Cinque Terre

I have never seen such a beautiful place in my life. Cinque Terre is group of 5 cities on the west coast of Italy. You can hike through all 5 cities, which is only 15 miles. So, that's what we did.

Sunday night on our way back from Rome, we were sitting on the train and this American woman came into our cart and asked for hand sanitizer, then we got to talking to her b/c her son studies in Florence and they were from Ohio. We ended up talking w/ her for awhile and decided to ask her and her husband to join us on our trip to Cinque Terre.

On Tuesday, we met up with the new couple we met and took a train to Cinque Terre and hiked through the mountains. I have always enjoyed exercise and hiking, and this definitely was the best hike I've ever been on. We walked up and through the sides of the mountains on a narrow path that overlooked the cliff. You could look straight down to the ocean. I probably took at least 50 pictures in the first city. Every city was unique and is known for it's own special wine. So, we stopped at the fourth city and bought a few bottles of wine.

Walking through the cities, we passed by a lot of English speaking people. There were a lot of Americans, British, and Canadians visiting as well. It was definitely a tourist destination. I would recommend packing lunches for the trip and lots of water. The restaurants and shops tend to be a bit more expensive and it's so easy just to hit up the market in Florence and pack sandwiches. That market amazed me. So much fresh food to choose from. You don't seem to get that feeling in the U.S.

One thing I have noticed so far about my trips around Italy, is that I have run into LOTS of students that are traveling while they are studying abroad. I met two people who are studying in London while I was in Cinque Terre and another group of girls who were studying in Paris. I guess I never realized just how many students study abroad. Florence is also covered in students and although it is a city, with crime and everything else...like any other city, there were TONS of students. Lots of people my age. Especially when we went out at night, there were lots of students who were abroad. Most of them were studying abroad for culinary and fashion. I met one girl who is studying in Italy for hospitality and talked to her in a pub for awhile. She goes to school in Georgia and we both absolutely love our majors.

Cinque Terre is definitely a place I want to visit again. If I lived around the area, I would make that hike at least once a week. It's so beautiful. Now off to celebrate St. Patty's day in Florence, followed by Venice for two days.

Day 5...Back in Firenze

Today we spent the whole day shopping.

I love the markets here. Fresh fruit, veggies, bread, meat, cheese, pastries...everything. I bought so much fresh fruit, bread, cheese and meat. I could definitely get used to this!

We also walked all over the city finding street vendors. We were on the look for famous Florence leather and unique shopping. I ended up buying leather bracelets for my friends and myself. All of the vendors were really nice and I actually enjoyed bargaining with them.

The only thing that I had to get used to today, was the Italian men making kissing sounds and yelling at us girls as we walked by. I'm assuming they have a thing for American women. I also found out that Italian men love to chase women, they are so much more persistent then American men who seem to just take their time. Maybe I will move to Italy! Haha!

We also explored the city more and watched locals paint, draw, perform acts, and perform shows. I forgot to mention that when we were in Rome, a local dressed up as Michael Jackson and danced and sang just like him. I could have sworn it was him! The weather has been awesome here. Absolutely beautiful. I can't imagine leaving here... and I don't want to. I am sad that my days are counting down. We also went to the local winery and refilled our wine bottles with some awesome red wine. My goal this trip is to try a new glass of wine every evening! Carpe diem!

Tomorrow it's a 6:10AM train to Cinque Terre where we will hike 15 miles through the 5 cities. I heard this place will change your life. It's absolutely gorgeous. I can't wait!!! Maybe I could post pictures? I will try and figure that out.

Arrivederci!

Day 3-Another day in ROMA!

My second day in Rome we got up super early and took a complete tour of the Coliseum, which took 2 hours and I learned more about the Coliseum than I ever knew! I got to experience parts of Rome that I didn't know existed. We walked all over the city and did some shopping. We hit up the street with the most expensive designer stores... I was absolutely in love with Italian fashion! It seemed like every Italian wore black and it was very easy to point out that we were American. I also found out that Italians think American girls are crazy and college girls are all like the girls from the movies "American Pie". Oh, how wrong...

At this point, most of the Italians I had run into seemed very nice and outgoing. The only ones that freaked me out were the gypsies and the homeless people. M friend that I am staying with lives with an American girl and an Austrian girl. They are both so nice and everyone here that my friend is friends with seems to be from a different part of the world. I can definitely see myself living in Italy. It's not hard to get around and as long as you have a map and a brain, it's easy! I am so glad that my background in hospitality and international travel has come in handy here.

Also, we decided to go out again the last night in Rome. We did a pub crawl which took us to 7 pubs/discos. It was so much fun! We met people from Germany, Columbia, Finland, and Austria. I made so many new friends. The night life in Rome was much like it is in the U.S. except a little bit crazier and there are definitely less limits! The fashion in Italy is incredible and I feel as if I know a new culture just observing Italian fashion. Also, I love that Italians eat everything fresh. All organic. Even in Rome, where it's very touristy, there were always markets and fresh bakeries at every corner.

There were also so many ancient ruins all around Rome that had been yet to be discovered. I will never forget my trip to Rome...

The next day we traveled back to Florence and took some time to rest! Upcoming... a whole day shopping in Florence: market, thrift stores, fashion streets, vendors and relaxation!

This week: Cinque Terre on Tuesday, St. Patrick's day in Florence on Wed., and Venice on Thursday!!!

Day 2-Roma!

On my second day in Italy, we took a crazy early train to Rome. The train ride was 4 hours long and it left at 6:40AM... not what I had in mind for a vacation, but it was definitely an experience! I absolutely love traveling and as soon we started the trip to Rome, I started to see parts of Italy I hadn't seen yet. We went through the country side and passed a few small towns, vineyards, and ruins. It was absolutely beautiful. The country side of Rome is unlike any country side I have seen in the U.S. As a foreigner, it wasn't hard to get around in the train station. Most of the ticket machines have an option for "English" as well as the ATMs and restaurants. The only parts I had trouble with was going to local pharmacies and local markets (like in Florence). Most people I encountered in Rome could speak a decent amount of English.

Once we arrived in Rome we checked into out hostel, and finally took a break. Rome was absolutely gorgeous. I will never forget my first day in Rome. We went to the Pantheon, Vatican City and saw the museum and Sistine Chapel. We also walked around Rome and saw the Spanish Steps, Coliseum, Trevi Fountain and ancient ruins all around the city. We probably took 200 pictures the first day.

The food in Rome was amazing. Every corner there was a chocolate shop or restaurant. We tried so many foods...thank goodness we walked everywhere!

Staying in a hostel was definitely a new experience for me. It was a lot like dorm life except a lot dirtier! We met so many people from different countries. We met Austrians, Germans, Brazilians, and Spaniards. We decided to check out the night life the first night in Rome and met up with some friends from home that I knew were going to be in the city. We went out to a few pubs and met some guys from Virginia who went to William and Mary. It was fun to go out and meet new people. I was surprised at the amount of Americans we ran into that night.

My first night in Rome will be a night I will NEVER forget!

First Day in Italy

I have never been so excited about a 9 hour flight in my life. The flight from Atlanta, GA to Milan, Italy was definitely an experience. I imagined the flight to be filled with mostly tourists, but to my surprise, it was filled with mostly Italians returning home.

Well besides the fact that I had an entire row to myself, the only thing left was to take a sleep-aid that would put me out for the entire trip! Which it did...

Upon arriving to Milan, I didn't even know what to expect besides a traditional Italian town. It was nothing like that. Milan was covered in snow and only 32 degrees F. I didn't care. I was in Italy. After getting off the plane, I was so relieved to see all the signs in English as well as Italian. Thank God for that! Getting my luggage and getting to the bus was easy. Driving through Milan I was so surprised to see how dirty the city was and how every wall and every other building was covered in graffiti. Not what I expected of an Italian city. Although, there were some old building that resembled Italian architecture, the city reminded me a lot of Gary, Indiana.

Once I arrived at the train station, things started to get a bit complicated. I didn't even know where to begin, the Milano Central Station was HUGE! Of course, being a confused, lost American, I ask for help and end up tipping a guy to carry my luggage not only to the ticket booth, but to the platform of my train. Once I bought my ticket (after a trip to the bank and exchange rate place), I finally found which train I was supposed to take and where it would be. I thought I had it handled then, I could easily make my way through Italy. NO. Once I saw that my ticket was for the LAST seat in the LAST coach, I instantly hated my life. Only 10 coaches to walk by to get to the 11th, which was my coach. Thanks a lot ticket guy. When I finally got to the coach, a weirdo Italian asked me if he could help me with my bags and I kept telling him no, I can handle it. While he was STILL trying to take my bags, his sly dog of a friend tried getting into my purse. I don't know who these people think they are, but thank God my mom warned me about these fools. I yelled at both of them and finally made it to my last seat, of the last coach. After about an hour and a half of train travel, I finally made it to Firenze, where I met up with my best friends!

I can't wait to see what the week holds, hopefully I won't have any more encounters with any weirdo gypsy types trying to rip me off.

Hopefully my first night out will make up for this chaotic day!

Ciao!!!