Week 2 check in
Hi guys!
I've never blogged before, so please forgive me if this is a little rough.
I've now been in Florence for two weeks and I am finally fully adjusted. The last two weeks have been incredible and I'm excited to be able to share with you what I've been up to!
Prior to school starting, my roommates and I took a day trip to Pisa (our first attempt at Italian public transportation was successful) to see the leaning tower. The tower itself leans way further than pictures are capable of capturing. The town of Pisa is rather small and quiet, so I'm glad we only went for a few hours because that's all you really need to spend there.
My 4 friends and I took our first weekend trip this past weekend to Switzerland. We hopped on a 7 1/2 hour overnight bus from Florence to Interlaken, arriving at 5:45 AM. I had to be down in the lobby at 8 AM for snowboarding, but the sleep deprivation quickly dissipated when I got to the top of the mountain. I wish I had the vocabulary to explain the vastness of the Swiss Alps and how beautiful they were, but every description is a severe understatement. I couldn't even focus on the fresh power because I was distracted by the huge snow covered mountains all around me.
On our second day, we took a day trip to Zurich, which is Switzerland's biggest city. I was pleasantly surprised that it didn't feel like a city, but rather a quiet old European town with cobblestone streets and brightly painted buildings. We spent the day shopping around and walking around old churches and buildings.
Prior to driving home on Sunday, we took a walk down to one of the lakes in Interlaken (hence the name, meaning between two lakes). It was turquoise blue and looked like something off the coast of the Bahamas or Caribbean. It was a beautiful contrast with the snow falling in the background.
This upcoming weekend will be relatively relaxing, as I will be staying in Florence. My friends and I plan to go on a Tuscan winery tour, go see David in the Accademia Gallery, and possibly a day trip somewhere on Sunday.
As far as classes go, I'm focussing on my nutrition minor and I'm enrolled in 4 classes: Yoga and the History of Meditation, Lifetime Nutrition and Physical Activity, Mediterranean Living and Diet, and HR Management. All of my classes are interactive and hands on, which is very different from my classes in the states. I have cooking labs, field trips, and I even have the opportunity to work a shift in a local Spa. Our curriculum requires us to apply our customer service skills in a multicultural environment and write a report on our experience. So far, we've made homemade spinach and ricotta ravioli, a pasta/pesto/broccoli dish, and Egyptian lentil soup (my favorite!). I have all of the recipes so I'll for sure be bringing them home with me. I also only have class Monday and Tuesday, which allows me to take a lot of day trips! On the list: Milan, Rome x2 (can't do it all in one day), Venice, Tuscan wine tour, Cinqe Terre, Bologna, Luca, and Sienna. I'm sure as we start venturing out more, we'll hear about more places to add to that list.
I've also started going to the Local's Market (Mercado di Sant'Ambrogio) to get my produce. I'm finally comfortable enough going to places like these and mingle with the locals. Americans have a reputation for being really obnoxious tourists, so I didn't want to go until I felt like I was a little more cultured and comfortable with Italian culture. Despite a language barrier with most of the vendors, they were all very kind and helpful, giving me the best produce and helping me pick out the best goods. One weird thing about grocery shopping here is the way they pick out their produce-- you have to put on a special plastic glove before touching anything, and once you put things in a bag, you weigh it and tag it yourself.
My bank account has started to cry a little bit, but all well worth it. I keep reminding myself that this is the semester of a lifetime and to take full advantage of every opportunity provided. I have almost every trip booked so far except for 3 (!!) . My itinerary is as such:
Feb 8-10: Home in Italy
Feb 14-17: Paris
Feb 19-24: Norway to see family
Feb 27-Mar3: Berlin and Munich with my dad while he's here for business, and then showing him around Florence for the weekend
Mar 7-10: **London tentatively
Mar 15-18: Dublin for St. Pats (along with some day trips in Ireland)
Spring Break: **still in the works of planning. Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Barcelona have all been brought up as potential locations to stop and see
Mar 28-31: Po River Valley (a free (!!!!) included trip with the program I came here with. We'll visit 3 different cities, all meals are paid for, and we'll visit a national park too)
April 18-22: Amalfi Coast for long Easter weekend
April 25-29: Morocco
May 1: Italian labor day, no school, possible day trip!
May 4: Cinque Terre day trip
May 9: Return to the states
This place is absolutely phenomenal and I cannot believe I have the privilege to call it home. I wake up every morning incredibly grateful for the opportunity to travel throughout Europe and experience all that this beautiful place has to offer!!
Ciao,
Katie
I've never blogged before, so please forgive me if this is a little rough.
I've now been in Florence for two weeks and I am finally fully adjusted. The last two weeks have been incredible and I'm excited to be able to share with you what I've been up to!
Prior to school starting, my roommates and I took a day trip to Pisa (our first attempt at Italian public transportation was successful) to see the leaning tower. The tower itself leans way further than pictures are capable of capturing. The town of Pisa is rather small and quiet, so I'm glad we only went for a few hours because that's all you really need to spend there.
My 4 friends and I took our first weekend trip this past weekend to Switzerland. We hopped on a 7 1/2 hour overnight bus from Florence to Interlaken, arriving at 5:45 AM. I had to be down in the lobby at 8 AM for snowboarding, but the sleep deprivation quickly dissipated when I got to the top of the mountain. I wish I had the vocabulary to explain the vastness of the Swiss Alps and how beautiful they were, but every description is a severe understatement. I couldn't even focus on the fresh power because I was distracted by the huge snow covered mountains all around me.
On our second day, we took a day trip to Zurich, which is Switzerland's biggest city. I was pleasantly surprised that it didn't feel like a city, but rather a quiet old European town with cobblestone streets and brightly painted buildings. We spent the day shopping around and walking around old churches and buildings.
Prior to driving home on Sunday, we took a walk down to one of the lakes in Interlaken (hence the name, meaning between two lakes). It was turquoise blue and looked like something off the coast of the Bahamas or Caribbean. It was a beautiful contrast with the snow falling in the background.
This upcoming weekend will be relatively relaxing, as I will be staying in Florence. My friends and I plan to go on a Tuscan winery tour, go see David in the Accademia Gallery, and possibly a day trip somewhere on Sunday.
As far as classes go, I'm focussing on my nutrition minor and I'm enrolled in 4 classes: Yoga and the History of Meditation, Lifetime Nutrition and Physical Activity, Mediterranean Living and Diet, and HR Management. All of my classes are interactive and hands on, which is very different from my classes in the states. I have cooking labs, field trips, and I even have the opportunity to work a shift in a local Spa. Our curriculum requires us to apply our customer service skills in a multicultural environment and write a report on our experience. So far, we've made homemade spinach and ricotta ravioli, a pasta/pesto/broccoli dish, and Egyptian lentil soup (my favorite!). I have all of the recipes so I'll for sure be bringing them home with me. I also only have class Monday and Tuesday, which allows me to take a lot of day trips! On the list: Milan, Rome x2 (can't do it all in one day), Venice, Tuscan wine tour, Cinqe Terre, Bologna, Luca, and Sienna. I'm sure as we start venturing out more, we'll hear about more places to add to that list.
I've also started going to the Local's Market (Mercado di Sant'Ambrogio) to get my produce. I'm finally comfortable enough going to places like these and mingle with the locals. Americans have a reputation for being really obnoxious tourists, so I didn't want to go until I felt like I was a little more cultured and comfortable with Italian culture. Despite a language barrier with most of the vendors, they were all very kind and helpful, giving me the best produce and helping me pick out the best goods. One weird thing about grocery shopping here is the way they pick out their produce-- you have to put on a special plastic glove before touching anything, and once you put things in a bag, you weigh it and tag it yourself.
My bank account has started to cry a little bit, but all well worth it. I keep reminding myself that this is the semester of a lifetime and to take full advantage of every opportunity provided. I have almost every trip booked so far except for 3 (!!) . My itinerary is as such:
Feb 8-10: Home in Italy
Feb 14-17: Paris
Feb 19-24: Norway to see family
Feb 27-Mar3: Berlin and Munich with my dad while he's here for business, and then showing him around Florence for the weekend
Mar 7-10: **London tentatively
Mar 15-18: Dublin for St. Pats (along with some day trips in Ireland)
Spring Break: **still in the works of planning. Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Barcelona have all been brought up as potential locations to stop and see
Mar 28-31: Po River Valley (a free (!!!!) included trip with the program I came here with. We'll visit 3 different cities, all meals are paid for, and we'll visit a national park too)
April 4-7: Buddapest/Vienna/Salzburg (doing this trip alone, very excited for some solo travel!)
April 11-14: **Greece tentatively April 18-22: Amalfi Coast for long Easter weekend
April 25-29: Morocco
May 1: Italian labor day, no school, possible day trip!
May 4: Cinque Terre day trip
May 9: Return to the states
This place is absolutely phenomenal and I cannot believe I have the privilege to call it home. I wake up every morning incredibly grateful for the opportunity to travel throughout Europe and experience all that this beautiful place has to offer!!
Ciao,
Katie
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