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!