Let It Be

I can't believe I haven't wrote about this place called Bebop yet! So every Tuesday night at this place called Bebop there is a Beatles cover band. Seriously they are so good and it is such a great time! Everyone usually goes. It's so much fun just to be around everyone and music that everyone in the world loves. There are two parts to the show and the first part is always so packed. They play in the basment of this little bar and literally people will fill the place, flooding up onto the stairs. Usually after the first act it thins out a bit. However, the second act is the best part for the music and because it is not as crowded. It is so much fun! One of the guys on our trip, Paul is a Beatles fanatic, he is so much fun to go with. He knows every word to every song. If you're lucky you get to hang out with the band members during intermission and some of the girls on the trip have even had a drink with them after the show! I get my hopes up everytime that they will play Let It Be which is my favorite but I think it's too slow but my friend Jeff and I are determined to get them to play it before we leave! Only two more chances left!!

So after seeing the tower in Pisa Arianna and I took the tram from the train station to the airport. We were really curious to see what RYANAIR was like since it is so cheap. However, as we waited to check we witnessed something ridiculous. There was this woman, barefoot wearing sunglasses literally throwing things around the building and against the walls, her cell phone, pens, shampoo, hair spray, pretty much anything in her possession. Then she was waving this water around and rubbing it on the walls like it was holy water or something. Soon she started walking around punching signs and trying to rip the fire extinguisher off the wall. At first it was pretty entertaining but then it was pretty scary since no one was doing anything not even the airport employees. Everyone was just watching. Finally, we got our tickets and were able to leave while this woman was still pitching a fit.

RYANAIR was a lot better than I thought. The plane was pretty big. There was a group of really obnoxious spanish soccer fans on our flight wearing jerseys and blowing this annoying horn. I'm not sure how I managed it but the second I sat down on the plane I was out. I didn't even wake up through take off. I woke up just in time to see the island coming up though. After we breezed through the airport we took a bus to Paceville, the town we were staying in. The drive there was so beautiful and so bumpy! The bus drivers are crazy and there are no doors on the bus. Since Malta was a British colony they drive on the other side of the rode. We really weren’t sure where to get off since nothing was really labeled and the directions to our hostel literally just said walk down past the Burger King. Real helpful huh? We end up getting off at the wrong spot but the weirdest thing happened. The number of our hostel was 35 so we found 35 on this street, even though it was the wrong one and it was a James Madison University building. So weird! Well we got back on the bus and eventually found our stop. Our hostel was so great! It was right in the center of Paceville, which is home to Malta’s best night life and we were right by the ocean as well. We had a terrace so we could sit out there and we were in a private room so it was just Arianna and I. Best part, all of this for only 15 euro! Crazy. So we got dressed and were ready for our first night out in Paceville!

We went to this restaurant called Amigos for dinner and to watch the soccer games. It was really good, we just got a few appetizers to split and drinks. It was also so cheap! After the game was over we started our night. We went to this place called Fun Bar and it was insane. It was a bar/club. The best thing was it was filled with Netherlands fans all painted and going crazy. Everyone was so nice and outgoing! We made a lot of friends and spent all night there and the place right next door called Havanas which was a dance club. It is seriously the perfect place for college kids to go. Unlike Firenze where drinks are so pricey and there’s a cover charge everywhere, in Malta there was none of that. You could get pitchers of your favorite mixed drinks for 10 euro then get a second one for free. It was bizarre. We stayed out pretty late and eventually headed back to the hostel.

We woke up on friday morning and found a little place to grab breakfast. Afterwards, we talked to the owner of our hostel about where the best place to go to the beach was. He told us to take the bus 45 minutes north to a place called Golden Bay. The bus ride was a wooping 47 cents and had the most beautiful views. It was worth the 45 minute drive. The beach was prettier than any island I have ever seen! Crystal clear water, cliffs and the softest sand. We literally stayed there all day laying out and swimming in the sea. We grabbed lunch at this place called Munchies Beach Shack. I had a mixed salad with tuna and this amazing basil and mint dressing. We took the bus back to Paceville and went home to shower and get ready for night number two.

Night number two was pretty much a repeat of the first night. We ended up eating dinner and watching the game at the same place because we had such a good time the night before. The only difference was we stopped in at a few other small places before going to Fun Bar and Havanas just to check them out but nothing was as fun as those. We even met up with some of the same people from the night before. All in all it was one of the best nights of my life.

On Saturday we just went to one of the local beaches before getting ready to leave for the airport. We tried to switch our flight to Sunday but RYANAIR has all these dumb rules, but hey what do you expect when you can get flights that cheap. Malta was such an amazing experience, one I will definitely never forget. If I wasn’t studying in Italia I don’t think I would have ever thought to go to Malta. It was so cheap and one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. It was also so nice to travel with only one other person instead of a large group. We were able to do more and get to places quicker. It was seriously one of the best weekends of my life.

Pisa...literally just a tower

So Thursday started our four day weekend which meant traveling for the majority of us. People went everywhere from Dublin to Barcelona to the Almafi Coast but Arianna and I decided to go to Malta from the weekend which is south of Sicily. Since our flight out of pizza wasn't until 4 we decided it would be the perfect opportunity to go and see the tower...literally that is all there is to Pisa. We got off the train headed to the piazza where the tower was located took some corny pictures then realized we still had tons of time to kill. We stopped for cappuccino then just decided to head to the airport early to get our bearings since it was both of our first time.

This is what dreams are made of

Friday morning we left for Rome pretty early. We arrived in the city in the late morning and went straight to our hotel to check in. After we were all settled we had a few hours to grab lunch and explore the city. The five of us girls ended up at this place Mojito Tres right on the water to just sit and relax and have a drink. At 3 we headed back to the hotel to meet our guide Frederico. He was one of the most energetic people I have ever met. We first went to the Roman Forum and saw ruins that dated back to the time of Julius Caesar. After that we went into the Senate. Next, was the Colosseum. It was unreal! The architecture of that time period was unbelievable. However, as Frederico told us stories about the types of things that went on in the Colosseum it made the place a little less appealing. Once we finished up there we headed for the Pantheon. The drainage system in this magnificent building was absolutely astounding. There is no glass or cover over the dome so when it rains it comes into the building. The floors are crowned with tiny drains running along the outside. We then were set free for the rest of the evening. Some of us went to this small pizza place across from our hotel. It was so good! Then we headed back to the hotel to shower and get ready for our first night out in Roma!

That night one of the girls on the trip was turning 21 at twelve so we all pregamed together then headed to one of the main squares. There were tons of people out! Not only people from Italy but from Austraila, England, America etc. We ended up at a really crowded bar, waited until 12 and sang happy birthday to her. Then we called it a night since we had to be up and ready for a 7 hour tour starting at 730 the next morning!

730 came WAY too quickly Saturday morning. We had a small breakfast at the hotel then were off with Frederico once again. We headed straight for the Vatican Museum, trying to beat the line! Frederico told us that 25,000 people enter the Vatican everyday! We waited for a little bit and Frederico made sure no one got in front of us in line. Once we were in it was worth the wait! First, we went through the museum where we saw all sorts of amazing mosaics and rugs. Next was my favorite part of the trip, the Sistine Chapel. I still cannot believe that I was in the Sistine Chapel. I have spent so much time learning about it in school and looking at images of it but nothing will ever compare to the feeling I had the second I stepped in there. To be able to see all the amazing frescos painted on the ceiling by Michaelangelo and his breathtaking painting along the back wall of The Last Judgement is something I will never forget. I am so grateful for such an amazing experience. After we spent enough time in the Sistine Chapel we headed for St. Peter's Basilica. Once again, I felt so lucky to be able to see such a place in real life. There is so much history and art there it is unreal. I don't know how anyone could not appreciate such amazing places.

So we all survived the 7 hour tour but were starving! A small group of us grabbed some pizza right on the water. It was probably the best pizza I have had so far. Once we finished some of the girls went home for naps but Alex and I decided to walk around the city a bit more. We ended up going to this gelato place where the owners made us taste pretty much every flavor they had. Once we tested all of them we walked into this square where there were all these break dancers. They were really good and so entertaining. It's so strange in every city when Alex and I venture off we always find the most bizarre things or weird things happen to us. Then we returned to the hotel only to leave again to go play football with Brendan and Lauren Onastack for awhile except once again we got side tracked by the same square where we saw the dancers. This time however there was a magician. He literally ate a balloon. I still have no idea how that happened. He also got himself out of a straight jacket that was chained. It was incredible. Once that was over we decided we were in desperate need of a shower. We got ready and decided to try an appertivo for dinner since we love them so much in Firenze. The appertivo we went to was awesome! It seemed like a very local place and very artsy. It was so much fun! We came back to find pretty much everyone on the trip hanging out in the common room pregaming before we went out. It was the first time everyone was together just hanging out playing drinking games. It is definitely a night I will never forget.

Sunday morning was a lazy start. We had to bring our bags down at 10 so we slept until the last possible minute. We grabbed breakfast then went to see the Pope. We actually made it on time and were all blessed by him! The it started to downpour and we got stuck in the middle of it! Once it subsided we made our way to the Trevi Fountain. We threw a coin in over our shoulder and made a wish! Then we headed to the Spanish Steps and sat there until it was time for us to meet at the hotel to depart for the train station. All in all Roma was such an amazing time! It was nice to hang out with everyone and see so many cool places. I cannot believe I was in the Sistine Chapel! It did make me realize how quickly time is going since it was our last scheduled trip with the group :( TIME PLEASE SLOW DOWN!!

Nothing like a run in a hail storm...

So today we had our Dante class in the morning which was a bit rough since we were all out pretty late lastnight celebrating finishing our midterm art papers. We all made it through though. On the walk home I stopped at the fruit market to buy some cherries. After numerous attempts of trying to see if Matt could catch a cherry in his mouth we decided we better do something else with our lives. I finally convinced Matt even though he is living off of two hours of sleep he should go run with me. When we left home it was just cloudy but as we got further into our run it grew darker and darker. Pretty soon a HUGE storm blew up. It started to lightening and thunder then pour of course while we were in the park surrounded by thousands of trees and the arno...not too smart haha. We decided to tough it out since we were already soaked until it began to hail! It wasn't just small little pieces of hail either they were HUGE I have never seen anything like it. So instead of getting pelted the entire way home we took shelter under a hotel awning. After about ten minutes it lightened up and we continued on. Our clothes and sneakers probably weighed an extra ten pounds. We finally made it back and as expected our 3 other roommates laughed at us when they saw how soaked we were. I just took a hot shower to warm up. I feel so guilty staying in on these free afternoons but the weather is atrocious right now!

Red, Red Wine

On Monday after classes we went up to the Frescobaldi Mansions for a wine tour. We stopped at two different places the first where they make white and sweet wine and the second place where predominately red wine is made. We got to see the mansions, vineyards and where they actually let the wine age and ferment. It was one of the most beautiful areas I have ever seen. It was really interesting to see how they make the wine there. I couldn't believe how long of a process it is! It takes four years for wine to ferment. Then the wine professor here took us into the basement of one of the houses and showed us all the wine given to the Frescobaldi children. If you are female you receive 100 bottles of wine that was made from the year you were born. If you are male you receive 500 from that year. I think that is pretty unfair!

We saw two plants that Prince Charles planted and all the pictures of the amazing people who have been to their estate. There were pictures of the Clintons, the royal family, Catherine Zeta Jones, etc. It was amazing!

Next, we headed out onto the terrace for the best part of the trip, the tasting! We tried a white glass first and then two different types of red. The third red was by far my favorite. We had cheese and bread with homemade olive oil. I don't know how people go to all these wine tastings. After a few glasses alot of us were pretty buzzed but that only made for a fun bus ride home.

That night we had dinner at our directors home. It was so nice! Their flat is huge and amazing and the altuna provides a beautiful view of the rooftops of Firenze. It was especially nice because the group I was with was very small and didn't consist of people we usually hang out with. We stayed there for awhile and watched the first half of the Italy/Paraguay match then headed home. However, as we walked through Santo Spirito there was a huge projection screen playing the game. Everyone was out in front of Pop Cafe watching. There was this tiny car with two guys DJing in it. The energy and excitement was amazing! There is honestly nothing better than watching the World Cup in Italy!

We only have one more day of classes this week then we're off to Rome! Time is going too fast, it really needs to slow down!

Save tonight, fight the break of dawn

I spent the day friday with Matt, Matt and Paul at a bar called The Old Stove to watch Mexico versus South Africa. After the game we headed home to shower and grab a quick dinner. We then met up with some other people in the group and went to Beni's place. However, when we got there Beni couldn't find the channel so we ended up going to another bar with a huge flat screen. We grabbed a drink and enjoyed Uruguay and France. After the game most of the people went home but Jeff, Danny me and some of the other girls stayed out and met up with Beni and Lorenzo. We had a few drinks at their bar then headed to Bigallo. Danny, being the nice guy he is walked me all the way home since I was the only one out who lived on the other side of the arno.

Saturday we woke up bright and early to head for the island of Elba. We took the train to Piambino then a ferry to Elba. The island was beautiful! However, the weather on Saturday wasn't took great. We checked into our hotel then took a bus to Cavo from Rio Marina where we were staying and ended up not spending much time on the beach. Instead we stopped at this little restaurant for pizza and a drink. It was a really great time. I definitely think everyone enjoyed themselves. After we finished we headed back to the hotel for showers and naps. We all did our own thing for dinner with our rooms. My room went to a restaurant right on the water followed by some delicious gelato of course!! Then we headed back to the hotel and all hung out in the girls room drinking wine and watching US verse Englad. I still cannot believe we tied! Once the game ended we left the hotel. The second me and Alyssa walked outside we heard "Yellow" by Coldplay being played. We turned down the street and there was a band playing live music. We sat on the steps, enjoyed some wine and the music. They had a great playlist even playing a crowd favorite, "Save Tonight." The energy of the street was amazing, something so glad I got to experience. It started to rain so we headed to the bar by our hotel with the outside covered patio. We grabbed some more wine and then two of the guys from the band came to hang out with us! We stayed out there for hours talking to them. It is actually really fun to learn italian from them and teach them phrases in english.

So today, we got stranded in Elba. The bus that was supposed to come and pick us up to take us to another beach never came. So we had to wait to take the ferry only time find out that not many trains were running today due to a strike. Since we had alot of time to kill before the ferry came to pick us up we decided just to take some time to relax and take in where we were. Marie and Amanda hit up the beach and Alex and I found these HUGE rocks on the water and sat on them to sketch and journal. It was exactly what I needed after a hectic day of traveling with a lot of people. We took the ferry back to Piambino and found out the only train to Firenze wasn't coming for five more hours. So we figured out how we could take a bus back. However, the bus sold more tickets than it had seats and took awhile for our bus driver and this couple to stop arguing and finally leave. We just arrived home and it feels so great to be back in Firenze. I also got to skype my family today which was something that I definitely needed after a hectic weekend. We are going to go grab a panino for dinner then possibly go somewhere to watch the games tonight.

Life's for living, not living uptight

So the another night I finally worked up the guts to ask Mama Lo if I could help/ watch her cook. She was more than willing to! We prepared a dish called "Saten." It looks and tastes like meat but is actually washed flour. Even better than learning how to cook was the conversation. I got to spend time with Mama Lo, her husband and her daughter Camilla alone. They are seriously the most fascinating people I have ever met. Mama Lo told me how she used to model for Roberto Cavalli! Her daughters did also. She is seriously one of the best people I have ever met. Her husband has designed jewelry and is willing to talk to me about it and show some of his sketches. Their daughter Camilla does projects all through out Africa and lives in Indonesia. We discussed the Peace Corp and my application while we set the table.

Meeting these people has already changed my life in such a huge way. I am learning so much about myself and who I am as a person. I am also learning who I want to be. These past four weeks have already changed me substantially.

Don't you want to curve away when it's such a perfect day

Venice was by far my favorite place I have been so far in Italia! There is water everywhere and not a single car. You have to take a boat to go anywhere. It was absolutely beautiful. I'm not sure how much I would like to live there because it is super touristy but if you let yourself 'get lost' down the side streets it is amazing!

We left Firenze early friday morning by train. The ride took about two and a half hours. After arriving in Venice we had to take a boat to St. Marco where our hotel was located. We settled into our hotel and grabbed a quick lunch then headed off for the tour. We saw the cathedral and a few other places then all went our separate ways. Alex, Arianna and I ventured around the town for awhile eventually finding a little out door restaurant to grab a glass of wine. After we all showered and got ready we grabbed a panino and drink. Since we were really tired we called it a night pretty early but not before we enjoyed a little vino.

We woke up Saturday bright and early for breakfast at the hotel. I'm pretty sure I eat Nutella at almost every meal these days. After breakfast we had another 2.5 hour walking tour through the city of Venice. Though the tour was long it was so much more interesting then the previous day's. After we finished the tour we grabbed a quick panino and headed to the boat taxi to go to Murano, the island of glass but not before we got our daily gelato. We went into a showroom and got to see how they blow the glass it was ridiculous! We watched the man make a vase and a horse like it was nothing! We did a little shopping then headed back to Venice. It was really great because I hung out with alot of people who I haven't really gotten a chance to hang out with alot yet! After we returned from Murano we decided to go to happy hour. We first went to a small wine bar and got one of their Spritzers that you see everyone in the town drinking. Next we headed to this bar called Jazz Bar and sipped on some sangria. On the way home Alex, Marie, Arianna and I stopped at a cute little outdoor restaurant for dinner. Once everyone had enough we headed back home to prepare ourselves for the night approaching. We started the night out sitting on Paul and Jeff's balcony drinking some wine then we stopped to get the other boys. A lot of people in the group sat up in the square drinking wine and kings but Matt, Chris and I decided to go back to the Jazz Bar for a bit which was alot of fun.

Sunday morning came way too quick! Everyone was slow to rise since the late night before but we all made it to breakfast then had the rest of the day to do as we pleased. We went and shopped until we couldn't look at another piece of glass. Then we grabbed lunch and sat by the water, it was so beautiful and something I will never forget. We went back to the hotel to meet up with a few people however, most people were just sitting inside. I couldn't sit inside when Venice was right through the window! So Alex and I went with some of the others kids on the trip back down to the water. Again, I found myself with people I hadn't had much time to talk to so it was really nice to get to know them. Finally, it was time to come home with the train ride that felt like forever. It's funny though because as soon as we arrived back at Mama Lo's it felt so relaxing and so much like when you come home after being at school for awhile.

I think this weekend was exactly what we all needed. Last week it seemed like everyone was in a bit of a lull between getting sick and everything wasn't new anymore. Also it is inevitable that clicks and groups will happen but this weekend I was able to get to know so many more people and had such an amazing time. I couldn't ask for a better group of people to be abroad with. Everyone is so unique and interesting. It's crazy to think that we all may never have crossed paths if we didn't come on this trip. It is going to be so great to go back to JMU have 26 new friends.

In a place called vertigo..

So we actually did make it to Cinque Terre yesterday! It was by far the most amazing, most beautiful place I have ever seen. We took a train from Firenze at 7:45 and arrived in Vernazza, the third of the five cities around 10:40. We decided to take advantage of the good weather and hike to the fifth town Monterosso which would take about an hour and a half. The trail was so scenic however, it was straight up and down! There were so many hills, steps and the path was so narrow that no exaggeration at all if you weren't paying attention, one slip and you were donezo. After a sweaty but so worth it trek we finally arrived in Monterosso. At this point we were all starving so we ate lunch at this little place right over the beach. We had a drink and lunch then set out for the beach. We lucked out big time with the weather! First, it was overcast then we could see a huge thunder and lightening storm over the other four cities from our spot on the beach. However, it ended up breaking up before it hit where we were. We spent the rest of the day drinking some wine, laying out and swimming. We grabbed a quick dinner then boarded the train for home. Unlike the ride there which was direct we had to transfer two times to eventually get to Firenze. We met some other college students on the train who are also studying in Firenze, one was from Palmyra , the town right next to my hometown and attended Rowan where my two best friends go! We ended up not arriving home until after midnight. We threw our plans to go out out the window and crashed in our beds. I will honestly never forget this day for my entire life. It was so breathtaking and I got to spend it with some great people. I feel so lucky to be here. I know I keep saying that but I am not taking a moment of this for granted.

Today we went and saw Donatello's David which was so exciting! After that we grabbed lunch at this place called The Diner which was an American food place. I got a burger and fries haha it was amazing and nice taste of home. Afterwards, Alex and I decided we needed to spend some time together and went to the market to go shopping. Anyone that knows me knows my obsession with jewelry and stones. So I told her about this little jewelry store I found earlier in the day. We went and got so many amazing things! It was really cheap too and the woman spoke spanish so I was able to communicate better with her. She was so nice she even let us pick out a free pair of earrings! We got home and showed our host mom our new things and told her about the place and what a small world, it is the place she gets all of her jewelry too!!

We helped our host mom move some furniture out of her house and poor Matt had to carry all the heaviest parts especially down all 90 steps we have to our flat! We have dinner with our host mom tonight and are heading for Venice tomorrow! I'm so exciting to see what Venice brings us!