Florence, November 2013

After Modena, we took a quick train to Firenze. I wish I could say the weather was beautiful but it just wasn't. It rained the entire time we were there. Fortunately it was more of a sprinkle, which didn't stop us from walking around. We were only there for one full day and one half day, but we packed it full.

It was interesting visiting this city again for the third time. Of course it's still beautiful to me, but I wasn't so clicker happy with my camera. I guess that's true of all places when you think about it. Once you've seen something, it's not quite as special as the first time. It also didn't help that the sky wasn't the beautiful blue I was used to seeing.

Our first stop was the San Lorenzo Market. We bought purses, scarves, and journals galore. I was looking for one specific stall with a lady who I've seen the past two years. She sells these perfect clutches and leather gloves. But she was no where to be found! I was so disappointed but I guess the bright side is I saved a bit of money??? I'm still on the lookout for some good gloves, though. Winter in Geneva is brutal for this Georgia girl.

We just stumbled around the city for most of the day. Ponte Vecchio, the Duomo, beautiful side streets...my mom loved it all. And I was so glad. It's still my favorite city so far. We ate dinner at Ciro and Sons. My mom had gnocchi alla sorrentina and I had margherita pizza. It was delicious. I highly recommend it. The staff was so friendly and the food was great. They even have a lot of gluten free options (you just have to call ahead if you want gluten free pizza).

The next morning we had breakfast, walked around the market a little more, and then hopped on our train to go to Milan, where we caught a flight to Glasgow!

Beginning of Mother/Daughter Travels!

My mom came to visit me in Europe back in November. Over two months later...I'm finally writing about it!

She flew into Geneva on October 31. Happy Halloween to me! Since her birthday is October 24, we ordered a cake to celebrate. We spent the rest of the night talking and packing for our week-long trip. I was so excited to finally see her after six months. It's awesome having Skype to communicate, but being with her in person was so much better.

We started our trip in Modena, Italy. I was able to introduce her to my host family from two years ago. It was awesome to combine those two worlds. Sadly, I have no pictures of us all together. That just means we have to go back again! While we were there, we took a bike tour around the town, had dinner with Nonna, went to the new Ferrari museum, and ate a lot of really delicious food. I went to Ski Pass with my "siblings", which is a huge ski exhibition hosted by Nissan. It was a lot of fun and there was even a huge party that night. Italians sure know how to party. I got to hang out with a lot of people I had met the year before, and I met some of their friends that I hadn't previously met. I even impressed myself with the amount of Italian I could understand. We were out until 4 am, and I was exhausted the next day, but it was fun.

While I was at Ski Pass, my mom went around town with the parents. I was a little nervous about leaving her alone but they all got along great. Further proof that these people are just the sweetest. I'm so glad my mom was able to meet them after hearing so much about them.

After Modena, we hopped on a train headed to Firenze!

Benevento e Roma

My birthday this year was not very conventional. I wasn't around any friends or family. Which was kind of sad. But I can say I turned 23 in Rome, so that is pretty exciting.

I went with my host family to Italy for a four-day trip. Most of it was spent in Benevento, the dad's hometown. I walked around the city, met some new friends, watched Catching Fire in Italian, ate pasta for Thanksgiving, and devoured A LOT of pizza.

On Saturday, my birthday, we drove to Rome. Unfortunately, we were only there for about half a day and it got dark very early, so I didn't see a lot. However, I loved what I saw. I can't wait to go back and see more!

#godawgs

first cannoli

Doing 23 the Right Way

In three short days, I will be turning 23!! It's pretty exciting to think I will turn 23 in Europe. But you know what's even better? The fact that I will be turning 23 in Italy. I don't know what it is exactly, but I just love that country.

We are leaving this afternoon to head to Italy. We will be in Benevento, my host dad's hometown for a few days. Then we are driving to Rome for my birthday. I'm so excited to visit this city that I've heard so much about. My Italian host family from last year has been telling me to go for a long time. And my Italian friend here is actually from Rome. So obviously he thinks I should go. I'm more than happy to oblige.

While I'm gone, here are some unedited pictures of the first snow!

I took the little one outside to play. The snow was almost all gone, but we had a lot of fun making snow balls. She also wanted to carry her "peeg" around in her jacket. So cute.

Milano Highlights

Today is the day!! My mom is officially on her way to Geneva. In less than six hours, we will be reunited!! It's been 167 days since I've seen her in person and I am just so excited! Je suis très contente!

In the meantime, enjoy these pictures from my quick weekend in Milano!

Highlights: Duomo and Teatro alla Scala

Terremoto...Take Two

I was looking back through my journal of my trip and came across the last day of camp in Italy. We had just taken the kids outside for lunch. Maggie and I walked back into the school to grab our food when all of a sudden, TERREMOTO!! Everything started shaking...just like last year. We ran out of the building as fast as we could.

What are the chances that I would be in Italy for earthquakes two years in a row. I mean, come on!

Last year, I was on the study abroad trip and they sent us home early. This year, I fortunately did not have to be sent home. Instead, we went to the sea.

I'm so glad my Italian family is very relaxed about earthquakes. After they make sure everyone is okay, they just laugh about it. I know it's not a joking matter, but it's a little comical to me. There really isn't anything you can do. As long as there isn't anything to fall on your head, you just have to wait it out.

Can't believe I forgot to mention this when I was posting about Italy. See...it really isn't a big deal in my head! Except for when the earth is actually shaking. It's a big deal for those few seconds :)

Sunset Over Firenze

Piazza Michelangeo. One of my favorite places. Especially at dusk. We hiked up the massive hill to see a beautiful sunset.

Little did we know, the MTV music awards were being filmed at the top! We had some nice background music as we watched the sun go down.

I'm still learning how to work my camera. Especially at night! It's been a lot of fun to use it in so many different ways on this trip.

Really wish this picture wasn't so dark! But I still love it.

On to day two!

Checkout in our hostel was at 10:30. We slept until 11. Oops! We totally forgot about checking out until the cleaning man knocked on our door and yelled at us. At least they didn't charge us!

We went to an American diner for brunch. I had yummy chocolate chip pancakes and scrambled eggs. It was so nice to get a little taste of home.

Then we went shopping again...no surprise there! It was really nice to be away from camp and relax with some retail therapy.

Of course we saw the Duomo. That building is just breathtaking. I love it so much.

And then we walked back to the Arno River before our train left.

I love these girls. I'm so thankful we worked at camp together. Don't know what I would have done without them! It's crazy to think that we are all in different countries now. I'm in Spain, Rachel is back in America, and Maggie is in England. Good thing we have texting and snapchat to keep in touch!

It's always a good idea to go to Firenze. I plan on taking my mom when she comes to visit me later this year. Can't wait to go back!