il Dolce Far Niente

All I need to do in order to have a good day in Florence is to simply wake up. The rest just falls into place. It's a sort of ineffable joy, and i'm not sure how I will ever be able to leave. The weather was gorgeous this weekend, 65 and sunny. Perfect opportunity to walk around and take everything in. I went down to the Arno River and relaxed under the sun. People go down there just to chill by the water, i encountered several cute puppies and a crazy man from Barcelona. It was one of those super spontaneous things that you never ever ever ever imagine happening. Then it happens and you're like wow i'm not sure what just happened but i'm glad it did. This guy had long curly black hair and a puppet that he danced with. So many weird puppets and clowns and mimes and stuff...only in europe. After he did his little puppet show or what have you, we plugged our own music into his speaker and jammed out. Super chill moment in time. #memories. It's also really beautiful by the river at dusk; Colleen, Noreen and I have been going on runs down there. I'm gonna try to go for a jog everyday, or at least more than once a week. The scenery is so nice that I actually look forward to running (THAT NEVER HAPPENS)! On another note, gelato. I was reluctant to try the fragola gelato but thank goodness i did, new fav!! and i consumed the best pizza i've had so far in Italy at Gusto pizza. Notice the immediate transition from exercise to food, shows where my head's at lol. But something about the pizza just set it apart from all the others, not to mention the guys there were super friendly. Gotta love it! So many of the Italians here are happy and don't really give a funk about much of anything. Much like myself. I also indulged in a taste of shopping this weekend. The sales are irresistible at this time of year! I got a nice pair of combat boots for 15 euro, can't wait to sport those puppies. Also, I got a nice summery little orange shirt that will look great with a tan. Yes i am capable of tanning for the white girls who were confused. Greece, Amalfi, where u at?? The bad news is I realized i won't be able to perform my Flamenco dance at the annual art festival! It just so happens that the performance is also 30% of my grade #gagnation. Whatever, i obviously can't miss the Amalfi Coast and that dance is gonna suck without me anyway, you win some ya lose some. Totally kidding, i'm not that overtly obnoxious.
Today was an awesome monday, that's how you know i'm not in America. The weather was agreeable and sunny, and people were alive and vibrant around the city. When i was leaving class, some man walked out of a store with a case of beers and asked me (in very good english) if I wanted to join him for a cold one. I smiled and declined, mostly because I didn't really expect it to happen and wasn't conditioned to saying yes to strangers in passing. As soon as i got down the street I was already wishing i would have said yes. I don't even drink beer, but I'm sure he would have had some interesting conversation to offer! There's always next time. THEN as i passed by the duomo, some painter at his stand gestured me to come over to him. Again, i smiled, but didn't stop because I was on my way to the food store. To my surprise, the guy followed me down the street and around the corner, and when he caught up to me he asked if i would allow him to paint my face. He said he admired my smile, claiming he doesn't see enough happy people around anymore. So tomorrow i'm going back to the duomo at noon so he can paint me a complementary self portrait.. how cool?? I hope he does a good job! I'm looking forward to another good day tomorrow, the hardest part will be waking up for my 9 and the rest is cake. *FUNFACT* i got a 97 on my italian quiz! Last but not least, there are only 3 short, beautiful days between me and BARCELONA with some of my fav girls. Everyone says the crazzzziesst things about that city, I can't wait to see for myself! At any rate, it's way past bed time and this princess needs to retire to her feather bed, ciao<3

Never Leaving Florence...

About me leaving Florence, it's not happening. The weather is finally starting to cooperate and it's even supposed to hit 65 next weekend, which will be here before I can recoop from this weekend. Not kidding. It was very nice to be home in Firenze this weekend, although I did miss my girl Norbo tremendously! Thank god we came abroad otherwise we may have never discovered our deep unprecedented love for each other, and that would just be tragic. The weekend got off to a good start on Wednesday with my last class getting cancelled! It was perfect because I honestly didn't feel like going, some angel up above definitely had my back. Good looks. On Wednesday night we all blacked out so that's all i have to say about that. Thursday my girls left me for Pisa and I enjoyed a gorgeous day with Rachael, Tracy, Steph, and Jenna..sweetest gurls. I did the sickest amount of window shopping- self control on a hundred thousand trillion. Either that or I didn't have a single euro on me lol one or the other. It's rough times out here for an independent young college woman but we still ballin' on a budget and lovin' life so whateva. We found an amazing panino joint, forget what it was called but the owner was the man! I think his name started with a P but i wasn't paying much attention to anything besides my sandwich so iiiiono. Def gotta go back there though! Thursday night I fell in love in a hopeless place and I wish i was kidding..thanks Fullup! Enjoyed another nice day in Firenze on Friday and paid a visit to the chocolate festival! 2DIE4. Strawberries, bananas, and pineapples covered in a creamy silky milk chocolate, need I say more? Nah. But let's talk about the futbol game friday night. These Americans went CRAY. The Marist fam dressed up in all purple Fiorentina gear, it was super cute. WE ACTED UP! I've never been to a futbol match in europe before (obviously) and it was quite the experience. Lots of energy and hashish flowing.

Yesterday we tried out the diner with american food. I approve! #shocker. My high point of the day was that fat cheeseburger with crispy bacon.. i'd have it no other way. Low point was when i finished it obviously. Call me a fat American but i stayyyy eatinnnng (stay schemin' flow). I've also been whipping up some master dishes of my own. Baked ziti has become quite the go-to dinner and I dabble with the fettuccini alfredo when i'm feeling fancy, although that's an american-italian delicacy. Other than that I keep it pretty basic, blame the supermarket.  I'm restricted by the food labels, it's pretty hard to decipher...everything. One day i'll be able to distinguish between the different lattes and formaggios and the array of tomato sauces for the love of god. One day. Until then I should probably get myself prepared for tomorrow. It's a big day, I have class. I'm gonna consider getting some homework done right now, keyword consider. If not now definitely later.......yeah. Ciao!

Valentine's Day< Switzerland

Where did this week go it's already about to be wednesday! Today was super chill. In my one class, Ancient Roots of Florence, we walked around and checked out some ancient stone foundations from the early Roman Empire. We took a slight interlude in the middle of the street while our professor got a light for her cig. She was such a G in her lil timbs talking to the construction workers. luvit. We ended back up at Proconsolooo and dassit! As we know today was Valentines day and an anticlimactic one at that. My Dad is always my valentine and I missed him this year! He always hooks me up with little goodies on vday, he's the sweetest. Omg so Facebook just called they said i'm not cool if i don't mupload the luscious roses that my "most amazing boyfriend ever" sent me. FML! Seriously though all those flowers on my minifeed are starting to trigger my allergies. We all know roses are beautiful, but I think my weekend in Switzerland wins ;)

Chances are the chocolate in Switzerland was better than the regular ishh your boyfriend gave you. szzzzzz

The girls and I went to Interlaken to chill in the mountains and celebrate Danielle's 21st bday. weeee! What a weekend it was. Swiss alps and franks and chocolates and cheese and army knives and everything swiss. Interlaken was a cozy place with gorgeous surroundings. FRANKly my only complaint would be the exorbitantly expensive prices (pun intended lolll). 

Also the temperatures were obviously very low howeverrrr intensity levels were through the roof! Interlaken was intense! First I hiked my way up a big snow covered canyon then I jumped off of it.. wild. I wasn't even as terrified as I had anticipated. That initial free fall for the first 5 seconds was such a thrill! Those who haven't done it, I highly recommend it to each and every one of you. yeah YOU. That same freezing day we went night sledding which was soooo legit. It was something like real life Mario kart and I was Princess Peach ripping it down the trail (gracefully) with the occasional wipeout for dramatic effect. I might have barreled over a few other sleds and taken them down with me but that's the fun part anyway lets be honest. Those little plastic sleds flewww like you wouldn't believe I'm just glad i didn't tumble off dat mountain.

Saturday we took a day trip to Zurich. It was a very clean and snazzy little city. We did the basics- some exploring, shopping, fine dining, chocolate tasting... you get the picture. When we got back we had a bit of a HOsTEL party amongst ourselves, went right downstairs and got weird at Metro. That was definitely some easy, convenient fun and who doesn't enjoy that? By the end of the weekend I was exhuaaaasted #beleeeDat. i'm still trying to charge this battery pack back up for the weekend tomorrow! My travels so far have been amaaazing and i'm looking forward to my next stop in a few weeks- Barcelona! As for this weekend i couldn't be happier to be home in Firenze with my best firenze :) Wish me luck on my first italian quiz tomorrow!

Côte d'Azur. French Riviera!

Up until a few weeks ago California had definitely been the most beautiful place I'd ever seen. I've seen some stunning sights in San Francisco and Laguna Beach/ Orange county and hope to visit again soon. Then I got here and Florence took my breath away; full of character and simply beautiful. But I never imagined such gorgeous places as I saw last weekend at the French Riviera! I never even imagined or acknowledged that such amazing places even exist. Jersey girl blown away.

This is me standing on top of the world at Eze Village. This place was awesome!! I can't even fathom how it was constructed in medieval times. It's described as an "eagles nest" because of it's location, overlooking a high cliff 1,401 ft above sea level on the French Mediterranean. AMAZING. Pictures can not even do it justice. Definitely one of the coolest things i've ever seen.

We also stayed at Nice for a night. Nice was really very nice and swanky with clear blue water and dazzling beaches. I adored the french styled buildings...it was exactly what I pictured France to look like only prettier. We enjoyed a nice free dinner and hit up the casino for a little gambling. At first I wasn't going to gamble then I cracked and blew 10 bucks on slots...whatever I was feeling lucky. Not so much. It was worth a try though and after 10 dollars I was out of there lol... BALLER!

St Paul de Vance was so quaint. I want to get married here one day, i loved it so much! It was like a little nook isolated on it's own little peace of heaven. No cars drive in the village, and the grounds are all hand crafted with stones in cool designs. Nicole and I explored all of the little stairs and alleys, and every turn we took it was like we found a new secret treasure. Hard to explain, but take my word it was magical.

The famous Cannes was also a nice sight to see. The beach was, like Nice, gorgeous. Everything was swanked out to the max, and it's clear that everyone there has $$$$. We had a nice lunch where we met this cool French dude, then walked around to see where the film festival is held, etc. We also went to Monaco which was full of beemers benz and bentleys, especially bentleys. It's definitely a nice place to vacation.. maybe one day i'll be back :) I'm doing this thing were I collect a postcard from every place I go! I got some pretty cool ones over the weekend, should be pretty cool for when I make my scrapbook. this weekend is Interlaken and Zurich, Switzerland!

MY AWESOME DAY.

Aside from the abnormally freezing cold weather, I'm totally getting into this whole Florence thing. I've already been here for over 2 weeks which seems so crazy! After calling the polizia 10 minutes upon arrival (literally), and a frantic google translate sesh with the sexy cop at my kitchen table, I absolutely had my doubts as to whether or not I could survive this long. Well i did it! And it just so happens that today i had an AWESOME DAY. In my italian class i'm learning so much useful stuffff! I've been charming the italians with my one liners. They're totally lovin' the effort. A week ago I couldn't say sh*t, not even "thank you". Which is "prego" by the way, lolz. (I'm gonna read this blog a few years from now and hate myself for saying lolz!) Allora... My intercultural comm class is filled with my native Marist people, we kinda run the show at LdM, no? Even our professor spent a semester teaching at Marist last fall and conceived his first child in Poughkeepsie. Made in America! That class is MAD CHILL. Today it was just a 2.5 hr storytime session. Then I had flamenco, and after class I ventured out to buy the appropriate flamenco heels. This is where my low-key day get's exciting; Not only did I happen to bump into a black hair care store, but the lady speaks impeccable english too! Something had to give because my hair looks crazy and I don't know how you say NAPPY ROOTS in italian. So my new shop, Black Beauty, was certainly a delightful little surprise. I proceeded to successfully purchase my shoes and stumbled upon another nice find; burgers, fries, and gelato. Went for the gelato because the flavors were wildly enticing. I already love and have dreams involving nutella, now it has to be a gelato flavor too? They really had to go and do that didn't they? These italians they don't want me in a bikini. The thing is I got really carried away in that blissful moment and didn't realize how few coins I had on me, whooopssies! Anyway i flashed him a smile and a per favore and he game it to me for FREE. Whaddaya know! I'm gonna go pay him back tomorrow, you gotta love the friendly italians. I pretty much skipped the whole way home with my awesome new purchases in one hand, nutella gelato/chocolate dipped cone (with nuts) in the other hand, and a big ol smile on my face. Gurrrrl. I looked like a little kid on Christmas or something. Numerous glances and smiles from oncoming traffic confirmed it. Tonight the girls and I are going to a cute little mexi place right down the street for some margaritas. I already know i'm going HAM on the nachos, i've been looking forward to it all day. Tonight should be a great night, we're all going out for a night on the townnn. Tomorrow we'll be leaving for Switzerland for a weekend in Interlaken to celebrate Danielle's birthday :) BUT i still have to update you on my excursions  at the French Riviera, so bear with me and stay tuned! Hope you enjoyed reading about my awesome day now go and have one yourself xoxo

Better Late Than Never...

HEY GUYS. I'm finally on my blogging swag so have no fear! A few of my friends started blogging when we got here last week and it was obviously a great idea, so consider that bandwagon jumped on. (NOTE: This is my corny sense of humor that will be re-occuring throughout this entire blog). This past week in Florence has flown by but I guess that makes sense considering the amount of partying and lack of studying we've been doing (sorry mom). Though the partying is definitely warranted since pretty much all of my classes are fake! I'm taking a basic intercultural comm class with my only male professor. Just so happens he's adorable and I don't mind going to class at all! I'm also taking an archaeology-esque type class where we get to go on all of these cool trips around Italy. So that should be horribly boring. My favorite class i'm taking is FLAMENCO DANCING. Had to spice it up with a dance class, if you know me even the slightest bit then you're not surprised about this at all. The professor for this class is incredibly adorable and speaks minimal english. The language barrier may be intimidating for some but honestly i've been having a great time communicating with the itals. Come si dice BODY LANGUAGE. It has been challenging, but nothing my elementary italian class can't fix. I digress.. the point is that my classes/ professors are molto benne and I only have class monday through wednesday. Hate to complain though. As you can imagine it's been a long weekend already, and it's only Friday. We're heading out for our first trip tomorrow; French Riviera! First we're hitting up Monte Carlo, followed by Nice and Cannes. Good stuff! Maybe i'll even gamble a LITTLE. I'll be sure to keep you posted on our excursions. If I sound overly excited and obsessed with my life it's probably because I am, can't help it doe. Ciao Ciao <3