Yesterday afternoon, Alex, Brandon, Conner and I, had quite the experience getting to Ireland. Our train departed from Florence at 8:55 am and arrived in Milano Centrale at 10:40. From there, we had to catch an hour long bus ride from the train station to the airport in Bergamo, Italy. (Mind you, our flight was departing at 1:30 which meant the door were closing at 1:00 and our bus didn't leave the station until 11:30, so we were all a little anxious that we were possibly going to miss our flight!) 
ANDDD on top of that, today and tomorrow in Italy (November 29/30) there are transportation strikes going on, so there would be no outgoing buses, trains OR flights...so basically, if we missed our flight we would have been out of luck!
Once we got to the airport, we had to run around to find the spot where non EU residents have to go to get their passport stamped
and of course, just our luck that some guy was causing a fuss because his luggage was too big and heavy and they were going to fine him almost 100 euro for him to get it on the flight
So, after he held up the line another ten minutes, we finally all got our passports stamped and rushed to the security line!! After getting through security, we finally managed to make it to our gate...and ON TIME! go us!! Naturally, our flight was a little delayed as well, so that was lucky for us!! Our flight went pretty smoothly!
Although, I found it pretty funny that it rains so often in Ireland and yet, as we were leaving Italy, it was down pouring, but by the time we reached Ireland, we had beautiful blue skies and relatively nice weather!
it was so great! 

After touching down, we got our bus from the airport into the City Center. After a short pit stop at Burger King...yes, Burger King... we finally got on the right path towards our hostel.  Ireland is already so decorated and ready for Christmas, it was beautiful to see all of the lights and the Christmas trees everywhere! We made it to our hostel in great time. Our hostel is literally the most amazing hostel ever! It's so new, modern, inviting, and has so many wonderful things for us to do!  After dropping off our stuff and getting settled, we headed out to explore a little of the city! Not too far from our hostel there is this cute little pub where the four of us stopped in for a bit. The boys all got their first Irish Guinness's, which they loved! And I tried a sip of Alex's and have to admit, it was pretty smooth, and good, although I'm just not a beer drinker. After talking and relaxing for a bit and enjoying the nice night, we set out in search for a good restaurant for dinner. Walking along the streets, Dublin was even beautiful at night! Everyone is truly as genuinely kind and helpful as you hear about!  We were pointed in the direction of a nice little restaurant just over the bridge from where we were staying. We went there for a wonderful dinner and some hot chocolate! It was such a nice night and a great welcome into Dublin! We didn't stay out too late as we were all exhausted from a long day of traveling!
      This morning, we woke, feeling (at least in my opinion), well rested and ready to see more of Dublin!
After getting ready, we headed out to this little place we had passed on the way to our hostel last night, called The Coffee Bean, where they serve traditional Irish Breakfast. Apparently, traditional Irish Breakfast consists of: sausage, bacon, eggs, beans and this thing called pudding, which is really like a rice ball, and toast!
the boys all got the traditional breakfast and I opted for some eggs on a bagel, which was very good! I also got a coffee, and I'm not lying when I say, the mug was the size of my head!  We were all full and woken up by the time we left The Coffee Bean and headed back to our Hostel to take the FREE, (yup, I just said FREE) walking tour of Dublin. It was the BEST, most AMAZING tour that I have ever been on in my life!  Our tour guide Robbie, was so charismatic, fun, intelligent and engaging and he made the four hour tour a wonderful experience!  We got to see so much of Dublin and all of its beauty!
Some of the things we saw:
Dublin Castle
Dubh Linn
Dublin’s Medieval Walls
Viking Remains
Norman Dublin
Georgian Dublin
Christ Church Cathedral
Adam and Eve Church
The National Library
Famous Writers
Temple Bar
U2 – Origins of the rock legend
Trinity College
Leinster House
Chester Beatty Library
St. Stephen’s Green
1916 Easter Rising

Well, it's off the the Emerald Isle today!!! 

IRELAND, here I come!!!

Over the next few days, I will be visiting Dublin, Ireland, Galway, Ireland, and of course seeing the famous Cliffs of Moher. It should be an unforgettable experience! 

I will be going completely off the maps: no phone, no internet, the whole nine yards! I will be back on Sunday evening and promise at that point to update you all on my Rome adventures as well as my Ireland adventures!! 

I've heard nothing but great things about Ireland and can't wait to see a little of my own heritage! 

And just as a side note: I'm home in 17 days!!! Where has the time gone?!?! This will be my last big trip! Once I'm back, it's buckling down for final exams, projects and papers before I hop that plane back home to see my wonderful family! 

Here's a little further reading you can all do on Ireland, if you'd like!!

The Cliffs
The Cliffs of Moher are one of Ireland's top Visitor attractions and are a designated UNESCO Geo Park. The Cliffs are 214m high at the highest point and range for 8 kilometres over the Atlantic Ocean on the western seaboard of County Clare. O'Brien's Tower stands proudly on a headland of the majestic Cliffs. From the Cliffs one can see the Aran Islands, Galway Bay, as well as The Twelve Pins, the Maum Turk Mountains in Connemara and Loop Head to the South. The Cliffs of Moher take their name from a ruined promontory fort “Mothar” which was demolished during the Napoleonic wars to make room for a signal tower.

The Cliffs of Moher are home to one of the major colonies of cliff nesting seabirds in Ireland. The area was designated as a Special Protection Area (SPA) for Birds under the EU Birds Directive in 1986 and as a Refuge for Fauna in 1988. Included within the designated site are the cliffs, the cliff-top maritime grassland and heath, and a 200 metre zone of open water, directly in front of the cliffs to protect part of the birds' feeding area. The designation covers 200 hectares and highlights the area's importance for wildlife. Details of the SPA including a map can be downloaded here.

Today's a busy, busy day!! But I thought I would satisfy you all a little bit by posting some photos from our Rome trip that we took this past weekend!!! 

Check out the photos and be sure to check back tomorrow, I PROMISE I'll get a good, long post up for you all!!! 

Hope everyone is doing well!! 

xoxoxox

la vita e bella! 

Ciao!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL!! 

Today, (and always) I am thankful for.......
1) My wonderful family
2) My amazing friends
3) Alex
4) The opportunity to spend these three and a half months in Italy 
5) being healthy
6) Having such a wonderful support network
7) Panda bears 
8) A great education
9) All the laughter in my life
10) Harry Potter




I hope that everyone has a wonderful day! Take this day to spend with your family and to appreciate all that you have. Remind all those you love today, how much they mean to you and how much you appreciate them. Eat lots of food and enjoy yourselves! 

This weekend I will be in Rome, so you won't hear from me until Monday at least! 

LOVE TO ALL

Also, as a vegetarian, I wanted to share this funny photo my friend posted on my wall: 

Soooo, how much do you all hate me for not being a faithful blog updater and keeping you posted on my adventures the past week or so?! 

Well....Please don't hate me too much!!! 

As the days are winding down, the work load and craziness has certainly increased! With only 23 days left in beautiful Florence, there are still papers to be written, exams to study for, trips to take, sights to see, people to meet and food to be eaten! 

Let's take it back to last Friday morning.... 

At 8:00, Alex and I got ready for our 1 year anniversary weekend trip to Bologna and Venice! We caught our first train which took us into the city of Bologna, where we planned to spend the day exploring before we headed off to our concert. It was a beautiful, crisp day in Bologna with the sun shining and lots of wonderful things to see! 

When we got to Bologna, we walked around for a few hours before getting checked into our hotel, which by the way, was BEAUTIFUL! We still had a few hours to kill before we set off for the MUSE concert at the Unipol arena, so we got a nice, long lunch, then explored some of the nearby churches and sights, including the street where there is a plaque commemorating the Jews that were held in Nuovo Ghetto 9 during the years leading up to the Holocaust.  

Luckily for us, by chance, we happened to be walking behind two Americans who overheard us talking and were so kind as to introduce themselves to us. We chatted for a bit and they informed us that there was a huge chocolate festival going on in the main square just down the street from where we were, so naturally, we felt compelled to go check it out! The festival was AMAZING!! There were chocolate shoes, t-shirts, tennis rackets and balls, dentist kits, doctor kits, school kits... all made from chocolate!!! It was fun to walk around, and of course, get a little hot chocolate! Let me just tell you, they don't mess around with hot chocolate! It's not like a powder packet mixed with some water... it's literally melted down chocolate!! It was so rich I couldn't finish my little cup, but it was just the perfect thing to warm me up! 

The afternoon passed quickly and before we knew it, it was time to find our bus that would take us to the concert! The concert was one of the best I have ever been to! The band is just so phenomenal! They put on a great show and it didn't drag on! Within two hours, it was already over, sadly! 

After getting back to our hotel, it was straight to bed after such a long day, it didn't take longer than fifteen seconds for us to pass out! 

The next morning, after a great breakfast at the hotel, we took the quick fifteen minute walk to the train station to await our train that would take us into Venice! 

Upon arriving in Venice, we were so happy to see that it was another beautiful day! The sun was shining and all the waters from the flooding the previous weekend had receded! 

We spent the day exploring parts of the island we didn't get to see the first time around. We had a wonderful late lunch of calamari, spaghetti with an olive oil and hot pepper sauce and a cappuccino!  It was such a wonderful, long lunch, spent overlooking one of the many Venice canals! 

After walking around the island and shopping around for some last minute souvenirs for family and friends, we headed over to a small concert hall where a string quartet was putting on a performance of Vivaldi's Four Seasons! It was a great performance and the musicians played so wonderfully! It was just a quick hour long performance, which was good for both me and Alex because we were starting to get tired from the lack the sleep the previous night! After the concert, we walked around St. Marco for a bit, which, in my opinion is far more beautiful at night time than during the day! 

After another great night of sleep, waking up Sunday morning, we were sad to realize it would be our last day in Venice! We got up early so that we could make the most out of our full day! After another wonderful breakfast, we decided to climb the tower in St. Marco's which allows you to see pretty much the entire island of Venice, as well as the surrounding islands! Unfortunately, you can't actually CLIMB the tower, you have to be lazy and take an elevator ride up to the top, but it was still breathtakingly beautiful at the top and you could see so much of the island! Unfortunately, Alex and I failed to realize the time in which we were going up to the top of the tower AND the fact that the tower had about 8 HUGE bells which ring every half hour...... I think you can see where I'm going with this..... Almost the minute we got to the top, the HUGE bells started tolling..... lucky for the guy working in the small, heated souvenir box, he had huge airport style ear plugs which allowed him to block out much of the loud tolling sound! It was the longest two minutes of my life hearing those bells go, blaring so loudly! It was pretty funny though, because I'm almost positive it caught every single person in the tower off guard! 

After descending the tower, Alex and I decided that since we didn't have the time during our last visit to Venice, we wanted to try and go to Murano Island to one of the Glass Blowing factories to see just how the glass blowers make all the amazing pieces! 

Luckily for us, since the factories aren't open to just anyone, our hotel was able to set us up with a private boat that took me, Alex and two other hotel guests directly to a glass blowing factory for a tour! How awesome?!! I love when things just fall into place so perfectly!  

Our boat ride over to Murano Island was short, and upon arriving, we were greeted by the kindest man! Marco was our guide for the factory and he was so jovial, kind, and fun! Our first stop was to actually see a demonstration of how the glass blowers actually make objects. The man doing our demonstration first made a glass horse which came out AMAZING, and then he made a glass vase which was also beautiful! We were all mesmerized by how quickly the glass blower worked and how he manipulated the glass to make the shapes he wanted! Marco also told us that ALL of the chandeliers in Buckingham palace in England were made in his factory.... HOW COOL IS THAT?! 

After our tour, Alex and I walked around the Island of Murano for a few hours, just seeing some of its beauty! We got a nice late lunch before taking a boat back to the main island and navigating our way back to the hotel to pick up our luggage before finally making our way over to the train station. 

On our way to the train station, we had a good hour before we really needed to be there, so we stopped and picked up some YUMMY Macaroons (Thanks Mathilde for introducing them to us in Paris.... we now LOVE them!) for the train ride home. Just outside of the train station, there is a beautiful church! We realized that we still had plenty of time before we needed to catch our train and decided we would go in and check it out. Since it was Sunday, there was actually a mass going on and we decided that it would be cool to stay for the mass! The church and the service were both beautiful! By the time mass was over, it was the perfect time to head to the train station and await our train home. 

The train ride home was just under two hours. After getting back in Florence, after an amazing weekend, we were both ready to unpack, shower and get a good night's rest. Sad as we were that the weekend had to come to an end, we knew we would forever remember the places we saw, the things we ate and the good memories we made. 

On Monday, it was back to real (well, semi-real) life. I'm really proud of myself for actually working diligently and getting one of my final papers done already!! 11 pages and my first paper -- the one for my Holocaust class -- is officially done and ready to be sent to the printer! It feels great to have one down! Now... only three to go!!! 

My goal is to start working on my next one today, after I get out of class at 2:30 and hopefully have it finished by tomorrow night! Then I will have two done before I go on my trip to Rome this weekend! Then next Monday and Tuesday I can do my third paper before setting off for my final adventure of the semester to Ireland!!!

So, you can see, there's so much to be done, so much to see and to do and only so little time left! 

I'm glad that I was able to bring you all up to date finally! I hate that I haven't had as much time to devote to keeping you all informed of my adventures! Especially since I have gotten to see and do so many incredible things over the past week or so! 

Below I have posted a video from the Muse concert! And below that, I have posted some photos from our weekend in Bologna and Venice! 

Today and tomorrow I will, unfortunately, be slaving over another 10 page paper before we set off, bright and early Friday morning (7 am) for our weekend trip to Rome! 

The only thing motivating me to get another 10 page paper done within a two day span from the first 10 page paper I had to write, is that I get to go to Rome this weekend and Ireland next weekend and I don't want to be stressed out while I'm trying to enjoy the trips! 

Anyways, I hope that everyone is having an enjoyable holiday season! Thanksgiving is tomorrow and I wish everyone a wonderful, happy, healthy, relaxing thanksgiving day! Eat a little extra for me and enjoy being with your families! Turn off the phones and computers and just enjoy each other's company!! 

Sending all my love and warm thoughts back to everyone in the states! Be safe and enjoy Thanksgiving!!

I'll hopefully be able to post before I leave for Rome, or at the latest, Monday when I return from Rome!!! 

xoxoxoox

La vita e bella!!

Ciao!! 

Ciao a tutti!!!

How is everyone doing today? 

HAPPY TUESDAY!!

I have to apologize profusely for being so terrible keeping up with the blog lately! Truthfully, as the semester is winding down, a lot of time has been spent working on final papers, getting everything organized for the last few weeks of school. Over the next few weeks leading up to final exams, I have 4 10+ page papers to be working on, finals to begin preparing for, a HUGE final project for my Event Planning class, all in between weekend trips that are scheduled for pretty much every weekend until I leave to go home next month! So, I think you can understand why I have been a bit absentminded lately! hahah

Buttttttt, I still love that everyone has been following my posts! It's been so encouraging and motivational to know that people are reading, and (I think?) liking my blogs! It's a funny thing, but in a few short weeks, all of these moments that I'm living and blogging about will just be a whispers of memories. I can honestly say, that although I will miss Italy more than I can even begin to imagine right now, I think I'm going to be glad to be back with my family :) 

Anyway, this past weekend Alex and I had a good friend of ours come to Florence to visit. Matt is currently spending the semester studying in Seville, Spain and he had a free weekend, so we were able to take him around Florence and show him where we've been living and studying for the past few months. The weekend went by too quickly, as seems to be customary now! We took Matt to Lucca for the day on Sturday, and did the necessary things like see the Duomo, see The David, get bagels at Anna's cafe, and of course we had to send him off on a full stomach of American Breakfast! We had a great weekend, but Monday morning still came as sure as the sun rises each morning, and now, it's back to the grind for a few days! 

Last night (Monday), after a long day of classes, I went to the cinema to see the new James Bond movie, "Skyfall" with two of the girls I live with. It was quite an experience. The cinema didn't have stadium seating (didn't the Romans invent the amphitheater? .....), and there was an intermission about an hour and twenty minutes into the showing! hahah! Needless to say, although the movie was great (I'd recommend seeing it!), it was quite an experience! 

This morning I allowed myself to sleep in until 8:15 (woah!) before getting up, having breakfast, getting ready, running some errands, and now blogging before I begin working on my outlines for my final papers and getting homework done :) 

This semester, Kelsey, Alex, Brandon and I have been trying to do "Family Dinners" every Tuesday night which has been so fun! We've made some great meals! Including fish, pasta, asparagus, sauteed spinach etc! So, I think tonight we are going to  do our weekly Family Dinner and then have a movie night! Christmas is just around the corner, so we've already begun watching some Christmas movies! 

Aside from the large amount of work, and busy, busy weekends filled with fun trips, life is carrying on in its normal, Italian fashion :) 

Sorry this blog isn't the best one I've done! Please forgive me! 

This weekend Alex and I will be going to Bologna for a concert and then we're going to head back to Venice for a few days, so I'm sure I'll have some great stories to blog about when I'm back! Until then, you will have to put up with my updates on the progress of my research papers! yaya! How fun! 

Anyway, I hope that all is well with everyone! 

32 days until I'm home!  Can't believe how fast the time has gone! 

Sending my love and warm wishes to everyone! 

Ciao!

Our second day in Paris began with a 7:30 am wake up call. Feeling more rested than I have all semester, I woke up ready to take on the day!

After an INCREDIBLE breakfast of croissants, fruit, juice, coffee, and NUTELLA, which also consisted of more great conversation while Mathilde’s dad was playing beautiful jazz music throughout the house in the background (okay, reading this back, I realize this sounds like a scene out of a book, but I SWEAR, it was real life!), we were all ready to set out for our first real, great day of sightseeing in Paris!

When we first stepped outside, we were hit with the brisk smell of snow (for all of you New Englanders out there, you’ll know what I mean when I say “it smells like snow!”) Thankfully, the rain was holding off so far, and in the daylight, I was able to get my first real glimpse of the beautiful and cute, quaint street in which Mathilde’s parents lived! The houses lined the street and it reminded me of what you might see in England (although, I’m not necessarily the best judge seeing as the only real glimpse of England and their houses comes from what I’ve seen throughout the Harry Potter movies)

It was my first experience one the Paris subway system, and, although it was cleaner than the D.C. metro station, it reminded me a lot of D.C. It took us about twenty five minutes to train right into the heart of Paris, and when we got off of the subway and took the flight of stairs up to the main street; we came out just down the road from the Eiffel Tower.

The Eiffel Tower really is all it’s cracked up to be! We walked the promenade along the Sine River and the clouds hung low in the sky – threatening – but, thankfully, not letting any rain loose. When we made it to the bottom of the Eiffel Tower, we queued in line to get our tickets for the 700+ steps up to the second level of the tower. Overall, the trip up and down the Eiffel tower was just over 1,400 steps. (I’m tired just thinking about it!!....Although, after climbing the Great Wall and the Duomo, I felt pretty well prepared for this climb) As we climbed higher and higher the rain began to come down slowly, although, it never really reached the streets of Paris (I’ve always found that so interesting!).  The most beautiful thing about Paris, in my opinion, is the fact that there are no sky scrapers. So when you are standing on the second level of the Eiffel Tower, you can see far into the distance, and when you are on the streets, you don’t feel oppressed by high, towering buildings, but rather, you feel safe within the confines of the welcoming buildings.

By the time we had descended the Eiffel Tower, the rain had finally begun to come down a bit harder and we were all glad for a short reprieve from walking and being outside, as our next activity was a cruise along the Sine River in which we would get to see many of Paris’ most famous attractions, like: The Palais de Chaillot, the Grand Palais, the Louvre Museum, the Palace of Justice, Notre Dame, and the smaller replica of the Statue of Liberty. (Oh, just a side note, should I be embarrassed to admit that I saw the Statue of Liberty in Paris BEFORE I’ve even seen the Statue of Liberty in New York?!)

Our river cruise lasted just over an hour, and thankfully, that was the point in which it was raining hardest! But we were warm and cozy within the heated confines of the boat! The tour was so relaxing and it was so interesting to get to see everything along the river! Alex told me that way back in time, when places were being settled, buildings and towns were constructed around rivers because they were a great way to get supplies and to sustain a town, which, luckily for us tourists, also means that the best, most important places are mainly located along the river!

After our river tour, we took the train three stops to the center of Paris where Mathilde took us to her favorite crêperie for lunch. It was SO DELICIOUS!!!! The crepes were made of Buckwheat which actually, I liked better than typical crepes, and my crepe was filled with tomato, onion and cheese! It was TO DIE FOR!!! Then, naturally, at a crêperie you HAVE to get dessert, so Alex and I split a Nutella, banana crepe! YUMMIEEE!!!!

After lunch, we walked around the main center part of Paris for a little as we slowly made our way to Notre Dame! There was a special mass going on that day, which was lucky for us!!! Here’s a little piece of the story:



VENERATION OF THE CROWN OF THORNS

 FIRST FRIDAY OF THE MONTH AND EVERY FRIDAY DURING LENT AT 3 PM, ON GOOD FRIDAY FROM 10 AM TO 5 PM.

     The relics of the Passion presented at Notre-Dame de Paris include a piece of the Cross, which had been kept in Rome and delivered by Saint Helen, the mother of Emperor Constantine, a nail of the Passion and the Holy Crown of Thorns.
    Of these relics, the Crown of Thorns is without a doubt the most precious and the most revered. Despite numerous studies and historical and scientific research efforts, its authenticity cannot be certified. It has been the object of more than sixteen centuries of fervent Christian prayer.
    Saint John tells that, in the night between Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, Roman soldiers mocked Christ and his Sovereignty by placing a thorny crown on his head (John 19:12).
   The crown housed in the Paris cathedral is a circle of canes bundled together and held by gold threads. The thorns were attached to this braided circle, which measures 21 centimetres in diameter. The thorns were divided up over the centuries by the Byzantine emperors and the Kings of France. There are seventy, all of the same type, which have been confirmed as the original thorns.
    The accounts of 4th century pilgrims to Jerusalem allude to the Crown of Thorns and the instruments of the Passion of Christ. In 409, Saint Paulinus of Nola mentions is as being one of the relics kept in the basilica on Mount Zion in Jerusalem. In 570, Anthony the Martyr found it exhibited for veneration in the Basilica of Zion. Around 575, Cassiodorus, in his Exposition on the 75th Psalm, exclaimed, Jerusalem has the Column, here, there is the Crown of Thorns! In 870, once again in Jerusalem, Bernard the Monk noted it as well.
    Between the 7th and the 10th centuries, the relics were moved progressively to the Byzantine emperors’ chapel in Constantinople, mainly to keep them safe from pillaging, like that suffered by the Holy Sepulchre during the Persian invasions. In 1238, Byzantium was governed by Latin Emperor Baldwin of Constantinople. As he was in great financial difficulty, he decided to pawn the relics in a Venetian bank to get credit.

 To continue reading this amazing story, follow this link!! : http://www.notredamedeparis.fr/spip.php?article339

                After spending a few hours in Notre Dame, we were pleasantly surprised to find upon leaving, that the sun had finally come out and the skies were a beautiful bright blue!

                After Notre Dame, we continued our streak of seeing churches and made the treck up to the Montmartre Church. Unfortunately, you cannot take any photos inside, and NO WONDER!, it’s because the inside is so beautiful! When you first walk in, your eyes are immediately drawn to the enormous mosaic taking up the entire part of the dome over the alter of Jesus Christ with his arms spread apart. THANKFULLY, you can always count on Google images to have a few great pictures of things you’re NOT supposed to have pictures of – YAY INTERNET! So here is a photo of the inside of the church!

After we had our fill of the beautiful church (although, really, I don’t think I could ever get enough of the beauty!), we walked over to a small square full of restaurants, cafes, and painters doing caricatures and oil paintings of people. Mathilde told us that it was a very popular place for locals to go and visit and that in the summer there are even more painters (hard to believe after seeing how many were spread out on the small patch of grass in the center of the square!) in the summer time!

At that point, we were all spent from a long day of excitement, sightseeing, walking, climbing, and eating and we were ready to hop on the train back home where we knew there would be a warm home, good food and great company. Butttttt, before that, it luckily happened to be five minutes to 6:00, which meant that if we waited for five minutes, we would be able to see the Eiffel Tower light up for a few minutes! So, naturally, we had to wait! And, we did! But after getting to see the Eiffel Tower light show, we made our way to the subway and trained back home.

It was another delicious dinner that filled us up!!! For an appetizer, we had beets (my first time!!!) they took a little getting used to, but I have to admit, they were pretty good! Then, we had potatoes in a cheese sauce and a white fish with a sauce on it – all of which was TO DIE FOR! And then they brought out an assortment of cheeses to eat as our FIRST dessert before bringing out a steaming plate of apple tart and a scoop of ice cream, which just settled in our stomachs perfectly and made us feel warm, tired and ready for bed!!

By that time, it was already 10:00 and I was ready for a nice hot shower and that comfy bed that felt like a cloud and was calling my name! ……………………….. (to be continued) ………………………..

So there you have it!!!!

Day two of my WONDERFUL WEEKEND IN PARIS!

Stay tuned, tomorrow (hopefully), I’ll post about our last day in Paris!

Hoping all is well!!!!

39 days until I’m home!!!

Sending my love and warm thoughts to everyone back in the states!

Xoxoxoxoo

La vita e bella 

So, are you jealous already? Just from the title of this post? If you’re not jealous yet, you WILL be when you’re done reading this post about the A-M-A-Z-I-N-G time I had this weekend while in Paris with Alex.

First, let me begin with my (typical) disclaimer that this is going to be a loooooong post….

***WARNING: LONG POST****

HINT: This would be a good time to get that cup of tea, or coffee and get cozy on your couch to read all about my adventures!

Ah, where to begin? Well, I suppose I’ll start right from the very beginning, which actually brings us back about 6 years now……..

Six years ago, my family and I had the opportunity to invite a French exchange student to our home for about four weeks over the summer. It was through this wonderful experience that I first met the intelligent, kind, and fun Mathilde. In fact, our family loved Mathilde so much that we invited her to come back and visit our family again the following summer, not on a program this time, so that we could take her to Washington D.C. on our family vacation!

Since that time, our family has stayed in touch with Mathilde, and when my sister went to Cambridge, England to study abroad her junior year of college, Mathilde – who also happened to be studying in England at the time – met up with my sister! Now, it’s my turn to study abroad, and when Mathilde learned that I was studying in Florence, we got in touch and began discussing metting up. This time in PARIS! I was so excited to have the opportunity to get to visit Mathilde in Paris, one: because I have heard so many wonderful things about France, and Paris in particular, and two, because I felt that it was so interesting, almost as if a journey was coming full circle: we had gotten to show Mathilde where we grew up and lived, and now, she had the opportunity to do the same for me!

After getting things going – getting flight tickets, finding a good available weekend for everyone, booking bus tickets, and getting excited – Alex and I were so excited to finally get to make it to Paris to see all the wonderful sights!

Truthfully, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Sure, I had heard all about the Eiffel Tower and Versailles, but still, I didn’t really know what to expect. But boy can I now say that I was in for a treat! This past weekend Mathilde, her boyfriend and her family were nothing but kind, hospitable, accommodating, wonderful and pleasant and they made my trip to Paris better than anything I ever could have imagined. You just don’t get opportunities like this all of the time, and it’s important that you always appreciate them!

Thursday, after Alex registered for his classes for our spring semester at Bryant (yes, it’s already that time of year…..), we began our journey to Paris. Our first obstacle was actually finding the Terrivision bus that would take us from Florence to Pisa. Thankfully, a kind man in the Farmacia pointed us in the right direction! After showing up at what we THOUGHT was the right time – it turns out that when I bought the tickets online, I accidentally selected a bus time from Pisa to Florence and not Florence to Pisa…. But apparently that happens all of the time, so they just let us hop on the next bus headed to Pisa! – (thank goodness we planned to show up early!) Crisis averted, we were finally settled on our bus and headed to the Pisa airport by 1:15. By the time we got on our flight, we were able to really start getting excited for Paris!

**INSERT MOVIE SCENE**

I kid you not; my flight experience from Pisa to Paris was RIGHT out of a movie. You know those movies where the main character, already in a flustered or depressed mood, gets stuck sitting in front of the feisty, terrible six year old who kicks the seat the entire time while the parents do nothing? Yup, that lucky main character would be me. I have to give the kid credit for having enough energy to kick my seat for an hour and forty minutes, that’s no easy feat.

And THEN, to top off the hilarity of the entire flight, when we finally landed in Paris, the airline (Ryanair) played a trumpet fanfare sound effect (like this one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_2QdFrcTFU) to announce our arrival. It was great! Hahhahah

After getting off of our flight, we made our way to the arrivals gate and awaited Mathilde and Guillaume ’s (her boyfriend)  arrival to pick us up!

It was so great to see her again! The airport was about forty minutes from where her parents live, (we stayed at her parent’s house) and the four of us spent the entire car ride talking about politics!

Here are a few interesting points I remember from that conversation:

-          Did you know there have been up to 12 candidates for president in France during ONE election before?

-          In France, a President’s term is 7 years and they can serve two terms

-          France doesn’t have an Electoral College either, the votes come directly from the people

We also talked about how the driving point system in France and how it’s difficult to pass your driving test in France.

By the time we arrived at her parents B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L home, we were tired from a long day, but excited to meet her parents.

Mathilde’s parents were so lovely, so welcoming, hospitable, kind, and inviting! I can’t express enough how welcoming they were, they really made me and Alex feel as though we were at home. Their house was beautiful! Something you would expect to see splashed across the pages of a Southern Living magazine, but not in an un-inviting way! The instant I walked in, I felt at home!

After taking a few minutes to get settled in our room and to freshen up, we all met back downstairs in the living room to talk, and have some DEEEEEEEEEELICIOUS appetizers! My favorite appetizer of the weekend was toasted bread with a tuna fish spread which consisted of tuna fish, seasonings, and spreadable cheese blended together and then spread over the toasted bread. IT WAS TO DIE FOR!

It was such an interesting dynamic, the six of us all together. Mathilde’s parents (although they tried very hard and were doing quite well!) didn’t speak much English, and neither Alex or I speak French, so Mathilde and her boyfriend were translating back and forth for the four of us, and yet, it was so cool and so interesting because we still all managed to carry on some sort of Franglish conversation. (Oh, and that term “Franglish” was invented by Guillaume as a combination of French and English…how cleaver! hahah)

After our appetizers, it was time for our first home-cooked French meal. And let me just tell you, even writing about it now, my mouth is watering remembering the deliciousness of the meal!

The dish is called a "raclette", which is a typical French meal from the Alpes (it's basically cheese with potatoes and ham). Of course, I had salmon with my dish instead, which was ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!!

So the way that it works, is you have a Raclette grill right in the middle of the table, which looks like this:

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_K36ioyK-wTo/TP25WAvyenI/AAAAAAAABMY/AJImzJXXDUE/s1600/Raclette_Grill.jpg

And you put your potato on the top part to cook a little more, and then you pull out the little dishes underneath with the handle and you put your cheese in there to melt.

After the cheese melts, you take the potato off and you cut up some potato, put it on top of a slice of meat (or in my case, Salmon) and then you pour some of the hot, melted cheese over it and eat it! It was to die for!! Alex and I couldn’t stop eating (stereotypical Americans :p). The meal was wonderful and after our stomachs were so happy!

After finishing dinner, we weren’t quite done yet! Mathilde’s grandmother made some delicious crepes for us to have for dessert. Mathilde and her family showed Alex and I a few different ways in which you can fold the crepe after smothering it with some Nutella, or maple syrup, or even jam! (Naturally, I chose the Nutella!)

After a phenomenal meal, Alex and I were well fed and ready to get to bed in preparation of what promised to be another amazing day the next morning!  

Since that post was already long enough, and it was only day one, I’ll cut you a little slack and break down my posts into days! I think that’s enough for now! I’ll be sure to post later on today, or tomorrow about Day two in Paris! But here’s a little sneak peak: Notre Dame, The Eiffel Tower and another incredible day!

UPDATE:

40 days until I’m home!!!

Doesn’t it seem like just yesterday I was publishing my first post?!

HAPPY MONDAY TO EVERYONE!! I hope you all had a relaxing weekend and are ready to take on another day!!!

Keeping everyone in my thoughts and prayers!

Sending my love to all!!!

Xoxoxoxox

Kat

La vita e bella!

Ciao a tutti!!!

How is everyone?! 

I'VE RETURNED FROM PARIS!!! 

Okay, so I know I've said this a fair amount of times already (okay, pretty much every weekend I get home from an amazing trip....) but literally, this weekend was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. Words cannot even begin to describe how wonderfully Mathilde and her family treated me and Alex, how amazing Paris was, how breathtaking all of the sights, tastes and sounds were, how relaxed, and how awe-struck I was....the list goes on and on! 

Unfortunately, after a loooooooooong day (today we woke up early and went to Versailles!!! then caught our flight/bus home and only just got in an hour or so ago!), I think I'm in need of a good night's sleep! Soooo, that means that the best part of my blogging about Paris will have to come tomorrow!! But trust me! You won't be upset over waiting!! 

I was keeping a journal on all of the things we did, saw, ate, and experienced while in Paris, so I have pages- and I mean PAGES - of notes in a journal devoted to our trip to Paris that I can't wait to translate over to my blog to share with everyone!!! 

Here's a quick low-down of everything Alex and I got to do with Mathilde, her boyfriend Guillaume, and her family while in Paris:


Thursday night, when we first got in, we got a tour of Mathilde's beeeeeeeeautiful home, and we got to meet her wonderfully hospitable parents! After a DEEEEEELICIOUS dinner (to be detailed more fully in tomorrow's blog), we got to bed early because the next day promised to be a busy day!!!


Friday, we saw:
The Eiffel Tower! (see picture above!)
A river cruise tour of all the amazing monuments alone the Sine river
Lunch at a DELICIOUS Creperie 
Visited Montmarte church 
Had a DELICIOUS home cooked meal at Mathilde's house 
BED!

Saturday,
We went to the Louvre:
 -- went to the exhibit on Islam (awesome!) 
 -- Saw the Mona Lisa!! 
 -- Saw the statue of Venus (the original!) 
 -- Saw the Greek/ Egyptian and Roman exhibits, too!

Had a picnic at a park by the Louvre

Walked down Avenue des Champs - Elysees!!
Stopped at the Mercedes Benz show room
Saw the Arc de Triomphe 
ATE MACAROONS! SOOO YUMMIE!
Trained back home to Mathilde's for another AMAZING dinner
BED

Sunday, our last day (wah!)
Went to Versailles!!!!!!!!! 
Had a picnic by the gardens at Versailles 
drove to the airport (SAD!)
Flew/ bussed back to Florence

Anyways! 

Check out Toby and Gunthers page to see some of their adventures in Paris!!

And be sure to check back in tomorrow for a nice **(warning)** LOOOOOOOONG post on how AMAZING Paris was this weekend and all the wonderful things Alex and I got to see and do!! 

Hoping all is well!!!

xxoxoxoxoxo

Kat