Under the Tuscan Sun

Literally. So I spent a long time in Florence... and it was well worth it. I stayed an extra day because I didnt want to be in Paris alone. The hostel I stayed in was out of this world though. It was called Plus Florence and it had every amenity known to man, even a cheap spa that I wish I had taken advantage of, my feet arent lookin so hot after traveling for 3 weeks. They had a pool, a steam room, a club/bar, and a roof terrace that looked over the entire city. Thank you Joe, from Australia, for telling me about this fantastic place:).  I stayed with my friend Sami until Sunday when I came to this fantastic city. It was great to do some traveling with a friend that I had known for awhile and not just someone I met from the hostel. We were able to do Cinque Terra together and also hike up the 480 something steps to the top of the Duomo. Every roof in Florence is made from terracotta--which was a beautiful view from the top of this church. I also found out that every church was modeled after this specific duomo (around Italy that is). I had a lot fo fun doing some artsy photos with Sami and her roommate Lisa in the dark shadows and crevaces of the cathedral; and of course afterward we had to get some Gelato. Mmmm... I do believe I have gained about ten pounds solely from eating gelato during my travels. Ill work it off when Im home, it's been so worth it for now because I do believe I would have keeled over and died from the heat in Italy.

Sunday morning I saw Sami and Lisa off, as they left with their fifty bags, and I headed over to my new home for two days, the Plus Palace of Florence. After dropping my bags off, I was off to see the sites of Florence. First stop, the Uffizi, the museum that is full of various works by Leonardo da Vinci, Boticelli, Michaelangelo, and Raffaelo. These were all pieces that I never thought I would be within arms length from in my entire life. After walking through the museum I headed down to pass over the Ponte Vecchio, which was filled with stores overflowing with jewelry, strolled over to the Pitti Palace, but I didnt want to pay the 8 euro to enter so I turned around and hiked up the Piazza Michaelangelo... it was hot, and it was worth it, but I could literally feel my heart beating through my entire body like my skin was bursting off. ehh. I sat at the top and looked over the entire city of Florence while I drank a nice Fragola Shake (strawberry) and ate a delicious artichoke, mozzarella and tomato sandwhich. Once I was done I decided to take the hike back to the hostel. Upon checking in I met a nice Aussie behind the counter that was nice enough to tell me about a wine tour through Chianti the following day. I jumped on the offer. For 35 euro I loaded onto a bus at 9:45am that took us out to the countryside of Tuscany to taste wine and other delicious treats. The first winery we stopped at taught us how to smell and taste wine, we had one white and three reds... they were all delicious; we had extra virgin olive oil on crackers, truffle oil on chips (which did you know is an affrodisiac?) our guide, Paul, and the owner of the winery really wanted us to know this), and finally we had the most brilliant balsamic that I have ever tasted, it was aged for 35 years. Once we were finished we headed down a dirt road to another winery where we learned about the detailed process of making wine and how the older the vine is (this one was 35 years old), the better the wine is. We then sat down for a Tuscan lunch under the trees and the sun, with Saint Germanaino ( I dont remember the exact spelling). After a delicious meal we had dessert... which was cheese and honey.. I took a lot of photos of this, it was my favorite part and was joined with a rosa wine. Once we were finished with it all we went into the town and walked around, tasted the award winning gelato of Italy there, and also took some photos of the majestic view. This town once had 72 towers, but when you lost your wealth, your tower was torn down. This fact tells you why there are now only 14 towers standing. The town was probably the cutest town I have ever been to, I kind of fell in love with it. The bus ride home was about an hour and I took a much needed nap. Upon returning to Florence, we said our goodbyes to friends leaving and headed back to the hostel to catch the sunset with a bottle of wine up on the terrace.

I had one of the most memorable trips around Italy, I think I might come back and never leave. I am now in Paris with the fam, and although I am more than thrilled to see them I wish I was still backpacking across the world. Anyone up to come back in a few months?

Cities by the Sea

I met Sami here in Florence last night and we went out to some bars here in town to welcome me to the city and celebrate my birthday.  At dinner they turned the lights off and sang Happy Birthday to me which I loved and I completely indulged in the amazing desert that they brought out to me.  After about 4 hours of sleep and sugary drinks Sami and I arose to sprint to the train station and be on our way to Cinque Terra.  Cinque Terra was everything I hoped it would be.  Rocky beaches and beautiful vineyards lined the coast.  As we hiked from Monterosso to Vernazza out thighs felt like we were stair stepping our lives away.  Although the old man singing a beautiful Italian tune and the rain cooled us off and kept us sane as we trekked the stone stairs one after another.  Once we got to Vernazza we were famished and admiration of the cute little city that lined the light blue waters.  We sat down and ate at a well known restaurant that was nestled in the bay.  We had a sea-bass that was to die for and mouth watering stuffed mussels that are honestly the BEST I have ever tasted.  Italy is so fantastic.  It has done nothing but impress me.  

After going around to the five towns and exploring the cute little shops that lined the cobblestone streets we decided to try and go back, well try anyway.  After running to the train we heard the train leaving the station going over our heads. AHHHHH! So we waited for the next train which wasnt for an hour.  Im not sure what it was with today but Sami and I had the worst luck with trains.  We were a mess.  We went and perched ourselves on a stone wall overlooking the rocky ridge below us and watched the waves crash onto the rocks.  This place was like a dream.  Suddenly, Im not sure where the time went... but our train was arriving and Sami and I are dodging people left and right trying to get down to it.  I have my camera in hand, my camera bag, popcorn and chocolate, and my lens cap falling out of my pocket.  Hearts racing and seconds later we are plopped on the train ready to get to the La Spazia.  Deep breaths were taken and we were off.  Once we got to the station we found ourselves completely confused about train times and how the heck we get back to Florence within a decent our.  Which, with our luck, was obviously unobtainable.  First, we read the arrivals and assumed they were departures, then we waited in line to buy tickets only to be confused about the arrivals and departures; once we made sense of it all the line was 10-15 min long to get a ticket and we missed two trains in the mean time... lucky us.  After all of this we got stuck on regional trains, which are a ton cheaper but take a whole of lot longer... a 2 hour train ride turned into 4 hours, one stop, a 30 min delay, an italian with a puppy that bought me an ice cream from McDonald's, a disgusting bathroom, and some thirteen year olds whistling and kissing at me as I walked the train.  

I now sit on the bed next to Sami as she reads her grandmother's book which seems pretty interesting and I think I might go buy it.  After a long day I cannot wait to rest.  My feet need a break, but tomorrow we are hiking the Duomo and Boboli Gardens, and also exploring the city for everything its worth.  Im not sure how I feel about Florence as a city that respects women, but I wont let that take away from it's absolutely beautiful architecture and fun city vibe.

From riches to rubble....

Rome was full of the most fascinating history and the most delicious food.  My first day I got in around 4 and figured I would go get some food from the grocery store and hang out by a fountain, my snack consisted of rice cakes and nutella :) I watched the tourists and just relaxed.  I stayed at a hostel called Alessandro Downtown... such a nice hostel, and at this hostel there was free meals at 7pm.  So my first evening I attended and met a lot of really welcoming, nice people.  One of which I spent the majority of my time with, his name was Joe... another Aussie.  I seem to get a long great with those guys!  So the first night we went and got some drinks and walked down to the Colosseum and drank them (this was a huge group of us).  In Rome, you can drink on the streets... it's kind of like Vegas, but not as disgusting and party oriented.  I was in awe over the Colosseum, it was so remarkable, especially at night.  Everything in Rome is oversized and beautiful.  The next morning I headed out on my own to visit the Colosseum in the daylight.  The lines were insane but I finally made it in and walked around for awhile reading about how the Romans demolished animals and prisoners, chopping them to pieces and watching animals tear each other apart... I was pretty disgusted by the time I got out of there.  The architecture itself was gorgeous and well worth the wait.  Afterward I headed out to the ruins (Roman Forum) and got lost for about 3 hours!  Needless to say I was in a huge need of food and rest.  I instead walked around the Piazza Venezia, which was intense and I dont really think I paid it the attention it deserved.  I finally walked around and found a nice place to eat where I enjoyed a BLT and an Italian waiter that wanted to talk to me about the sharks in California.  I laughed as he brought up Florida as well... two very different states, so I couldnt find the reason he found them to be in common with each other.  After my meal I trekked over to the Trevi Fountain which is so outstanding and OVERCROWDED.  Talk about claustrophobia!  I took my photos and got out, got on the metro and headed back to meet up with my new Aussie friend.  I was lucky enough to be placed in a room with all boys, which we all know how I am with girls so it was nice to be in a comfortable situation for me where I could be myself and joke around with all of them.  Two of the boys were American and from Chicago, I told them all about my fam and Wheaton, it was good to relate.  We all went out once again to celebrate my birthday (at midnight)  After dinner and watching the futbol game at a hole in the wall Irish Pub we walked the streets back to the hostel, only to run into a group of Dutch people who sang to me their traditional song for Happy Birthday.  I was impressed and felt very lucky.  By the way, thank you to all of you who called/texted/messaged me.  On my birthday I headed to the Vatican/St. Peter's Square... sooooooooooooo extravagant and absolutely breath taking.  Joe was our tour guide because he had already been earlier in the week.  Michael Angelo was one of the hardest workers that ever lived.  He actually started doing the Sistine Chapel when he was only 25... I dont know any 25 y/0 that has the patience or the determination to work that hard.  Inside the chapel you arent supposed to talk or take photos but EVERYONE was... it was a little annoying, but I couldnt help myself, I took photographs.  The huge ceilings in the church were so overwhelming and massive that I was silent during my walk through.  The letters that line the ceiling are an estimated 2 meters tall at the front and a dramatic 4 meters at the very head of it.... 4 meters!!!! So intense.  We all went to a little local restaurant that had the most phenomenal gnocchi I have ever tasted.  Then off to more walking and exploring of the city, we went and saw the Castel Sant Angelo and the Spanish Steps.  We didnt venture inside because I honestly think there could be too much to see in Rome.  I was so exhausted.  Overall Roma is an absolutely unforgettable place and I had a blast.  I met some really great people that I hope to keep in touch with as well and I cant wait to cross paths with again.

Water canals and Aussies

Are the most of my memories from my trip to Venice. Venezia is an amazing place. I arrived yesterday morning and went straight from the train station to Camp Fusina.. a large area that a lot of Australians work at and also come to stay at when they visit Venezia. I walked around for 7 straight hours along the canals of the floating city yesterday. I went to the Guggenheim, the Salute, San Marco, the Rialto bridge and many other small churches along the water. I think I took over a hundred photos, mostly of windows and gondoles. I think it is an amazing place and I couldnt have been happier to be here. I was blessed with being able to stay here at Camp Fusina with some of the funnest people I have ever met. So I am taking that with me. Tomorrow I embark on my trip to Rome... trying to do train tickets isnt doing me so well though. If anyone has any recommendations for where to go, let me know!!

G-G-G-G-G-GREASE LIGHTENNIN!!!

I almost forgot to add this in my blog for today... BUT this is absolutely unforgettable and magestic :)

Last night we went bar hopping around Vienna for my last night.  First, we went to a bar called Passage that was in the old subway.  It had a short ceiling and it was extremely hot, but so worth the 12 euro to dance to a little techno... until they came out with a violin and a man on a piano who thought he was the hottest thing to hit the stage.  It was a little awkward to say the least but I enjoyed hearing something different until the heat got to us.  After walking back through the area where  I met my carriage driver we continued on to our favorite bar here in Vienna... STEINZEIT!!!  Which ultimately should have been our first choice... obviously.  Everyone had 80's rockband hair and they were playing Iron Maiden when we walked in.  After getting enough looks for a lifetime we began to get a little tired, until of course Grease Lightening came on :) I looked at Josh and we got down.  However he didnt know all the words so I preceeded to recite John Travolta's magical words as well.  The night had just begun... at 245AM!! After that they played plenty of American hits that we danced to until about 315, we decided to end it on a good note.  To Vienna.. one of my favorite cities in the World, you will be missed... especiall Steinzeit. Josh dont forget to grab my t-shirt!

Taste of Africa.. in Austria.

Well today has been a very busy day and my stomach is extremely full of Nigerian food.  Anda and Marc have a cabby that they use here on a normal basis, and he happens to be from Ghana.  After speaking to him briefly about my experience with African Culture in Boulder he invited us over to his home for a meal.  How lucky am I?!  He picked us up around 2pm and we drove to the outskirts of Vienna to some of the original homes that were invaded by the Nazi Regime... which might I remind you that today is the anniversary of the end of WW II.  The apartments were fixed income but quite nice, they looked like barracks though.  But anyway, back to the meal.  AMAZING!!! It was so magnificent.  We had these spicy beans and plantains, hardboiled eggs wrapped in a thin bread, potato patties with onions, beef and onion (kind of like an empanada), annnddddd then ebi which is a polenta with some spinach and yams with beef.... so much food.  The family was so awesome and I am so thrilled that I was able to be a part of their day.  

Now I am off to Venice and hopefully staying here: 

http://www.campingfusina.com/home.1.html with a friend of a friend who works there.  Im so excited :) I got a new book on Italy today that should help me around with where I will be site seeing.  If anyone has any suggestions let me know! My train is all night so I have plenty of time to kill.

Unicorn Scarves and Indian Headbands...

seem to have made me a hippy here in Vienna... I have had gelato three times in the last 24 hours, and its starting to get ridiculous but so delicious.  I have had blueberry, lemon, nutella, cocalino- which is the most amazing out of the four.  All I have done here is eat.  Haha.  Just kidding... I have explored. For instance, today after hanging out with my sister for a little while and roaming around the streets of Vienna I went on a little trip by myself around town.  There is an amazing church called Jesuitenkirche, it is considered one of the best of the Baroque churches of its kind.  It had a very high dome ceiling that i couldnt take enough photos of.  There was a service going on when I walked in (maybe I shouldnt have been in there...whoops) but it made me feel really blessed to have seen something so beautiful.  As I walked out I realized how tucked away this brilliant piece of art was and how many place/things you truly could miss in this amazing city.

After a little stroll I went down to the Innere Stadt... which is the main square where most of the museums in the city are located.  As I walked through Sisi's Palace I stopped to admire the gorgeous dome and cobblestone walkways.  Once through the Palace I decided to take a rest and sit in the park in front of all the horse and carriages.  After sitting and admiring for a little while, the drivers began to speak to me and ask me where I was from.  When I told them California they found it funny and amazing to tell me how much they loved Arnold... but the love Austria more than America.  I dont blame them, the people here are so nice and I havent felt threatened once.  I spoke to them about guns and theft and how low it is here, so they explained to me how the process goes to even have a weapon in europe... kinda crazy.  Any way... the whole point of this blog is to tell everyone about my adventure today. Here goes...

So as I sat by myself in this park and began to speak to the drivers of these carriages, they said they could tell I was from California and not a Republican because I looked like a hippy, then they asked me if I was Native American due to the fact that I wear an indian beaded headband... which is pretty sweet I might add.  They made me laugh.  My new friend Cristian then asked me if I wanted to take photos in the carriage.. I couldnt resist.  After taking photos of me with his hat on driving the carriage I got to take some of him with a cig in his mouth (because according to Cris.. this was the way it had to be)  So I decided it was now time for me to get back to the apartment and join my little fam here for dinner when all of the sudden Cris yells to me and asks me if I would like a free carriage ride... Could I ever pass this up??? NO!  So I got in the carriage and I told him that I have grown up riding horses and asked him about the calls for walk and stop and such.  He asked me if I had ever driven a carriage and when I replied no, he decided it was time to change that.  I jumped out and back on to the front and drove the carriage through the city of Vienna to the Opera house.  This pretty much made my trip to say the least.  Veinna is one of the most friendliest of places and I am so thrilled with my day.

Now it is my last night in Vienna... We are supposed to go out to some club, all I know is I want to dance, I think that will make my day even more glorious and unforgettable :)

Dizzy...

Well... yesterday we did a bit of everything I believe.  In the morning I went and tried on new glasses because... by the way, they have amazing frames here with a one day turn around?! After breakfast we went to a French Cafe where I had the best mouth-watering quiche that I have ever tasted.  We took the subway to a big department store where Anda got weights to get buff before her big day and then I came home to analyze what the rest of my day entailed.  I got Josh to go two blocks with me over to Stephansdom, which is an old gothic cathedral that was absolutely beautiful inside and towers that make it so obvious across the city are unforgettable.  We climbed the south tower.... get ready for this people, 450 feet.... 343 steps. I was panting. Josh began to get irritated with my lack of stamina up the steps.  I had to stop three times on the way up and two on the way back due to dizziness and lack of oxygen.  The quarters were also very tight, but as soon as we got to the top it was well worth the magnificent view of the entire city.  I love Vienna.

Today we plan to do a lot more so I will be updating as I go :) Thanks for reading!

Vienna's City Streets

consist of cobblestone and layered clothing... which I do not layer... I went out in a dress and sandals today with a sweater on, obviously I got some stares.  After uncontrollably passing out  in the airport and having French men laugh at me I got on my plane to Vienna from Paris.  The flight attendants have pink hats and are really good looking? weird.  My day in Paris was so exhausting that I again passed out. It was so bad that I couldnt even keep my eyes open for the people that were trying to get into the seats next to me.  Rude American. 

So... my day in Paris. I had an uneventful day but it was interesting.  I had one man tell me he was in love with me and give me a bag with two odd earings in it and a gold pin that originally had a stone in it of some sort but now the latches are bent.  Needless to say the items are still in the baggy.  After walking around the city taking photos and people watching, I got on my train to CDG 4 hours before my flight actually took off.  On the train, I met 4 young men that told me I was absolutely gorgeous and that they wanted to come to Vienna with me... Parisian men love to compliment, and I cant say that I dont appreciate it! I told the one boy Hazam that I liked his bracelet and he proceeded to give it to me... all I had to give him was a small black hair tie that I wore as a bracelet... not exactly an equal trade but I will forever remember these boys and their attempts to communicate with an ignorant girl from America that couldnt speak a lick of French.  Overall the end of my day was filled with laughs which I appreciated.  

Waking up on the flight as we were landing felt like DEATH but I survived.  No passport check? Kinda bummed that I dont have a stamp but that's okay.  I took a mercedes to the house... not a typical cab to me, but hey it was classy! Once I got to the flat Josh and my sister's fiancee Marc were waiting for me to go get some drinks.  We headed out and on my 3 hours of sleep in 30 hours I drank 3 glasses of wine and some peanuts which gave me enough energy for the trek around Vienna.  It is silent city on a Monday night but we managed to get drinks at a dive bar that had pteradyctl and stalactites (cone shapes coming from the cieling like a cave).  Marc attempted to take my sister Anda here and I guess she was gone within the first minute.  I dont blame her, but it definiately a place that my friends and I would hang out regularly.  For all my Boulder people... it was our new downer! Following our bar hop, we went to a Weiner stand and got a Curry Weiner and a regular sausage... which were undoubtablly the most delicious weiners I have ever had.  After that we came home to eat more... Josh and I almost polished off the only food we have in the flat... Nutella and bread.  I then took a much needed shower after two full days of traveling.  We passed out and I slept for a solid 12 hours, waking up at 3pm.  Which takes me back to my original point of my post.. that I wasnt dressed like most of the people out on the cobblestone streets this afternoon.  This evening we are heading to dinner with Anda and Marc and then hopefully exploring the city to find some more dive bars with pteradyctles hanging from the cieling and tagging on the walls.  WHICH by the way... graffiti in Europe is no joke! I have found some really remarkable pieces that I cannot wait to share, with those of you who are into graffti as an art form. 

Off to get some more Weiners. Have a Good evening Friends.

Leap of Faith

So Im beginning my trip today (May 3, 2009) I am sitting at the Chicago O'haire airport contemplating where to begin and getting anxious for everything to start.  I land in Paris at 930 am and I have an entire day to my self to explore the city... obviously I am going to just be walking around taking photos. Im pretty bummed that my travel companion bailed on me but I also know there is a reason for everything... so I am taking this time as a chance to get to know myself better than I do already. I will be arriving in Vienna tomorrow night (Monday) and I will be there for as long as I would like, until I want to go down to Italy. I'd love it if I had someone to travel with in Italy.  As of right now, I only have my girl friend Sammy in Florence who I am doing Cinque Terra with and possibly Genoa.  If anyone has any recommendations I am and open book to anything and everything :)