Leaving Florence

First Florence sunset I watched from Piazza Michelangelo with my flatmates.

This isn’t how I pictured my last day. I’m not ready to leave, but I know I’ll be back. If you really fall in love with something, it’s never truly goodbye—just see you later. That’s what I hope is true for Florence and all the wonderful people I’ve met along the way. There is still so much I want to do! I didn’t even see Michelangelo’s David until two days ago.

When you study abroad for a semester, it seems like you have all the time in the world at first. I mean, 4 months is a long time, right? But it slips by so fast and before I could check off half the things on my list, I’m suddenly sitting here the night before move out day, looking around at an empty room.

There is so much I have done that I’m so grateful for. There were challenges, cultural differences, a few language barriers and a lot of gesturing, but I wouldn’t have changed a thing.

One of my classes this semester was Backgrounds of Western Literature, during which I reread The Odyssey. After reading about the adventures Odysseus encounters on his journey, our professor passed around a poem that seemed to encompass the ideal experience of traveling. For anyone else out there who loves to travel, I hope you will appreciate this poem as much as I did:

Ithaka

As you set out for Ithaka

hope the voyage is a long one,

full of adventure, full of discovery.

Laistrygonians and Cyclops,

angry Poseidon—don’t be afraid of them:

you’ll never find things like that on your way

as long as you keep your thoughts raised high,

as long as a rare excitement

stirs your spirit and your body.

Laistrygonians and Cyclops,

wild Poseidon—you won’t encounter them

unless you bring them along inside your soul,

unless your soul sets them up in front of you.

Hope the voyage is a long one.

May there be many a summer morning when,

with what pleasure, what joy,

you come into harbors seen for the first time;

may you stop at Phoenician trading stations

to buy fine things,

mother of pearl and coral, amber and ebony,

sensual perfume of every kind—

as many sensual perfumes as you can;

and may you visit many Egyptian cities

to gather stores of knowledge from their scholars.

Keep Ithaka always in your mind.

Arriving there is what you are destined for.

But do not hurry the journey at all.

Better if it lasts for years,

so you are old by the time you reach the island,

wealthy with all you have gained on the way,

not expecting Ithaka to make you rich.

Ithaka gave you the marvelous journey.

Without her you would not have set out.

She has nothing left to give you now.

And if you find her poor, Ithaka won’t have fooled you.

Wise as you will have become, so full of experience,

you will have understood by then what these Ithakas mean.

-Constantine Petrou Cavafy

As I continue to travel around Europe these next two months, I’m keeping this poem close to my heart. I will definitely continue blogging—hopefully with more frequency now that the semester is over.

And now I’m off, “backpacking” (I’m actually bringing a small suitcase) through Europe. Wish me well!

Last Week in Florence!

Santa Croce during Notte Bianca

These past 2 weeks have been a blur. Now I have less than a week left in Florence. I can’t even begin to understand where the time went. At the end of every semester, time always seems to be speeding along, but this semester just disappeared completely.

Bianca Notte was last Tuesday night. It’s an annual event in Florence where the whole city stays up all night, shops are open late, and there are art installations in all the main piazzas. Definitely one of my favorite nights in Florence. I even got to ride a carousel! 

The park just before sunset

Last Saturday morning I was up at 4 am & already making by way to the train station by 5 to meet my cousins in Rome for the day. We explored ancient Rome all morning: the Coliseum, the Roman Forum…even a few random little chapels.

It was so amazing to just be able to take the train into Rome for the day to meet up with family! I love how easy it is to travel around Italy. I was even back in time to go to the Firenze vs. Roma soccer match.

Firenze vs. Roma: Smoke bomb on the field.

Madness ensued. I knew Italians loved their soccer, but the game was crazy! Wild gesturing everywhere, giant flags waving, more security guards than I knew existed in Italy, multiple almost-fights, and smoke bombs being thrown around—once even in my section! It was an amazing game and so incredible to be a part of such an enthusiastic crowd for a soccer game. 

Leather shopping

This weekend, my Wisconsin cousins (Justin and Christy) visited me in Florence! I got to show them all around and go shopping, while doing some last-minute souvenir shopping myself as well.

Sunset over the Arno

Last night was Nicole’s birthday, so we went to Osteria Santo Spirito across the Arno, somehow skipped the hour wait, and were seated at a lovely little table outside overlooking the piazza, surrounded by twinkle lights. The food was amazing and it was a perfect night out for our last weekend in Florence. To top it all off, we saw a beautiful sunset over the river while walking to the restaurant.

Feelin' the love at Gusta Pizza

That’s the short version of what I’ve been up to these past few weeks. Other than that, I’ve been swamped with schoolwork. (Yes, we still have finals and papers for study abroad.) I’m still here though, trying to get the most out of the precious little time I have left in Florence. Sometime in between, I explored the Boboli Gardens, the Santa Maria Novella Church, and a park on the outskirts of Florence at sunset.

Medieval Jesus in SMN

Santa Maria Novella Church

Finally Stumbled Upon the Money Wall!

Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre is one of Italy’s most beautiful destinations. It’s difficult to describe exactly: five lovely little towns, full of colorful houses, clinging to the hillside. It doesn’t feel like anywhere I’ve ever been, Italy or elsewhere. 

The entire region has a Disney-esq. quality. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought that Walt came in and designed the five towns himself. However, Cinque Terre has been around much longer than the Disney dynasty. The towns feature castles and watchtowers dating back to the Middle Ages. Tourists of all ages hike between from one town to the next, exploring the lush landscape of waterfalls, exotic flowers, and scenic ocean views.

Unfortunately, we were rained out and returned home sooner than planned. Even still, it was a good weekend. And don't worry, I took plenty of pictures :)

Bonus fun fact: Cinque Terre is the birthplace of pesto. So obviously, I tried to work pesto into every meal (from pesto omelets, to focaccia, to pasta).

The hike! So many stairs.

There was a landslide a few months ago...

Just in case you were thinking about embracing going in nature...

Why, yes. That is a little boat sticking out of that house.

Result of the recent landslide.

This is the rest of the house. 

Cinque Terre was one of the first places in Italy where lovers attached locks to seal their eternal love.

Spumante is a local white wine produced in Cinque Terre. 

Slightly off English translation, but it's the thought that counts, right?

Without doubt, the most beautiful cemetery I've ever visited.

Summer is Just Around the Corner

Born and raised in southern California, I’ve never really experienced a true winter. (Although, some may argue that I still have yet to experience one, seeing as it doesn’t snow in Florence.)

For the first time in my life, I lived in a place where it was consistently cold for months on end. I had to dress in layers upon layers of heavy jackets, sweaters, and scarves daily. Anyone who knows me can attest to the fact that I am most comfortable in shorts & a tank top, living as close to the beach as I can afford. Never have my legs gone so long without feeling the warm rays of the sun. In fact, when I went to Greece, I noticed that for the first time, I had entirely lost all traces of tan lines.

But now, it’s getting warmer. I can wear skirts, dresses, sandals, and the like. Everything seems more alive when the sun is shining. People are friendlier, happier. Italians and tourists alike sit out in the piazzas enjoying espresso or a glass of wine. Musicians fill the streets and vendors materialize everywhere. The city is coming to life before my very eyes.

Amalfi Coast

The weekend adventures continue! I just got back from the Amalfi Coast, where I visited Sorrento, the island of Capri, Positano, Pompeii, and Mount Vesuvius. During our stay at the “Spicy” Hotel in Sorrento, we took day trips to Capri, Positano, and Pompeii. The first day, we took a ferry to Capri. During a breathtaking boat ride around the island, where we saw the rugged cliffs of Capri, we stopped at the Blue Grotto, Green Grotto, and White Grotto. The most amazing was the Blue Grotto. We got into little boats and went into a little cave opening, which opened up to an enchanting cave, 80 meters deep, with glowing turquoise waters. While circling the cave, the Italian men rowing the boats began to sing, their voices echoing throughout the cave.

All the boats had to fit in that tiny cave opening! All the passengers had to lay down to get through.

After the boat ride, we went to have lunch overlooking the water, where I had the best spaghetti of my life. The Amalfi region is known both for their lemon and tomato production. After lying out on the beach for the afternoon, we went back to do a lemoncello tasting before returning to our hotel on the mainland.

Capri is beyond gorgeous. Look at that clear blue ocean!

The next day was primarily a beach day. We drove to Positano and were blessed with perfect beach weather. The ocean was warm enough to swim, and the water was clear blue. At lunchtime, we got a local specialty, mozzarella wrapped in lemon leaves. It was a heavy meal, basically consisting of solid cheese, but it was delicious!

Positano Beach. I would love to live in one of the houses on the cliff here.

There is a little shop in Positano where we got custom made sandals. The shopkeeper custom sizes each shoe, and you can choose any style and color that you want, and then pick up the finished product at the end of the day. 

This talented man custom made my sandals!

After two days spent relaxing on the beach, we headed to Pompeii. It was amazing to see such an expansive town, preserved for over a thousand years. Even the brilliant reds and yellows of the ancient frescoes remained much as they had been almost 2000 years ago. We spend a good deal of time in what was once the red light district of Pompeii, where there were self-explanatory pictures explaining the different services offered.

Our lovely Pompeii tour guide

Ancient pedestrian crosswalk

Even the illiterate can hire a prostitute.
All you have to do is point to a picture!

City center of Pompeii

After the tour, we all enjoyed beer and pizza...the classy way. We even had forks and knives! 

A little different than Domino's and Blue Moon

Next, we headed up to climb the still-active Mount Vesuvius. Once at the top, we could look down into the crater and see parts steam coming from rocks inside the volcano.

Note the steam. This one's still active.

Climbed to the top! 

Budapest: City of Spas

I spent this past weekend exploring Budapest. The entire trip was amazing and packed full. I barely had time to sleep and still wanted to do more. We toured the city with WSA (which I highly recommend). After flying in at 9 am, we met Bogi, our tour guide, and the group for breakfast before the tour seeing the city.

We took a bus up to the castle in Buda (the rich side of the river). It was like a fairytale castle, complete with turrets and towers, courtyards and statues. At the top of the castle, there were entertainers and venders walking around in medieval dress—some playing music, some selling food, and others with a giant hawk for people to take pictures with.

We all tried chimney cakes (typical Hungarian street food) and went to Hero’s Square, where we saw famous Hungarian leaders through the ages, before heading to the Szechnyi Baths. Budapest is famous for it’s thermal baths, so of course this was a must. After a long day of walking, soaking in the warm baths was just what we needed! There was a sulfur bath (which smelled as awful as you would think), some kind of red mineral bath, steam rooms & saunas, and my favorite—the whirlpool bath, which literally created a whirlpool in the center of the pool.

After heading back to the hostel too late to squeeze in a nap, we got ready for dinner, and then headed out for a night of bar hopping! We explored the Jewish Quarter and the Ruin pubs in Pest. Ruin pubs are old, abandoned buildings that have been turned into pubs. The best way I can describe Budapest is eclectic. It has been taken over by countless empires from all directions in the past and has influences from all over. The Ruin pubs are characteristically eclectic. My favorite was Szimpla Kert, which Lonely Planet rated the 3^rd best bar in the world. Each room was filled to the brim with random art and décor. Nothing was what you would expect, so just walking around the enormous pub was an adventure.

Day two began with a trip to the Grand Market. We bought souvenirs and tried Hungarian crepes—so good! In the afternoon, we headed back to Buda to go caving. We climbed, slid, and army crawled through the caves in the hills of Budapest for two hours. It was an unforgettable experience, and I came out with a decent number of scrapes and bruises as temporary souvenirs.

That night, we went to the Magic Bath with a group from our hostel. It was absolutely crazy! Every Saturday night, one of the thermal baths opens as a club, complete with a bar, DJ, and light show. 

The last day was my favorite. Nicole and I got up early and took the metro to the market for an early Sunday brunch at an outdoor cafe. After we returned to the hostel, we met up with the WSA group and headed to the Szimpla Market (which turns into the Ruin pub, Szimpla Kert, at night). Our last stop as a group was to a local jewelry market, before we all went our separate ways. Some went to catch flights, some went to museums, and others headed to the opera. As for Nicole and I, we did some serious shopping, then stumbled upon some live music. We got fresh potato chips and (slightly warm) beer and sat out in the sun listening to music for over an hour. It was basically all locals, so few people spoke English there. It was a perfect afternoon to end our trip.

That night, we got some hummus and falafel and a bottle of wine and took a bus back to the castle. We ate our dinner on the castle steps and enjoyed the view of the city lit up over the river.

I sincerely wish I could have stayed longer. Budapest is a wonderful city and everyone we met was so helpful and friendly. If you ever get the chance, go to Budapest. You won’t regret it.