Wine is constant proof that God loves us and loves to see us happy

Benjamin Franklin said that.

I apologize for the lull in blog posts, but this past week I have been pretty busy with my classes, and also feeling very lazy. But I'm back!

Last weekend one of my sorority sisters was here visiting! It was so much fun! We were able to see so much and even took a day trip to Fiesole, which is a small town that over looks Firenze. It is much older than Firenze, since that was the original settlement before people moved down by the river.

Lots of walking up and down

Over looking Firenze!

Sorelle :)

The monastery of San Francesco

Ancient ruins!

Fiesole

 Like I said, this city was founded much before Firenze, so they have a lot of Etruscan ruins. However, being college students on a budget, we decided to skip the actual museum and walked around the edge of the fence instead. As you can see above, it was just as good!

Kate and I

It was so nice to see a familiar face in Florence! I'll be seeing her again in Paris! And I actually have two other people I know that will be in Florence this next week. I'm definitely looking forward to all of that!

This weekend is going to be full of adventures, too. Today I went with SRISA to Chianti, and tomorrow Alicia and I are going to Bologna. We're taking a cooking class in Bologna, and I am very excited about that. You'll have to check in (hopefully) later this weekend to see how that went.

Chianti, however, was fantastic! Anything that involves beautiful vineyards and wine tasting is bound to be great, but this was really great. Chianti is right outside of Florence, and we were in a section called Greve. We stopped in the city center first this morning and were able to wonder and find some food or whatever we wished to do. A lot of people are in photography classes this session, so it was definitely a great opportunity for all of them.

The town was very quiet and small, so after finding a great bakery we just chilled until it was time to pick up and move.

Giovani da Verrazzano, he discovered NY.

After having a lazy morning, we jumped back on the buses and made the trip up all of the winding hills to Castello di Verrazzano. Apparently when the original family first bought the estate it was occupied with tons of wild boars, so translated, Verrazzano means "lives with the boars" or something along those lines.

Chianti is, as you should know, the wine district of Tuscany. Chianti wines are different from the rest and undergo long processes and must follow strict guidelines. It was the first wine every documented in the Americas, and has been very important to the region for many many years.

They have either Chianti Classico or Reserve, and each batch must be tested to make sure it qualifies as the right product and is worthy of the high quality pink ribbon around the top of the bottle. I wish I could tell you everything our tour guide told us about the process and what goes into each type of wine, but I don't remember. It was really cool though, and the history behind it was great.

Renaissance pond

Wild boar!

Lemons

Verrazzano competition across the hills

Making prosciutto

After the tour, we were taken to the restaurant for the taste testing, along with a spread of meats and cheeses. I was in heaven!

We were taught how to assess a glass of wine before drinking it. First, you put the glass up to your nose to smell it. Then, you hold the glass up against something light or white to test the color and make sure it matches up with the age of the wine; if it's a younger wine it will be a deeper red, if it is older it will have a more golden tint to it. After the color, you swish it around in the glass a few times, making sure you really move it around. Then take another whiff, and you'll notice that the aroma has changed. I don't know what the difference should be, but I know that it should smell different after swishing it around!

Dessert!

The first wine we tried was the Verrazzano Rosso, next the Chianti Classico, and third we had Chianti Reserve. Out of all of them, I think the Rosso was my favorite. For dessert we had Vino Santo, or the holy wine. You dip your biscotti in it, let the wine soak in, and drink it through the cookie. It was great, but so sweet. A little bit definitely went a long way. The dessert wine was the only tasting where we were only given a glass. The rest we got in bottles to share with the table, so I think it's safe to say that we all had about four or five glasses of wine. By the end of lunch, we were feeling great.

We still had a few hours before heading back to Firenze, so we made a few purchases at the vinery store and then went out walking. We helped ourself to the pathway down the vineyards. It was so beautiful, and right then and there I decided that if I were to move to Italy I would have to have a house somewhere with a view of the countryside. Having a vineyard wouldn't be too bad, either!

Happy as a grape!

As usual, the pictures don't do the scenery justice. And throughout the entire day the person I was thinking most about was my dad. After smelling the Chianti Classico, I said "this smells like my dad!" If you know him then you understand that that is not a bad thing at all. He needs to do this, along with many other things I've been so fortunate to do on this trip. I'll just add it to the list of reason to come back with my family :)

It was a beautiful day with wonderful weather, friends and wine. What more could you ask for?

Next week is our last week of class! I can't believe this month has gone by so quickly. Next weekend I'm off to Paris, and the weekend after that I'll be at a wedding in Gaylord. That is so weird to think about. I need to go find a good pair of shoes before I go! I guess that is what I'll be searching for this week :)

xoxo

The Simple Things

This little slice of heaven is the best thing ever right now.

I met a few friends at the Uffizi today just to see a few more things (and to be in an air conditioned building), and on my way I passed what looked like fried eggs on the sidewalk.

My computer reads 99 degrees, which means that in the city it is 101, which means that my apartment is 103. Thankfully I found an electronics store on my way home from class. I went to one yesterday but they were out. People from Michigan, or anywhere in the northern part of the U.S., are not cut out for this heat. At half past midnight last night it was still 85 degrees. Florence is in a valley surrounded by mountains, so it just sits there like it's at the bottom of a bowl of humidity and cooks. Not to mention the dark black cobble stones that act as coal burning up at the bottom of a grill. And I'm the hotdog.

Have I made this weather sound miserable enough yet?

But that's about the only bad thing happening in Florence right now. Tonight my friends and I are going to see Harry Potter part TWO! And I am so excited. I was going to draw a lightening bolt on my forehead, but I'm afraid I'll just sweat it off and it'll end up looking like a weird black blob. I also have a friend coming to visit me this weekend, and I think we're going to go to Cinque Terre for a day! I can't wait to do that, I hear it's absolutely beautiful!

Also, I only have three weeks left. I think I've said that before in a different post, but that's so crazy to think that two months is almost over. Although I feel like I've been here for two years! 

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Wednesday! 

xo

"England is a paradise for women and hell for horses; Italy is a paradise for horses, hell for women"

Just an update on Florence before I talk all about London: It's currently 95 degrees, no wind, and my fan is still broken. Holy crap.

Since my last post, nothing new has happened around Firenze. I started my new classes, which are Italian II and History of Medieval and Renaissance Florence. I took two semesters of Italian before coming to Florence, so I thought this class would be relatively easy... whoops!

On the first day, our professor didn't say a word in English. I guess that's a good thing though, since I do want to get a much better understanding of it, even though I only have three weeks left (oh my gosh!). I hope my Italian really does improve! That's the only thing I'm kind of bummed about, I don't think I've learned much just by being here. It's hard to really pick it up though when none of your friends speak it and half the time people in stores and on the street can automatically tell you're American.

My other class seems like it'll be a lot of fun. The professor is great and I think we'll be doing some stuff outside of the classroom as well. Probably not as much as my last class, but as long as we're out doing things sometimes I'll be happy.

And speaking of my classes, I had to miss both of them today because of some serious airline issues when I was trying to leave London. But regardless of my departure, my weekend in London was one of the best I've had this summer!

I left on Thursday without any trouble, with the exception of lots of traffic on my way into the city while I was on the bus. But let me tell you, landing somewhere where you can understand what everyone is saying and you don't have to guess whether you're reading the sign correctly or not is so unbelievably nice, it was almost a shock. I made it to the designated bus stop by about two in the afternoon and met up with my friend, Cara, with only two phone calls and one circle around Starbucks. It was off to a good start! We took the Undergroud, or Tube, everywhere. It was also nice to have public transportation... oh, and I also needed a jacket. The weather felt amazing!

On my first night, we walked around and saw a few landmarks, and headed to the West End. Some of her friends had bought tickets for a show and we were meeting them there. Cara told me it was supposed to be a scary show, but I figured a "scary" theater show would hardly be scary at all. Again... whoops! It was terrifying! The show was called Women in Black and we had front row seats, literally. Within 25 minutes I had screamed at least twice and both Cara and I were watching through the slits of our fingers. By the end I was sitting in the fetal position and looking down as soon as I knew something was going to happen. It was an amazing performance, and aside from being really scary, it was only a two-man act (well, three, if you could the woman who popped up in black from time to tim) and their acting was amazing! So even though it kept me awake for an extra 30 minutes (I was exhausted and I don't even think Paranormal Activity could have disrupted my sleep), it was a really great show.

First Big Ben sighting!

The Fortune Theatre - where we saw
The Woman in Black

Also on Thursday the Harry Potter premiere was going on in Trafalgar Square. It was crazy! It was seriously so packed we had a hard time getting through, but we got in as close as we could. We were able to see the red carpet and the big screen, and we came across a pathway that people were walking down, but the only people we saw were some band called The Wanted. Neither one of us had ever heard of them, but we took pictures and called it good.

So many people!

Our celebrity sighting- The Wanted

On Friday, Cara and I took our time getting up and ventured out to do some ultimate sight-seeing! It was so much fun! We saw almost everything! Then we met up with one of Cara's friends at Borough Market. They had the bed baklava and it was like Sam's Club heaven with all of the samples the vendors had.

After all of the exploring we were headed back to West End to catch a show. I was hoping to get tickets to Les Miz, but when we got there they were sold out for the next two weeks. So we decided to go with Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. My friend Taylor said she had absolutely loved it, so I was excited! And for those out there that have any interest in theater - go see it (along with many others)! It was so good and I was singing along to almost every song! It was hysterical and I loved how they used songs that most of the public would know. After the show we stalked the stage door and was able to get a few pictures of the performers!

Big Ben Picture #2

Cara and I overlooking the Eye

Parliament and Big Ben

Westminster Abbey.. so beautiful!

Cara and I with our audio tour guides!

Britain's oldest door.. who knew!

So beautiful

:)

Trafalgar Square, where HP was
 the night before - with an Olympic countdown!

King James Park

Buckingham Palace 

Tower Bridge

Borough Market

Loved it!

One of the main drag queens :)

A very successful first full-day in London. We ended it with some Pimms and passed right out as soon as we got back to Cara's apartment.

For day three we planned on going to Notting Hill to check out another market, do some shopping, and eating!

Our first stop was to Diana's Cafe, which was a favorite of Princess Diana's and it's decorated with letters from her and pictures of her at the cafe. Cara and I got a free dessert because one of the workers made Cara bring a table their coffee... haha it was so funny/weird. 

We navigated the bus system once more and made our way to Portobello Market. It was so great! All of the houses that lined the street were pastel and covered in flowers. There were street bands at every corner and fresh fruit, boutiques and handmade clothes everywhere. I think both of us did some serious spending at this market. But don't worry, not all for myself :). It's always a good feeling when you can't wait to give someone something you bought for them. My family better be excited! We also went into one of the stores from the movie Notthing Hill. It was a bookstore in the movie, but now it's a shoe store. They have a poster hanging up inside but they ask for a donation if you want to take a picture. Lame. I got one from outside though!

After Portobello, we went to Top Shop and finally onto Harrod's. I bought the best chocolate caramel cake squares, and more presents!

Once the shopping was done we were in search of some proper fish and chips... with some Pimms. It was a wonderful day, but it was not over yet! After dinner we headed out for a bar or two. More specifically, a gay bar, that just so happened to have a drag show! Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures and the video I took won't upload. Sorry. Just know that it was great, but really bad at the same time.

THE store

Fancy hats!

So unique and really cool!

The only picture I got of the night...

And so my weekend in London was over. I was supposed to leave for Florence at 11:20 Sunday morning. However, there was apparently a fatality on the train and nothing was going to be moving for hours. So I took a bus, but it wouldn't get me to the airport until after my flight at departed. I gave in and assumed I would miss my flight, but I was glad it was early so I figured there would be a later flight I could get on with no problem.

Well, there was a later flight, but there were definitely problems. The airline I was flying with was called RyanAir, and their carry-on limit was 10 kg. Nobody weight my bag or said anything about it. My suitcase was carry-on size, so I didn't see how there would be an issue. But on my way to the gate I was stopped to weigh my bag. It came to 14 kg and the only way I could board my flight was if I paid 40 pounds to check it or if I got rid of 4 kg. I ran to the ATM but my card is a little more than temperamental with the machines over here, so it didn't work. I had no more than 20 pounds on me, so I started layering up. I weighed my bag again and it was 11 kg. I thought I'd be good, but no, still no getting through. I didn't know what to do so I started throwing things out. I had 10 minutes before my gate closed and the women there were of no help. In tears, I threw out my toothbrush, deodorant, those delicious chocolate caramel squares, and was about to throw out a pair of shoes and a sweatshirt when the overhead made an announcement that my flight was closing. Still no help for the women at the gate, I really started crying. Eventually they threw my boarding pass at me and told me to run. Thanks! Needless to say, I missed my flight, again. And not only did I miss my flight, but my phone was out of credit so I could not get ahold of my mom or Cara, or anyone else. 

I was escorted out of security and right back to the same waiting area I had been sitting in all day long waiting for the second flight at 6. I tried a payphone to call my mom, but as soon as she picked up it needed more coins, and when I didn't get them in quick enough it disconnected. But as soon as I put the phone down it rang, so I picked up and it was my mom! I felt like I was a hit man or something waiting by the payphone, but it was a lifesaver. So she was able to connect with Cara and I headed back to London, completely exhausted.

This morning I woke up and headed to a different airport for a flight my parents booked for my last minute. Everything went as planned, and I arrived in Pisa with no problems. I had also checked my bags. My train got into Florence around 4 this afternoon, and since then I went to get groceries, put credit on my phone, and laid in bed. I think I deserve to be lazy right now.

Thanks for reading that entire mess, if you did. I really try not to just write about my daily schedule, so I hope this wasn't too boring. London is definitely a place I need to revisit for more than just a weekend. I'm thinking maybe a year or two... if I can come close to affording it :).

It was seriously one of the best places I've ever been to and I enjoyed it so much. Cara was such a great hostess, and I hope she uses her gifts wisely! I'm so thankful that she was there and willing to take me around to see everything, and pick me up, drop me off, and pick me up again at the train station. This was definitely a weekend I will always remember.

And as for the title, I thought it was funny. Mostly because it's true!

Cheers!