Kevin and Alex come to Florence

On Wednesday I was feeling very brave and decided to get a fierce Italian hair cut before I left. It was a big deal for me because I have been going to the same person since I was 15 and I was about to go tell someone who doesn't speak much english how I wanted my hair to be cut. In Italy they do not use scissors they use a razor, which was terrifying but it came out really nice and I love it! On Thursday Kevin and Alex(kevins sister) came to Florence. I picked them up from the train station and showed them to their hostel. We immediately went to Tijiuans for happy hour b/c it was thursday and that is what we do. We got silly off of margaritas went back to our apt then went out for a fun evening bar hoping in florence. Friday morning I wasn't feeling to great but had to meet kevin and alex so we could climb the duomo! 466 steps to the top hung over is so much fun! I wasn't alone in my suffering so it was fine, we also ate some delish food which increased my value of like about 30%! After the duomo we got some gelato went to the pont de vechio, went to see the statue of David in the Academy...he is HUGE and has a very nice butt! After the David we went to the market shopped around then went back to La giostra the restaurant where I got the amazing steak b/c I wanted Kevin to try it. This time when I got it.. it was more rare then the last time, it didn't even look cooked but it was still amazing. Kevin felt like crying because it was so good, I'm glad he could experience the steak. After dinner we were all in food comas and tired from a long day and went to bed. Today, Saturday, I met them on the steps of the Duomo and brought them to piazzale michelangelo. After our trip up there we went to the central market and got fresh sandwhiches from the butcher. I brought them to the train station because they are heading to Rome but I am going to meet up with them again on Monday and go to Cinque Terre with them for the day. Which is supposed to be beautiful. I love when friends come to visit because I get to show them this amazing city I have been so lucky to live in for the last 4 months. I can't believe this is my last week, its going to be an emotional week, but Im also very happy to go home.

Booose Cruise

On Saturday at noon we all hoped on the booze cruise, a tiny pink boat that holds 50 people. Beer is 1E and everyone gets very drunk. The first stop was a huge rock were people went cliff jumping. The next stop was a bat cave that you could swim through and the last stop was a little private beach. The boat ride was crazy and got a very wild we got back at 6. After the cruise we went home showered and got dressed in our pink togas for the toga party later that night. At the toga party we all were force fed more ozuo and had plates smashed on our heads while we watched Greek dancing. On Sunday we all laid on the beach and ended up getting burnt/ tan. We had to be back on the bus at 5:30 to the ferry which brought us to the cruise, then get on the bus then walk home. It was alot of traveling but it was definitely worth it. Greece was beautiful and I want to go back immediately. 

Getting to Greece

On Thursday morning all 8 of us girls took a 4 hour bus ride to a port near Venice. We then took an over night cruise ship to Greece. The cruise ship was hilarious because it was filled with Greek truck drivers who were all very sketchy looking. They were also dominating the dance floor at the club that was on the boat. The next morning when we arrived in Greece the ferry drivers were on strike so we had to wait at the dock for 4 hours! Once we finally got on the ferry which was another hour and a half ride we had to take a 20 min bus ride to the Pink Palace a world famous hostel on the Island of Corfu. As soon as you get there they give everyone a shot of ouzo which tastes like "sambouka" aka it burns your throat. We unpacked our stuff and headed down to the beach which was absolutely beautiful. We were all starving so we got some gyros and I had my first beer! I hate the taste of it so I only have a sip, but I was like I am on a beach and I feel like drinking a beer so I forced myself to drink the entire thing. After this we all ran into the water even thought it was freezing. We showered, went to dinner and then danced all evening. 

best steak of my life!

This weekend we stayed in Florence. Wednesday we went to the villa my roommate Whitneys parents were staying at in wine country. Her mom made us dinner and it was absoloutly beautiful! Thursday Sarah and I went with Kelsey to meet up with her Italian Station she had met the week before, we were her back up! The funny thing about this guy is that he speaks absolutely no english! So there was a lot of smiling between the two of them. We went to Moyo first and told "luca" to call his friends when they finally arrived they were total creepers and sarah and I were trying to ditch them for the rest of the evening. After moyo we went to twice and danced for a bit talked with our favorite security guard Frank at the door and went home. On Friday I went for a lovely run and walked around the San Lorenzo market, I got some nice presents for myself :). After the Market we went to a restaurant called La Giostra. I ordered the Bisteca alla florentina (a traditional florentine recipe) The waiter told me it was for two people, I told him to bring it on, I could handle it. When he brought it to me it was literally a platter of food. It looked like a thanksgiving feast on a plate. Florentine steak is very rare in the middle and delicious. When I took my first bite I was speechless. I almost shed a tear I was so happy. I started giggling about my steak as if I had met a cute boy, my mouth is watering about it right now. I couldn't finish it but I took it home. As soon as i got home i had some more b/c i was thinking about it the entire way home. After dinner we hung out in the house and got ready to go out. We went to this club called Central Park, it was supposedly an outdoor club, but I think because it isn't warm enough yet they didn't have the outside open. It was really crowded, a bit too crowded, but it was cool. Today Sarah, Maggie and I went to Ganzo our schools restaurant and had a delicious brunch. After our brunch we walked to the Boboli Gardens with some sheets and laid out for a few hours, we all got some color. We came home showered and went out to dinner with Angies parents. It is starting to hit me that in 3 weeks I will be going home. I have become so close with a few of my roommates that it is going to be really hard to say goodbye to them. I will be a wreck when I leave! It is hard to explain this experience with anyone else who isn't here with me, which is why I think we have connected so much!

Just some more pictures!

Pompeii ruins....
blue grotto and the entrance 

The Amalfi Coast, Sorento, Capri and Pompeii

On Thursday me and 4 of my roomates went with Euroadventures to the Amalfi coast. We took a coach bus from Florence on Thursday night and drove 8 hours to Sorrento in southern Italy. We didn't get there until 2:30am so we all passed out once we arrived. The next morning when we woke up we got lunch and took the ferry to the island of capri. When we got there we walked around the island and followed the signs to the "centro" what we didn't know that getting there meant walking up the biggest longest hill of my life. When we got to the top we were all sweating profusely/ dying but the view at the top was unbelievable and worth it. We found a cute little hand made sandal shop which had an equally cute little old italian woman who was so excited for us to be in her store. She told us that Jackie O came to her store 3 years in a row and bought sandals from her and then showed us a picture on the wall, she was precious and we all got sandals. We then walked back down the hill had a glass of wine and waited for the ferry. We got back to Sorento showered and got ready to go out. First we went to this karaoke bar then we went to this bar that was completely empty but at the time we didn't care. I made friends with the cook and he made me french fries even though the kitchen was closed we were all excited to eat them. The next morning everyone was too hung over to get up except for sarah and I. We got up went had some breakfast ironically at the same bar we went to the night before which was awkward. We then walked to the port and made it on the ferry to capri just in time! Once we go to Capri we took a boat to the blue grotto, which is one of the wonders of the world. It is a cave that you go in by boat and when you go in the light from outside of the cave reflects on the water making the water a crazy glowing blue color, It WAS AMAZING! In order to get into the cave you have to sit on the floor of a little row boat and the man with the oar holds on to a rope pulls you in, everyone has to duct in order to not hit there head on the cave entrance, it was unreal inside, amazing. After the grotto sarah and I were cold so we had hot chocolate and desserts which were both bad, but decorated beautifully. After that we stumbled upon a store that sells designer clothes for very cheap. They have clothes from past seasons. Sarah and I ended up buying matching dolce and gabbana dresses for really cheap! Then we walked down to the beach and just laid on some rocks in the sun for an hour or so, got back on the ferry and back to our hotel. We showered and then went out to dinner. We went to this pizza place that was really good. Pizza I guess was invented in Napoli which is right next to Sorento so they have the best pizza down there. We were all really tired that night so we just stayed in. On Sunday we took a train to Pompeii to see the ruins. It was really crazy and so big! I took some rocks to bring back for my dad :) After pompeii we went back because we had to get on the bus and drive another 8 hours back to Florence. We got home late and I passed out. It was a great weekend, I had a lot of fun and laughed a lot, its so crazy that I have about a month left!

Last day in Amsterdam

On our last day we needed to get up kind of early b/c our plane back was at 6pm. So we went into Amsterdam and walked to the Amsterdam Dungeon. It is a museum that has live actors in each room telling you through skits about the dark side of Amsterdam's past. Such as torture, diseases and witch craft, it was very entertaining. During the tour I was asked to sit in a chair and I was interrogated and my tongue got "cut off" and was also put on trial for being a witch. After that museum we went to the sex museum which was hilarious! After that It was time to head back to the airport. I said my goodbyes to Janne, it was sad b/c that most likely will be the last time I will ever see her unless she comes back to the states to visit. The Amsterdam airport doesn't play around when it comes to security. When I went through the security check I beeped when I walked through the thing. The woman guard had to pat me down.. but she literally no joke grabbed both of my boobs...felt me up then put her hand between then and like under my bra then down my pants, it was so awkward and I was trying really hard not to laugh and act serious but it was very difficult when you have some strange woman groping you in the security line. Amsterdam I think is one of my new favorite places I had an amazing time and I have had a smile on my face ever since :)