The weekend after our trip to Venice, a huge group of us went to Oktoberfest – the real one in Munich! There’s a program here designed for study abroad students in Florence (obviously our program isn’t the only one here – doesn’t everyone want to spend four months in Italy?) It’s called Florence For Fun, and they plan a bunch of trips, pub crawls, activities and things to do in Florence and around Europe for big groups of people studying in Florence. So, we signed up for Oktoberfest!

The bus left at midnight from the train station, so we took the bus into Florence and waited at the train station for about an hour. We were the first group there, but more and more people that looked very obviously American (hoodies, North Face jackets, UGG boots and flip flops always give it away…) kept showing up. Some of us were really hungry, and we gave in to our worse instincts and bought McDonalds…sad, I know, but I had curly fries (which they don’t have at Mickey D’s in the States, so it’s still sort of Italian…?) After an hour and a half, the bus arrived, we checked in and were ready to go.

It was by far the most uncomfortable bus ride EVER! It was 8 hours on a charter bus, and I could NOT get comfortable. They played the most random and obnoxious movies at an unacceptable volume for 2 in the morning and those of us normal people that were trying to sleep were getting so irritated. Some people in the back of the bus also thought it would be a good idea to smoke some pot. On the bus. With other people on it. And no open-able windows. Idiots. Longest bus ride ever, and we were sooooo tired when we got to our rest stop in Germany. But, then the excitement kicked in again, and by the time we arrived at the station, we were ready to go.

I’ve discovered that it is a very difficult thing to keep 12 people together, happy and moving when we’re all trying to go different directions and get to the same place. So, we got some breakfast at the station, and the girls got dressed in the bathroom of the station. We searched for lockers to put our stuff in (our hotel was far away, and we couldn’t have checked in then anyway), found them, and were finally on our way to Oktoberfest!

On the way, there were so many Germans and non- dressed in lederhosen. It was fantastic! We wandered around for a bit trying to find it, but then decided to follow the traditional garb. It worked – we walked right into the center of Oktoberfest! It is like a huge county fairgrounds with about ten buildings that they call “tents,” but are actually portable buildings they put up and take down every year. Each one has its own separate beer – woo! There were rides and food booths and bathrooms and everything else that a normal fair would have but it was huge!!! Sensory overload, almost, but so authentic!

We picked our first tent, Augustiner Brau. Since we were really early – it was 10:30 in the morning – we got a table (something that usually doesn’t happen unless you’re there early), sat down and ordered our first brews from our Beer Wench, Julia. The stein was bigger than my face, but Julia was a cute German girl that could carry 8 of them in one trip! We also ordered some pretzels (the big kind, like the ones Americans dip in cheese) to go with it. It was my favorite beer that we drank there – they sell it in the States. If you like/drink beer, go to a specialty liquor store (or maybe just a big one) and get a 6 pack. Delish!

After a while at that tent, we headed over to another. This one was more lively – there were younger people in there, and we started to get a real taste for Oktoberfest. They love White Stripes’ “7 Nation Army” and John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads.” We met some guys from Stanford – one had actually bought lederhosen (it’s a big deal – authentic ones are really expensive), and they were there for a while on “business”/ a Eurotrip. We had a couple more steins at that tent, met some new German friends and just hung out for a while.

One can only drink so many steins, so after that tent, we wandered around for a while, and headed to our hotel. Since nobody I was with spoke German, we had a really interesting time trying to catch the train and then a bus to our hotel. We asked the police what stop to get off on, and of course had no idea what they said other than it sounded like it started with an “s”. We got off at the first one, and asked some teenagers at a bus stop which bus to take. We didn’t even really know what street the hotel was on…bad news. They did, though, and told us what bus (in very broken English, but English nonetheless – I love the education system over here!) to take. We actually did make it to our hotel, by some random blessing from God. All the hostels had been booked by the time we signed up for the trip, so we stayed at a Holiday Inn in Munich, and it was so nice! The beds were comfortable, the rooms were big, the bathrooms were clean and the water was potable. It was awesome!

The next morning, breakfast came with our reservations, so we all got to eat a real live breakfast with eggs and bacon and cereal, coffee, real OJ – very hearty compared to the rolls we get for breakfast at the villa almost every day. After breakfast, we were ready for day 2 of beer and lederhosen! We got there a little bit later, about 11:30, and it was Saturday, so it was way more crowded than the day before. We miraculously found a table (even though we all had to squeeze really tight to fit) and sat there almost all day. We played some drinking games, got the Germans involved, and had a jolly ol’ time learning German songs and Oktoberfest traditions. I learned that Taufen is a conjugation of the verb that means “to baptize.” We spent most of the day there, then went around to find dinner. I had a “half-meter wiener” as my Wisconsin friends call it. It was a brat that might actually have been a half-meter long. We went to Hoffbrau, the most popular tent for the younger crowd, and it was so much fun. Apparently the weekend we went is what they call the “Italian weekend.” It was the second weekend of the three-week long festival, and I guess all the Italians that go usually go that weekend. So, at our table that night were three old Italian men and we had so much fun with them!

Back at the hotel, those of us that had already come back by 9ish waited for everyone else before we went to bed, and we watched the presidential debates on CNN (in English!). We had made a rule that if you fell asleep with your shoes on, it was technically considered “passing out” and anything goes when that happens, and unfortunately our good friend Matt did so at about 7 in the evening. We’ll just say that somehow he ended up with hot-pink permanent marker drawings all over his legs…hehe.

The next day was Sunday, our last morning in Germany. We decided to go back to The Fest one more time to buy souvenirs and lunch before we left. For some reason, we ended up in one last tent with one last beer in our hands. This tent was super fun – the live band was playing Kid Rock’s “All Summer Long” (how great?!) when we walked in and played some Bon Jovi and a bunch of other American songs.

Sadly we had to head back to the bus after our beers. It was a good last day, and we had a successful weekend – nobody got seriously injured/ill/lost, and I had some seriously good beers, brats and even sauerkraut. Fantastic time in Germany! The scenery was beautiful too…really it was. Germany is a gorgeous country, and I think sometime I would love to go back there!

On the drive back, it wasn’t so difficult to sleep, and they played good movies – “Billy Madison”, “Devil Wears Prada” – we even got to see the Alps when we drove through them. We stopped in Austria at a rest stop, and it was gorgeous. The hills were alive with the sound of music; with songs that they’d sung many times before…

When we left Murano, we took the charter boat to the part of Venice proper with our hotel. We stayed at Hotel Messner, and it was pretty nice. We dropped our stuff off in the rooms, freshened up a bit, and then headed on foot to Piazza San Marco, the piazza in Venice. Everyone that’s ever been to Venice will tell you that it is different than any other city, and it is so true. Most cities, when you’re in them for a while, become like every other city. Not Venice. First of all, it is actually a bunch of different islands connected by bridges. Every time you walk over a bridge, you are walking from one island to the next. Secondly, the land in Venice was originally more like a marsh than actual islands, so to prepare them for building, the islands were created by giant logs in the water and dirt to fill in the cracks and make them solid. So Venice now stands on a bunch of petrified wood, slowly sinking due to the parts of the wood that are not underwater or sealed by the dirt. There are no cars – there are no roads. Boats, lots of them. Gondolas, of course. The gondoliers are required to wear specific outfits (striped shirt, red neck scarf, hat) and the gondolas all have to look a specific way. It is so “Italy” when you see them, but a ride costs anywhere from 80 to 100 Euro, and that was a bit champagne expensive for our “college beer budget” taste.

The weather was just perfect – the sun was gleaming off the buildings, and the colors of everything were so vibrant and rich. We walked through the alleys and campi (campo means field in Italian, and since they didn’t really have fields in Venice, many of their piazzas were actually called campos). We finally made it to the Piazza after much winding and map scanning; it is stunning. We stumbled into it (that’s how it always seems to happen for me – I’ll be lost in some random back street and all of a sudden come stumbling into a piazza) and were facing the Basilica di San Marco and the Doge’s palace, two of the most famous edifices in Venice. Astounding architecture and incredibly opulent decorations make this place exactly what it was intended to be. It had been the official entry into Venice for important dignitaries, and it was meant to impress. Well, it still does.

We went into the Doge’s palace, the center of government in Venice, and it was beautiful. There are paintings, frescoes, and a ton of history. That is one of my favorite things about Italy – there is so much history here. There have been so many more people here before me, but here we are, connected through this place, this culture. My respect and passion for it is what connects me to these people of the past. The Doge is like the equivalent of a duke or a head of government, but not so much as a King or a ruler. The people can (and have been known to) overthrow/kill a corrupt doge. This building houses the seat of the government (like Parliament, or our Congress), the court and a pathway to the prison. All the rooms have beautiful paintings and wood furniture, and are just huge – another element of impression on visiting dignitaries. The connection from the palace to the prison is the Bridge of Sighs, so monikered by Lord Byron during his time in Venice because its windows provide such a beautiful view of the water and some parts of Venice, but was likely the prisoners’ last sight of it ever.

After we emerged from the palace, we were given a few hours of free time. I wandered around with Katrina, Nick, Krysta and Rae. We wandered around – got some gelato and watched a man perform the “glasses” If you’ve ever seen “Ms Congeniality” with Sandra Bullock, it’s that. If you haven’t, it was this guy playing music – really well, actually – on glasses filled with different levels of water. It sounded really cool. We shopped around for a while, then walked along the border of the island back to San Marco.

There, we met with the rest of the group and headed into the Basilica di San Marco. It is an incredible church, not only because of its beautiful mosaics and works of art, but also because of its history. I thought it was odd that the Basilica was open so late in the evening (usually they aren’t, and if they are it is for worshippers). What I didn’t realize is that Helen and Professoressa Marrotti had arranged for us to have a private tour of the interior. We walked through the foyer, into the nave of the basilica, which was completely dark. We sat for several seconds until the lights came on, slowly illuminating the stunning gold-leaf mosaics covering the ceiling. It was an astounding experience that most people don’t get to have. We were allowed to wander around the church, and they even turned around the famous golden altarpiece – a striking golden, jewel encrusted panel that depicts the glory of Christ. They usually only turn it around on holidays or special occasions of the state. The whole experience was very moving. On our way out of the piazza, we saw two couples that had both just gotten married – totally brought a tear to my eye! It was so great, so perfect! There was even a mini orchestra whose music was streaming into the piazza from a restaurant. Scene from a movie, anyone?

After our private tour of the basilica, we went to find dinner. We ended up at a great little trattoria in one of the tiny alleys of Venice. In the spirit of Italy and everything we had done up to this point, the group of people I was with (at this point, Matt, Nick, John and Sarah S.) all decided to try something new. Matt had squid, John had some sort of fish with the head still on it, Nick had gnocchi (how he had gone this long without having one of the best things ever made was beyond me). I tried another kind of fish…I can’t remember what it was called, but it was great! The squid and everything else was delish too (we all tried each other’s food)! We meandered back to our hotel after dinner, but decided to head out on an evening excursion to see the city sans tourists and after dark. It was very peaceful. We sat at the chairs of a closed café just outside San Marco and watched the boats, the couples hand in hand and smelled the cool breeze of the sea blowing the evening tide against the gondolas and their docks.

The next morning, we went to an Academy of Art and to the Peggy Guggenheim Museum of Modern Art. I have a limited appreciation for modern art, but this museum had some really interesting things. I really liked the 19^th century American Impressionism exhibit – it was like Monet, but in Amurrica. We meandered a little bit longer – we got to see the Rialto (one of the most famous bridges in Venice) and get some crepes, and then headed back on our charter boat to the mainland.

Venice is a beautiful city that, aside from the intense amount of tourists and pigeons, has a charming history and offers much of it to you. It’s unlike anything I’ve seen, and it is definitely in the top ten for now!

I’m almost as bad at this as I am at keeping a journal! Okay, so the morning after Cinque Terre, I went on a trip to Lucca with one of my professors, his family and about 8 or 10 other students; we were going to go to Pisa too, but the trains were on strike until 9 that night (aka…they wanted the day off – strikes happen on a regular basis here; there’s a schedule of them posted online). We had decided to go that day because it was the day of Lucca’s most famous festival celebrating their prized relic, a wooden cross carved by Nicodemus after the Deposition of Christ. The story has it that the cross washed up on the shore of the Mediterranean and was dragged into Lucca by a wild stag. When the townspeople figured out the significance of the cross, it became their prized relic. Since then, every year around mid-September, they have a celebration in which they parade the cross through the people-lined streets of the town, and the local confraternities and townspeople follow it in a candlelit parade. It was absolutely beautiful, and one of my favorite places I’ve been. It was a half hour bus ride into Florence, then an hour and a half bus to Lucca. When we got there, Professor DuBois gave us a brief tour of the city, pointing out the city walls, the original moat that surrounded the city, a few of the churches and the original Roman amphitheatre. Then, he let us off on our own for lunch and the rest of the afternoon and showed us the church where we would meet to watch the beginning of the parade.

Lucca is known for their tortellini, so what did I have?? It was delicious! After lunch, I walked around with my friends John and Paolo (Paul), and we went into several of the many churches of Lucca. We ended at the Cathedral where the cross is kept. They only open the central doors to the church on a Jubilee year or during this particular festival (cardinals come from the Vatican – we saw some, but their cardinal red is more of a pretty fuschia…), and if you walk through them, you are supposed to get special indulgences for your sins – we were fortunate enough to sneak through them while they were opened for the festival! I should have gone twice. There was some beautiful art depicting the life and the passion of Christ by several famous artists and the architecture of the church itself was beautiful. We speculated as to the meanings of paintings and statues, and had an intellectually stimulating discussion on the art and religion. I whipped some art history knowledge out of the two-years-ago pocket, and it actually gave some good insight as to the characters in the paintings – combined with what Jonathan knew and our off the wall guesses, I felt like a connoisseur.

We went into the chamber where the cross is kept, and it was stunning. It has special robes and a gold crown that it wears only on this day; it was this gorgeous, ornately carved crown with matching gold belts and a purple robe. Very cool to see. There were guards in medieval garb next to the cross in the chamber, and they could not have looked more bored, but I was incredibly amused by their tights!

After we spent a significant amount of time in the church, we decided to head around town some more. Lucca is also the hometown of Giacomo Puccini, a famous Opera composer. John wanted to find his house, so we wandered and wandered (which is actually getting to be one of my favorite things – I find way better things by wandering than I do by following a map!) We finally found the house, but the museum was closed. I took a picture of the plaque on the door, and next to a statue of him in the piazza outside his house.

While we had been walking around, I had noticed little wire things lining every door and window, and city workers in cherry pickers were putting them up. We thought they might be for pigeons (they are disgusting here – basically rats with wings), but they were actually tiny votive candle holders put up especially for this festival. They were like the wire egg holders you use when you’re dyeing Easter eggs, and inside them was a glass candle holder and a votive candle. The cherry picker people were actually going around the town lighting them! I could not stop talking about them, they were so pretty and created such a uniquely perfect atmosphere. Ahh! I love those candles still.

We decided to get some dinner – panini on the steps of another beautiful church. We watched the passeggiata – the time in the evening when Italians come out of their house and walk around. They socialize with neighbors and other people they know, they walk with their amore and just give a general sense of community for a few hours. After dinner, we went into a little market next to the church and ended up at a booth selling what we endearingly came to call “carnie food”. There were anise cookies (which Mrs. Weber always makes at Christmas time), chocolate things, licorice, and a bunch of other sweets. Jonathan and I split a long floppy tube of something that looked really cool, but ended up being a really really long marshmallow. I also had a dark chocolate square with hazelnuts in it, and he tried this peanut cluster with some sort of chocolate to hold it together. Both were to die for, and nothing like the corn dogs and bagged chips of carnies in the States. (Although, I never turn down a funnel cake!)

Since the streets were becoming crowded, and it was getting close to the time we needed to return to the beginning spot of the parade, we began to head that way. We found our professor and his family, and asked him some questions about the paintings and some other art we had seen in the cathedral. We were right at the line-up point for the parade, and as it started to get dark, more and more people arrived.

Candles lit around the doors and windows of stores and homes, long vigil candles in the hands of the people and around the Church, the cantor began the ceremony. I could understand a lot of what he was saying, and when he began to say the Lord’s Prayer, I was even able to say parts of it. There were three nuns standing in front of me, and they were my favorite people ever. They were grouped together like friends, like old Italian women that had been friends forever and ever. I took about twenty pictures of them. Groups began to move through the crowd as the parade began – religious orders, communal groups, civic organizations. It seemed like almost everyone that lived in Lucca was in the parade in one way or another.

I felt very connected to Italy at this moment. The candles, the singing of the cantor and the palpable communal spirit of the town made me fall in love with Lucca. It was magnificent, and was definitely another one of my Italy moments.

We came out of our daze for a minute and realized my professor and his family had left…and that we had twenty minutes to get to our train that was – in these crowds – an hour away! We decided to go around the crowds on top of the city walls, which was a great idea. We found another member of our group that had been lost too, and started speed-walking! We were doing fine and moving at a pretty good pace until our path was interrupted by a parade representing an entire medieval society – an entire hierarchy from ladies and a queen to the jesters. Since they were nowhere near the parade, and we hadn’t seen them before, we had no idea what was going on, but decided to take pictures anyway.

Then we really had to run. Far… We made it to the station, but our train was leaving from a different platform and we could not figure out how to get to it. We went down under the station and came up where we thought it would be, but we were blocked by a brick wall! We went back down and finally figured it out, and came up on the rest of our group sweaty, out of breath and exhausted from such a great day! The train ride back was pretty quiet – Cinque Terre and this day combined into a period of less than 48 hours was a whole lot. But even thinking about it now, that weekend is definitely in my top five ever. Lucca is a beautiful city, and definitely worth considering.

The next morning was Sunday, and back to the “grind.” We had another whole week of classes to go until…

We arrived at the furthest town, Monterosso, Helen handed us a map and told us to meet at the last town before the last train left (the train workers had decided to go on strike at 9 that evening, so if we missed it, we were stuck until Sunday!) We had the option to hike the trails, take the trains from one town to another or just stay in the first till the end of the day. Most of us decided to hike the trails – the guide said “easy”, but it had been crossed out, and in it’s place read “strenuous.” Understatement. The stairs to the ticket booth were poor foreshadowing of what lie ahead, and even on those we were winded… The first hill was slated to take 1 hour 45 minutes. The first half was up a steep incline, most of the time on a gravel trail – steep edges, perilous cliffs, the works. Sometimes there were a few stairs or a landing to stop and attempt to breathe, but most of the time not. We just kept trekkin’ until the top. I’m pretty sure I’ve never been so sweaty in my entire life (I had a long sleeved shirt on at first, took it off at the top and it was still wet by the end of the day!) Thank goodness it was cloudy in the morning, or I might have actually died.

We stopped at the top to a beautiful view of the sea and the town behind us. We had a little bit of food, then it was down to the second town, Veranazza; the hike was just as perilous but (maybe) a little bit easier going down. We stopped for a rest and some water…I brought two bottles; at this point one was gone and I still had three more towns to go…danger! The towns are so cool You come down off this incredibly tall mountain and eventually reach some stairs that take you right down into the heart of town. They’re all marine towns in the valleys of these mountains with brightly colored houses and even brighter boats. To get out of the towns, you head up some stairs and find yourself, once again, on a mountain headed for the next one. (You can also do this by train, but who wants to see the dark inside of a tunnel when you can have the stunning views that await you at the top of the mountain?)

And so we began the second hike. This one was the most difficult and took us to the highest point of the hike. Unlike the rocky terrain of the previous trek, this one was all stairs. All stairs. (Sidenote: if you think the Stairmaster is a good indication of what it feels like to walk up however many stairs you do, you’re wrong.) The stairs seemed never-ending, and things really started to get to me when I saw people about 30 years older than me running up them. This trail was definitely the hardest, and I realized that when we were only about 3/4 of the way to the top.

When we finally reached the peak, everything went away – all the exhaustion, all the stairs, shaking legs, everything went away. The view we had was stunning. The sun had come out during this one (which I hadn’t noticed because I was so focused on the stairs), and we could see as far as possible out into the sea and the light on towns behind us and in front of us. Another moment when I couldn’t tell how much of my breathlessness was from the borderline asthma I was experiencing or from the view. For me, water is a source of peace; when I am near it, it just calms me. It’s comforting and tranquil, and it gives me a serene feeling about my life. So, this view was overwhelming. There is absolutely no way to describe it completely, but it was one of the most rewarding feelings. Just absolutely beautiful.

Then, down we went, down the stairs…stairs…stairs. We ran into a couple of ladies who asked us how far it was to the top, and I almost didn’t have the heart to tell them the truth (10-15 more minutes of stairs), but I had to. We reached Corniglia, which was another beautiful town and stopped for a rest. The next two hikes were supposedly easier, so we finished our lunches here. I grabbed a bottle of water (I had already finished both of mine) and a Powerade (the first “American” drink I had had since I got here), and we sat on some stairs to eat.

Ready for our next adventure, we took to some more stairs. This one was definitely not as difficult – a combination of cobblestones, stairs and a gravel path. Of course, the views were still gorgeous and there were little farmhouses nestled into the hills along the path. We ended in Manarola, but did not wait for long. We weren’t near death at this point, so we decided to continue on. The path between Manarola and Riomaggiore is just a small footpath carved into the side of the mountain literally vertically above the sea. There was, at one point, a wooden dangly bridge…an interesting leap of faith, but not my only one of the day. This path is also called Via dell’Amore and is dedicated to lovers… Drenched in sweat, dirty from dust (there were literally dirt lines when I took my socks off later) and romantically strolling on the cliff’s edge of a mountain.

We finally made it to the end, the last town called Riomaggiore. We were intent on finding someplace to swim, and we did. We walked all the way down to a marina; there wasn’t a beach there, but there were giant rock formations that people were jumping off and laying out on. We jumped in in our clothes, and it was amazing! The water was perfect, and because the sun was out, was this beautiful deep turquoise color. It was the best temperature ever, and the perfect end to my “rugged mountain woman” day. But it wasn’t over yet…

Some of the boys in our group thought it would be a grand idea to swim over to these cliffs and jump off. Some other people had been doing it, so they figured they should too. They did it, and came out of the water alive and fine, so Katrina, Sarah and I all decided to go too! I jumped off a short one first – maybe 10 feet out of the water, and it was fun/exhilarating, so I decided to try the 40 footer. As a person who is moderately terrified of heights, climbing up was one of the worst parts. Looking down was the other. Watching other people jump from down below, I had been able to see how far their projectile had pulled them away from the rocks and know how deep it was, so it looked fine. When I was standing on the edge, all I could see below me were rocks and it absolutely looked like I would land on them. It took me a good two minutes (which is a long time when you’re standing on the edge of a cliff – a really long time) to jump, but I did. It was a terrifying, amazing, crazy adrenaline rush (and really painful when I landed).

Note: My thought process after I jumped: “Oh, I’m definitely going to be ‘that girl’ that hits the rocks – my kind of luck. But, it would be a sweet death story – for my friends to tell. My family would be so mad if I died in Italy – doing this…SLAM (into the water).”

I had a full on athletic shorts wedgie – they were pretty much around my stomach… (which hurts!), pretty sure internal organs were rearranged, and I couldn’t hear for a good 5 minutes. But it was amazing and it was so much fun. The perfect end to my best day in Italy up to that point.

After sunning on the rocks for a while, everyone wanted to grab something to eat. I decided to go get my ticket for the train with my friend Rae, and then we went up to the shops. I wasn’t hungry at that point (plus, Nino was cooking us dinner back at the Villa), so we just walked around. Cinque Terre is known for their fish (of course!) and their white wine, so I bought a bottle. I still haven’t had it, but I’ll let you know how it is. Rae bought some Limoncello, an Italian liqueur that tastes like lemon meringue pie – very, very warm, strong lemon meringue pie.

Took the train to La Spezia, and got on the bus from La Spezia to Sesto. A bunch of people had decided to stay the weekend at Cinque Terre and head to the beach, so I had a whole seat to myself. Glorious! (Although a challenge to sit down…sore from hike and a 40 foot free fall into the water…not a good combo) When we arrived, Nino had already made us dinner. It very well could have been the best meal I’ve ever had. It was a four cheese gnocchi, salad, bread, water, coffee and fruit. Oh my gosh, my mouth is watering! I love Nino.

At the very end of the night, I went to take a shower and noticed the developing bruise on my thigh. Only I could get bruised by water…really?! We might have watched a movie (I was so tired, I definitely don’t even remember), but then it was bed time – wonderful bed time! My roomates were some of the few that had decided to stay in Cinque Terre, so it was quiet and a bit lonely, but I didn’t even notice. My head hit the pillow, and I passed out cold.

I’m surprised I woke up in time for the next day – our trip to Lucca!

So we took a bus from our villa to the Basilica di San Miniato, a gorgeous church on the top of a hill overlooking Florence. When I stepped off the bus, I could barely see the church above the stairs we had to climb to get there; once we reached the top, though, it was stunning. The facade of the medieval structure was incredibly detailed and iconographic, but the best was behind me. When I turned around, I could not tell whether my breathlessness was due to the stairs or one of the best views of Florence. From San Miniato, you can see the entire city – Duomo in the center, ancient city walls, towers…everything. That was one of what I’ve come to call my “Italy Moments” – those times when I think, “Oh my gosh, I’m actually here, in Italy, living one of my dreams at the age of 20. I LOVE my life!” The vista was the perfect beginning to my first day in Florence – definitely set the mood for the rest of the day.

The interior of the church was, of course, beautiful and ornate. Back in the day, these kind of decorations and church interiors were common and one of the best ways for artisans to show devotion and glorification to God. There were beautiful frescoes in the chapels and on the walls and a mosaic of Jesus at the High Altar.

When we emerged from the church, we once again got our vista of Florence, and followed the stairs to another gorgeous view. This time, at a lower elevation, we could see some surrounding cities (Fiesole!), and even had a view of our villa. We followed Professoressa Mariotti down through the city to several important locations like the Ponte Vecchio (the only of four bridges across the Arno that was not destroyed in WWII), Santa Croce, the Piazza della Signoria (where there was one wedding leaving the church and a bride ready to go in…my next dream??), outside the Uffizzi and many more places. There are entirely too many things to see in Florence in one day or probably even a week.

She led us right through this outdoor marketplace, through to an indoor food one. We did not go inside (and I have not been yet), but apparently once inside, you can find the freshest food in Florence, and you can take it home like groceries or you can take it to one of the little Trattorie on the side and have them cook it into a delicious meal for you. My group decided to head into a restaurant – here they charge you for air conditioning and a seat, but on this day it was particularly worth it. I (of course!) had to try the tortellini con panna e prosciutto (tortellini with prosciutto in a cream sauce) for Cyndi, and I’ll be honest – Cyndi’s could rival this one. One of the main differences here is that they put way less sauce on their things and all of their flavors are simple, but very, very fresh. It was incredible, nonetheless! We walked around for a bit more – taking a look at the exterior of the Duomo and its Baptistery and Bell Tower, and then decided to head back to Sesto.

Later that night, we decided to head back into Florence to a club called Central Park. (Mama…I saw Kelly Services on our way!) It was outdoors, and one of the best times I’ve ever had. Our whole group of about 20 people got in for free (there was 20 Euro cover charge!) and jumped in front of a huge line of people because we ran into a club promoter we had met earlier that day – Eugene! Total VIPs…There were two stages, a hip-hop one and a larger, techno one. They played a lot of American music from the 80s and early 90s, which was great! We all had an incredible time, and went home at about 2 (which is early for the people here. The club didn’t close till 4)

Sunday, we got ready for classes and just hung out and played outside games in the informal gardens. Even though it was nice to finally have a day to just hang and relax before class started, those past four days had been some of the most incredible, the most tiring and the most fun days of my life – and it wasn’t about to stop!! I still have 3 months of this!

So for the rest of the evening, we finished our orientation with a tour of the gardens and the villa, followed by a visit from the mayor of Sesto Fiorentino. After that we had a reception with incredible Tuscan antipasti – Caprese Salad, prosciutto e melone, duck patte (yes, I tried it. Maybe it’s an acquired taste?), wine and bread. We enjoyed that and dinner in the informal garden, and finished off the night with some frisbee and bocce ball.

That Friday, we went to Siena, which is a beautiful town that houses the Basilica where the relics (aka Head) of St. Catherine, and some incredibly beautiful paintings and sculptures are. The Cathedral was under rennovation, so we did not get to go inside; but we did go underneath it, into the crypts, which were just recently discovered. There are some Byzantine frescoes down there definitely worth seeing, and most likely contributed to by Duccio and possibly Masaccio. Connected to the Cathedral, there is a museum. All the original statues from the facade of the Cathedral are housed there (copies now stand in their place for preservation reasons), and Duccio’s Maesta. I had studied that painting in an Art History class, but it was absolutely stunning to see in person. The colors and skill of the painting are indescribable, and it was 100 times better than the slide show in which I had originally seen it.

We climbed to the top of the tower connected to the church, and from there you could see the entire city of Siena. It was beautiful – the typical Tuscan Terra Cotta roofs, the parallel view of the Cathedral and the town resting in the valley below it. We ate lunch on the steps of the Cathedral, and walked around the town a bit. We met in the Piazza, and were given a tour of the “town hall” by Professoressa Mariotti (the most intelligent and charismatic professor ever!). That was also beautiful, and in it I saw another fresco that I had studied, The Allegory of Good Government and Bad Government. It was great to be able to recognize the symbolism and the meaning behind the work.

Following our day in Siena, we went to a winery for a wine and olive oil tasting. It was delish – the meat they served, the olive oil…and of course the wine! Then we had a tour of the winery and learned a bit about both wine and olive oil.

Quick Fact: Olive oil is either pressed or made in a centrifuge, and the first (and best!) press or spin is Extra Virgin Olive Oil, so always buy EVOO! Also, olive season is November, so around then is when you are going to get the most fresh and best tasting olive oil.

Afterward, we went back to the villa for dinner, and of course Nino and Lucia made us an amazing meal, followed by some good outside time (amazing what we do when the only TV is in Italian!), and bed!

The next day…and next entry (sorry I have been bad at this, it will get better!) FLORENCE for the first time!

So, I am IN FLORENCE! The flights out here went smoothly (there were three of them…), and I got both of my suitcases on the first try! I can already tell this is shaping up to be an amazing experience. Before I left, I was filled with a plethora of emotions and thoughts – sad to leave, excited to go; nervous but ready; all sorts of crazy. At the airport in Traverse City, my mom, Alexa and I said a tearful goodbye, but it wasn’t too bad and I know we’re all going to be fine. Then I was on my way!

I flew in to Chicago, where it was hot as fire in the airport, and I had a three hour layover. As I was getting on the plane, I met three other girls going to Florence for study abroad. They weren’t in my program, but it was good to know that I was headed in the right direction. As I checked my phone for the last time at 2:22 on my B777 plane (triple numbers are seen as a sign that your angels are with you), I knew everything was going to be great!

*Small World Moment*: The guy I sat next to, Donald Nixon, is from a small town in Northern Michigan called Luther, and knows Caeleb’s dad. He was headed to Russia on a hunting trip, and was really nice.

The long flight was good – watched “Then She Found Me” and the Sex and the City movie. They served roast beef, mashed potatoes and steamed veggies for dinner, with a salad and cookie. I didn’t sleep at all – it was too hot, baby crying, couldn’t get comfy, the usual. We got in to Frankfurt, went through security again, and waited. Our plane was delayed about 45 minutes, but that was fine. I was surprised to find that about 90% of us were students headed to Florence (only a few from my program though). I met up with Rae, a girl from my program that I shared a taxi with.

Florence seems huge from the air. The energy and excitement on the plane was almost palpable as we emerged from the clouds and could see the terracotta rooftops and skinny, pointy trees characteristic of Tuscany. We got off the plane and out of the airport with no lost luggage, and an immediate cab. Sixteen Euro later, Giovanni (our cab driver – I spoke to him in Italian), pulled up this door on the side of the street. It did not look at all like a villa, but before I could say anything, Helen (the house matriarch) opened the door, and welcomed us in. After a quick check in, we were led through the Villa to our rooms (Rae, my taxi buddy) and I ended up being neighbors in this suite. Our doors open right up into the library (how perfect for an English major?), and our windows look out on a courtyard.

The formal gardens are stunning -everything is in bloom, even the lemon trees; and the non-street side of the villa is exactly like the picture, just more beautiful. I’ll download some pictures soon, and upload them onto here. After exploring for a while, I went back to my room and started to unpack (I had no roomies yet), but I fell asleep three times during the process. Then it was dinnertime…

We eat in the limonaia, where they used to store the lemon trees in the winter months. It’s a long hall with several round tables. Dinner is served family style on two buffets, and we have (delicious!) coffee at every meal. We had pasta with marinara sauce, bread, a big chunk of cheese and salad. For dessert we had peaches. In Italy, they don’t make a dipping sauce from oil and vinegar for their bread, except in November, when the olives have just been pressed for oil.

After dinner, we took our formal tour with our housefellow, Liz. I came back to my room, and my roomies were finally here! They are so much fun, their names are Sarah and Anna, and they both go to University of Wisconsin-Madison. They didn’t know each other before this, but traveled together for a lot of the trip.

Finally finished unpacking at 9:00, and went into Sesto Fiorentino to see a street fair they were having. It was incredible! There were rides that I’ve seen before, and some I haven’t…we watched and listened to music, and then went to get gelato. Mmm…cocco e cioccolata (coconut and chocolate).

I came back, talked to the roomies for a bit, typed some of this, and – gloriously – went to bed.

This morning I had a roll and an apple (which I’m pretty sure was from our garden) for breakfast. On the rolls, I put honey, wild blueberry jelly, and apricot jelly – not all together, on separate slices of my roll. Then some free time before orientation. Orientation was an intro to the professors, the Villa staff and some rules. Now we have some time until lunch, so I think the roomies and I are going to go around the town for a bit.

That’s all for now – sorry about the length, but a lot can happen in a day!

Ciao!