so freaking adorable! my kid better have freckles…. i mean i’m pretty sure they will.
Day 12
Today I slept until around 10 and then took a shower. I wanted Mc Donald’s again so we went there for lunch. It was the worst experience, we not only waited forever to get food but they had two registers open and 7 free. Then people kept cutting in front of us, and as I was about to ordered this chinese lady started talking as I did so she could get food before me :X I was not a happy camper. We then brought our food back to the hostel and right after I was finished eating the lady came and kicked us out of our room again to clean. Grr. They clean at the most inconvenient times. I was really tired and the girl I have been hanging out with is getting sick so I said she should probably take a nap and I did as well. We then got up around 2 so that we could make it to our meeting spot at 2:30, and on the walk there the guys of jersey shore were literally walking right next to us. I was still half asleep so I slowly realized who they were and told the girls with me and we scrambled to get pictures and they looked right at us. The camera actually was on me for a few seconds. Maybe i’ll make it on MTV :D:D:D:D hahaha. We made it to our meeting place and obviously bragged ;) and we met our tour guide who was leading us through the Uffizi Museum. We saw all the major art works from michangelo, bonacello, giotto, and some others. It was amazing to see all the pieces that I have seen in my art history classes in real life. She then took us around to some of the main points of Florence. We then had a few mintutes to chill before dinner, and while I was apparently daydreaming the girls of jersey shore walked by and I didn’t even notice?! I’m not sure how this happened cause it wasn’t that big of an area. anywho, we went to the same place we had dinner at the night before which was more pastaaaaaa, yuck. I am seriously over pasta now. like no joke. :( I came back to the hostel cause the tendentious in my hips is really bothering me and I thought it was better to rest then to bother them more. We had a choice to go watch the sunset in the Michangelo garden but it was completely across the city and up and few hundred stairs, and I didn’t think I could handle that. :(
Day 11
Today was our free day, yum. I slept til about 9 and then went down and got breakfast, I had french toast again :) Afterwards I came back and laid down until the cleaning lady came in and yelled at us in italian, to say which can only assume was to get out so she could clean. So we all scrambled to get ready and out before she came back. We made our way to Mickey D’s because most of us are already tired of pasta! I got a kids meal and it tasted pretty much the same, and I got cut penguin binoculars :D We then went to the market where I finished all my gift buying except for daddy. Afterwards we were so miserably hot we decided to come back to the hostel for a bit to cool down. I called momma and we talked for about an hour :D which was nice! We went back out and I found something for daddy and my friend Rich wanted to go to H&M again so we did that. It was really crowded and I got really irritated. Oh and momma I tried gelato for you… I got chocolate and it was okay but it was tooo sugary for me. We then met up with our group for dinner and went to this cute restaurant to eat. They gave us 3 appetizers and 3 dishes. And they had the best bread i’ve had yet, it wasn’t hard hahha! We then walked back and everyone in my room fell asleep because Logan bought a guitar yesterday and was playing for us. Perfect Lullaby! I got woke up and just talked with a bunch of the girls in my room, it was good to get to know them better. Now I am about to read and go to bed :D
Day 10
Hermmmmmm well, today I got up at dang 6 am (i know most of you won’t believe this but its true) to dance for the film guys. Apparently sunrise was the time of the prettiest light and was the least crowded. And they were right there was no one out there expect for like 4 tourists and street cleaners, and a couple of gypsy’s who had their eyes on the camera equipment. I bascially made up a couple of eight counts on the spot and I did it over and over again so they could get different shots and such. Afterwards we had breakfast at the hostel and I got french toast, and I normally don’t it without syrup but this was actually okay without it. It was like regular french toast but had egg on top.. yum. I got back to my room and woke up the people I was supposed to and then got dressed. We went to see David by Michaelangelo at Academia. It was so much better in person and soooo much bigger than I thought it was gonna be. After that a couple of us went walking around and got some lunch which wasn’t that good, I had pizza and wasn’t impressed at all. We then went to H&M but I thought it was too overpriced when I could get things from there cheaper in America. We also walked through Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and stores like that just to see what they looked like. The store people in Chanel followed us around like we were going to steal something and everything was in glass boxes?! craziness. Around one we came back to the hostel cause I was pooped and I took a four hour nap, then I uploaded pictures…. so momma you should be happy ;) We then went down to dinner at the hostel again (i’m not sure why we eat at the hostel so much when we paid all that money) and I had pizza which was much better than lunch. Afterwards we all hung out on the patio and met guys from Canadia and South Carolina (they were architecture majors). Then we decided to go to this club they found called 21, but after a half hour of walking and getting lost a bunch of us turned around and headed back to the hostel. And thats all I did today.
P.S. momma I am feeling 90% better so you shouldn’t worry anymore :D
Day 9
We got to sleep in today which was amazing, since I did sleep for so long. I woke up and my throat didn’t hurt hardly at all and they only thing that was really wrong is my head is still kinda hurts and is really stuffed up so I can’t hear anything. But I definitely feel soooo much better. We sat around and waited to catch the 1pm train to Florence and got to our hostel. We then had a couple hours to chill which some people used for jersey shore stalking since apparently they are staying right next to us. Linda took us on a walk of Florence so that we would know where we were going and not get lost. And gave us an overall knowledge of what everything was. On our was back to the hostel I saw the JERSEY SHORE CAST!!!!! and Hannah I ran through the streets of Florence (while being stared at) in the rain acting like a paparazzi. Afterwards we ate dinner at the hostel and walked around for a bit. I came back early because I’m supposed to be up at 6 am so that I can dance for this film they are making. so we shall seeeee…..
ps. momma I REALLY AM feeling better, and i’m not just telling you that so that you won’t worry :)
Day 8
Today I woke up with a really bad sore throat which got worse as the day went on. We toured renaissance towns today, the first one was Volterra (aka where twilight was filmed) but it didn’t look anything like in the movie. But I took pictures for you Hannah :D We ate at a nice restaurant and I ordered Carbonara which was very creamy and really helped my throat, and was delicious. It was a very quiet town too with great views. We then went to San Gimignana also, and toured a cathedral which I didn’t like very much at all. But I was also really really tired and felt like death. We then walked around and looked at all the pretty views. We then came back to Certaldo for dinner and I walked up that steep hill once again and it took me forever since I didn’t feel good at all. Linda (aka my teacher) got me some medicine to take from the doctor so I took my first one before dinner. For dinner we went to the same place as the cooking lesson and she had a wonderful assortment of foods out for us, I had some pork tips and their version of a deviled egg (which was just a boiled egg cut in half) and I had some pasta. It was good even though I couldn’t eat that much. I got the first ride back and talked to momma and then went to sleep, and I slept for 13 hours :D
Day 7
Today we got up early ew… And went on our merry way to the train station where we took a 30 minute ride to Sienna. We walk to the piazza where they do horse races… I don’t know how they race horses there since it’s not THAT big. We had lunch and roamed around on our own some of our left me and another girl so we decided to find the posts (or post office). On our way the film guys on the trip decided they wanted to film us much to my disliking but I participated since Its a grade for them. Anywho we walked around and they wanted to join us on our post office adventure cause apparently it would make good footage?! Afterwards we toured the Duomo Cathedral. It was absolutely AMAZING!!!!! We also toured a museum and crypt, in the museum we got to see pieces that I had seen in my art history classes. It was really neat to see them in real life. We then got the train back and came back up to Certaldo Alto to chill before dinner. And if course I took a nap :) For dinner we had some pasta and not very much I’m still kinda hungry.
Day 6
Hmmm today we got to sleep in, which was niceeee :D We had classes at 12, which was basically another mini italian language/history lesson. We then watched an hour of a movie about the Medici Family (not really sure how you spell that) and some history about Florence which was interesting. We then explored Certaldo Alto, a tower where we could see a lot of the Tuscany landscape and then to the castle. I saw the dungeon where they kept their prisoners and there was marks on the wall (just like the movies). Afterwards we came back to the villa to watch a comedy act called Commedia Dell Arte (something like that). Its actors who do professional comedy and travel, they wear lots of masks. Our driver on the way back was a guy from South Carolina (USC) and is her for an apprenticeship. I then took a nap cause I was cold, tired, and annoyed. Some of the people on this trip are getting on my last nerve. For dinner we had an authentic Indian meal, Aparna (momma its the girl from the airport) said this is what she usually eats just hotter. She’s actually teaching me a lot about the Indian culture, its really crazy and a lot of rules. I ate curry and rice with vegetables in it. We then went on a search to find Gelato but couldn’t find anything because apparently Mondays are like Sundays at home, so we walked like 5 or more miles tonight. We found a bar, which has like alcohol and such but also like a mini connivence store. So basically we didn’t do very much today :)
Day 5
This was our first full day in Certaldo and we started the day by going to Certaldo Alto which is a 5 minute drive up the hill/mountain whatever you want to call it. We had language class which basically we learned to ask what someone’s name is, where they live, and how are someone is. And also how to respond, also we got a brief history to how Italy became Italy. We then attempted to watch an art history movie which didn’t work out and instead we had an art history lecture which I have seen the same slideshow in my art history class with this same teacher, so i slept :) We then waited for like almost an hour to get the bus to our wine testing :) (the driveway to this place was like straight up and we had to climb this thing… so not cool. They showed us how to test it and everything! We got to taste 3 different wines (one regular one that was pretty good, another one that was really dry, and then the i think its called grappa where they take the dried grape skins and ferment them, its basically like liquor and smelled awful so I didn’t drink it haha) and a few olive oils and some sheep cheese. And daddy if you are reading this I actually like the sheep cheese haha cause you’re always talking about goats shenanigans, so it made me think of you. We got to see their horses and they had a brown one with a white diamond!!! I almost stole it haha since I am weird and have always wanted a horse like that ;D After that we stopped in this small city, in Tuscany we stopped by this photographers shop (his stuff was soooo amazingggg) but unfortunately they were mega expensive. Then we walked around and took pictures of the scenery, which I will have on facebook soon…. IT WAS SOOOO AMAZING! Its just like the movies but 10 times better. no joke! We then got back in the van for the 40 minute ride back to Certaldo, and the people here are crazy drivers, like northerners but mega worse. I got so car sick on the way home, it was awful. But I guess it was well worth it since I got some really good pictures today :D When we got back we had to climb up another steep hill that was made of rocks and had a creek running down in, oh and all of this in the rain. But we finally got to go to dinner where this lady showed us how to make stuff. We had a couple of dips, ( i ate one that was made of zucchini, cucumber, and cheese… be proud!) and then we got some pasta, and then some beef things that were amazingggggg :D yum i ate over half the plate for our table. Now we’re back at the villa and i’m listening to this annoying girl talk to her parents and be well annoying. She is also very touchy and won’t STOP TALKING TO MEEEEEEEEEEEEEE. On a better note we get to sleep in late tomorrow…yum :D
Day 4
We left Venice early this morning and drove for 4 hours to Certaldo (which is in Tuscany). We stopped at a gas station half way through and it was like the twilight zone of America, but so much cleaner and simpler. I got Pringles cause I couldn’t pronounce anything else in the store haha. after we arrived our teacher gave us the “privater” villa cause the sorority girls on this trip are obnoxious when they are drunk, and they do this every dang night. But anywho it worked out cause their staying in the hostel part and we get the villa which is like a house kinda thing (pictures are on facebook if ya wanna take a look). But its so cute and it looks like the movies when they go stay in the houses in Tuscany :). But yeah we had a quick meeting with the owner who is australian, and the owner is apparently an aristocrat or something and she was an interpreter for President Johnson. CRAZINESS! After that we meet this lady who lives here and she shuttled us to the grocery store (called a coop). It was crazy packed and sooo small. As I was walking in this old man kept giving me evil stares from my shorts to my face (they don’t like it when people wear shorts, because they don’t here). Anyways the grocery store was confusing mainly because I don’t speak Italian. I ended up buying some type of chips, oreos, honey nut cheerios, apples and some more powerade. And we have a cute little kitchen to cook in :D after that we had an hour or so to get settled before dinner. For dinner we had an austrailian meal, I ate a 2 hamburgers, some ribs,potato salad and pasta salad. It was delicious. I felt like a pig hahha well i guess this is nothing new. Afterwards they had a dessert and gave us a shot of lime stuff but that was absolutely DISGUSTING!!! Then we all just hung out and drank and talked and listened to music. Savannah and I went to the hammocks and swung for a bit, we really want to sleep out there one night. I think that would be a lot of funnnnn :D
Day 3
Today is our last day in Veniza (aka Venice), we had a tour of San Marco Cathedral/Church (I can’t remember if its a cathedral or not cause this church is seriously messed up). They basically stole everything for it, even the bones of St. Mark (who supposedly helped Peter write parts of the Bible). But the entire ceiling is mosaic and gold, it took 400 years to finish the decorations. We then had the rest of the day to wander around and do our own thing before dinner. My group went to this nice resturant where I got another pizza haha :D and after lunch we got lost and took some pictures. I had been feeling sick since yesterday and we figured I was just dehydrated cause my head and i was incredibly tired, so after lunch I got a powerade and drank a bottle of water and later I was totally fine :D yay! We went back to the hostel to get on the internet/nap before dinner. Finally ya’ll were online hehe :D then we got the boat to dinner (i got presents and hannah your postcard), we went to this nice resturant that gave us soooo much food! :D and yes I tried Carbonara (and it was yummy :D ) you all should be proud hahaha :D :D and then they gave us salad (which is always gross over here cause its bitter and they only dressing you have is oil and vinegar (gag me)). after that we got our “main dish” which was pork chops, so don’t worry i am being well feed haha. after dinner we went on a journey to find the post office, with no luck :/ This girl from our group was taking a shower and this guy opened the curtain on her hahhaha which sucks for her but is kinda(not) funny. Anywho, tomorrow we are taking a bus to Certaldo, which I should be able to get on the internet during the day when I have class meetings. So for now that is all I know.
Day 1 & 2
Day One:
We got to the airport and ate a light lunch (mahrgarita pizza aka cheese pizza) and rode a boat to our hostel. We then got some time to chill before dinner on San Marco, where we literally got a 4 course meal ( i had french fries, vegetable soup, and chicken). Then we came back because we were all tired and jet lagged blah.
Day Two:
FIrst off the breakfast in this hotel is DISGUSTING… theres this stuff that looks like corn flakes but is gross and was served with warm milk. EW! Today we went to the islands of Murano (Known for their glass blowing) and Burano (known for their lace making). We ate lunch on Murano and I had a pork chop yum. Afterwards we went back to the hostel to get ready for dinner and i was so tired that i took a nap. opps :D Then for dinner we went to a more “hip” part of San Marco that had more “young people” according to our teacher. Anywho we had pasta for dinner… now get ready for this… JORDAN TRIED LASAGNA AND LOVED IT not so much the pesto. Then after dinner we walked and around before we had to meet back up with the group. Now i’m here writing this lovely note listening to these nonAmerican, English speaking idiots yell at each other about the differences in pizzas, how much they cost, and how they taste. Its rather ridiculous. now i shall go to bed.
sooooo cool. i might just start one of these :)
NIGHTNIGHT by DEDDY
