Reliving AP Art History at its finest...seeing the Duomo in real life
view from atop la Piazza de Michaelangelo
walking across these bridges and seeing the mountains gave me the most unreal sensation of: "Helloooo, you are in Tuscany"... suffice it to say it was magical.
The Ponte Vecchio
Pictures may speak a thousand words, but my photos of Florence don't do the place justice. I couldn't get the scope of the duomo in a single shot, it was just unfair to the landscape to put a box around what I saw while sitting on top of the Piazza de Michaelangelo at sunset while listening to live acoustic music, and there's simply no way that taking a picture of my Margarita pizza from Gustapizza will ever convey the taste that graced my lips. So I'll try using some words instead.
On Wednesday morning (missing class and volunteering and meeting with my intercambio, again...whoops. But I'm about to embark on a trip to Italy, London, Scotland, and Ireland...priorities people) I left for Florence, via Barcelona. During my 4 hour layover there, I realized that the last time I was sitting in that airport I was coming home early from my trip to France the summer after freshman year, sick, homesick, and pretty much miserable. At that point I couldn't have dreamed in a million years that I would be back in that airport, happier than ever, about to travel to 4 countries in 10 days with my best friends.
So I arrived in a rainy Florence (precursor to how our entire week would turn out to be) Wednesday afternoon and guess what my first stop was: gelato. My flavors of choice? Coffee crunch and sesame honey swirl. From there I went to Caroline and Kelsey's school with them and researched places to see in Florence while they took a midterm. They weren't on spring break yet, so I filled time of them studying for exams by doing Insanity in their living room, but as soon as I was finished we went to aperitivo hour at Kitsch. Don't know what aperitivo is? I didn't either, but I quickly found out that upon ordering a cocktail at a restaurant that serves aperitivo, you are immediately granted access to an unlimited buffet of decadent, and I mean all-out, Italian-to-the-core dinner options.
plate number 1...of 3
On Thursday I'm pretty sure I woke up with what can qualify as a food hangover. It was like I couldn't remember where all that deliciousness came from the night before, it was all just a dreamy blur of pesto sauces, fresh salmon fillets, grilled vegetables and meatballs in marinara. Somehow I still managed to eat breakfast before hitting the town by myself while C and K took their last tests. And I have to say, I feel like a semi-pro at exploring new cities on my own now, not to toot my own horn or anything. But I feel like if I navigated Madrid, I can pretty much do anything. My first stop was the Accademia Gallery to see the David. I got there early enough but the line was already out the door and around the corner. I went ahead and got in line but was almost sure that I would head out in a matter of minutes to just walk around the city instead, but a pair of Vietnamese sisters from Virginia got in line behind me and we started talking. Then the woman in front of me turned around after hearing us speak English and explained that she was British but was has now retired to Greece, and then a group of tourists from Mexico standing behind us all got involved when they heard I was studying Spanish and wanted to practice English with me/offer their Spanish for me to practice. So before I knew it I had waited an hour and a half just talking to these random people who had quickly become my friends. I learned quite a bit, too, most importantly that I need to visit Greece at some point in my life, hopefully sooner than later. And from what I can tell living there doesn't sound like too shabby of a deal either.
Chatting with these folks was honestly one of the highlights of the trip; it epitomizes what its like to be abroad. You immediately bond with anyone if you speak a common language, especially if you're in a place where you are the minority. And when I did finally get inside, the wait became even more worth it. The David is a masterpiece, and the hype is most definitely not overrated. But by the time I left it was already time to meet back up with Kelsey who had just finished her classes! She took me to the market right by their apartment (SIDENOTE: their apartment is beautiful, I was in love. Huge doorways, tall ceilings, ample living room space [for Insanity and yoga purposes of course], a gorgeous kitchen, wooden floors, huge bedrooms, window views of the duomo, the market, and downtown Florence), and we bought an unnecessary amount of dried fruits to snack on. From there, more walking and exploring until we reached a panini place that I was told I must try. I Fratellini Firenze, I think it was called, is just a little shop/stand with a list of paninis and a list of wines, and no seating. You eat your deliciously crafted panini on to-die-for bread with your perfectly paired mini glass of wine on the street beside the shop.
After lunch we met up with Caroline who just finished her last exam, and continued to walk around the city. Fun fact I learned while walking? The big, tourist-attracting gelato stores with mounds upon mounds of thick, creamy-looking gelato (I won't lie, it was enticing to me) is a rip-off. It's all air! The good stuff is much less ostentatious and often cheaper). At sunset we walked to the top of the Piazza de Michaelangelo, and boy was I unprepared for the view of Florence I got. The guitarist playing songs like Hallelujah only amplified the surreal feeling of where I was. Italy has always held some kind of magic in my mind. It didn't matter that this was the 3rd or 4th big trip I've taken since being abroad, there was still something unique and special about being in Italy. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I do know that eventually in my life I want to see every part of this country.
Dinner was Gustapizza, an unpretentious restaurant you might have missed if you walked by at 6:30, but by 7pm a line starts forming around the outside and if you get there much passed then, you'll be waiting for hours to eat. The doors open at 7:30 and you have a choice from 7 or so pizzas and that's it- that's the menu. The choice was easy for me; when you're in a place like this and you know the pizza is going to be the real deal, you gotta go for the Margarita.
The guys make it right in front of you in the this brick? wood fired? oven? I don't really know, but I watched them make pizza after pizza and call number after number, hoping and praying that the next would be mine. When they finally did call 55 and saw that pizza number 55 looked like it was the best one they'd made all night, my heart skipped a beat and I leaped up to grab it. After combining their special spicy olive oils and balsamic vinegars to dip my crust in to, I was in pizza heaven and I never wanted it to end.
That being said, I left dinner for the second night in a row feeling absolutely stuffed to my fullest capacity. Luckily it was early enough (dinner at 7:30?!? What is this?!) that I had time to digest while we watched episode after episode of New Girl.
Although I tried desperately to take a picture of this to document it and prove its truth, none of my attempts worked, but we actually did wake up at 6:55 the next morning to do Insanity all together. Plyometric Cardio Circuit in the triangle formation, just like old times. A quick shower and oatmeal breakfast, and then it was to the train station for the three of us to buy day trip tickets to Lucca, Italy.
My first ever train ride
The historic part of the city is built within walls that stretch around for 4 kilometers, and we walked along the top of the walls for almost the entire circumference of the town. In warmer, sunnier weather, Lucca would be ideal to rent a bike and cruise around for the afternoon. Although most things were closed for us, we still got the feel for this sleepy, elegant little town just by walking. The shops were expensive, but it was fun to browse around and to admire their famed Buccalleto pastries. Lunch was in a quiet little restaurant where C and K ordered amazing soups and I ordered a sausage pasta. My pasta wasn't anything to write home about, but their soups were crazy good (note to self: if you see a farro soup on a menu in Italy again, order it). After lunch we leisurely walked back to the train station and made it in perfect time to catch the 3:30 train back to Florence.
Upon arriving, we changed clothes and headed out for another highlight of my week: a yoga class. This yoga class, I did not know, was advanced Ashtanga- something I've only practiced maybe twice before. On top of that, it was in Italian! And on top of that we were practically the only girls in the class. But how interesting and cool it was! I realized mid-practice that even though I didn't know the language, the rhythm of the words matched what I'm used to hearing during a practice, and I could follow along without having to look around to my neighbors. It was like an out of body experience to be able to keep up with a class of people who know exactly what they're doing and can understand what's being spoken to them, and to feel one with the people in the room. At this moment it became more apparent to me than ever that yoga is an extremely powerful and unifying force. It can bring people together in a way that I'm not sure any other thing can. My inhales and my exhales are the very same as my Italian mat partners' who I have never met and will never see again when I breathe through sun salutations. And the best part? Savasana. Here they give you blankets to cover up with...basically asking you to fall asleep, but I was in heaven. Everything about the place- the candlelit room, the huge windows opening out to Florence, Italy (I keep having to remind myself that I'm in Italy), the smell of lavender and eucalyptus- was so peaceful. Just what I need my spring break to be. And just the perfect way to end my stay in Florence.
After a delicious salad for dinner, packing for C and K, it was still early but it was time for bed after such a full day. Plus we were getting up at 4am to leave for London...
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