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!

   

Getting There

So... I am finally here.

My day actually started last night at 6 when my parents and I arrived at the airport. With a teary goodbye, I was off to the security line (my favorite). Nervous, I was very happy to find Mary arriving at the gate. I could exhale a little bit and start to get excited.

Our flight to Frankfurt was a long one with very little sleep (why am I blogging right now and not sleeping?). It however started and hour after everyone was on board because apparently a passenger wasn't feeling well, so it took time to find her baggage. The flight went...for the most part... smoothly. How I Met Your Mother and The Big Bang Theory were both on the inflight channels: good news. But after that I was drained and ready for some good 'ol shut eye. I wish. Nevertheless I woke up to the plane chasing the sun and that was good enough for me.

The time ticked away and the Pilot finally said we would be arriving in 20 minutes! (It was 11:10 our next flight to Florence started boarding at 11:30). When the seatbelt signs were off and the baggage was claimed from the top bins we all raced through customs and airport security and made it to the gate at 12:05! Perfect! The plaine wasn't going to leave until 12:10--- we made it! Well, apparently Germany is very prompt for their flights and the plane had already left, leaving (from what I hear) 45 people behind and 14 UNC students.
After a 5 hours of waiting, reading, talking, napping, and walking we were ready to board to Florence! The flight was super quick compared to our 8 hour one and rice pudding was served (yum?). I was finishing reading The Art of Racing in the Rain and was trying to hold back the tears when I looked to my right and saw the most gorgeous sunset out of the window. Perfect... saved from balling my eyes out on the flight. If you haven't read the book and you are a lover of dogs or have a heart in general I definitely recommend it.

Touchdown in Florence was easy and my bag was not lost!! Mary and I rushed to the taxi's leaving everyone else behind... woops. A line of girls piled high with suitcases followed behind. After a quick housing check in, we set off to find our apartment. It was a funny site.. let me tell you. No one actually knew where they were going... Mary and I just knew to look for the Duomo. And there is was-- absolutely breathtaking. Taking the second right we found our Piazza and our building. We walked up precisely 31 stairs went out onto a balcony and put the key into the lock. We were home! The apartment is perfect! Mary and I have a little room to the left and Anna and Kaitlin are to the right.

have a kitchen and a LOFT!  Our bathroom is attached to our room. One of my favorite things is the window the opens up to the view of our piazza and the large dome of the Duomo peeking through! We all decided that we are going to wake up in the morning and open the window doors and sing to Italy (Birds will fly out of the window too of course...)

Pardon the mess on my bed-- I need to finish unpacking.

Many adventures and PICTURES to come!

Ebb and Flow

Ever since I was in the third grade and discovered the wonderful taste of olive oil and rosemary, my dream destination was Italy. A decade or so later, I am more than lucky to be able to fulfill my dream and I am taking a semester abroad in Florence, Italy. Cliche or not, I am so thankful to have such a great support system behind me. My friends, my parents, even my dogs... with their support and shared excitement, this trip is building up to be more-than-incredible.

I would be lying however if I told you I wasn't at all nervous. I've never been to Europe and never have been away from home for this long (5 months). As I get closer to the date of take-off (January 11--Less than a week!!) the ebb and flow of excitement and nervousness still exists. But each morning I wake up and realize I am one day closer to looking out my window and seeing that burnt orange color of Florence architecture. I am one day closer to living my dream.

I learned two days ago that I will be living in the center of Florence and...get this...ten feet away from the Duomo!! I will be living with 5 other girls from UNC in an apartment. It looks like there are plenty of markets right outside of our door, perfect for buying food for meals etc.

My classes are from 4:30 on Monday to 11:45 on Thursday. I am taking all things Italian that will hopefully immerse myself into the culture there: Italian Cinema, Italian Civilization, Sketchbook in Florence, Current Trends in Italian Cuisine, and finally Intermediate Italian. Classes do not start until January 31st, but the first couple of weeks, thanks to UNC, 30 other students and I will become acclimated with the Florence way of life and will take a 2 week crash course in Italian.

I have never been the best at putting my thoughts down on paper, so bear with me. (Even you Dad... I know you will be critiquing every word I write). But this is a small attempt at packing anyone who wants to join in my suitcase and share the adventure that lies ahead with them. I hope to blog as much as I can, but I am also bringing a journal (thanks to a certain someone) along the way to help keep track of my days: sketches, thoughts, experiences.

It is going to be a hard goodbye on Wednesday to friends and family, however I will always look at it as an "a presto" (or a see you soon)!

Ciao! Fino alla prossima volta! (Until next time)
-Ainslie