July 16th - Third Wheelin' Until The Fam Gets Here

I can't believe this is my 5th week abroad! It's crazy how fast time flies. When we got to Nice on Sunday night, we met with the woman who owns the studio that Kevin is renting. The we checked me into my hotel which is really nice and legitimately a second from Meghan's apartment. Unfortunately we missed the fireworks because they were really short but it's okay because Meghan's friends said that they weren't even that good. Instead, Meghan, Kevin, and I walked around. We walked down the port to the beach and the promenade. It was gorgeous even at night. I loved the cruise ships and wanted to get on one lol. The three of us had a really late dinner by the promenade and then walked around some more through the cute little streets of Nice. I really like Nice. It has a similar vibe to it as Florence since its a smaller city (well Veux Nice is smaller). We visited Meghan's apartment and saw how small it is. It's pretty much a single dorm room but it's in a building that's set up like a dorm too. There's even a security guy that checks people in at the door at night. After seeing the apartment, I went back to my hotel and Skyped with the fam for a while. 

Monday morning I got up early and walked down to the port (2 minutes away - super close!). I took lots and lots of pictures of the port and the promenade as I walked down to the beach. It was even more beautiful during the day. The water sparkling was amazing. Walking down the Promenade des Anglais is incredible with the view of the whole coast and the Mediterranean. I stopped at the market before heading to the beach. Normally the market is fresh fruits and veggies but on Mondays it's an antique market so that was cool to browse around in. There was a lot to look at. Then I headed to the beach. The beach in Nice is made up of mostly flat stones so it's interesting to walk on and lay on. I got myself all situated with my towel and relaxed on the beach for a few hours before meeting up with Meghan after her class was over. We went to Place Garibaldi, which is a large plaza by where we're staying. Then we grabbed quick sandwiches to take on the bus up to the village of Eze. Eze is a small village at the top of a large hill/mountain that gives you great views of the sea and the towns below. Even the bus ride had incredible views because we drove along the edge of the cliff. To get to Eze you have to climb up a large hill and a lot of steps but it was worth it. The little streets and tunnels of stone that made up the village were awesome to walk around in. We took a lot of pictures and got ice cream at the top of Eze. I got this caramel ice cream thing covered in a hard chocolate shell with caramel inside too. It was delicious! We walked around some more to find more views of the sea and towns. Then we went to the church in Eze. I found another St. Anthony statue and lit a candle. Then we took the bus back down to Nice so that we could get ready for dinner. Meghan, Kevin, and I went to dinner with Meghan's new friends Sam and Cara at a random Indian food place that they loved. Meghan raved about it and so she wanted to take us there haha. It was good, something different. After dinner we got gelato and then went to get a drink before heading back to our apartments to go to bed. 

This morning I got up really early so that I could move my luggage to Meghan's apartment before she had to leave for class. We got quick croissants and then I headed back to my hotel to sleep a little bit more. Now I'm about to check out of my hotel room and say goodbye to wifi :( My plan is to walk around Veux Nice today and take more pictures. Then I'm going to climb the Chateau, go to the fresh fruit market, and, finally, go to the beach. Instead of going to the stone beach today, I'm going to a smaller place where there are large rocks. Essentially you pick a large rock and lay on that and it's right on/in the Mediterranean. That's where I'll be meeting Kevin and then together we will meet Meghan after her class is over. We plan to go to the beach today and go parasailing and jet-skiing. I hope it's not too expensive and they still will go because I really want to! Afterwards, we'll get dinner and hang out before I need to go to the bus station and catch my bus to Pisa. I'm so excited that the fam will be in Italy tomorrow! I can't believe that it is finally here! Yay! Next time I write on here, I'll be with them in Florence!!! Au revoir! (I need Italian again!)
XoXo

July 16th (part 2) - OCD Says Finish Nice Update

So I lied about not writing until I'm back in Italy... Today I walked around Nice and found the St. Joseph church. It was cool because it doesn't look like any other church I've ever seen. The buildings all around are so pretty so I took a lot of pictures. Then I climbed the Chateau and it was a legit hike around but I loved it. The walk around was nice and everything was beautiful. Not only the cityscape or sea views, but the plants and everything on the hike itself. At the top there was even a park and a lot of families were there with kids. After climbing down the other side of the Chateau, I went to the market and bought a nectarine that I ate sitting in the shade under a palm tree - the life! Lol Then I went to the spot where there are large rocks to lay on that go right into the Mediterranean. I picked one and relaxed in the sun for a few hours before I had to leave to meet up with Meghan and Kevin. We met at Meghan's apartment and headed to the farther beach where there are water sports. Meghan, her friend Cara, and I went parasailing. I was so nervous! But it was a lot of fun. Except for the landing though -__- That was rough! The guy must have even thought so because he asked us if we were okay like right away. Oh well, it was still worth it!
The four of us went to the beach back in Veux Nice for a few hours and it was amazing just relaxing/sleeping in the sun. I better have gotten tan! After the beach, Meghan and I went back to her apartment to shower and get ready for dinner. Meghan, Kevin, and I had dinner together in Place de Garibaldi and then they sent me on my way on the bus to the Nice airport. The Eurolines bus that I'm taking overnight to Pisa leaves from the airport at 2am. So I'm wasting a little bit of time in the airport and then boarding the bus to meet the fam in Pisa! They're already on their flight :) I can't wait to be back in Florence. I miss it so much. I feel like I'm going back home by going back there lol. One last French closing - Au Revoir!
XoXo

July 17th - The Fam Made it to Italy!

On Tuesday the fam landed in Pisa and ended up coming to pick me up at the Pisa train station. My bus got me to the train station a little bit late and that made me miss the train that I was supposed to take to the airport. It was perfectly fine though because the train station is on the way from the airport to the main center of Pisa. Andreas drove us all around Pisa telling us the history and showing us the sights. Munchkin liked the fountains and the leaning tower. After Pisa, we drove around Tuscany for a bit. Andreas had to drop off a few things to people on the way back to Florence so he did that while killing time before our hotel check in. It was a nice preview for the fam for our Tuscany day tour. When we got to Florence, our hotel still wasn't ready so we dropped off our massive amount of luggage and I took them across the Ponte Vecchio to Gusta! It was delicious as always and we even went to La Carraia for gelato. Back at the hotel, our rooms were ready and it was insane. Our room was incredible. It was two connected suites so one was for Ant and Mariel and it had a bedroom, bathroom, family room, and kitchen with a little table. Attached to that was the bigger suite for Mom, Dad, Joe, and me. It had one bedroom and one bathroom on one floor and then you up some stairs and you find one bedroom, one bathroom, one kitchen, and the biggest family room ever with sofas and a huge conference table. The hotel was sick lol. Since the fam didn't get much sleep on the plane, they needed to nap. So while they napped, I played with munchkin. I had to be the annoying one and wake everyone up though to go to dinner. I walked them through Piazza Della Signoria and we popped into Palazzo Vecchio. Then we walked through Piazza San Giovanni and went to dinner at Acqua al Due. I got the five-Pasta tasting again but it was all different pastas. We ended the night on our hotel's rooftop bar with views of the Ponte Vecchio, the Duomo, and the general skyline of Florence. We even stayed until the bar closed haha. 

I loved being back in Florence and being able to show the family around a little bit. I feel like I'm back at my home. It's nice to show them where I've been the past few weeks. 

July 18th - Florence Tour Day

Wednesday was our Florence tour day. I became the tour guide again and showed them everything that I could in Florence. Since we had limited time in Florence, it was nice that I already knew my way around and was able to scope out the best places to go to.  We started out by walking down one of the main shopping streets (the one that leads to the Ponte Vecchio one way and the Duomo the other way). We got to the Duomo and then walked my usual walk to my apartment and passed by the Medici Chapels. I took a picture of the fam by my apartment haha. We even used my little supermarket next door to get some drinks for us and milk for munchkin. Then we passed by the Santa Maria Novella train station and went to the Piazza di Santa Maria Novella and into the basilica. Afterwards we walked through the San Lorenzo market and went to ZaZa for lunch. To walk off a delicious lunch, we walked back towards the Duomo and went inside (the line was too long earlier). We lit candles and took pictures. Then we continued our walk and went to the Basilica di Santa Croce. We made it just in time before they closed! It started to rain randomly while we were inside but it wasn't too bad by the time we left. Although it was drizzling, we walked back to the hotel, passing by the Galileo Museum on the way. After a quick stop at the hotel and getting some wifi, we went back out (it stopped raining) and found the shoemaker that Ant wanted to go to. It was right by Piazza San Spirito so we took a quick look there too. Unfortunately, the shoes didn't work out at the shoemaker but it's all good because he ended up finding shoes on our way back to the apartment over the Ponte Vecchio. We did a little bit of shopping before all the stores closed and then went to dinner. I originally was taking them to Osteria dei Pazzi (the place that was recommended to Adley's Mom) but it was too full to seat us. Instead we went to La Giostra, which was delicious. In food we trust! I didn't gain any weight while studying abroad but I'm definitely going to on this vacation part with the family because we get appetizers, meals, wine, and deserts. The night ended in our hotel room drinking my wine from the winery in Montalcino and playing with munchkin. 

July 19th - Tuscany Tour Day

On Friday, Andreas picked us up at the hotel in the morning and started our day by stopping at Piazzale Michaelangelo. It was different not having to hike up to the top lol. Then he took us through Tuscany to a small village for a drink and snack. We got mimosas #americans. We also stopped in a grape field to take pictures and to see the towers of San Gimingano from afar. He drove us to San Gimingano where we got out and walked around for a while. I loved all of the little streets and hills. We ate lunch and I bought boots haha. The views were incredible and there was a cool fountain square. The fam got gelato from the gelato champion but I was buying boots instead lol. After San Gimingano, Andreas drove us to a chianti Classico winery. Although I've heard the whole wine tour story already, it was nice for the fam to get to see it and of course I'm always down to taste wine! Munchkin was funny and he was knocking on the wine barrels asking who's in there lol. The winery had a horse and two sheep so they showed munchkin the animals and he got to pet the horse. We tried a bunch of different wines - I drank mine and Mom's because she was getting drunk lol. We also tried meats and cheeses. Ant, Mar, and Joe bought a whole bunch of things to take back home. Then we took the winding roads back to Florence. Back at the hotel I was really sad for it to be my last night in Florence. I didn't want to say goodbye to Florence and some of the best few weeks of my life. I think I was still in denial that the program was over. I think that my brain thought that the fam was visiting and then I'd go back to being in Florence with the girls haha. That night Ant, Mar, Joe, and I walked around and tried to get munchkin chicken fingers, fries, and an avocado so we went to the Diner and Tijuana but no luck in either place. On our walk back to the apartment we went through Piazza Della Signoria to get pastries and cheesecake. Next door we found a pizzeria that could make us chicken fingers and fries so we picked them up and some pizza pies to take to the hotel. We ate at our obnoxious conference table before relaxing and going to bed. Munchkin was crazy that night flailing around playing in my hotel bed. It was so funny but of course he didn't want to sleep. 

July 20th - Are We There Yet?

Saturday, yesterday, was our transfer day. I woke up early to go do some shopping and stop and some places that I wanted to go to before leaving Florence. Mom came with me and we walked to the Duomo. I went to look at a dress that I had been eyeing up but it was way too expensive. I took Mom into a few stores and bought some gifts that I needed to pick up. It was nice to just walk around one last time. I even showed Mom where the girls' apartments were. After finishing packing up at the hotel, I went up to the rooftop one last time for some quick pictures. Then Ant, Dad, munchkin, and I went to the Ponte Vecchio to buy munchkin his Italian horn. We went to the same place that I bought mine in and I love the one that I got him. Dad must be on crack because he bought me a crazy expensive Florentine fleur du lis ring that I really liked. I had seen it when I originally went looking for munchkin's Italian horn but I wouldn't have ended up buying it because it was too much. He's crazy though and got it for me. Thanks Daddy! Then we all piled into our bus with all of our luggage for the long drive down to Positano. It was about a 7 hour drive but it really wasn't that bad at all. I relaxed, watched the Tuscany hills, listened to music, napped (lol), played with munchkin, and showed him the farms and animals. GP and munchkin napped together too haha. We had a quick stop for lunch on the way and then stopped in the town outside of Naples where our family is originally from. We drove though the town and it was kinda sketchy. It was old and dirty and we didn't want to get out of the bus. We drove by the cemetery    where my great-grandfather is buried and they jumped out to take a picture. I stayed in the car with GP and munchkin. Then we were off to Positano! The drive was crazy winding on super narrow roads but it was fun.  The views were unbelievable! Cars can't even get down to where our hotel is so we had to park and then the hotel sent people to bring our luggage down. It wasn't a far walk but I definitely wouldn't have wanted to carry my luggage there! (I now have 4 pieces of luggage lol). After settling in a minute, we walked down to the beach and got dinner. It was probably the best dinner I've ever had. Anthony and I killed an obnoxious about to clams and mussels because they were absolutely incredible! I've never eaten such good seafood. We have three different hotel rooms here that are right next to each other, so after dinner it was late and we just came back, relaxed, and went to bed. 

July 21st - Paradise in Positano

Today was perfect lol. I feel like Positano is fake. I look at the houses on the cliffs and in the rocks and I feel like its a painting. It's in gorgeous here and no picture will ever do it justice. I got up early and went down to the beach to get us all chairs on the water. A few hours later, the family came down to meet me. Munchkin went with me in the Mediterranean and, later on, so did everyone else (Mom just put her feet in). I love the beach so it was absolutely perfect. The rocks are a little rough on the feet but it's all good. Being typical Americans, we got drinks for the beach. Mom and Mar got bellinis and I got a tequila sunrise. Ant got some frozen coffee thing and Joe got something that I had to pronounce for him to the bartender. After some time on the beach we got lunch and went back up to the hotel. Ant, Mar, Munch, and Joe went to take a nap while I went to the pool with Mom and Dad. Ant, Mar, and Munchkin came down a while later and joined us at the pool before going back to get ready to go out to dinner. It rained for like 10 minutes while we were getting ready and then it was nice out again. Dinner was delicious as always! After dinner we walked around the town a little bit and found a small music show with a violin and piano. Munchkin stayed with Gamma and GP so Ant, Mar, Joe, and I went out for a little. We walked down to the beach and went into this club up on the cliff that is cut into the rocks. It was awesome inside! Since it was a Sunday and not late enough at night, it was pretty quiet but we just wanted to get a drink and hang out anyway. That place would be such a good time on the right night! We had to come back to the hotel to check on munchkin so we walked back up and ended up just hanging out. Now everyone's sleeping and I finally got around to updating my website. 

All you stalkers out there are all caught up now!!
XoXo