweaters to chandeliers to jewelry to old postcards. (Which, I might add, is what I happened to purchase.) 

 It was a lucky find--- the flea market that is. I'd like to go back in four weeks, and the month after that, and the month after that.... so that I would have more time to look around. (When we got there everyone was beginning to pack their tents up.) All in all a very down to earth weekend-- which is something I personally needed. All of this get-up-and-going is really great but a weekend to balance things out was the perfect thing to do. Tomorrow, like I said, real classes start. I have Italian Cinema and Society at 4:30, so I really have the whole day to do anything I want! Maybe I'll finally go back to the market, visit a museum, go on another run, or just take a really long walk. The possibilities are endless. Mom-- I thought of you when i saw these sweaters! Identical to the one you bought in Italy when you where backpacking through Europe! (You know... these I continuously steal... maybe Ill just have to get one for myself.)

Slow Down

So it is a Friday night at 11:34 precisely and I am just sitting in bed having just finished Bridget Jones' Diary. A calm night-- filled with nothing more than laughs and a quick dinner. Our italian pre-session is finally over and the rest of the Americans are starting to shuffle into florence-- their enormous bags clicking down the cobblestoned paths. Me-- obviously already a permanent resident of Florence (just kidding though...) snicker at their naivety and their maps of the city. But wait--- I have only been here for 2 weeks. I am more or less just like them-- situating myself into new surroundings and scared as hell about what comes next. But, I am slowly but surely learning the Florentinian ways and everything isn't so scary anymore-- but rather incredibly exciting. Weekends are beginning to fill up as spontaneous purchases of plane tickets with spontaneous deals are made. London and Paris are officially on my list. Spring break is even coming together too-- where we will discover the greatest mountain to coast sceneries in the world in Sardegna. I just can't wait-- my dream to see the world is starting to take off bit by bit. But for now, I treasure the fact that I don't need a map to work my way around Florence. And that I can be completely happy sitting in bed on a Friday night with a cup of tea and nothing else to do---Because here... my days are filled with such adventures; here... I can slow down and appreciate the little things.

This weekend I hope to finally head back to the market and cook some tasty meals that maybe don't involve the use of pasta for once. I hope to get back to Fiesole for a sunset show and I hope to finally get some exercise. With all of this spontaneous spending-- a frugal weekend sounds right up my alley. It will be nice to relax before classes start once again and my weekends away set sail. We shall see where the road takes me. A Domani!

Fiesole: Let's Go Back... Now.

Yesterday for our cultural activity we went to Fiesole, a small hill town outside of Florence. I knew it was going to be pretty, but nothing that pretty. The air was cleaner, the smells were fresher, and the views were incredible. 

Our tour guide lives in Fiesole and then comes to the city each day for work. I had to ask if it was hard to get up each day and take the bus down to the city--- it would be just to hard to leave! Don't get me wrong Florence is a very pretty city, but after a while the chaotic streets, smoggy air, and sea of concrete gets a little old.

Fiesole (accent on the e, not the o--- our guide told us) is filled with olive and cyprus trees, with the mountains and hills rolling in the background. It is also not a flat town--- at all. Our tour around was much more like a hike; it was nice though (and so worth it). We visited a church in the center of town where they had old ruins of roman buildings. And towards the end of the tour we made it up to a monastery---actually met a few monks from America! We got to see where monks had stayed in the past: small rooms with no more than a 1 x 2 1/2 foot window. It was beautiful.... have I said that enough? There was a great view of Florence a little down from the monastery, so of course everyone stayed there for a while to take pictures and point out the well known buildings of Florence from afar. Unfortunately there was a sunny (and smoggy?) haze over the city, so it was difficult to capture the beauty of it--- I did attempt it though (multiple times)! Before heading back to the city, we went and got pastries at one of the bakeries. I didn't get anything but was lucy enough to try some--- it was definitely the best sweet I have tasted since I've gotten here. 

I honestly didn't want to leave after the tour. We are planning on going back this weekend for a little to maybe have a picnic or just to watch the sunset. I will say that won't be the only time I go back!

That night, almost the whole group of UNC students got together to celebrate one of the girl's birthdays. There was homemade pizza dough and everyone brought their own topping. I'm still in disbelief of how good the dough was--- made by one of the program participants. It was really fun but I unfortunately was tired (notice the fact I'm posting this today) and headed back to the apartment to finish up some homework and relax. It was a great afternoon and night to say the least!

Side Note: Mr. Morrill--- Max was there too: he told me to tell you is having a good time and enjoyed Fiesole. See? He's blogging too!

Make Haste Slowly

Well, today started out pretty rough. It had been only three days since I had taken italian class, but nothing came to my head when I tried to speak in class. So all my sentences came out as one word tries. Once Irene came to the class to teach, my mind calmed down and I was able to speak better... two word sentences... maybe. 

Let's just say I ran out of class right when it was over. When I got back to the apartment I cooked a quick lunch. I was able to catch up with loved ones back home and I watched... She's The Man. That's right... I really immersed myself into italian culture today... mom, dad: aren't you proud? Either way it was a nice break for the brain and it woke me up for our afternoon cultural activity which I ended up really enjoying.

We all went over to Palazzo Vecchio, which known today as Florence's City Hall. It was first built to be a palace and the Uffizi (next door) was for offices. But Cosimo's wife didn't want to live there, so she made the Palazzo Pitti to live in and the Palazzo Vecchio became the central place for the government while the Uffizi turned into a storage area for the Medici family's art. Among this information Miguele, our professor also gave us some history on the David who was formerly placed outside of the palace. Before long we finally made it into the palazzo and began our tour.

In the center hall (500 Hall), I was amazed to find murals enveloping the whole room, even the ceilings. It was a beautiful sight to step into and it was only the beginning. National Geographic was doing research on one of the murals (look to your bottom right on the picture) because supposedly Vasari the artist who created the masterpiece we see today covered up a lost Leonardo Da Vinci piece. Our tour guide was really excited about it as well. Today he didn't know if they had found anything but he did said that Nat Geo had to drill 8 holes into the wall to stick a camera into to look around for anything out of the ordinary. I will be sure to follow Nat Geo to find out if they find anything! It would recovering some incredible history if they did happen to discover something... 

Continuing our tour, I couldn't stop looking at the ceilings. Every room created another story, another pattern, another medium for us to discover on the ceiling. The intricacies were incredible and I couldn't believe that a human could have produced such beautiful and detailed rooms. I tried to snap as many rooms as I could, but obviously the pictures don't do it justice.

At the end of the tour, we all sat down to chat with the wife of Cosimo herself! Of course, in (somewhat) considerate fashion, we stood when she entered the room and bowed to greet her. She was surprised by our clothing and suggested that Allison, one of the girls on our trip was actually a male because she was wearing jeans, while she wondered if Michael, another member on our program, was pregnant or could become pregnant because he believed in equality. Our tour guide acted as her servant and tried to explain to her that we were not led by kings or queens, but rather republicans...Wait no! (Slaps his forehead) That's not what I meant! They were ruled under a republic. I wish I could scribe this scene better, because it was incredibly funny. Even "Cosimo's Wife" who had stayed in character the whole time chuckled a bit. I was very impressed by her and in seemed as if everyone enjoyed the "interview" more than expected--- I know I did! 

After everything was over, Kaitlin, Anna, Kenan, Julia, Mary, Amanda, and I all went to a cafe outside and had Cioccolata Calda (Hot Chocolate). I thought the hot chocolate at the French Broad Chocolate Lounge in Asheville was rich...  Nevertheless it was quite the treat and it was fun to sit outside on the cold streets sipping (or spooning) the hot chocolate.

I will add.... as a side note to my mom... I tried making tuna pasta tonight and well.... I got everything right, except for the tuna part. (I've gotten pretty good at making plain pasta! Yes!) It was definitely not the white albacore tuna and it was definitely overcooked. Oh well... it takes practice I assume. 

I should probably go finish (or start) i miei compiti, but until tomorrow! Buonasera!

Pisa

I have been feeling under the weather lately, and my days have been spent mostly sleeping. So here's a little (past due) catch up on my weekend. 

On Saturday we went to Pisa and a little bit of Lucca---will explain later. It was my first train experience in Europe and I really enjoyed it! The train to Pisa took no more than an hour and the scenery outside the window was beautiful. It was nice to get away from Florence for the day and have a trail run of the train system, so I will know what to do next time. Hopefully I can find some cheaper tickets via train for other places in Italy, because it was a very easy and enjoyable time. I also found the train station much more relaxed than an airport.

For lunch we went to a little place in town that served panini and pizza. We ate outside next to the street and enjoyed the sun. Again the apartment shared many laughs and good food. I ordered a caprese panino with hot tea (to hopefully help my sore throat). However, it turns out the thing to get there was the pizza.We grabbed lunch right as we got off the train, afterwards everyone split up and did what ever they wanted to for a couple of hours.

I remember when I was a little girl and had seen the leaning tower in books-- it always amazed me and I finally got to go see it in person! The tower itself was pretty fascinating. However, it was blocked away from the town of Pisa and made for a very touristy site. We saw more people from America than from Italy. I guess still must consider myself a tourist but it was something that I wanted to get away from. Either way, I really enjoyed looking at the architecture and sitting in the sun watching people young and old play with the birds. I was sitting on the steps of the cathedral journaling, when a little italian boy came up to me I guess looking to see what I was doing. I decided to give my italian a try--- Ciao. Ciao. Come stai? Bene. Yes I know. It was a conversation of the ages, nevertheless a boy no older than 4 couldn't have understood I was a tourist or from a different country. I enjoyed the thought that in his eyes, maybe I was just like him and could speak the language he spoke. (When we all know this is less than true.) After our lengthy conversation he was back to running around with the birds and I was back to my journal. 

At one thirty we all met back up and took one last picture with the tower, then said goodbye to Pisa. We decided to take a bus to Lucca but as we were sitting down on the bus, the driver told everyone to check their bags because there had been two robberies already that day. Unfortunately Kaitlin realized her wallet was missing. Our spirits down, we decided to head home on the first train from Lucca. Luckily, Kaitlin didn't have much cash and her passport was separate. We finally arrived back in Florence that night and were all happy to head home. It was quite a long day but was all worth it-- especially when Kaitlin received an email the next day saying that someone had found her wallet! I was going to name this post PISAster, but decided that is wasn't a disaster at all, but rather a learning experience for us amateur travelers. However, in no time we will know what buses to take and how to find the train we want (or let's hope so).

Today and Sunday have been spent sleeping and travel planning. I am getting a bit stir crazy but it is nice to have some time and an excuse to catch up on sleep and do nothing. I needed both.

Firenze di Notte

Today was quite a long day; in class we had a quiz (that fortunately I don't think I failed contrary to my opinions last night). And unlike UNC, when we finished our quiz, we did not hand it in and walk out of the doors kissing the sorry test goodbye... no. we still had three and a half hours of class left. To get me through the second half I decided to try my first "italian espresso" let's be real though, it was from a vending machine and had less flavor than Ferris Bueller's teacher. (You know you liked that comparison...) Anywho, Kaitlin and I had smiles on our faces when Irene, our favorite teacher, walked into the room and said we were learning about cinema today rather than passato prossimo. We began to was La Vita E' Bella (Life is Beautiful) when of course the sound stopped working. Much to our surprise Irene continued to play the movie--- with us reading the sottotitoli. We had the assistant teacher stopping and playing the movie so we had enough time to even read what was being said.

Finally class was over, and I rushed back home to cook lunch and skype with my dad and then mom. It had been a few days since I had talked to them, so it was really nice to catch up! Afterwards it had already gotten to 3:00 pm...where did this day go? I journaled some and tried to plan more of my Spring Break and other weekend excursions. Not the greatest at planning, I decided to leave the train and airline websites behind to go watch the sunset at Palazzo Michelangelo. I was happy to see Anna at the door, and to hear she wanted to come too. We packed up our cameras and headed out trying to beat the sun there. We made it just in time and the setting sun allowed some incredible photographs to be taken even by an amateur like me. We ended up staying outside for almost two hours and when I got home I found that I had taken over 200 pictures! But it was worth it for the few gems that I found. It was really nice getting outside and exploring a little because classes and cultural activities didn't leave me much time to do it this week. As we were walking up to the Palazzo, we realized how warm it had become as the clouds were departing from the sky and the birds were chirping. It felt and sounded like spring was on its way! (I guess it's still January though...) Either way it made for a perfect evening.


The night just got better when we all went to a Pizzeria near the Ponte Vecchio. I went on a limb and ordered the ravioli stuffed with pear and cheese. Creamy or cheesy sauces are usually not my pastas of choice but I had to try it because of the pear. It was delicious! (And incredibly filling) But overall I was happy with my choice. And the bread we had there was the best I had tasted so far since I have gotten here. It felt like pound cake it was so soft. Using what we learned from Marco earlier in the week, my side of the table went with a white wine--- because we all had light colored meals. Match the color of your wine to the color of your food. Thanks Marco! We ended the meal with lots of laughs, and a few snorts as well... It was a great night filled with good food, good company, and great views.

Tomorrow the apartment is off to Pisa (and hopefully Lucca!!) I'm excited to finally get out to the beautiful countryside of Italy and for a little change of scenery! Until tomorrow, goodnight i miei amici!

The Masters

Apologies for not posting yesterday. It was a long day of classes and then we watched an Italian movie, Caterina Va a Citta. It was about a little girl who moved from the countryside to the big city of Rome and her development and conflicts there. Despite some of the acting, it kept me engaged the whole time and I really enjoyed watching it in italian so I could work on understanding different words. The teacher, Lucca, was a younger italian man always with a large smile on his face. We had a discussion afterwards talking about the movie and its cinematic elements. Lacking any pictures, I decided to take a day off from the blog, write in my journal and plan trips all around Italy!


Today was the first cloudy day that we have experienced thus far in Italy. But that didn't stop any great experiences from happening. We had our usual 4 hour italian class this morning (What is all of the school? I thought we had a 5 month vacation?). The first 2 hours Kaitlin and I struggled to get through it, but after a little caffeine and a new teacher for the second half we really enjoyed the last two hours. Irene, our teacher told us all of the best places to go for gelato and pasta. It was a great help! Of course this whole conversation was in italian and we all started to really feel like we were being engaged in the language, which was a great feeling. Kaitlin and I are really excited to go out and try the places she suggested and experience real italian meals rather than ristoranti turistica. The best part is the gelaterie she suggested were molti economiche. Only one euro for a cup of gelato!

After class, we came back to the apartment to grab a quick lunch. I made a tomato and cheese (these ingredients are becoming quite the staple) sandwich with balsamic, olive oil, and pesto. It was delicious! But before long we were right back out on the street to meet our group for the visit to the UFFIZI! No pictures were allowed in the museum, but I was able to snap a couple of pictures of the beautiful ceilings in the halls of the museum. (To the left) Viaggiamo through the growth of chiaroscuro and perspective in the Renaissance. The paintings we learned about ranged from Madonna d'Ognissanti by Giotto to La Nascita di Venere (The Birth of Venus) by Botticelli. I absolutely amazed by the beauty of the paintings and how intricate the figures were even with the use of a tempra paint medium made from different pigments of the times. The color and detail of Michelangelo's Tondo Doni kept me wide eyed through all of the telling of the history. I can wait to see the Sistine Chapel and experience the colors and beauty at an even greater scale. At the end of the tour, our professor took us to a window to show us the---in layman's terms--"secret passageway built for the Medici family. She also told us more recent history of the area. The Ponte Vecchio is surrounded by newer buildings because Hitler didn't want anyone to pass into Italy during WWII. He kept the bridge because he couldn't tear down the beauty of it. We also got to see a panoramic view of the Arno and the professor told us what places to see and where to go. It was a great, great time and we only got to see a fourth of the Uffizi. I'm very excited to go back and see more. Kenan is cooking us dinner now so I must go, but more later! I posted the rest of my pictures-- look at the link to the middle right!

Ciao!

Head in the Sky

Not much to post about today as we took a walking tour around Florence. You are probably asking well why is there nothing to post, she must have learned a lot about the city. Well guys, here's the problem and the reason is guided tours aren't exactly the best for me... even with all of their incredible information. I am too focused on what is around me that everything said goes right over my head. I immediately contract a serious case of ADD and my mind flies to the sky. Nevertheless I did take a few shots on the tour and learned a lot. So, enjoy!

Pigeons on a wire.

Medici Family Crest.

The Baptista.

And yet another picture of the Duomo.

I will say that I started looking at trips for longer weekends and Spring Break. It looks like a "Tour de" France for Spring Break is going to be possible! Austin will be WWOOFing in Italy around that time so he'll be able to join in on the fun during the break. For Easter break, Kailtin, Anna and I want to go to Greece or Sweden but we might be dreaming a bit too big. Who knows! Plans are obviously still in the workings, but I hope to buy tickets soon so it will be cheaper!  This weekend the apartment and anyone else who wants to join is planning to go to Pisa to learn the bus/train system and obviously take the stereotypical I'm-holding-up-the-leaning-tower-with-all-my-strength pictures there. I cant wait! 

Fresh is Better

As I said yesterday, today was my first day of classes for the pre-session. It's hard to believe we have italian for four hours each day, BUT it's only for two weeks so I can't complain too much. The class went by a lot faster than I thought and Kaitlin and I (who met in our UNC italian 101 class) thought we just may have learned as much italian in those four hours that we did all semester. It was purely conversational. Of course, we didn't know all of the words so the phrase "come se dice" was used often. Either way, I really started to feel like I was learning a lot. 

Afterwards, we went to out cultural activity groups. The cultural activity for today was shopping around the Mercato Centrale with one of the cooking professors, Marco. He was one of the most vivacious people I hav ever met. His love and knowledge of food kept me in tune with the day and made learning how to cook as fun as possible (even when it is already a fun talent). We all walked around the market with notepads and cameras in hand listening to his trick of the trade when in the market. The colors were so incredible and the meals that we cooked turned out to be better than expected thanks to the help of Marco!

Marco gave us many suggestions about the freshness of the vegetables. You have to read this and think of a lively, scatter-brained italian cook to get the true experience. If they are shiny they are fresh! You must ask the produce seller if you can tough the food. The tougher it feels, the fresher it is. And then of course if it smells good, it will be good. The basil we bought for our pesto dish was greener than ever. And once the food was cooked, the freshness of everything from the market really paid off. 

At the market you will find every color imaginable. Below is the large assortment of dry fruit that we saw at the end of our tour.  

First course: Focaccine Farcite with three different fillings. For those who were vegetarian, their only choice was buffalo mozzarella, sun dried tomatoes, basil, olive oil and a little bit of oregano. (which was okay with me!) The other two contained meat: Prosciutto, pecorino cheese (like parmesan but stronger flavor), sun dried tomatoes, and  basil or Cooked ham, olive oil artichokes, Parmigiano Reggiano shaves, and fresh sage leaves. Our group made the Focaccia bread appetizers and they turned out really well if I do say so myself! With it was served pasta with a homemade pesto sauce. Hint: To add flavoring to the pasta, chop up string beans, potatoes, and zucchini. Then boil all of the ingredients with the pasta. It gives a sweeter bolder taste to the meal!

Second Course: Petti di pollo alle Melanzane or chicken with eggplant, oregano, mozzarella, and a tomato sauce. (You can also use fresh tomatoes for a topping). This dish is considered a vertical dish because there are different layers of flavor as you move up. Potatoes with herb were served as a side dish. Even with little ingredients, the second course was SO full of flavor-- I was amazed!

Third Course: Torta Di Cioccolato e Frutta It was basically a dark chocolate sponge cake with powdered sugar on top. The fruit salad was made of seasonal fruit, for flavor and to keep the fruit fresh lemon juice was mixed in. I was very impressed with the sponge cake. Made from scratch, it was a very light end to our meal and was delicious. The acidity of the fruit was a nice contrast as well.  

It was a great first of classes, but I am exhausted. If you want the recipe to any of these dishes, send me a message and I will be happy to send them to you! A domani! (Until tomorrow!)

Colors, Patterns, Textures

After my novel I wrote yesterday, I don't nearly have as much to say but it was still a day well spent. Good news though, I woke up before one, before 11 even! I'm not quite sure how many times I hit the snooze button this morning however. Once I was up and ready for the day, I had a little breakfast and we all set out for another adventure. 

Still acting as the true tourists we are, Mary and I went past the Arno today and followed paths up to the Piazzale Michelangelo to see an above view of the city-- the sight was unimaginable and we realized we had a lot more to see before we have Florence down pat. We were also immersed in greenery to our left and right. The ascending paths led to many different angles of the city and the surrounding areas. We were able to see the towns in the mountains circling the city, which made me really excited to find day trips to take and see the other tuscan villages. I was amazed by all of the colors we saw and the different, intricate designs found in the architecture. We made it up to a Basilica where we wandered around aimlessly shooting photos in awe of the beauty. Not as many people made it up this high and it was nice to look around without running into people or blocking another person's camera lens of the view. I'll be sure to make it up to that point many other times during my stay here. The neighborhoods on the way down were exactly what I expected Florence to be.

Afterwards Mary and I split up and I headed back to the apartment to catch up with loved ones back home in Charlotte. Before long everyone was back in the apartment and we were all getting ready for our first apartment meal! Anna and Kaitlin made spaghetti sauce, Kenan dished up a wonderful salad. I tried to find my favorite dinner music on the internet, the Big Night soundtrack... some luck, but Norah Jones ended up serenading us during dinner. We talked about different TV shows, Chapel Hill, and laughed a ton. It was a perfect last night before our two week italian pre-session begins tomorrow. After all of this exploring and experiencing, it's going to be hard for me to step back into a classroom. We shall see how it goes! Afterwards about 15 of us will go to the central market with one of LDM's professors to buy groceries and learn how to cook a meal! YUM!

   

Sounds

I started my day today at 1:00pm. I don't know how this happened guys. I honestly dont know that last time I slept until one, or 10 o' clock for that matter. Well, actually I do know how it happened--- but it was worth it because I an finally feeling awake and not jet lagged.

When we woke up we look out the window and heard my first memorable sound. Saturday is the day of worship for catholics and we heard the organ playing from the Saturday afternoon Mass at the Cathedral. What an incredible and bold sound to hear in depths of our apartment!


I quickly got ready to start my day since I had waited so long to start it. It was my first time out in the city by myself and I loved it. The sounds amplify much more than if you are with a group of people. There is no one talking to you--- there is just talking. In all different languages. And the sounds of vespas. And dogs barking. The clocking of bikes gliding across the cobblestone roads. Two italian young boys on one bike yelling at each other to keep going. The bells ringing at each hour. The sounds
I heard were the truly special "events" that happened to me today.

I enjoyed walking around the city by myself. I went back to Ponte Vecchio (it was gorgeous outside) and this time took many many pictures. I love it over there. The water and the mountains in the background. There are gardens peeking up over castles and the hills. I crossed over the bridge where there are many shops and stands to buy (more than cheap) souvenirs. On the other side of the river, everything slowed down. I could walk without being run over and the colors.. oh the colors.. of the architecture are incredible.

I walked around quite a bit by myself and started to be aware of my surroundings more and everything started to settle in bit by bit. I still feel like I am on a vacation and will only be here for a couple of weeks at the most. But no I can see this beautiful architecture everyday for months!

This part of the city is still definitely my favorite and I plan on spending many afternoons around here. Before long it was time to walk back to the apartment and meet everyone to shop around a little bit. This is one of two times in the year where there are huge sales in the store so we couldn't resist. I didn't bring a bag to keep everything in while walking around (silly me!) so I got a cheap (faux) leather one from H&M. We also walked around ZARA; which was 5 stories high for a few minutes. My favorite thing about shopping was not the clothes but rather the fact that they allow anyone to brings their dogs in! I couldn't believe it. There are dogs all over the city, who knew!


Before Shopping though, we all wanted to treat ourselves to our first coppette  or cono of gelato! I chose to get caramello and it was incredible. We went to a place called GROM, where all of the fruit flavors are in seasons and many of the ingredients are local and organic. The store is only a couple of minutes away from the apartment so I'll definitely be going back there every once in a while... or you know... everyday. If you are ever in Florence I definitely recommend going to GROM. There are probably over 30 flavors, all looking quite delicious. And the organic, local aspect of it makes it that much more fun!


After shopping Kailtin and I went to the grocery store facciamo le spesse to finally get some food and supplies for the apartment. What the experience... We were probably the only americans in the store and when checking out I set off two alarms because I didn't put my cart away, and Kaitlin forgot to weigh her tomatoes so she had to go back and do it while checking out. Woops. Oh well, these american idiots will soon learn the ways. I will say, for you mom, my shopping list included orange marmalade and a baguette for breakfast in the morning... So I can reminisce about eating it every morning while I am in Europe!

Last but not least, Mary, Anna, Kaitlin, Kenan, and I all had a wonderful meal at "Yellow Bar". When I heard the name I was pretty skeptical about the authenticity of the food, but boy was I proved wrong. It was amazing. I had the "Stracetti"pasta with zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes, and MINT! I ate almost all of it. (Kailtin and I shared what you see in the pan on the right) All five of us also shared a bottle of chianti.... I am beginning to like wine a lot! (But only with meals parents... no worries.) But all in all... great 2nd day in Florence. Tomorrow should be relaxing... it is the day of rest here and supposedly very few shops will be open. It will be a good day to have before we start the Italian Pre-session! A presto!

Exploring

Today was the first real day in Firenze for most of us. It was a lot of information but the girls in my flat and I got the chance to explore for a little while before another meeting. So here's a little tour of where we went today...

Above is the view from our apartment into our little piazza. We have to go through two doors out on a balcony and through another door before we get to our place.  It's the perfect little getaway from the busy street next to the Duomo.

During our exploring time we came across different forks and beautiful alleyways. This one I found particularly pretty. I will say the green stoplight is very rare and most likely is a stop and start for pedestrians.  

We kept waking straight and came across the Santa Maria Novella Plaza. After hours of walking through different streets covered by buildings it was nice to be in an open space.

 I realized walking through Florence, there was something missing. There was no green. No trees or grass. I knew Florence was surrounded by the rolling hills, but in the center city it was just concrete. Behind the Santa Maria Novella, we got our first glimpse of green.

Last but not least, we all stared at the window full of chocolatey treats. I think we may have stared at the window for at least five minutes. 

So there is a little glimpse of my day. Tonight we went to dinner with all of the program participants and our LDM Advisor, Mahgerita. Bread, wine, sparkling water, Risotto, Rigatoni, roasted vegetables, new potatoes, a block of parmesan cheese, and a chocolate custard for dessert.... for free. Benisimo!

Wow. Did I really eat that much?

Two and a half hours later... The girls in my apartment and a few others from an apartment near by all went to see the Ponte Vecchio and other historic parts of Florence. I definitely fell in love with this side. Near the water, old, old buildings, and many statues brought a whole new side of Florence. Unfortunately I didn't bring my camera to dinner so no pictures. But Kaitlin, Anna, and I are going to go back tomorrow and sketch. Should be fun!

Ciao for now...