Oui Louvre Paris

Yeah, that's right. You better enjoy that title full of delightful puns. Anyway, Paris was amazing. It was the fourth stop on my 10 day trip around Northern Europe for fall break with Bus2Alps. Though I was exhausted from my many days of traveling and overnight bus rides, I was able to muster up enough energy to fully submerge myself into the beauty that is Paris, France.

The first night, I sucked it up and went to another pub crawl. Again, I didn't drink anything, but I was able to hang out with all of my friends and see a bit of the seedier part of Paris before being amazed by the beauty of the main area of the city the next day. At one point, we stole my friend's camera in one of the bars and got some pretty hilarious shots to remember that night.

 
The next morning, we took our final 3 hour walking tour of the city. We were able to see the beauty of the bridges, canals, buildings, and atmosphere of the city. We ended just past the Louvre at a park filled with fountains and sun (finally...since the majority of our trip was cloudy). From there, Aimee, Josh, and I decided to wait in line to get to the top of the Eiffel Tower. Seeing the towering structure above you in person is incredible, and it truly completes the Paris skyline. We only ended up getting to the second floor of the tower due to how crowded it was, but we were still able to take in some breathtaking views of the city of love, and hey...we can still say we climbed the Eiffel Tower! From there, we took a stroll to the Louvre, where we were able to see the Mona Lisa live and in person (it's a little anticlimactic, to be honest, but I can still say I did it) and observe some of the magnificent works that are located in the intimidatingly large museum.  From there, we continued being super classy and had dinner at McDonald's. Yup. We had McDonald's for dinner in France. I mean, what else do you do when you've spent way more money than you should have?

 
The next day, we took a train out to Versailles. Our subway actually broke down on the way, and we ended up being quite late for our tour, and so we had to cram it into about an hour and a half instead of 4 hours. We got there and got an up close and personal view of the stunning and elaborate gardens and fountains with a tour guide to tell us stories along the way. Eventually, though, we wandered from the tour to see inside the actual palace itself. Nothing compares to the rich, excessive decor of this place. There was gold everywhere, paintings and sculptures lining each and every room, and even a hall of mirrors where, back in the 1400s, people would see their reflections for the first time. The entire place left my friends and I in awe. We even had time to catch a fountain show, where all of the fountains in the gardens were turned on as classical music played.

We then hopped on a train back into Paris and spent some time souvenir shopping and visiting Notre Dame. We happened to go inside Notre Dame during a French mass, and it was a really spiritual experience. Mind you, I'm not very religious, but walking through this beautiful, famous church (no, I did not see the hunchback) and hearing voices singing while seeing candles lit everywhere definitely hit that soft, emotional spot I have hidden deep down inside. I smiled to myself the entire time as I walked through the church and felt an odd calm.

 

After this, we hustled back to the hostel, got on the bus, and spent 15 hours overnight driving back to Florence! I am now back at home and preparing to go back to class at 6pm. WOOHOO. Marc and three of our friends were supposed to be here yesterday afternoon, but the random snowstorm thwarted our plans. The poor things have been going nonstop for three days trying to get here, and they will be arriving...right in the middle of my class. I'm going to meet them as soon as I'm out, and I can't wait. My next blog post will be filling you in on our week together in Firenze. :) Ciao!

We're All Sterdam!

Hi, everyone! I'm now safely back in Florence after my 10 day journey around Northern Europe with Bus2Alps. You've already seen my Prague & Berlin posts, but the last two cities, Amsterdam and Paris, gave me little time to add any blogs until now. So here you will now be seeing two upcoming posts to fill you in on the second half of my unforgettable trip.

 
Amsterdam, as you know, is a big tourist attraction--mainly because of the legalized marijuana and mushrooms, as well as legalized prostitution. Being the straight-edge that I am in many ways, one would think that this would not be an enjoyable place for me to visit. However, in the end, I loved it! Amsterdam is actually a really quaint city. The houses and buildings are tall and thin and resemble doll houses all lined up in a row. The Red Light District, however, is a tad bit different. That's actually where our hostel was located. We began a three hour tour first thing our first morning there that took us through all the main landmarks, including seeing our first few prostitutes in the Red Light District. In this district, the prostitutes are protected by the law (and each other) from anyone trying to expose them publicly (they will smash your camera and pee on it if you try and take a picture),. They display themselves in rented out windows with red lighting and pose trying to get passers by to come in and pay for their services. It's unreal. Also, look out for the blue lights. Those mean that they may have lady and man parts! Uh oh. hahaha So many fun facts come out during those tours.

In the few days we were there, besides seeing the prostitutes and watching half the people on the trip get high from the legal marijuana from the "coffee shops" around town, we went into the Anne Frank House, explored the city, and had amazing pancakes. The Anne Frank house cost 8.5 Euro to get into and explained Anne's story along with artifacts from her family's stay in the secret apartment. We also got to walk through the actual apartment where they had been housed in Amsterdam before being betrayed and discovered, see actual journal pages from her diary, and really try to understand what it was like being cramped in that small apartment for two years, hoping she wouldn't be taken away by the Nazis. It was really emotional to see. Walking through made Anne less of a character (or Apples to Apples trump card) in my mind and more of a real person.  Between that and seeing everything in Berlin, I was educated on the Holocaust and Nazism during this trip in such a real way. It was amazing to experience.

 

Outside of the Anne Frank house

My friends and I also found our way to the "I Amsterdam" sign in the middle of the nicer part of the city. We spent a good amount of time posing on the letters and relaxing in the park nearby. We then made our way over to this fantastic pancake house, which was built around an old carousel. I splurged a tad and got the Carousel Pancakes...the most elaborate creation on the menu. It was a giant pancake covered in powdered sugar, mixed fruit, two scoops of ice cream, and whipped cream. After not having pancakes, or any American breakfast food for that matter, for the past two months, it was like heaven. After that, my friends and I did some shopping, returned to the hostel, fell asleep at an embarrassingly early time ("It's 9:30...and we're in Amsterdam..."), and then got up to head to Paris the next morning.

 Love.

Even though Amsterdam is a pretty scandalous place, I fell in love with the city and really enjoyed the easygoing culture, as well as the quaint appearance of the area. Even if you're not a partier, I'd highly recommend a visit. :)

Brrrr-lin.

Guten tag, friends! I am no longer in Germany, but I was yesterday! I am currently in Amsterdam, the third city on my four city/ten day journey over fall break, but I figured I'd take a little bit of time to fill you in on the happenings in Berlin before I got to the tales of sex, weed, and prostitution running rampant in the streets of the Netherlands. Berlin was only a one night, one day stop on our loop around Northern Europe, but it was certainly memorable.

We drove through the day on Sunday so we could arrive in the late afternoon to Berlin. By that time, I was exhausted from the nonstop walking and exploring of Prague and uncomfortable bus-riding, so I took it easy that night, caught a delicious meal with my friends in the hostel bar, and bonded with some people on the trip from different colleges who decided to lie low as well. The real exploration of the historical German city began the next morning. We woke up early for another walking tour to take in the sights and gain some knowledge of the sights. Sadly, the weather did not cooperate. I was wearing two sweaters, a leather jacket, and a raincoat, and I was still frigid as the wind whipped at our faces, but you know what? It was worth it. I was with my roommates from Florence and some friends I'd met on the trip, and we shivered together. We were able to see the Brandenburg Gate, which towered over the main plaza of the city, which houses the German and French embassies. Oh by the way, in that square, there is also a hotel that costs approximately 15,000 Euro per night to stay in. Guess which one it was? THE ONE WHERE MICHAEL JACKSON DANGLED HIS BABY OUT THE WINDOW! Now that is history.

 

A picture of a protest in front of a former Nazi building.

 The Nazis' perspective as to how German actually was.

We toured all over the city and saw some pretty surreal historical monuments and locations. I never thought I'd be able to say that I stomped all over the grounds which house Hitler's former bunker where he stayed towards the end of WWII, and where he committed suicide, but I can say it now. Another amazing experience was seeing the portion of the Berlin Wall remaining, which was once known as the Death Strip. It divided East and West Berlin and was located right in front of the former S.S. headquarters. Anyone who tried to cross was typically shot dead, but some did make it and were able to be reunited with their loved ones on the other side. We also saw Checkpoint Charlie, the U.S. Army checkpoint in the war. I got a picture posing on some sandbags in front of the replica that has been placed there. It was overall amazing to know I was in the place where so many major events of WWII took place, but nothing compared to knowing I stood  right on the place where Hitler took his own life. If only he'd done it earlier.

 

In front of the Death Strip (clearly we'd be smiling below).

We also got a taste of the war from the side of the victims rather than the Germans by going to the Jewish Museum. We spent approximately 2 hours touring the museum filled with possessions from Holocaust victims and survivors, films, letters, and artwork representing the desperation and sadness felt during the war.My friends and I had a really emotional experience at one piece of art. It is pictured below. An artist filled a long strip of open floor with anguished metal faces of all different sizes. You were allowed to walk over them if you wished. Two of my friends did, and I followed after one of the museum workers confirmed that we could. She asked me how I was feeling as I walked over the faces, and I said guilty, but I continued walking. She asked, "then why are you still doing it?" And I honestly couldn't answer her. I felt horrible walking over these sad metal faces, but I still continued. After hearing this conversation, three more of my friends began walking over the faces, and the museum worker asked them, "After you just heard how guilty she felt doing it, why did you feel the need to try it too?" We all stood there, ashamed of ourselves. We were an example of what happened when the Nazis took over. When someone says it's okay, even if you feel guilty, you feel as though it is acceptable to do it. People follow others, no matter how morally poor the act actually is.I've been to Holocaust museums and read many books on the subject and taken many classes that covered it, but nothing compared to being in the middle of where it all happened. The emotions were fully charged, and it was a once in a lifetime experience to be a part of.

Berlin, as a city, reminded me a lot of New York City. Because it was so brutally destroyed during the war, much of the city was rebuilt closer to present times, giving it a more modern feel. It was very Americanized, but the history was not lost. I had a genuine German meal that evening ad then headed overnight on the bus to Amsterdam, where I am now. I have plenty of stories from today, but I'll have to tell them in my official Amsterdam post. Keep an eye out for more on my journey through Northern Europe! Cheers (as all the Europeans say)!

"We're in Praha...hahahaha."

Hi, everyone! Yes, I decided to go with an English greeting as opposed to Italian since in the Czech Republic, where I was the past two days, they don't speak Italian (or English much for that matter), and I don't know any Czech so I kind of went with the typical, boring greeting. I guess I could look it up now, though...*is google translating*...it' ahoj. Okay, now that that's settled, I'd like to tell you all that I am currently on my fall break trip for the semester--The Northern Loop with the student travel group, Bus2Alps. I have a little downtime this evening after a nonstop past couple of days, and I decided I'd write a little post about each city I visit. I left Prague today for Berlin, where I am currently located, and we will soon be off to Amsterdam on Monday night, and Paris on Wednesday or Thursday.

We began our journey on Thursday evening at 9pm, departing from the Santa Maria Novella Train Station in Florence, where I am studying for the semester. It was an overnight ride for about 13 hours, but hey, at least for the first few hours we watched Forgetting Sarah Marshall and He's Just Not That into You to ease the pain of cramping limbs and uncomfortable sleeping positions. We arrived that morning, checked into our hostel, The Czech Inn (ahahaha. Get it? Check. In. Yeah, it kills me every time. I'm okay with that.). Aimee, my roommate from Florence, and I ended up in a two person room with its own bathroom, which was a blessing after the 12 person room and shared bathroom that I had to deal with on the Amalfi Coast trip a few weeks ago.

After freshening up and having breakfast, we departed on a three hour walking tour of the city of Prague with a crazy, kind of funny, and extremely awkward tour guide named Christian. He was half Czech, half Swedish, and all pumped up. He would jump all over and yell "I'm over here!"...and we'd all have to turn around and adjust our positions in the group to hear him properly. It was kind of a pain, but hey, I guess it kept our attention. We saw the beautiful sites of Prague throughout the trip, heard the history of the area, enjoyed the architecture, and got a good workout. However, all the calories burned off from walking were gained back when consuming my first bagel since I left the states from a place called Bohemia Bagel (with some veggie cream cheese). SO GOOD.

My roommates, Josh, and some great guys we've met on the trip!

After the walking tour, my friends and I explored the souvenir shops, sat and relaxed in a local restaurant, then headed back to the hostel to prepare for the Prague Pub Crawl. For the record, pub crawls are not my style, but I figured I'd give it a shot. We took the metro from the hostel and ended up in a rather dark, haunted-house style bar where a live band was playing. It was really different, but I was able to spend time with some new friends I made the first day. After the third bar, though, I was exhausted, and so two of my friends and I, unable to figure out the metro station, walked about 40 minutes in the cold back to the hostel and finally were able to rest.

The next day, we decided to sign up for the Prague Castle Tour with the same group who offered our tour the first day. We crossed the Charles Bridge and ventured up some extremely steep stairs to get to the castle high above the city. We didn't get to go inside, but we explored the castle grounds, heard about defenestration (the act of throwing people out of windows as punishment), saw some beautiful cathedrals, and got to see some lovely views of the city. We then hiked down to see the John Lennon wall. It began as graffiti by the Czech youth rebelling against the government during the times of communism and asking for peace. However, the police kept painting over it...but the Czech youth kept coming back and repainting it. Eventually, it was left for good as a work of art and is still added onto today. It was an unforgettable sight. Some of the artwork was really intricate and was a fantastic dedication to Lennon, the Beatles, and peace.

 At the John Lennon Wall!

After that, we joined up with the entire Bus2Alps group at a beer hall and had a large meal of delicious, genuine Czech cuisine. It started with a vegetable soup and bread. We then had beef goulash with dumplings and apple strudel. I was really impressed and really enjoyed the entire meal. Who knew I'd ever be in the Czech Republic? I had to enjoy some genuine cuisine while I was there! That evening, we continued walking around, I picked up some gifts, and then we relaxed for the evening in the hostel bar.

Prague's architecture was unforgettable, and I overall fell in love with the city. We left this morning for Berlin and got here this afternoon. Tomorrow, we will be exploring the entire city on another walking tour and taking in the culture. Look for a Berlin blog post soon! I must continue on my journey now. :)

What's Oktoberfest?-- Eurochocolate 2011.

Ciao, tutti! This week of classes was filled with nothing but review and pressure for our midterm exams next week. At Lorenzo de'Medici, the institute I am studying at in Florence, we are required to have a midterm of a certain length in every single class. However, at Marist College, my home institution, it is up to the professor as to what they wish to do for midterms. I've always been lucky enough to have a few papers instead of tests (or a few professors choosing to ignore the midterm altogether) at Marist. Studying for five tests all at once is something I've only experienced during my finals weeks, so I've been trying my best to prepare and study for the entire week leading up to Monday evening (my first fateful test). However, I did get a bit of a break thanks to my favorite class that I have ever taken, Topics in Nutrition: Italian Style Cooking. My professor, Marco (one of my favorite people at LDM), canceled Monday's class so that we could take a field trip on Friday to the Eurochocolate Festival in Perugia, Italy for the day.


As many of you know, I've held on tightly to the founding morals of Rise Above (SHOUT OUT) that I was an original member of in high school. I still don't drink, despite the two sips of wine and limoncello I've had here in Italy to show my respect for the culture. So while many people studying abroad spent September partying it up at Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany (Fun fact: Oktoberfest doesn't take place in October. At all. Only in September. Isn't that logical?), I eagerly awaited this trip to Eurochocolate. I'm not ashamed to say that I am an avid consumer of this wonderful treat, and I'm sure many of you feel the same way. Eurochocolate is an annual festival held in Perugia, Italy, which is located in the region of Umbria, one of the few areas in Italy that does not have any coastlines. It is a central region, specifically known for its chocolate production. I mean, I thought that visiting St. Moritz, Switzerland was an unforgettable chocolate-consuming experience, but this festival was on a whole 'nother level.

Vendors from various companies who make chocolate and chocolate products set up stands for chocolate lovers to explore, purchase chocolates, watch demonstrations, and even get free samples. Through the fee we paid for our trip, we received a "Chococard," which granted us free samples and treats at certain booths around the festival. The funny thing was, the festival was literally set up throughout the entire city of Perugia, and so finding the places where we could feast for free turned into a kind of scavenger hunt. My friends, Kate and Amy, and I wandered the city, mouths watering, searching for whatever the next booth was that was going to provide us with something delicious. When we arrived at all of the booths, typically, there was only one person working them, and they were set up in a square shape with each side being open. There were no lines. Just masses of hungry people waving their cards in the workers' faces from all angles. It was a gamble every time we went to a booth as to how long it would take to possess our samples because the poor workers were always confused as to who was there first. I felt bad for them, but hey, I just wanted my chocolate. Is that so much to ask? We went on the opening day so it wasn't as crazy, but apparently, on Saturday and Sunday of the festival weekend, over 100,000 people visit each day. If they were struggling on the slowest day, those booths better step their organizational game up!

Anyway, we eventually grew tired of hunting for chocolate (probably because it was weighing us down), and so we decided to just walk around the town of Perugia. I snapped a few photos of the beautiful medieval town and the views from high atop the hills where the festival took place. We popped into a couple of shops, browsed, and then headed back home in the late afternoon with the rest of my class. At the end of the day, I'd accumulated samples of Toblerone and other chocolate products by that company, a free faux-chocolate picture frame with a huge bite taken out of it, a giant Toberlone that I purchased myself, a free Lindt truffle, free hot chocolate, and a Milka Pear and Almond Mousse candy bar. I thought pear chocolate sounded odd yet strangely appealing, and so I purchased it just so I could ease the curiosity (and it was quite tasty, for your information). I encountered chocolate pasta, chocolate covered salami, chocolate liqueur, and all kinds of other bizarre chocolate-flavored things, but I'm pleased with what I ended up with. It was an overall successful day. I got my chocolate fix and was able to break up the monotony of midterm study marathons!

 I told you there was chocolate salami.

This next week will be a fun-filled one of nothing but test-taking and packing for my big fall break trip. I leave this coming Thursday for a 10 day adventure through the Northern Loop, which consists of Prague, Berlin, Amsterdam, and Paris. I'm a little nervous but still excited. I'll be going with five of my roommates, and I know it will be an amazing experience. The day I return, I will be getting visitors from the homeland as well! I can't wait to see my boyfriend and friends. I just have to get through midterms, and all of that fun awaits. A presto, amici! 

Initial Hostel-ity

Ciao, my lovely readers! This is going to be a very detailed post, so if you're not ready for some serious reading, I'd just close this now (unless you want to look at the pretty pictures. That's totally cool with me.). I have finally hit that time in October, and my traveling around Europe is officially in full swing. Florence is beginning to feel more and more like home the more that I leave it for a few days at a time. It's nice to have a home base to return to after gallivanting all over Italy and the continent in general. The first weekend of October, I went to Como Lake & Bellagio, Italy, as well as St. Moritz, Switzerland, and I just returned from my 4 day trip this previous weekend to the Amalfi Coast. This Friday, I will be taking a day trip to Perugia for the annual Eurochocolate Festival with my Italian cooking class, and the following week is my fall break trip to Berlin, Prague, Amsterdam, and Paris in 10 days! It has been and will continue to be hectic, but you know what, I'm having some once in a lifetime experiences and gaining plenty of stories to tell you all.

So here's the rundown of my weekend in the fewest words (yet most detail) possible. We left from the train station in Florence at 7:30 pm, and after a 7 hour bus ride, arrived at our hostel in Sorrento, Italy at 2:30am. I'm telling you, after my semester abroad is over, any form of travel and any road trip will seem like nothing after the countless hours I'll have spent on buses. I've never stayed in a hostel before, and so, for the record, I was a little scared (and rightfully so). I ended up in a room with 10 other people, only 4 of which I knew prior. We had to be up and out by 7:20am the next day to head to the island of Capri with the student travel group we went on the trip with, Bus2Alps. Therefore, every single girl on my floor of the hostel got up at the exact same time and decided to huddle around the few  sinks in the bathroom with mirrors doing their hair, makeup, and whatever other useless nonsense we all do. I tried to squeeze my way in with little success, and so I felt pretty gross the first day. I was frustrated (hence the title), but I soldiered on. We caught a ferry to Capri, took a boat tour around the island, and then when we returned, began a 20 minute steep, uphill trek, which I was not prepared for in the least, to the center of Capri. From there, we were able to explore the island, see the beautiful views, and visit the August Gardens. Around noon, we met up to take a bus to Anacapri, the higher point of the island, where we ate a delicious lunch (I had some amazing mushroom pizza) and visited a custom sandal and limoncello shop. The sandals ran from about 60-150 Euro, so there was no way I could afford them, but the old man who made the shoes was amazing to watch. I tried my first sip of limoncello, and I have to say, it was way too strong. The lemon is a popular export on the coast, and so almost everything is lemon flavored. Despite my dislike for the limoncello, I found solace in the amazing homemade lemon chocolates at the shop instead. After that, clouds and wind began moving in, but we decided to man up and go on a chairlift to the highest point in Anacapri, Mt. Solaro, anyway. Well, we got up there, heard a clap of thunder, took about 2 pictures, then ran back to the chairlift. Halfway through the 15 minute ride down, it started thundering more and pouring rain. My roommates and I started cracking up while shivering and swaying in the winds of the storm. "Is this real life?" was muttered multiple times. Well, we made it, and apparently, shortly after, they shut the chairlift down because an area on the top of the mountain had been struck by lightning. Good timing on our parts, for sure! After that, we huddled back in the limoncello shop, freezing, until the rain stopped. Then, of course, the sun came out out of nowhere, and the weather was great the rest of the day. For the rest of our time in Capri, we browsed the shops, went back to the hostel, struggled to get in the shower before everyone else, hit up a group dinner in town, and crashed.

 Nothing like letting the Mediterranean waters wash over you.

The next day, we got a bit of a later start, and my hostility towards the hostel diminished a bit. I'd bonded with my roommates the previous day who ranged from my roommates in Florence from Marist to people from Australia and Brazil. I'd also arranged my schedule around the bathroom rushes, so it worked out a little better. We headed by bus (of course) to Positano that morning. We were dropped off at the top of the mountain and had to trek down about a half an hour through winding streets and shops to reach the beach. Everyone's legs were shaking afterward from gripping the cobblestone with our flip flops with zero traction. We then took that time to jump into the Mediterranean Sea and relax on the beach. We then paid 10 Euro to go on a boat ride around Positano, where some people participated in cliff jumping and cave swimming, but I'll admit, I was too chicken because the waters were so rough. I stayed on the boat and just enjoyed the views. Others decided to get seasick, though, which was lovely for all of us. Overall, the boat ride offered stunning views and allowed me to just relax and take in the scenery. After we returned, we laid out on the beach, looked around some shops, then took a trek back up to meet the bus. That evening, we stayed in at the hostel, where we were able to pay for a delicious pasta buffet and see a live blues band in the bar. It was a really fun night, even though I was dead tired, and I bonded with people from all over, as well as the trip leaders who were incredibly welcoming and helpful.

The next morning was my final one in hostel hell, and so I didn't even care when the bathrooms were clogged with people. I got ready, headed down for breakfast, and hopped on the bus with my luggage to head to our final stop, the ruins in Pompeii. Fun fact: Pompei is the correct Italian spelling, but for some reason, everyone in America (including my spellcheck) spells it with two i's. How curious. Anyway,  we ended up going on a two hour guided tour once we arrived in Pompeii, and I have to say, it was definitely worth it. If I had just walked around the ruins, I would have been confused, but the tour gave insight into what each destroyed structure once was and how it was used. I also got to see Mount Vesuvius live in person after playing a song in band in high school dedicated to the disaster. It was pretty surreal. Everyone's favorite part, though, was the brothel (of course). Pornographic paintings on the walls displayed the services offered, and the male anatomy was carved into the walkways leading to the brothel for those who couldn't find it back in the day. Now that's convenience. After our tour, my friends and I had a quick lunch, haggled with some old women to get some beautiful coral jewelry for less than half the original price, then hopped on the bus for another 7 hour drive home. When I returned, I collapsed and realized what a ridiculously amazing weekend I'd just had.

The next couple weeks will be spent preparing and taking midterms (Wait...I'm studying here? Oh yeah.)  and getting excited for my upcoming trips. Also, my boyfriend and a few friends will be coming to visit right after I return from my fall break adventure. Basically, I have a whole lot to look forward to. I'm pretty much at the halfway point, and I can't believe it! Stay tuned for some new posts. :) Arrivederci!

Brb. Just moving to Switzerland.

Ciao! I know I have not posted in a little over a week, and I apologize. I know you have been on the edge of your seats waiting for my next unnecessarily long blog post. But I thank you for your patience. A lot has happened in the past week, but I really only feel the need to talk about this weekend. During the week, I was pretty sick with a flu-like virus, so I had to lie low for the most part. I did force myself to run around nonstop last Tuesday, though.I had a 2 hour tour of Piazzale Michelangelo and the San Miniato Church, which I've already blogged about, for Art History, Italian class, newspaper club, and was able to visit the famous Uffizi Gallery for free that night so I could write a paper for art on my visit. I was wheezing and had a fever the entire time, but eh. You've gotta do what you've gotta do. The Uffizi Gallery was incredible. Statues upon statues and paintings upon paintings lined the extravagant corridors and rooms. I just wish I'd been able to enjoy it in a healthier, less psychotically rushed manner. Maybe another time. :)

There was a ridiculously long line to get in at the gallery. So I took a picture of the pretty arched entryway. :)

So the big event of the week was my school-organized trip to Como Lake in Italy and St. Moritz, Switzerland. I chose this trip because I've heard nothing but amazing things about Switzerland's landscapes (and obviously their chocolate). I knew I'd never be able to make it there on my own, and so this was the perfect opportunity for me to see the wonders of the area. We began our journey on Saturday at the completely reasonable hour of 5:45am. By the way, I totally got on the bus and got really excited because there was a bathroom...but here's the kicker. No one was allowed to use it. I swear to god. My theory is right. THEY NEVER PEE. Anyway, we took a 5 hour bus ride and eventually ended up in Como, Italy. This is where Como Lake is located, which is in the shape of a Y and houses some of the most beautiful villages and most luxurious villas of the rich and famous in Italy. One of those villas belongs to none other than George Clooney. If I had seen him, I could have just gone home to the U.S. right now and been happy. But I didn't, so I guess I'll continue my European adventures. Such a hard life. Aimee and I pretty much stuck together the entire trip and were able to wander around the lake and town, browsing the shops, viewing the local duomo, and finding a tree made of pinwheels! We had two and a half hours there, and we eventually ran out of things to do without spending money on food...so we relaxed by the lake and chatted while soaking up the sun. It was so peaceful, minus the creepy pigeons that kept landing near us by the water. After that, we took off to catch a ferry to our next destination.

                                                This obviously had to be included. So cute.

We arrived in Cadenabbia, Italy on the other side of Lake Como to catch the ferry across the lake to Bellagio, a stunning town along the lake lined with palm trees, vibrantly colored buildings, small cafes, luxurious villas, and plenty of walking trails to offer the best views of the water possible. Aimee and I spent the hour and a half we had in the village walking around, taking photos, and sitting under the trees getting eaten alive by bugs while looking at the scenery. We also saw a guy in a speedo tanning like it was no big deal in the middle of a tourist-filled pathway to the water. I tried to take a picture to show you all how truly awkward it was, but he was onto me. I just couldn't make the move. So upsetting. We then got back on the ferry and headed back to our bus where we made another 2 hour drive to St. Moritz, Switzerland.

 

We arrived in St. Moritz after a drive through the Maloja Pass, which was a winding,  narrow road through the mountains to get us to the town situated amongst the Alps. It made for a really long but really fun drive, and I have to give major credit to the bus driver despite his bathroom-hoarding ways. We had a delicious four course meal of pasta with mushrooms and cream sauce, mixed salad, turkey and gravy with french fries (randomly enough), and then Swiss chocolate souffle with a little strawberry and whipped cream on top. Aimee and I then headed back to our room, put on Spongebob Squarepants in German, and pretty much fell asleep forever. We then woke up and bundled up for our 3 hour walking tour of the town. We were a little skeptical at first and a little worried that we'd be cold, but we had just the right amount of layers on, and the tour was worlds better than expected. Our tour guide was named Rudy and was a kind and knowledgeable resident of a nearby Swiss town. We were able to see the lake, the mountains, the designer shops, the five star resorts (George Clooney stays there too. Fyi.), and even visit a Swiss chocolate shop where I purchased a hazlenut truffle and slice of chocolate walnut cake. I wish I was seeing people from home earlier because I wanted to buy them all some Swiss chocolate so badly. :( Anyway, it was an overall beautiful area, and I can say that being there was the happiest I have been since I arrived in Europe. If you don't mind, I think I'm going to move there forever.

 

The Palace Hotel, one of the most famous hotels in Switzerland. 

Our last leg of the trip was a train ride on the Bernina Express. I swear the Polar Express had to be inspired by this journey. It is the highest railway through the Swiss Alps, and the views were incredible. We saw turquoise lakes along the mountains, snow-covered mountaintops, and small villages in the valleys. Pictures will never do the scenery justice, but I tried my best. The ride was two and a half hours, but it was worth it. Aimee and I sat there in awe the entire time. That is certainly an experience I'll never forget. 

 

After all of those adventures, it was time to go home to Florence. It was supposed to be a five hour trip, getting us home for around 9pm. However, we somehow managed to get stuck in three hours of traffic and got home at midnight on the dot. The entire ride, everyone had to pee, was wondering where the hell we were, and was basically just bonding over how ridiculous the whole situation was. It ended up just being funny. I got home, uploaded my photos, and crashed...after enjoying some of my chocolate cake from Switzerland. :) Hope you enjoyed the tales of my adventures this week. Keep an eye out for my next one and maybe the publishing of my first column in the LDM newspaper. Arrivederci!