I've Fallen off the Wagon..... Temporarily!
Ciao a tutti!!
I hope that everyone is having a wonderful week! Happy Wednesday!!!
This week is flying by! Right before my very eyes! And I'm enjoying every single second of it! Forgive me for being so terrible with keeping everyone up to date on my adventures.... it appears that I've fallen off the wagon (of blogging that is!) .... but not to worry, it's only temporary!
Now that I have a minute to settle in and breathe, I can give you a quick update on everything Fall Break related! It's literally been just the thing I needed! It's been so much better than I ever could have imagined my fall break to be and it will be quite a pity when I have to go back to doing school work!
First, I'd like to start off with a startling realization...... I'm going to be back in the U.S. in just 51 days! Someone, please tell me, WHERE HAS THE TIME GONE?! I can hardly believe that I less than two months I will be back in little rhody, probably reading over my blog posts and reminiscing about all the great times I got to have here in Italy. Just a little word of warning... I WILL most certainly be talking everyone's ears off about Italy for a good while when I return home, so do whatever you feel will be necessary to prepare for my nonstop chattering about Italy! :)
Okay, focusing here..... now, where did I leave off? Oh, yes, the last post was on Saturday, after my adventures to see The David!
Well, some wonderful things have certainly happened since then! For your sake, I will just give you the highlights and I won't bore you with every minute detail of the past few days!
On Sunday, after getting up and relaxing, I went with a few of the girls from the apartment to the Duomo (the third largest cathedral in the world, in case I didn't mention that about two hundred times already since my arrival in Florence....) for Sunday mass. Now, I've been to the Duomo before for mass, but the last time I went, I went to an english service. This time around, the girls and I decided that we wanted to go all out and get a real Italian experience. So we went to the mass held in Italian and WITH THE ORGAN! It was literally the most beautiful, breathtaking, stunning, magical mass that I have ever been to! The organ was so beautiful! One of my favorite parts about going to mass in Italian was that I was still able to follow along! Mass, regardless of language, is run the same way, so although I may not have known exactly what was being said, the order of mass is so ingrained in my mind, that I knew what was going on! It felt amazing! It was literally one of the best experiences of mass that I have ever had!
The rest of Sunday and all of Monday are a blur to me now! They were spent in a haze of happiness, relaxation and enjoyment! All I'm certain of, is that I have done MILES of walking, all over the city of Florence! It's been great because I've seen so many places I haven't taken the time to see since being here. We spent an entire afternoon on Monday just walking through the streets surrounding our apartment where all of the street vendors sell their scarves, purses, jewelry, shoes, dresses, souvenirs, and trinkets! We also made a few trips over the Ponte Vecchio where we just walked around to all of the shops around there and took our time, just enjoying the sites.
On Tuesday, we woke up extra early to make the 40 minute walk to the open-air markets. The ones where all the Italians go to to buy the things they need (not like the street vendors outside our apartments where it's mainly tourists who buy). It was a cool experience. These markets are only open on Tuesdays from 8 am until about 1 pm, so there's a small window of opportunity to go and get the things that you need. But boy do they have it all! They had clothing, and yarn (for knitting), and cooking supplies, and fresh fruit and vegetables, and shoes, bags, jewelry, batteries, tools, electronics, you name it, and you could probably find it! After getting our fill of the markets, we made our way back to our apartment. By the time we got back around noon, we were all ready for a little rest! So we rested up and then Brittany and I headed over to the Basilica of Santa Croce which is an absolutely stunning church! We toured inside of the church and got to see famous tombs like that of Dante and Machiavelli! They are currently doing some restoration of the front part of the church above the alter, but it was still breathtakingly beautiful! It was so wonderful that we ended up finally getting to go and see the beautiful church. For the past two months, I've probably walked by that church a good twenty times and never even thought to go look inside! And boy, was I in for a treat!
After getting to see Santa Croce, there was an entrance that led right into a leather school! It was so cool! We got to see work tables where people were engraving leather or stamping initials into leather jackets, purses and bracelets! It was so neat to see it done! I would absolutely suggest to anyone coming to Florence to take the time to tour Santa Croce and then go into the leather school! Who knows, maybe you'll come out with a cool new leather item, hand engraved with your initials or something interesting! A keepsake forever!
After touring the leather school (Scuola del Cuoio) and Basilica of Santa Croce, Brittany and I decided to sit at a little cafe right in the square, drink a cup of coffee and just people watch for a bit before we moseyed on back home! It was such a lovely day and a relaxing night! After we got home, we made dinner and then settled in for a movie night! (We watched "What to Expect When Expecting" and "Argo") Both PHENOMENAL movies that I would absolutely suggest everyone see! Although, they are quite different movies in the genre department!
This morning, I woke up early and curled up on the couch with my cup of coffee and read my book for a few hours before deciding it was time to take advantage of the BEAUTIFUL day and get myself outside! After going to the food store to get a few things for my dinner that I made tonight, Brittany and I set out for our daily adventures! We took our time getting over the Ponte Vecchio (seems to be the Italian way of doing things.... dare I say that maybe I'm losing that american mentality?!.... not a bad thing in my opinion ;) ) and after a few detours into cut little shops, we finally made it to Pitti Palace. It used to be the palace of The Medici family and other Duke's and Duchesses along the way, but it is mainly known for being one of the Medici family palaces. It has, naturally, now become a museum, which Brittany and I spent a few hours exploring. Let me just tell you, we only saw two exhibits and we spent two hours there! There's still a good handful of other exhibits that I NEED to make it to before going back to the states in December. Words literally cannot even begin to describe the beauty of the palace. So much history is within and on the walls at Pitti Palace and I don't think a million trips back to the exhibits would ever make the mystique, grandeur and beauty of the palace any less magnificent!
After spending a few hours in Pitti Palace, we walked - scratch that - HIKED MOUNT EVEREST- up to San Miniato al Monte for mass! But get this: mass was in ITALIAN.... IN A CRYPT! It was so cool!!!!!!! Although, by 5:40 when mass started, I was so exhausted, I was struggling to stay awake, especially in the crypt which was pretty dark, dead silent (aside from the priests, of course) and so calming! Mass was amazing! And the experience itself was incredible!!!
After mass, we walked back home, which took about 40 minutes, and I was finally able to plop down on the couch after a long few days of non-stop walking and exploring, and update my blog!
It's been such an amazing past few days, I hope you can all forgive my lack of blogging!
One last word before I go:
I've never felt as happy as I do right now, sitting in the beautiful city of Florence and realizing I have the world at my fingertips. I'm so blessed, and so lucky to have so many amazing people in my life and for all of these experiences and opportunities. My wish is that everyone can feel as happy as I do, right in this very moment.
♥
Check out some information on the places I've gone the past few days:
Santa Croce
http://www.santacroceopera.it/it/default.aspx
http://www.mega.it/eng/egui/monu/xbasilic.htm
http://www.museumsinflorence.com/musei/museum_of_opera_s_croce.html
Leather School: Scuola del Cuoio
http://www.scuoladelcuoio.com/scuola-del-cuoio-about-us.html
San Miniato al Monte
http://www.san-miniato-al-monte.com/
http://www.panoramicearth.com/5431/Florence/San_Miniato_al_Monte_-_Crypt
http://www.mega.it/eng/egui/monu/sminiat.htm
Pitti Palace
http://www.museumsinflorence.com/musei/Pitti_palace.html
http://193.42.139.9/english/musei/palazzopitti/
http://www.mega.it/eng/egui/monu/pittpala.htm
Love to all!! i miss you all so much! and hope everyone is doing well!!
I hope that everyone is having a wonderful week! Happy Wednesday!!!
This week is flying by! Right before my very eyes! And I'm enjoying every single second of it! Forgive me for being so terrible with keeping everyone up to date on my adventures.... it appears that I've fallen off the wagon (of blogging that is!) .... but not to worry, it's only temporary!
Now that I have a minute to settle in and breathe, I can give you a quick update on everything Fall Break related! It's literally been just the thing I needed! It's been so much better than I ever could have imagined my fall break to be and it will be quite a pity when I have to go back to doing school work!
First, I'd like to start off with a startling realization...... I'm going to be back in the U.S. in just 51 days! Someone, please tell me, WHERE HAS THE TIME GONE?! I can hardly believe that I less than two months I will be back in little rhody, probably reading over my blog posts and reminiscing about all the great times I got to have here in Italy. Just a little word of warning... I WILL most certainly be talking everyone's ears off about Italy for a good while when I return home, so do whatever you feel will be necessary to prepare for my nonstop chattering about Italy! :)
Okay, focusing here..... now, where did I leave off? Oh, yes, the last post was on Saturday, after my adventures to see The David!
Well, some wonderful things have certainly happened since then! For your sake, I will just give you the highlights and I won't bore you with every minute detail of the past few days!
On Sunday, after getting up and relaxing, I went with a few of the girls from the apartment to the Duomo (the third largest cathedral in the world, in case I didn't mention that about two hundred times already since my arrival in Florence....) for Sunday mass. Now, I've been to the Duomo before for mass, but the last time I went, I went to an english service. This time around, the girls and I decided that we wanted to go all out and get a real Italian experience. So we went to the mass held in Italian and WITH THE ORGAN! It was literally the most beautiful, breathtaking, stunning, magical mass that I have ever been to! The organ was so beautiful! One of my favorite parts about going to mass in Italian was that I was still able to follow along! Mass, regardless of language, is run the same way, so although I may not have known exactly what was being said, the order of mass is so ingrained in my mind, that I knew what was going on! It felt amazing! It was literally one of the best experiences of mass that I have ever had!
The rest of Sunday and all of Monday are a blur to me now! They were spent in a haze of happiness, relaxation and enjoyment! All I'm certain of, is that I have done MILES of walking, all over the city of Florence! It's been great because I've seen so many places I haven't taken the time to see since being here. We spent an entire afternoon on Monday just walking through the streets surrounding our apartment where all of the street vendors sell their scarves, purses, jewelry, shoes, dresses, souvenirs, and trinkets! We also made a few trips over the Ponte Vecchio where we just walked around to all of the shops around there and took our time, just enjoying the sites.
On Tuesday, we woke up extra early to make the 40 minute walk to the open-air markets. The ones where all the Italians go to to buy the things they need (not like the street vendors outside our apartments where it's mainly tourists who buy). It was a cool experience. These markets are only open on Tuesdays from 8 am until about 1 pm, so there's a small window of opportunity to go and get the things that you need. But boy do they have it all! They had clothing, and yarn (for knitting), and cooking supplies, and fresh fruit and vegetables, and shoes, bags, jewelry, batteries, tools, electronics, you name it, and you could probably find it! After getting our fill of the markets, we made our way back to our apartment. By the time we got back around noon, we were all ready for a little rest! So we rested up and then Brittany and I headed over to the Basilica of Santa Croce which is an absolutely stunning church! We toured inside of the church and got to see famous tombs like that of Dante and Machiavelli! They are currently doing some restoration of the front part of the church above the alter, but it was still breathtakingly beautiful! It was so wonderful that we ended up finally getting to go and see the beautiful church. For the past two months, I've probably walked by that church a good twenty times and never even thought to go look inside! And boy, was I in for a treat!
After getting to see Santa Croce, there was an entrance that led right into a leather school! It was so cool! We got to see work tables where people were engraving leather or stamping initials into leather jackets, purses and bracelets! It was so neat to see it done! I would absolutely suggest to anyone coming to Florence to take the time to tour Santa Croce and then go into the leather school! Who knows, maybe you'll come out with a cool new leather item, hand engraved with your initials or something interesting! A keepsake forever!
After touring the leather school (Scuola del Cuoio) and Basilica of Santa Croce, Brittany and I decided to sit at a little cafe right in the square, drink a cup of coffee and just people watch for a bit before we moseyed on back home! It was such a lovely day and a relaxing night! After we got home, we made dinner and then settled in for a movie night! (We watched "What to Expect When Expecting" and "Argo") Both PHENOMENAL movies that I would absolutely suggest everyone see! Although, they are quite different movies in the genre department!
This morning, I woke up early and curled up on the couch with my cup of coffee and read my book for a few hours before deciding it was time to take advantage of the BEAUTIFUL day and get myself outside! After going to the food store to get a few things for my dinner that I made tonight, Brittany and I set out for our daily adventures! We took our time getting over the Ponte Vecchio (seems to be the Italian way of doing things.... dare I say that maybe I'm losing that american mentality?!.... not a bad thing in my opinion ;) ) and after a few detours into cut little shops, we finally made it to Pitti Palace. It used to be the palace of The Medici family and other Duke's and Duchesses along the way, but it is mainly known for being one of the Medici family palaces. It has, naturally, now become a museum, which Brittany and I spent a few hours exploring. Let me just tell you, we only saw two exhibits and we spent two hours there! There's still a good handful of other exhibits that I NEED to make it to before going back to the states in December. Words literally cannot even begin to describe the beauty of the palace. So much history is within and on the walls at Pitti Palace and I don't think a million trips back to the exhibits would ever make the mystique, grandeur and beauty of the palace any less magnificent!
After spending a few hours in Pitti Palace, we walked - scratch that - HIKED MOUNT EVEREST- up to San Miniato al Monte for mass! But get this: mass was in ITALIAN.... IN A CRYPT! It was so cool!!!!!!! Although, by 5:40 when mass started, I was so exhausted, I was struggling to stay awake, especially in the crypt which was pretty dark, dead silent (aside from the priests, of course) and so calming! Mass was amazing! And the experience itself was incredible!!!
After mass, we walked back home, which took about 40 minutes, and I was finally able to plop down on the couch after a long few days of non-stop walking and exploring, and update my blog!
It's been such an amazing past few days, I hope you can all forgive my lack of blogging!
One last word before I go:
I've never felt as happy as I do right now, sitting in the beautiful city of Florence and realizing I have the world at my fingertips. I'm so blessed, and so lucky to have so many amazing people in my life and for all of these experiences and opportunities. My wish is that everyone can feel as happy as I do, right in this very moment.
♥
Check out some information on the places I've gone the past few days:
Santa Croce
http://www.santacroceopera.it/it/default.aspx
http://www.mega.it/eng/egui/monu/xbasilic.htm
http://www.museumsinflorence.com/musei/museum_of_opera_s_croce.html
Leather School: Scuola del Cuoio
http://www.scuoladelcuoio.com/scuola-del-cuoio-about-us.html
San Miniato al Monte
http://www.san-miniato-al-monte.com/
http://www.panoramicearth.com/5431/Florence/San_Miniato_al_Monte_-_Crypt
http://www.mega.it/eng/egui/monu/sminiat.htm
Pitti Palace
http://www.museumsinflorence.com/musei/Pitti_palace.html
http://193.42.139.9/english/musei/palazzopitti/
http://www.mega.it/eng/egui/monu/pittpala.htm
Love to all!! i miss you all so much! and hope everyone is doing well!!
One last funny bit to throw in:
Brittany is trying to iron a shirt and apparently you can ONLY have the iron going..... if you try ironing your shirt while anything else is on, you lose internet and power in all of the other plugs.....
#StudyAbroadItalyProblems
hahah
So everyone, as you iron your shirt tomorrow morning while your coffee is brewing and you're watching the morning news, appreciate the fact that you can be doing all three simultaneously!
Okay.... I'm done, for real!
GOOOOOOOOD NIGHT EVERYONE!!
Enjoy the blog post!
Sorr
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