tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19683820654532148692024-03-05T00:00:55.376-08:00il dolce far nienteLizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11273298827703970594noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968382065453214869.post-9423759201270899882012-05-19T17:51:00.001-07:002012-05-19T17:51:11.636-07:00an epilogue:i've been back in the states for a week now, and i must say - even though it has been a little hectic, running back and forth between new jersey and boston - it is great to be home. on my first day back, i felt like buddy the elf when he came to new york city for the first time, a stranger in a foreign land, absolutely amazed at everything i saw. i wasn't exactly a stranger to america, but there were definitely a lot of things that made me gasp with excitement a little, things i had totally forgotten about. there is green grass and trees everywhere i go - the streets smell like flowers, not sh*t - the air is clean and i can breath without constantly inhaling cigarette smoke - temperature is measured in fahrenheit and time is told with a twelve hour clock, not 24 - tap water is free, and it tastes good - american soap actually makes me feel clean - dryers exist, so now i can actually wash my sweatshirt more than once a month without worrying about having something to wear while it dries - i can put my purse on the back of my chair at restaurants without getting robbed - stores sell cheerios, peanut butter, and oreos - people speak english (obviously) and i know what's going on ALL the time. don't get me wrong, living in italy for four months was amazing. it was a once in a lifetime experience i will never forget. but if there's one thing i've learned from it all, it is that i don't ever really want to leave this country again. sure, things might be a little screwed up from time to time, but once i took a step away from it for a little while, i realized how simple and easy things can be here. <br />
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i love america.Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11273298827703970594noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968382065453214869.post-62900142373353922322012-05-11T13:25:00.003-07:002012-05-11T13:25:56.750-07:00tonight is my last night in firenze - in about 24 hours, i'll be back in new jersey, ready to curl up in my big comfy bed, air conditioning, with my pup marley. i honestly don't even know how to feel about going home. it's hard to explain the feeling to anyone who has not shared this experience, it's almost like this whole semester was a dream (if that makes any sense). i have to admit i am excited to get back to america, but here are some things i'll definitely miss about living in florence:<div>
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the best food in the entire world</div>
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unlimited gelato</div>
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the leather market (i'll even miss being hit on by the creepy men)</div>
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pino</div>
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pizza man (pretty much all these things have to do with food)</div>
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not real school</div>
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fresh fruit at the markets</div>
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family dinners with my roommates</div>
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cheap wine</div>
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hanging out in our bat cave</div>
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sun bathing on santa croce</div>
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playing with cats in the gardens</div>
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i didn't realize how much i'm going to miss it here until tonight - sitting on the stairs at piazzale michelangelo, overlooking the city and the sunset, listening to a woman with dreads play her ukulele and sing it's a wonderful world. doesn't get much better than that.</div>
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arrivederci firenze! see you later (maybe?)!</div>Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11273298827703970594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968382065453214869.post-29688187611083996052012-05-06T14:28:00.001-07:002012-05-06T14:28:31.942-07:00just got back from amalfi coast this weekend, which is one of the most beautiful places in the world. i went with some friends from florence through a tour group for students, we stayed in sorrento and took some day trips to capri, positano and pompei. friday we took a boat tour around the island of capri, went inside the blue grotto - a cave with glowing blue water that is one of the seven wonders of the world - explored the island, took a one-man chairlift up to the top of anacapri, tasted some limoncello and got some custom made sandals.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">on our way to capri</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">inside the blue grotto</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">tunnel of love</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">natural arch shaped like an elephant</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">chair lift to anacapri</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">making my sandals</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">took a ride in an open air taxi... wish they had these in america</td></tr>
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saturday was our beach day. we headed down to positano early in the morning, and of course as soon as we got on the beach, the sun hid behind storm clouds and it got freezing cold. despite the ominous clouds, we still hopped on a boat to go cave swimming and cliff jumping. we jumped off the boat to swim through a cave in what ended up being jelly-fish-infested waters. luckily, i dodged all the jelly fish with my expert swimming skills and was one of the only one's who didn't get stung (psh who am i kidding, i just got lucky). but after the near-death experience, i was too wiped to jump back into that water off of a cliff. i can only handle so much adrenaline in one day. when we got back to the beach, we took a walk, found some another new cat friend, and then the sun came out 10 minutes before we left. typical murphy's law. it was still a good day. and absolutely beautiful and breath taking.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">sitting on the beach in positano</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">here come the clouds...</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">on the boat to cave swimming</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">cave with billions of jellies</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">caroline and sweetest cat alive</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">cat and me playing</td></tr>
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today was our last day in amalfi - we took an early bus to pompei and wandered around the ruins that were uncovered from a mount vesuvius eruption thousands of years ago.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ruins in pompei</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">pups taking a nap</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">frozen man from the volcano eruption</td></tr>
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it was a great weekend, but i'm happy to be home in florence. and with only a week to go! how did that happen?? time flies.Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11273298827703970594noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968382065453214869.post-20934208845214886982012-04-30T06:33:00.001-07:002012-04-30T06:33:18.765-07:00i just said goodbye to my mom a couple days ago. she was here visiting me for about a week - we went to cinque terre last weekend and spent a few nights in manarola, which was beautiful. we got stuck there an extra night due to a train strike, but luckily we were able to find a cute little apartment to stay in for the day/night where we were able to hang out, enjoy the view, and cook our own delicious dinner. the rest of the week, we just hung out here in florence in the warm sunshine (finally). it was so good to have her here, we had a great week together.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">obviously made some cat friends in cinque terre</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">our beautiful meal with italian colored pasta</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">sunset view from our balcony</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">gardens in florence</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">yea so i went back to cinque terre yesterday with some friends...</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">and did that extremely hard hike, but it was beautiful and worth it</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11273298827703970594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968382065453214869.post-70558330859247932282012-04-14T12:03:00.000-07:002012-04-14T12:03:38.645-07:00i was so happy to have my dad and alex here this past week. we spent easter together in santa margherita--one of the most beautiful places on earth. it was right on the coast and our hotel overlooked the bay, filled with tons of boats. there were palm trees and brightly colored houses all along the shore line. we took a train to cinque terre one day, where the houses were built into the hills all along the ocean. my dad and i took a path between towns, called via dell'amore, and had lunch at a little cafe built into the cliff. then we hiked between two other towns--we weren't exactly looking for some intense mountain climbing, we just thought it would be another casual trail like the one before. but instead we walked up and down a billion stone stairs in the mountains. on easter, we took a boat to portofino, another seaside town. then back to florence: we pretty much saw all of florence in one day--from piazzale michelangelo to the top of the duomo, and from palazzo pitti and the boboli gardens to piazza signoria and the ponte vecchio. after one exhausting day of being their tour guide, we spent the rest of the week relaxing, catching up and eating lots and lots of delicious italian food.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">alex, dad and me on our hotel balcony</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">pretty boats in the bay</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">cinque terre</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">love locks on via dell'amore</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF5VF9NaPaHpcTz3yViKclh4g5kW_LInLbBhd9HwBdkWdXEUjkLixLx_P2DQPIAF0JXqPZk_A6nbewjJgz8Z2sEHTeUxXL4lxMHiZ9CeypmUY9SCDp_U-GCVIkmmfI2V96qsb2GS8Cd4s/s1600/DSC_2073.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF5VF9NaPaHpcTz3yViKclh4g5kW_LInLbBhd9HwBdkWdXEUjkLixLx_P2DQPIAF0JXqPZk_A6nbewjJgz8Z2sEHTeUxXL4lxMHiZ9CeypmUY9SCDp_U-GCVIkmmfI2V96qsb2GS8Cd4s/s400/DSC_2073.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">via dell'amore</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9mHgBf7CNWFI55Xbx9-wcP_8V8ohN6rwTBQUKIpAa96BZYlwpaeqv_Mbca4tGrxxgrbHs9qKTkOeHQ7dQI95IDTjOVtKtAWlFVXAGqghMwnLAhkYSDWpOphU9fP2jl2ZDEsOnLaAJ3rg/s1600/DSC_2092.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9mHgBf7CNWFI55Xbx9-wcP_8V8ohN6rwTBQUKIpAa96BZYlwpaeqv_Mbca4tGrxxgrbHs9qKTkOeHQ7dQI95IDTjOVtKtAWlFVXAGqghMwnLAhkYSDWpOphU9fP2jl2ZDEsOnLaAJ3rg/s400/DSC_2092.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">cinque</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7p6WAMMAPXAZkuInEQMiPSXa-WWhm9uQZOXAKzSGSUAMzvHBzP230rx-apO5CHDSUtaOx1hqaslCQrLgb6CraMAHuBkfxcbXYpCoB7s-2cBiN4AP1COhvPK-Bn1tTfvQ0sBi6W4dpIdk/s1600/DSC_2094.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7p6WAMMAPXAZkuInEQMiPSXa-WWhm9uQZOXAKzSGSUAMzvHBzP230rx-apO5CHDSUtaOx1hqaslCQrLgb6CraMAHuBkfxcbXYpCoB7s-2cBiN4AP1COhvPK-Bn1tTfvQ0sBi6W4dpIdk/s400/DSC_2094.JPG" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the stairs that went forever</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPJsdstCV68Go1NS0CpmZJA73ORO3fkZTf_1DXXrDl6229Yxi86K49SPX7JRZNRugZ8S2sttZoNwlz7dLol0d5j12IXwCWt1k-QexABkkC09rs2_98-oCmbFjhHkAR8TH5G2gMccE8fq0/s1600/DSC_2096.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPJsdstCV68Go1NS0CpmZJA73ORO3fkZTf_1DXXrDl6229Yxi86K49SPX7JRZNRugZ8S2sttZoNwlz7dLol0d5j12IXwCWt1k-QexABkkC09rs2_98-oCmbFjhHkAR8TH5G2gMccE8fq0/s400/DSC_2096.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">there were so many cats in cinque terre</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4MFgPLEI0zG6UkxjukFyqxZ2CVWt0xt3826dp59l_-ugNuRQQLN5HlL5Xb5jEvQL2NdESgCUQftu0PPIdJ4OYC7aExrAC78zoFsKzn8NAAdNrdscQ9oTtxWsOf-p_pcivOz28l4xH9FY/s1600/DSC_2106.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4MFgPLEI0zG6UkxjukFyqxZ2CVWt0xt3826dp59l_-ugNuRQQLN5HlL5Xb5jEvQL2NdESgCUQftu0PPIdJ4OYC7aExrAC78zoFsKzn8NAAdNrdscQ9oTtxWsOf-p_pcivOz28l4xH9FY/s400/DSC_2106.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">me and alex on the boat to portofino on easter</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8OfVqSu0zde3UjEGaju4n8ZkJNdESLKzK5EgNjEEg8AjLA6lbHDWNAYILKDEsrxLcEhs53_AVGf0aRxel986W0_SDfq2ddIbXvJq5Wuj_zGuSUrS8q6qyAcBdQwc6q4gpMHLxR6fNUNk/s1600/DSC_2122.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8OfVqSu0zde3UjEGaju4n8ZkJNdESLKzK5EgNjEEg8AjLA6lbHDWNAYILKDEsrxLcEhs53_AVGf0aRxel986W0_SDfq2ddIbXvJq5Wuj_zGuSUrS8q6qyAcBdQwc6q4gpMHLxR6fNUNk/s400/DSC_2122.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view of portofino</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw7LrsccQUohsEb3z8W4TvjF8QgOUKyP8sAvdUwWmJo2mjggS1ezCcEofKnZHmzzPazfE23qif06BTf1iV3ZlV9o5AjFPbMZIxXCVNEVcKQFYwPnYR6CsIXXSapaPg1NQtR1R-0Y3CZzE/s1600/DSC_2129.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw7LrsccQUohsEb3z8W4TvjF8QgOUKyP8sAvdUwWmJo2mjggS1ezCcEofKnZHmzzPazfE23qif06BTf1iV3ZlV9o5AjFPbMZIxXCVNEVcKQFYwPnYR6CsIXXSapaPg1NQtR1R-0Y3CZzE/s400/DSC_2129.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">santa margherita</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi5TykKx9Ou5xg4JOVo0rgoEKJEFUR3L0vg1gZ7PALWKebsIcLC6UR0Oah611fJvvB8TRGsJ-vJqP759rN0tefDMVbGLE1oNyeq5z0shs9o5KY4R8iFy4es-SYxG7alY8EAmSwZNtZr0c/s1600/DSC_2173.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi5TykKx9Ou5xg4JOVo0rgoEKJEFUR3L0vg1gZ7PALWKebsIcLC6UR0Oah611fJvvB8TRGsJ-vJqP759rN0tefDMVbGLE1oNyeq5z0shs9o5KY4R8iFy4es-SYxG7alY8EAmSwZNtZr0c/s400/DSC_2173.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">alex and florence</td></tr>
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i'm so blessed that i got to spend a week with two of my favorite people in the world. we had a lot of fun, and i miss them already!Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11273298827703970594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968382065453214869.post-87981414996268444202012-04-02T10:42:00.000-07:002012-04-06T02:29:13.244-07:00this weekend i went on a trip through my school to a few cute little medieval towns in italy: perugia, assisi, siena and san gimignano. we got to eat some free meals, stay in a fancy hotel, had tons of gelato, and it was beautiful. see for yourself...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgaWcz2BTrrpGcQIV4meNLEircVt0aZJwxVPp25iMohSiLT5mHb8S6MhdsYRIzdhLcIJT36ZKZ5QuzuCJs1dx8dscL_gQjdsTLxE54klnMdJMv2smFtLLPavq71z7KZopk5wlPa8OLivI/s1600/DSC_1967.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgaWcz2BTrrpGcQIV4meNLEircVt0aZJwxVPp25iMohSiLT5mHb8S6MhdsYRIzdhLcIJT36ZKZ5QuzuCJs1dx8dscL_gQjdsTLxE54klnMdJMv2smFtLLPavq71z7KZopk5wlPa8OLivI/s400/DSC_1967.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Assisi</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWDnD9ohcGb7Qbc03H0GCN7XePdAMv5-BDpAtf4Y4mlqecQF2lSgFHGTe14CMhM8gG3IY19Kt1I9z55puPJ2OdIR3NSGG4wgTF1NCgrfbT3n-V6knPDMtFERyVmBQmBctHuQpurh3FI3A/s1600/DSC_1973.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWDnD9ohcGb7Qbc03H0GCN7XePdAMv5-BDpAtf4Y4mlqecQF2lSgFHGTe14CMhM8gG3IY19Kt1I9z55puPJ2OdIR3NSGG4wgTF1NCgrfbT3n-V6knPDMtFERyVmBQmBctHuQpurh3FI3A/s400/DSC_1973.JPG" width="267" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6QoxV4psMjaOAIVrDE7wXwOtC3w5mXzgKj2vaf4HohkFK51mQy-KRvbTsXEkCNc3fco0gUA60e-dGImvKGxY1Bo20cxKDdiSr_96jMsQuvYVxq-is3Fyo5Q9NwNEGVIqm99AnjDnuXZo/s1600/DSC_1978.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6QoxV4psMjaOAIVrDE7wXwOtC3w5mXzgKj2vaf4HohkFK51mQy-KRvbTsXEkCNc3fco0gUA60e-dGImvKGxY1Bo20cxKDdiSr_96jMsQuvYVxq-is3Fyo5Q9NwNEGVIqm99AnjDnuXZo/s400/DSC_1978.JPG" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Assisi had pink bricks in every building</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSlFqVpseVpR2ry3ruCnEj1ucqLU8Aq5wSBjDdxc0ANV0GhylOgB8jw0mFN2Gu4yBmon8mebySkJDBb_KQUpO7rkR61vUp83TiSCaxw2WGPUw0Ib78abx_KGDKdCkyTYlR8FruwdijIuw/s1600/DSC_1987.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSlFqVpseVpR2ry3ruCnEj1ucqLU8Aq5wSBjDdxc0ANV0GhylOgB8jw0mFN2Gu4yBmon8mebySkJDBb_KQUpO7rkR61vUp83TiSCaxw2WGPUw0Ib78abx_KGDKdCkyTYlR8FruwdijIuw/s400/DSC_1987.JPG" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Duomo in Siena</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjthHbLFbHC85B9oEliXil0ydhGHbkasTcCdfgOkx2bbygWn50kHacFu-eTidB754aaqEsLwZjxBLLGgQET88QjKDe5TaPSGkWF4vY9_2vZjW2GwR5BamzLF5XCld_zpQzVRSIuihud8Bc/s1600/DSC_1994.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjthHbLFbHC85B9oEliXil0ydhGHbkasTcCdfgOkx2bbygWn50kHacFu-eTidB754aaqEsLwZjxBLLGgQET88QjKDe5TaPSGkWF4vY9_2vZjW2GwR5BamzLF5XCld_zpQzVRSIuihud8Bc/s400/DSC_1994.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tower in San Gimignano</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjigKgnD36LcnVgjqUd6XehhrM4bohOz0YZxFcHkcBopcd8yxgnv_Y30ggUm1imn4sbwoqIECbtuBjkeUcrtaJN8mD1WM-RuiwPUvmwwQvrReQZyULY1Rl7KVgevvH-rolrV77HIbLEBlg/s1600/DSC_2016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjigKgnD36LcnVgjqUd6XehhrM4bohOz0YZxFcHkcBopcd8yxgnv_Y30ggUm1imn4sbwoqIECbtuBjkeUcrtaJN8mD1WM-RuiwPUvmwwQvrReQZyULY1Rl7KVgevvH-rolrV77HIbLEBlg/s400/DSC_2016.JPG" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">towers in San Gim</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm9fQ_MR4HGrVc1hA290RXx4J_9OOJ29j11iJCvLpZCailmn_h26J6kJCivR2sTn0ynH2W6QBTtUp4WG8jwItFjkAhPjmZ_D1uAmf5Lzv6mtkdANiXlcR5oNhSUm4ca9cibGkWPau9J2g/s1600/DSC_2017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm9fQ_MR4HGrVc1hA290RXx4J_9OOJ29j11iJCvLpZCailmn_h26J6kJCivR2sTn0ynH2W6QBTtUp4WG8jwItFjkAhPjmZ_D1uAmf5Lzv6mtkdANiXlcR5oNhSUm4ca9cibGkWPau9J2g/s400/DSC_2017.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">makin a little love under the flowers</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6F2V0jHcf2BxZxUKB3EllTGdoabACtdYynCvb-F3ww66JH8urPYzbJcRIRiwvQV6DiZRza0zdq-E4p3DHxoh8lwUuUl5QVhyia21x8rkUQ0fZw4IAE4mV5NkAxmVgtom0szTrRWeydsw/s1600/DSC_2018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6F2V0jHcf2BxZxUKB3EllTGdoabACtdYynCvb-F3ww66JH8urPYzbJcRIRiwvQV6DiZRza0zdq-E4p3DHxoh8lwUuUl5QVhyia21x8rkUQ0fZw4IAE4mV5NkAxmVgtom0szTrRWeydsw/s400/DSC_2018.JPG" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">best gelato in the whole world. no joke, i ate seven different flavors</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11273298827703970594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968382065453214869.post-32753157223022368722012-03-25T04:45:00.005-07:002012-04-06T02:31:26.673-07:00hola, i just got home from spring break in spain! i went with caroline and met up with a couple of my roommates, amie and kelly, in barcelona. i had my first experience with ryanair, the low fare airline--we flew to barcelona for only 20 euros, had to pack everything for the entire week (including my purse and giant camera) in my tiny backpack, and fought for the best seats once on the plane since there are no assigned seats. the take-off and landing were kinda rough, but when we landed an hour later ryanair played their victory song and everyone applauded for making it to spain.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmRkn3xjCJMmFL58H1iWupbeu6aHDWizkLn7SdQsn1xo0OrIfZ0nSi5zvZU9dBlqYh6Hv5Oyy6L4XTZn1qRyhsEqrpwAZ31toDpA3sv43ZKTdNiR-SoMrKrQ-QWgwuaULy5VnA-B_t-4A/s1600/IMG_1507.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmRkn3xjCJMmFL58H1iWupbeu6aHDWizkLn7SdQsn1xo0OrIfZ0nSi5zvZU9dBlqYh6Hv5Oyy6L4XTZn1qRyhsEqrpwAZ31toDpA3sv43ZKTdNiR-SoMrKrQ-QWgwuaULy5VnA-B_t-4A/s400/IMG_1507.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">in case of emergency: don't forget to hold your skirt down on the slide</td></tr>
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it was weird getting to barcelona in the middle of the night on st. patrick's day. it was dark and we saw the city for the first time at night, while people dressed as leprechauns stumbled down the streets. we got pretty lucky with our hostel in barcelona though. downtown paraiso happened to be located right off la rambla, one of the most well-known streets in the city, filled with little souvenir stands, street performers, and buildings that look like their straight from candy land.<br />
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in barcelona, we woke every day, bought fresh fruit and a warm loaf of bread at the corner supermarket, ate out by the fountain in the placa reial. we went to the beach, saw a bunch of topless women and a couple of completely naked people. we explored the city down by the water, learned how to use the subway system to go to guell park, a ginormous park filled with gardens and tons of cacti. we went to the local travelbar for a free dinner and met lots of travelers from all over the world. needless to say, barcelona was amazing. the only problem was that apparently they don't speak spanish there. i tried to prepare myself with the memories of high school spanish, only to find out everyone spoke catalan.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">barcelona down by the beach</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">borat at the beach</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">one of the many beautiful fountains</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">hangin at the ice bar</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">breakfast spot</td></tr>
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on wedenesday we headed to sevilla in southern spain, where spanish was a real thing. our hostel wasn't as trendy as the one in barcelona, but nuevo suizo did have a rooftop garden and was in a really great location. sevilla was beautiful and warm. i couldn't stop feeling like i was in florida. maybe it was because of the overwhelming amount of palm trees, oranges and old people. the city was really small and reminded me a lot of florence. we stayed in the city center, while the residential area was separated by a river. we pretty much saw the whole city in a matter of hours--we went to the real alcazar, a royal palace/tropical garden filled with palm trees, orange trees, lemon trees, fountains, and peacocks. we sat down by the river, got some sun at the beach, visited the plaza espana, and ate lots of churros con chocolate and tapas for dinner.</div>
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i have to say this was an amazing week. i was loving the warm weather, the beautiful cities, the delicious food. but there's no doubt, i'm so glad to be back to my little home in florence.</div>Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11273298827703970594noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968382065453214869.post-1275723677856030732012-03-12T09:46:00.003-07:002012-03-12T09:46:54.343-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
some funny signs hung in the bathroom at my work...</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">video surveillance area--Leo (who works at TF) with the hat...<br />for some reason i thought this was real the first time i went to the bathroom there</td></tr>
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<br />Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11273298827703970594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968382065453214869.post-75701945859842581252012-03-10T08:56:00.002-08:002012-03-10T08:56:37.088-08:00<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">me and flora</td></tr>
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well, i spent the day riding horses and playing with stray cats, but since the hot water is out again, i guess i'll write in my blog instead of showering. i could not have picked a more perfect day to go to the horse farm/vineyard/winery in chianti. it was beautiful and sunny and warm. a few friends and i took a horseback riding tour through olive groves up in the hills. i shouldn't have admitted that i was the only one with horse riding experience because they stuck me with flora, the 'crazy and stupid' horse, as the italian women at the farm called her. she was young and spunky and all she wanted to do was run. i secretly loved her. we rode through the hills single-file on a one-lane path, but flora would purposely stop every few minutes and then gallop to catch up to the other horses. she tried to veer off on her own paths, and when the group took pictures at the end of the tour, she suddenly became shy and would walk backwards and turn her head away from the cameras.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">flora being camera shy</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">baby dog playing fetch with me</td></tr>
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the farm was like heaven. there were a bunch of silly little dogs that snuggled in our laps, played fetch every time we would pay attention to them, and ran alongside our horses during the entire tour. afterwards, we took a tour of the winery where we were taught and shown how to make wine. we even got to taste some of the wines produced in chianti with our three course lunch. on the way home, we made a few stops to see the amazing views of the city and countryside, get gelato, and i even made a new cat friend.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">so much wine</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5GR2bGLEI5hYpfmpBDV7k4uJ6d_ZsT1TkXvXWu5lzv_rIgPHLsNFiWWnMXkrRAkCSFvfBOCsYnEdPTQhcmNsH7Pnf2QynJBQRGQEXFyty7CZD_yBFZz0zSzWrD8wExsTrb2JcbOkmJeM/s1600/DSC_1656.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5GR2bGLEI5hYpfmpBDV7k4uJ6d_ZsT1TkXvXWu5lzv_rIgPHLsNFiWWnMXkrRAkCSFvfBOCsYnEdPTQhcmNsH7Pnf2QynJBQRGQEXFyty7CZD_yBFZz0zSzWrD8wExsTrb2JcbOkmJeM/s400/DSC_1656.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">us in the winery</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTRvp4jriGgn923lqT6kj390MKlxmLnxFvUqgta0S1VBVqAqlmaukpkl3GXpmK8qBsvaMvPtgi6DXGSquZTP-1nEjJsBRVjlnSF6sjlkMpviE-8-lYr1oBgtz5NtGT1Ak75A_b5uXLsX8/s1600/DSC_1673.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTRvp4jriGgn923lqT6kj390MKlxmLnxFvUqgta0S1VBVqAqlmaukpkl3GXpmK8qBsvaMvPtgi6DXGSquZTP-1nEjJsBRVjlnSF6sjlkMpviE-8-lYr1oBgtz5NtGT1Ak75A_b5uXLsX8/s400/DSC_1673.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">me and my new cat friend, we named her principessa (princess)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11273298827703970594noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968382065453214869.post-497085456816074132012-03-04T09:45:00.001-08:002012-03-04T12:43:03.279-08:00it's finally warm enough to wear flip flops! this week consisted of a lot of laying out in the sun in the piazza, down by the river, eating pink grapefruit gelato and pino's paninis. i went on a field trip to the ferrari museum and a balsamic vinegar factory where we got to sample all kinds of balsamic flavors and even chocolates filled with vinegar. i never thought i'd want to drink balsamic vinegar out of a straw until now. it was <i>that</i> good. i also have a 'street photography' project due this week, so i spent a lot of time creeping on strangers around the city. here are some highlights from the week...<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL2Wxs-m8J73R0ooLaKQlXODEWALF3CfVUbADscqoVq5f45RJNBZ49iPeyOF0NOjm7nT3ewox6X97ANpCwoMEDs7t3KkAP5nRScU_-iSekOHGPeBaTkjZIZGzkRph8euLf_YvNeVWyCBM/s1600/DSC_1329.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL2Wxs-m8J73R0ooLaKQlXODEWALF3CfVUbADscqoVq5f45RJNBZ49iPeyOF0NOjm7nT3ewox6X97ANpCwoMEDs7t3KkAP5nRScU_-iSekOHGPeBaTkjZIZGzkRph8euLf_YvNeVWyCBM/s400/DSC_1329.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">horse and carriage in the piazza </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnTE5pMLTT4CCBZOANqAyiF0XO0p0EoPYvccERkPENy_kMhOWWMvimSw66q6FBAtk0hjQN_0V7ALQAZyYfvkV1z8WrjSiJIEfbAUzScOfoNSM2aKjbum2_DhE35WmMaLipZT5bdVE5KnM/s1600/DSC_1353.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnTE5pMLTT4CCBZOANqAyiF0XO0p0EoPYvccERkPENy_kMhOWWMvimSw66q6FBAtk0hjQN_0V7ALQAZyYfvkV1z8WrjSiJIEfbAUzScOfoNSM2aKjbum2_DhE35WmMaLipZT5bdVE5KnM/s400/DSC_1353.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a real live mario</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyqJ95J82qfhVGrrkZB-Bskv5iDthLRVDtZFBhZ7Fqyk0U4mNVifGHH1XVH8QElFB3ehYRrmBuoDRpU9__xz-8bBse_IPhP9qVUw4scwgrjTLq9bCOf9UoSiP8VxhnQkJkkHDw5Tt_sx4/s1600/DSC_1457.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyqJ95J82qfhVGrrkZB-Bskv5iDthLRVDtZFBhZ7Fqyk0U4mNVifGHH1XVH8QElFB3ehYRrmBuoDRpU9__xz-8bBse_IPhP9qVUw4scwgrjTLq9bCOf9UoSiP8VxhnQkJkkHDw5Tt_sx4/s400/DSC_1457.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">cute baby at the fountain</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhad11cf2af0FTM7vn5hy17oStey1d7AWnxyszVSKHVemsB1E7Ui_6Y4zS-EWmYrMPBBbWVcBf-vuOgKii1CmutrgXC_lo45UbQPiuDeSom7Ow81Rf_ZnhKVRD5VVLEeHBjj8V54X6inms/s1600/DSC_1497.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhad11cf2af0FTM7vn5hy17oStey1d7AWnxyszVSKHVemsB1E7Ui_6Y4zS-EWmYrMPBBbWVcBf-vuOgKii1CmutrgXC_lo45UbQPiuDeSom7Ow81Rf_ZnhKVRD5VVLEeHBjj8V54X6inms/s400/DSC_1497.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ferrari museum</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaBWV632bv0VugY4EvNiEpn0HwmDE8TfFXvnvR7Hieh951juXAZ90rA4Fg6quTqXIRRXt4Wwfc4i_qhfuPNHvdxXth1VXkukVUN85oITB0PmzZasgIprqTRzQEGeNk4hXzZT8VhQbNqK0/s1600/DSC_1510.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaBWV632bv0VugY4EvNiEpn0HwmDE8TfFXvnvR7Hieh951juXAZ90rA4Fg6quTqXIRRXt4Wwfc4i_qhfuPNHvdxXth1VXkukVUN85oITB0PmzZasgIprqTRzQEGeNk4hXzZT8VhQbNqK0/s400/DSC_1510.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">balsamic vinegar factory</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4wHfcsn7tpRE_WtQNSq5AblUz68LWeqtnXS0NA7IQJ4oSnV8aZvp3C39_ZoqDwcbXBvqOoz4kvUKinLAArRi7ihROxU_sAnaXqTLsHI7IUXVc3cAJhEDHWB4CU3vZu_-98oVyq7ewm0s/s1600/DSC_1519.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4wHfcsn7tpRE_WtQNSq5AblUz68LWeqtnXS0NA7IQJ4oSnV8aZvp3C39_ZoqDwcbXBvqOoz4kvUKinLAArRi7ihROxU_sAnaXqTLsHI7IUXVc3cAJhEDHWB4CU3vZu_-98oVyq7ewm0s/s400/DSC_1519.JPG" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">cute italian baby</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6BL4nkPCFfIIbruURDHeXVhN37keNE0HRqW0NGjcsAPpDXoHFTXSOVTO9EfxOGlb7w9AwCYQlbqk5vkaRcIQ8_LhyZsTcgW_CeaT6mrDmNvLh3__dLir0o6ns0nkNBW93cqyNSpNeMso/s1600/DSC_1525.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6BL4nkPCFfIIbruURDHeXVhN37keNE0HRqW0NGjcsAPpDXoHFTXSOVTO9EfxOGlb7w9AwCYQlbqk5vkaRcIQ8_LhyZsTcgW_CeaT6mrDmNvLh3__dLir0o6ns0nkNBW93cqyNSpNeMso/s400/DSC_1525.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">loungin' by the river</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCNfOygGCpVn3XH_lijYERI8o7DwhJNU_G3A-2pWQSyw0fTDHkfWNj1oIvYxVjoHuWnb_BH56XI4xGC7ZsoEFNt0xS4flHEbUCt_u0yU71ORlF1W2iAmrWKifYgM7KkZsoTrK-_tKiGg4/s1600/DSC_1535.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCNfOygGCpVn3XH_lijYERI8o7DwhJNU_G3A-2pWQSyw0fTDHkfWNj1oIvYxVjoHuWnb_BH56XI4xGC7ZsoEFNt0xS4flHEbUCt_u0yU71ORlF1W2iAmrWKifYgM7KkZsoTrK-_tKiGg4/s400/DSC_1535.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">down by the river</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqyoxCGRigdbHL6eFDu0YdlHJdXia3Y_x3hpI8z804KBxyAyRS-VMp4_uvEe1oCcH-SE9pYJVnL2l5wGOh6qc1JIFmzaMQB2YMNmoZyfUar7y8j_64q87wNOe8b9YO1oywlh50phKUP_w/s1600/DSC_1540.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqyoxCGRigdbHL6eFDu0YdlHJdXia3Y_x3hpI8z804KBxyAyRS-VMp4_uvEe1oCcH-SE9pYJVnL2l5wGOh6qc1JIFmzaMQB2YMNmoZyfUar7y8j_64q87wNOe8b9YO1oywlh50phKUP_w/s400/DSC_1540.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">watching the rowers</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHNbmUZ1zxtzfXKDxUGhdV7yfBl5Cmydix8c0-G_k4ltTAhOw_0Vx86Es4hBt1wkSgGHFiONVgxgkpMLKZ730bvbKgMY-AyGrfnEuqmPlnMalHNO20XrjwLoxSEm0WQWyD2a_WFkdrRKI/s1600/DSC_1546.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHNbmUZ1zxtzfXKDxUGhdV7yfBl5Cmydix8c0-G_k4ltTAhOw_0Vx86Es4hBt1wkSgGHFiONVgxgkpMLKZ730bvbKgMY-AyGrfnEuqmPlnMalHNO20XrjwLoxSEm0WQWyD2a_WFkdrRKI/s400/DSC_1546.JPG" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">caroline napping in the grass</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9S72IXR6EEnZ2iOPZJJoGEQyMg0-tXnfidLYYVYPrr5wXLtH-Qb7SuMS3Nt5vWDJu7n0B2DEfU81BjkWT63tqwjCSfNndQGRDgngceZLge8v11z-Ga-B4lgYiGsIiPBOxNOz56PQHzYE/s1600/DSC_1580.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9S72IXR6EEnZ2iOPZJJoGEQyMg0-tXnfidLYYVYPrr5wXLtH-Qb7SuMS3Nt5vWDJu7n0B2DEfU81BjkWT63tqwjCSfNndQGRDgngceZLge8v11z-Ga-B4lgYiGsIiPBOxNOz56PQHzYE/s400/DSC_1580.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">crazy drunk dread man and his puppet show</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjcPOclZVDGu6OH7HPvXkUxvFSvVwrudqOqk4pMjcFNBTOGX56i0PFY5LjhrfSjR14M17v7K1mxs5NP_lwhkGUI2W5aP4QhSvnMCK9mr-9JYYMkCOx5Wf9Gro2oOunKL6xuQx2LKF7XVY/s1600/DSC_1586.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjcPOclZVDGu6OH7HPvXkUxvFSvVwrudqOqk4pMjcFNBTOGX56i0PFY5LjhrfSjR14M17v7K1mxs5NP_lwhkGUI2W5aP4QhSvnMCK9mr-9JYYMkCOx5Wf9Gro2oOunKL6xuQx2LKF7XVY/s400/DSC_1586.JPG" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">and the little girl who was oblivious to him</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11273298827703970594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968382065453214869.post-13378698627174126732012-03-04T09:24:00.002-08:002012-03-04T09:24:14.469-08:00One Cup of Bongo, Please!<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Although
I have only been living in Florence for just over a month and it has been
frigid cold—not just winter-cold, but Antarctica-cold—I’m already a regular at <i>Gelateria dei Neri</i>. My sweet tooth just cannot be stopped. I have spent many nights bundled from head to
toe in every article of clothing I can find in order to trek down the street to
indulge in a cup of light, creamy gelato.
And through my sampling, I’ve quickly learned that <i>Gelateria dei Neri</i> is one of the best. Every time I walk through the door, I head
straight for the gelato, ecstatic to taste their homemade Nutella, Frutti dei
Boschi, Straciatella, and even Cookies and Cream. I rush right past the fluffy cakes and
pastries, despite their overpowering aroma that can be smelled from all the way
down the street.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Last
night, after a big dinner of spinach and ricotta filled tortellini and a fresh
salad lightly coated with balsamic vinegar, my sweet tooth was craving a trip
to <i>dei Neri</i>. Luckily, I wasn’t alone.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">“Anyone
else want dessert?” a couple of my roommates chimed in almost
simultaneously. Yes, we all did.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So
the five of us scrounged through our apartment for extra change, put on our
coats, and set off once again for our favorite gelato. When we arrived at the <i>Gelateria</i>, however, the treats in the front caught my eye for the
first time. <i>Semi-freddi</i>, the sign read above bins of creamy, non-frozen
desserts. I was ready to break away from
my usual gelato, to try something that was authentically Florentine.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">After
much contemplation, I ordered <i>una piccola
coppetta di bongo</i>. Otherwise known
as profiterole, <i>bongo</i> is a Florentine
specialty. They are tiny baked
puffed-pastries filled with vanilla cream and topped with whipped cream and a
drizzle of melted chocolate. The moment
my eyes laid upon the cup of tiny balls covered in all my favorite things, my
mouth began to water. I could almost
taste the chocolate, feel the whipped cream light on my tongue. A tiny gelato spoon was stuck right on top,
and after struggling for a solid minute to balance one <i>bongo</i> on the little spoon, I tossed the piece of plastic in the
garbage, diving in with my fingers and popping a <i>bongo</i> into my mouth.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">An
explosion of cream told me I was in heaven.
It was cool and smooth and perfectly complimented the chewy pastry and
rich chocolate. I couldn’t help but let
out a sigh of pleasure before shoving the remaining contents of my tiny cup
into my mouth. <i>So much for savoring my first authentic Florentine dessert</i>, I
thought. But I could not have felt more
intense satisfaction.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11273298827703970594noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968382065453214869.post-12905621186232145792012-03-04T09:22:00.003-08:002012-03-04T09:22:56.289-08:00Love and Chocolate<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Let’s go find our boyfriends,”
Caroline said to me as we wandered through the Piazza della Repubblica’s Chocolate
Festival for the fourth time that week, looking for our two favorite
chocolatiers. My roommate and I had just spent the first warm, sunny day since
we’d arrived exploring the Sant’Ambrogio market and climbing up to the Piazza
Michelangelo to watch the sun set, and after all those stairs we deserved to
treat ourselves to some more chocolate.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We
had already picked out our favorite stand earlier in the week, run by two young
Italian men from Campo Basso who had proclaimed their love for us at first
sight and gave us free desserts.
Although we hadn’t fallen for them in the same way, we just couldn’t
stay away from their creamy, melt-in-your-mouth chocolates that you could smell
and almost taste three streets away.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“My
friend! <i>Ciao, bella</i>!” my chocolatier-boyfriend Leonardo practically sang to
me as I walked toward his stand. “I am
so happy you return!” he told me in his thick Italian accent, and I grinned at
his excitement. “<i>Mi piace il tuo sorriso</i>.” He
liked my smile.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I
practically started drooling as my eyes feasted on the beautiful chocolate
creations that lay on the table between us.
He offered me sweets in every size, shape, color, and flavor, but I
couldn’t break away from my usual choice—“due cocco,” two coconut-flavored
chocolates. They were the best things I had
ever had the pleasure of putting into my mouth.
Hard milk chocolate on the outside, smooth coconut filling that oozed
from the center, sprinkled with sugary shredded coconut.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“I
give you a special discount, my friend,” Leonardo told me, cutting the price
down by 45 cents.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“<i>Grazie,”</i> I said as I popped one in my
mouth and let it dissolve on my tongue.
We had a special relationship, Leonardo and I. But I hardly knew anything about my new
friend. “Leonardo, when did you start
making chocolates?” I asked him, wondering when his passion had sparked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">He
looked at me and a crease formed between his eyebrows as he tried to comprehend
what I had asked him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“<i>Quando hai deciso di fare cioccolato?</i>” I
tried again, hoping he could understand my attempt at speaking a language that
was very new to me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Ah,
in 1997!” he exclaims excitedly. Very
specific. “<i>Mi piace il cioccolato. È troppo
buono!</i>” His favorite kind is the <i>cremino classico</i>, a soft fudge-like
square with a layer of hazelnut between two layers of chocolate. “It is very good. <i>Buono</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">But
as I struggled to ask more about his career as a chocolatier, dozens of hungry customers
lined up beside me, challenging me for Leonardo’s attention. They shoved their way between us, desperate
to get their hands on one of these sweet, tasty treats, and Leonardo became anxious
at my persistent questions about chocolate artistry.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">When
I finally told him “<i>ciao</i>, goodbye,”
he seemed to relax and immediately began tending to his other customers. Unfortunately for me, he seemed happy to see
me go. My unrelenting questions asked in
broken Italian that I’m sure Leonardo hardly understood may have ruined our
love affair. At least now I don’t have
to worry about going home three hundred pounds heavier due to free chocolates.<o:p></o:p></span></div>Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11273298827703970594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968382065453214869.post-88579688741565541952012-02-27T10:06:00.004-08:002012-02-27T10:06:54.970-08:00i'm officially in love with switzerland. i spent this weekend in interlaken, the german part of switzerland and home to every extreme sport you can imagine. after a ten hour bus ride, we arrived at our hostel, the funny farm, at 4:30am. everyone was tired and miserable, and my roommates and i passed out immediately, only to be woken up 3 hours later to sign up for activities. so many activities. on a whim, i signed up for canyon jumping, skiing and night sledding in the alps... what was i thinking?? everyone was pretty pissy to be woken up so early until we opened the shades to our balcony and saw this...<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaoDrre3Dyh_TuqUw6Uihlyz3x7Jjk0gDMyyY236y3w09ylSgQ_SmqTE8dOiKqgPqlVyJW-s-cPynaNnJA7pZ5T4RM1GRklgmuUm_CakasvuV9PnWgtEHlMAYTajZN76bvdqZGUdap_84/s1600/DSC_1243.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaoDrre3Dyh_TuqUw6Uihlyz3x7Jjk0gDMyyY236y3w09ylSgQ_SmqTE8dOiKqgPqlVyJW-s-cPynaNnJA7pZ5T4RM1GRklgmuUm_CakasvuV9PnWgtEHlMAYTajZN76bvdqZGUdap_84/s400/DSC_1243.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">surprisingly awesome view from the funny farm balcony</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5AxXHM0h02CbWybpuAC6Qe-Lw2un61RK-w-ArWntLxkk02VDySJBNf7003eLTzJyT6rBK5pmxdmoW0ZNBzqSVzlxw2z75LsMX1iJY9T1pFO6RCoda48GKNX8otw6_SUS-80R6tJqI0EU/s1600/DSC_1254.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5AxXHM0h02CbWybpuAC6Qe-Lw2un61RK-w-ArWntLxkk02VDySJBNf7003eLTzJyT6rBK5pmxdmoW0ZNBzqSVzlxw2z75LsMX1iJY9T1pFO6RCoda48GKNX8otw6_SUS-80R6tJqI0EU/s320/DSC_1254.JPG" width="320" /></a>i never imagined that switzerland could be this magical place, but i was in for the time of my life. everywhere i went, i felt like i was in heaven. it reminded my of a little vermont/colorado ski-town on steroids since we were surrounded by ginormous swiss alps everywhere we looked. the swiss people were beautiful and down-to-earth and fun. all the buildings were made of logs and had giant fire places. our hostel the funny farm was especially cozy, with a bunch of hippie-looking men with long hair working the front desk, playing reggae music, and a giant beethoven dog named spliff who hung out in the lobby all day every day. everywhere you went, you were bound to make friends because the people were genuinely friendly and interested in you. it was a treat coming from florence, where cars will run you over if you step into the street, and the people will either act like you don't exist or will be overly friendly to the point of creepiness.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJZgaVqwSTu8ZvcHzCr_RVugt2NR10CKN7yGYRLLfVfj6reDr2Qem2JlpQKBRV1y_SEKWVrHH1yZoy6YEkWYvHP9Ad97Xty7axcTVkk_nmfyEqiEJqFkkfB6FtkCGhlIfwO9C8NV1kNw8/s1600/IMG_1462.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJZgaVqwSTu8ZvcHzCr_RVugt2NR10CKN7yGYRLLfVfj6reDr2Qem2JlpQKBRV1y_SEKWVrHH1yZoy6YEkWYvHP9Ad97Xty7axcTVkk_nmfyEqiEJqFkkfB6FtkCGhlIfwO9C8NV1kNw8/s320/IMG_1462.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">me and my new friend spliff</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
so after exploring the town and meeting some of the locals, caroline and i set off to go canyon jumping in grindelwald (i convinced her to go with me). apparently interlaken and somewhere in new zealand are the only two places in the entire world where you can go canyon jumping, so obviously i had to it. we took a bus to the mountain with a group of other kids who were also out of their minds and wanted to jump off a tiny platform, free fall into a gorge, and swing by a rope while giant icicles fell from the mountains, threatening to stab you. we hiked up the mountain, led by two cool hippie men, and suddenly found ourselves on the edge of a canyon with no guardrail. after getting harnessed up (i was a little nervous since the guy tried to convince me there weren't any harnesses small enough for me), we were ready to jump. as ready as we'd ever be, at least. i wasn't too scared until it was my turn, and then i almost peed my pants. after the hippie man pried my hand off of his shoulder, i jumped, trying to look at the photographer who was suspended over the gorge. then i blacked out, but it went a little something like this...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgR_LnpkDyaSR-k5zDD7cjgSdVu_FLOSJj2lHCkfZ9k6NBT1o9xH8lj28sciM3nxgVAZoo49L5q5EfTyreaNxaJJqJrtI_8EdPOysburVibbW8LdusvZV4AUWri5OqYdtLN1P8XDuU88Y/s1600/1+(12).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgR_LnpkDyaSR-k5zDD7cjgSdVu_FLOSJj2lHCkfZ9k6NBT1o9xH8lj28sciM3nxgVAZoo49L5q5EfTyreaNxaJJqJrtI_8EdPOysburVibbW8LdusvZV4AUWri5OqYdtLN1P8XDuU88Y/s400/1+(12).JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">contract we signed before jumping</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil9iDNG68Se_wO0mchBd5xnagKQicC3kA7iLgUY7ITM28tNQ-VZzMxg2ZMWsXmzdGkLixmUfxJZborQtABEScEoCeIxzHGTjhXOVjPLaIjXhjhBI9Frjov-chFcCYn6VrXXPI4gVTG5bc/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil9iDNG68Se_wO0mchBd5xnagKQicC3kA7iLgUY7ITM28tNQ-VZzMxg2ZMWsXmzdGkLixmUfxJZborQtABEScEoCeIxzHGTjhXOVjPLaIjXhjhBI9Frjov-chFcCYn6VrXXPI4gVTG5bc/s320/1.jpg" width="208" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYAadZMN_pBPA5xNO6eD4VeFeBLKphgI71eF_9315N_eXEgaCnE9IQju9HWXDQfXToGwxH4YFcqi8lEyMg9-HLA9GI5l623AB0Pc8EExlOPwDYuq_a34iYZd_HVATH5ohMB-PGOo4siDc/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYAadZMN_pBPA5xNO6eD4VeFeBLKphgI71eF_9315N_eXEgaCnE9IQju9HWXDQfXToGwxH4YFcqi8lEyMg9-HLA9GI5l623AB0Pc8EExlOPwDYuq_a34iYZd_HVATH5ohMB-PGOo4siDc/s320/2.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFKWPe9JmzhsdELXlcQT5-rVbvXiS8FVDvxmfq42FnmeIRE72IWk12f0IecQ6uoSveZQXv0ikshiuA7Dncvg9mjVdsyn31UlQyQZTM_TvDxqBWy5MWg28_F_er-r5ieegJgfu4tz34zZ0/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFKWPe9JmzhsdELXlcQT5-rVbvXiS8FVDvxmfq42FnmeIRE72IWk12f0IecQ6uoSveZQXv0ikshiuA7Dncvg9mjVdsyn31UlQyQZTM_TvDxqBWy5MWg28_F_er-r5ieegJgfu4tz34zZ0/s320/3.jpg" width="208" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwEQJlXEIS-7KNpPP4bwv_2tAaWVYpohpyq04qAswyQt1ANsS_PGA6VuWDCH_Szkk1xdmvC2GHpRkyz29Ef6cB5R7HVjrR1B6HqJIcdZPf9RbP4Xt14achOmDinr8_Zts-pg_jrmpeX_c/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwEQJlXEIS-7KNpPP4bwv_2tAaWVYpohpyq04qAswyQt1ANsS_PGA6VuWDCH_Szkk1xdmvC2GHpRkyz29Ef6cB5R7HVjrR1B6HqJIcdZPf9RbP4Xt14achOmDinr8_Zts-pg_jrmpeX_c/s320/4.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf1jb3YWgtJY4UW4NEJ4t4ursak8WlqJU5NOLTtkh1V2aFrp-cMwM6ram8EDRTTfBXigRP8q0Yl5O28COPMpy58XtWlQiBxIQJDnZ0YIwtnwJoaKiOVy8fdjW7sHZVyfTKN1TJ0a1EXXo/s1600/IMG_1478.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf1jb3YWgtJY4UW4NEJ4t4ursak8WlqJU5NOLTtkh1V2aFrp-cMwM6ram8EDRTTfBXigRP8q0Yl5O28COPMpy58XtWlQiBxIQJDnZ0YIwtnwJoaKiOVy8fdjW7sHZVyfTKN1TJ0a1EXXo/s320/IMG_1478.JPG" width="240" /></a><br />
luckily, i lived. and as if that wasn't enough adventure for a lifetime, the next day i woke up at the crack of dawn to hit the slopes. in the swiss alps. i can't even remember the last time i skied, but it all came back to me like riding a bike. it was the most amazing skiing of my life. beautiful mountains, fresh powder and white everywhere you looked. at the end of the day, we skied all the way to the bottom of the mountain, across roads, passing restaurants, people's houses, farms with actual animals just hanging out in the middle of the slopes. it was awesome. that night, i headed back to the mountains to go night sledding, and ended the trip with dinner in a little log cabin-restaurant with swiss cheese fondue.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUcJtI53D2McSoqNtmBF-uYINxvI4p4cUVIzEfwmSJ2gZerOSJvaQRpj2mbiBhxHUr1X5pOLZRPwjj7yK9u3nJ-EUX-Hb7yGFSObDBOsuQnnr9GLn0BHrp_68lsFT9zWzxTjFQB46hZp0/s1600/IMG_1481.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUcJtI53D2McSoqNtmBF-uYINxvI4p4cUVIzEfwmSJ2gZerOSJvaQRpj2mbiBhxHUr1X5pOLZRPwjj7yK9u3nJ-EUX-Hb7yGFSObDBOsuQnnr9GLn0BHrp_68lsFT9zWzxTjFQB46hZp0/s320/IMG_1481.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">farm on the ski slopes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXJFxt-VoxWKnzhy0_2CxjirLcC9m0IjC2FKOU16vWWdo8N1pvpIibBa9QtMDbc7spvB6AsUuPvliHQd6xLoFEocGl3Im9EbD9PFQvLTWn8_budOY4hjVBs32iFgroZwQG7d2otJFmPaw/s1600/IMG_1483.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXJFxt-VoxWKnzhy0_2CxjirLcC9m0IjC2FKOU16vWWdo8N1pvpIibBa9QtMDbc7spvB6AsUuPvliHQd6xLoFEocGl3Im9EbD9PFQvLTWn8_budOY4hjVBs32iFgroZwQG7d2otJFmPaw/s320/IMG_1483.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">night sledding</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzptdBlTpcP_pt2ge1erakKFQbea6DXnzuve13n0mSEvCADxFc_NHFKN1o1r4Wd5mnpILqH_HBprenehVxKJqH0jQjXMlWFPyAfRj8N3SbB66rRtno1Y1lQo4U-gzl1Pht_Wkmjx1fqxA/s1600/1+(18).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzptdBlTpcP_pt2ge1erakKFQbea6DXnzuve13n0mSEvCADxFc_NHFKN1o1r4Wd5mnpILqH_HBprenehVxKJqH0jQjXMlWFPyAfRj8N3SbB66rRtno1Y1lQo4U-gzl1Pht_Wkmjx1fqxA/s400/1+(18).JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">pretty much my future home</td></tr>
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<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUcJtI53D2McSoqNtmBF-uYINxvI4p4cUVIzEfwmSJ2gZerOSJvaQRpj2mbiBhxHUr1X5pOLZRPwjj7yK9u3nJ-EUX-Hb7yGFSObDBOsuQnnr9GLn0BHrp_68lsFT9zWzxTjFQB46hZp0/s1600/IMG_1481.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>well, i don't really know what else to say about switzerland, other than it's the most amazing, beautiful, wonderful place in the world. and it's the first place i've ever been to in europe that i can actually see myself staying forever. it was just like heaven.</div>
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and if you made it to the end of this, check out the video of me canyon jumping on youtube: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwNQ-BP_nSE&feature=youtu.be" target="_blank">FREE FALLIN</a></div>Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11273298827703970594noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968382065453214869.post-4797148375869501492012-02-20T04:40:00.001-08:002012-02-20T04:40:40.281-08:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyKJl_vPfJ9R_XH0_ON_JBA4Mfezr2KL0EsdNyMTOLjqZXuyi6cooh233bvpy4ofFX6t5VjN_jmdYY63WK3GQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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clip of the pope parade/dance party</div>Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11273298827703970594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968382065453214869.post-16627869667589900272012-02-19T13:49:00.000-08:002012-02-19T14:05:46.936-08:00<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI7xm5-vm_a5ahqXpAX-yGzzNepcNU_PGSKjWX5oA02QlK5589zuaFM-zBRmuk2mg5pAwz_my-d91j0ayiSrXOuf3mkkoIipH-v9nX5V9zhKY_fVkDWPIvCu0cDisQerC6wZSnwNlFWDg/s1600/DSC_1195.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI7xm5-vm_a5ahqXpAX-yGzzNepcNU_PGSKjWX5oA02QlK5589zuaFM-zBRmuk2mg5pAwz_my-d91j0ayiSrXOuf3mkkoIipH-v9nX5V9zhKY_fVkDWPIvCu0cDisQerC6wZSnwNlFWDg/s320/DSC_1195.JPG" width="320" /></a>i spent this weekend in venice and viareggio at the carnevale festivities. aka the biggest party in italy and quite possibly one of the most magical experiences of my life. carnevale is italy's version of mardi gras, and they go wild with masquerades, dance parties, and parades. i spent saturday in venice--a bunch of us went to the islands of murano (famous for their glass blowing) and burano (famous for their rainbow colored houses). it was absolutely gorgeous. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAUM3sTlSzH8k_4rgJ_cBCiIpb6x9V3GBeoXEBEWoGNXrS4fLQSPPsPkNgv1n4SiYU9zfEmnYe1tQX0_ReQa9lvjHUpNQ2AT7B9CXwPZG3d-BBGAAsZQol6WFGou3CelMthhRu9BK1iMk/s1600/DSC_1171.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAUM3sTlSzH8k_4rgJ_cBCiIpb6x9V3GBeoXEBEWoGNXrS4fLQSPPsPkNgv1n4SiYU9zfEmnYe1tQX0_ReQa9lvjHUpNQ2AT7B9CXwPZG3d-BBGAAsZQol6WFGou3CelMthhRu9BK1iMk/s320/DSC_1171.JPG" width="214" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipChXwuai0aquSv7XDtOS3rVkD8PSLjol2G-Mt4wp8GFrL-c7Tv9ejuhMxmsDZXr3VdG2USvY24r6tA3H_SdDDMOGOkciOczbwg1cdg3HKUhjLyBSXCNjnzNHie1eWHB2euIiui0kx61s/s1600/DSC_1172.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipChXwuai0aquSv7XDtOS3rVkD8PSLjol2G-Mt4wp8GFrL-c7Tv9ejuhMxmsDZXr3VdG2USvY24r6tA3H_SdDDMOGOkciOczbwg1cdg3HKUhjLyBSXCNjnzNHie1eWHB2euIiui0kx61s/s320/DSC_1172.JPG" width="214" /></a></div>
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we missed the parade on the main island, but made it back in time for the festivities in the piazza san marco. the piazza was filled with music, dancing, and crazy people running around in carnival masks and halloween costumes. the best part was following the sound of italian reggae music to some crazy guys dressed as mice and joining in on a moving dance party up and down the little streets around san marco.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhII-p5lmfKOUWblJA_sn28Q0Bc0qEKtnwcIjkPyKOvyh5VVGSkQ2vzaeMe2UW-8FG0PdgfKap9IoaP5FCWFvqwoXs_wKqFM2sSkDVBsLVDo_BGC7JMGq2dkfyihTTBsZGAaofoQOeG2vs/s1600/IMG_1305.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhII-p5lmfKOUWblJA_sn28Q0Bc0qEKtnwcIjkPyKOvyh5VVGSkQ2vzaeMe2UW-8FG0PdgfKap9IoaP5FCWFvqwoXs_wKqFM2sSkDVBsLVDo_BGC7JMGq2dkfyihTTBsZGAaofoQOeG2vs/s400/IMG_1305.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil5Mrk8U2o49iIRjyGRPXb7POxHr6Qss9Qx1l_92cXcGkERXGh0wgJRIplINt-SzDXB5WgIeIxc2tH2h8oIJLap8wo_EhXM9WBNFNNU3J6NiXZhgH5MkSWdunuPaTyOQ8BnAj6_Qu-fDI/s1600/IMG_1327.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil5Mrk8U2o49iIRjyGRPXb7POxHr6Qss9Qx1l_92cXcGkERXGh0wgJRIplINt-SzDXB5WgIeIxc2tH2h8oIJLap8wo_EhXM9WBNFNNU3J6NiXZhgH5MkSWdunuPaTyOQ8BnAj6_Qu-fDI/s320/IMG_1327.JPG" width="240" /></a><span style="text-align: left;">even though we didn't make it back to florence until 2am, we were still pumped for round two in viareggio. we took a bus to the coast in the cold and rain, but when we walked into the piazza, it looked just like disney world. palm trees, elaborate fountains, cotton candy stands, all kinds of italian pastries... and the floats. it was like we were in a fairytale land with ginormous paper mache floats. they came at us with music blasting, silly string and confetti flying every which way. while the masks weren't as popular, everyone was still in crazy costumes. it was like the biggest halloween/mardi gras party i've ever been to. there were floats making fun of different countries and political figures, anything you could possibly think of. the best was one of the last floats of the pope and president obama. the dancers were dressed as priests, swinging incense, blasting 'i'm sexy and i know it' and we joined in another moving dance party behind the pope float with hundreds of crazy dancing italians.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRNeWvoeAYKY7WuA0H6rejLqibXWP-Y9VjbBl5K87xZhasIwdxnpIvLX_vPT3trDMikwJ4o8Wa96fWebP28Lc8qonE961RoapOuNkx76buyoOGt0GKJZlmK3kVSU5Y-oDI4GnHKLGpgMU/s1600/IMG_1332.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRNeWvoeAYKY7WuA0H6rejLqibXWP-Y9VjbBl5K87xZhasIwdxnpIvLX_vPT3trDMikwJ4o8Wa96fWebP28Lc8qonE961RoapOuNkx76buyoOGt0GKJZlmK3kVSU5Y-oDI4GnHKLGpgMU/s400/IMG_1332.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">scary zombies running at me.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoHWBQsWbNDCHsSb3fpK5snJ33J_VJkyeJJmh-SRC_f6s5wEZIj8vB6bbPuO5p2DkN5eGsUf9ZqMrvhc6urQQ45-ap7m7Fb-l90qys_uqOCE8b4EoG8240RjlSWKTIxPo7xfRs5W44Cmg/s1600/IMG_1411.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoHWBQsWbNDCHsSb3fpK5snJ33J_VJkyeJJmh-SRC_f6s5wEZIj8vB6bbPuO5p2DkN5eGsUf9ZqMrvhc6urQQ45-ap7m7Fb-l90qys_uqOCE8b4EoG8240RjlSWKTIxPo7xfRs5W44Cmg/s400/IMG_1411.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">pope float, pre-dance party</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6pk2T0Pvvgt8hSwWV7A0rlYpu-kLe9jfPNwJ1fYkrrfgNkcIr6kzh_xp4Tya9MyUZcC9vrDD7oFdktMblpoCgoggJLmldR0nUEUG4BOtmI731EuWtwR10xbgHYdAyTM9Xt-7mR4XDDXo/s1600/IMG_1428.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6pk2T0Pvvgt8hSwWV7A0rlYpu-kLe9jfPNwJ1fYkrrfgNkcIr6kzh_xp4Tya9MyUZcC9vrDD7oFdktMblpoCgoggJLmldR0nUEUG4BOtmI731EuWtwR10xbgHYdAyTM9Xt-7mR4XDDXo/s400/IMG_1428.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">frolicking on the beach. awesome end to an awesome weekend.</td></tr>
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<br />Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11273298827703970594noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968382065453214869.post-84447848315669783412012-02-17T10:47:00.001-08:002012-02-17T10:47:41.800-08:00<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjks9iPxwe7K_VGOjcbifJ9bo1TIpqS4gYkKo0UeImBvWYrRGeB7fSE2csaPut_YCSDIgcHhoCNXynEjGx1BDDpy6uoSSlTDmhf6cBGnniumHTVygNNc6sIJazkCXrh_Itpv34tJ61uGbw/s1600/DSC_0985.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjks9iPxwe7K_VGOjcbifJ9bo1TIpqS4gYkKo0UeImBvWYrRGeB7fSE2csaPut_YCSDIgcHhoCNXynEjGx1BDDpy6uoSSlTDmhf6cBGnniumHTVygNNc6sIJazkCXrh_Itpv34tJ61uGbw/s320/DSC_0985.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ganzo</td></tr>
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i have to say i'm loving it here. it magically turned from winter to summer over night. woke up this morning, it was sunny and 60 degrees, finally warm enough to explore the little outdoor market in our neighborhood. i bought an entire bag of fresh fruits--kiwis, green apples and pears--and some ski gloves (did i mention i'm going to switzerland next weekend where i can ski and skydive over the swiss alps? i've been having recurring nightmares that i freeze to death there since i definitely did not pack anything warm enough for the snow. not to mention i only packed gloves without fingers...) all for only 3 euro. our school also does this really cool thing where they give you vouchers for free meals at this cute little restaurant called ganzo. so caroline and i went there for lunch and ate a big plate of rabbit. i tried not to think of furry bunnies while i scarfed it down. i have to admit it was delicious though.<br />
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after our free meal, we went to soak up the sun in our piazza right in front of the santa croce. i was loving how alive the city feels now that the weather is so much warmer and the sun is shining. a little later, we hiked with some of roommates up to the piazza michelangelo to watch the sunset over the city.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7vs6aAr2BcY8cfGPWhK8eoVEK0yx39-mBOxNka85wqHQXlrgRHF2ayplRcGJ7mtf3JeBS7sTPPujg6h6S0urMLvF8Gg8VXSOGNNObuAl7XT5psvd4wsW1cdg00E1dtYRWFgjL_xc1GVY/s1600/DSC_1070.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7vs6aAr2BcY8cfGPWhK8eoVEK0yx39-mBOxNka85wqHQXlrgRHF2ayplRcGJ7mtf3JeBS7sTPPujg6h6S0urMLvF8Gg8VXSOGNNObuAl7XT5psvd4wsW1cdg00E1dtYRWFgjL_xc1GVY/s400/DSC_1070.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO-hkF-CIW8MA6-jAmbd5sRG6wXuXWM-D_LLNpLDEpDaNGTl3ZezQeDZcw9QuHe_3ydIMw23-nxXilMQDVsBfyt-55w2AB1bCKAf2L3byM0RUg945icKCrWaKfmRcNxkXJBNmgEdvdvLk/s1600/DSC_1077.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO-hkF-CIW8MA6-jAmbd5sRG6wXuXWM-D_LLNpLDEpDaNGTl3ZezQeDZcw9QuHe_3ydIMw23-nxXilMQDVsBfyt-55w2AB1bCKAf2L3byM0RUg945icKCrWaKfmRcNxkXJBNmgEdvdvLk/s400/DSC_1077.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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i cannot even describe how good it felt to sit on the steps of the piazza with this view. i didn't even have to wear anything more than a sweatshirt, which in itself felt amazing after the zero degree cold and snow from the past month. it felt like a summer night on the beach at martha's vineyard. but even better cause it's florence. i celebrated the end of a great day with one last visit to the chocolate festival (yes, it was my fourth time in a week; and yes, i am now best friends with some of the chocolatiers) and stuffed my face with chocolate covered strawberries sprinkled with coconut. i'm living the life, no doubt about it.</div>Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11273298827703970594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968382065453214869.post-14891191045335432952012-02-17T07:19:00.002-08:002012-02-17T07:19:52.631-08:00<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6WeeVGjQTDUBwmtECoZvF9jdjfy5jjiH0fBNy6STIEIzXnHfRm0T9Q5qY19XOuglIN_rlPW5kJBca1AGk5F-puevorG2GUXTjmpEwCc2DHJeZNGtwV7RthjfV2iKfMa8Q-gMM-rKIQqo/s1600/DSC_1066.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6WeeVGjQTDUBwmtECoZvF9jdjfy5jjiH0fBNy6STIEIzXnHfRm0T9Q5qY19XOuglIN_rlPW5kJBca1AGk5F-puevorG2GUXTjmpEwCc2DHJeZNGtwV7RthjfV2iKfMa8Q-gMM-rKIQqo/s640/DSC_1066.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">my very first byline in the florentine, found on every street corner in florence!</td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=7488">click here</a> to read it on the florentine's website :)Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11273298827703970594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968382065453214869.post-91394102669594894652012-02-17T07:13:00.002-08:002012-02-17T07:14:58.172-08:00The First Supper<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">hey guys, here is my first blog post from my food writing class...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">People
always ask me why I wanted to study abroad in Florence—was it because of the
Renaissance art, the beautiful architecture, the city’s ancient history, or my
family roots? To be honest, it wasn’t
really for any of those things. The
reason I’m here is for the food. You
can’t argue that Italian food beats everything, and I just couldn’t say ‘no’ to
coming to Italy and tasting something completely authentic. From the moment I stepped off the plane in
Florence, I made it my mission to find the best pizza, the best gelato, and the
best panini. But before I got here, I
didn’t even consider cooking my own meals here in Italy. Heck, I’ve never considered cooking my own
meals at home!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">After the first couple days in Florence,
my roommates and I finally moved into our tiny apartment nestled right next to
the Santa Croce.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">We were already burned
out on gelato and pizza, especially since we had eaten either or both for every
meal since we had arrived.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">After a long
day of unpacking and sight-seeing, we came home hungry and decided it would be a
great idea to cook our first ‘family dinner’ to christen our new home.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">The only problem was that even though we had
all gone grocery shopping, no one had thought too hard about the foods we had
bought and no one had enough of anything to make a real meal.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">So we had to get creative—everyone threw in
an ingredient or two, and we just kind of winged it.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">I have to say I was pleasantly
surprised. Somehow, we managed to make
the most delicious meal any of us have had since being in Florence. After an hour of falling over each other in
our tiny kitchen, we gathered around our living room table with every dish we
had prepared—a crisp salad of baby greens, chopped tomatoes, fresh buffalo
mozzarella, and basil drizzled with real Italian olive oil and balsamic
vinegar; a sizzling pan of caramelized onions and red bell peppers tossed with
the tiny bit of chicken we had leftover in the fridge; and steaming baked
potatoes we couldn’t help but drown in balsamic vinegar.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Squeals of excitement filled the room,
but as soon as our plates were piled with food, there was complete silence
except for the smacking of lips and the tinker of forks against plates. Everything was perfect—the chicken was
flavorful from the onions; the peppers were hot, but still crisp; the
mozzarella was mouthwateringly juicy; and the balsamic vinegar gave the
potatoes just the right kick. We
couldn’t help but devour our wonderful meals, and warmth spread through our new
home as we filled our bellies with delicious food made from the random
ingredients we each had lying around.
Once every plate was scraped clean, the silence became laughter as we
delighted in the food we had cooked with hard work and creativity.</span></div>Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11273298827703970594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968382065453214869.post-61016373987580212692012-02-11T15:50:00.000-08:002012-02-11T15:54:00.051-08:00<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqo0B7VJNSrUiDa8SP4XejqZ4U57-ZlCBUvG9l55UcZUbZDS6mwXUQymZimoBqaoC9jYDhaRq04tDpAgoMRD5-88NMOWZAv39W8-k-hgwmOQALnsaeAeAo1BKOWG_DzggBmODjEKycAWE/s1600/DSC_0780.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqo0B7VJNSrUiDa8SP4XejqZ4U57-ZlCBUvG9l55UcZUbZDS6mwXUQymZimoBqaoC9jYDhaRq04tDpAgoMRD5-88NMOWZAv39W8-k-hgwmOQALnsaeAeAo1BKOWG_DzggBmODjEKycAWE/s200/DSC_0780.JPG" width="133" /></a>two awesome things came to florence this weekend: my friend meg who is visiting from rome and the chocolate festival! i've been super busy being meg's personal tour guide, and i'm surprised at how well i already know the city. yesterday we went to the <i>san lorenzo</i> leather market where they sell scarves and hats and <i>carnevale </i>masks and everything leather--the italian men flirt like crazy, trying to get all the girls who pass to buy something from their stands by telling them they've fallen in love with them. if you play hard to get, they'll give you great deals--ended up getting a really great hat for a third of the price, wahoo!<br />
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we headed over to the chocolate festival that's set up ALL week in the <i>piazza della repubblica</i> where chocolatiers from all over the world come each year with everything chocolate. i can't decide if it's the best or the worst thing that's ever happened to me since i've already gained about five pounds in the two days it's been here.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg1BbpNZFW_BA6TDlrji5K9bMlSn9IC3wldCapEmgMBiiBAa2N9II4QDkvC-TtIcaPnyUQyS-B9hGceiKG0TIULBvTYfYMa8U0C49vWPPZz-vDeHaszXqZ46BTF_ZUounyBA_mODMrQUE/s1600/DSC_0881.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="display: inline !important; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg1BbpNZFW_BA6TDlrji5K9bMlSn9IC3wldCapEmgMBiiBAa2N9II4QDkvC-TtIcaPnyUQyS-B9hGceiKG0TIULBvTYfYMa8U0C49vWPPZz-vDeHaszXqZ46BTF_ZUounyBA_mODMrQUE/s320/DSC_0881.JPG" width="214" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimwAzrb1vapQZnDKhKgio2Q0YA8Pez0Sk3P23ZTOyZN2Dy-h4GWjNt94H3o050jllGt4Qz5TwriNWKkN2T0m6QAZm1vajjL28f0hFnSb64cQB0Vi7ozSF0O-EDT0LcNHSggZ3fSsXkUjs/s1600/DSC_0878.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimwAzrb1vapQZnDKhKgio2Q0YA8Pez0Sk3P23ZTOyZN2Dy-h4GWjNt94H3o050jllGt4Qz5TwriNWKkN2T0m6QAZm1vajjL28f0hFnSb64cQB0Vi7ozSF0O-EDT0LcNHSggZ3fSsXkUjs/s320/DSC_0878.JPG" width="214" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">found some bc kids at the chocolate festival</td></tr>
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after eating chocolate, we figured we should probably work it off somehow, so my friends and i climbed to the top of the <i>duomo</i> in the center of florence. we climbed up tiny spiral staircases made of ancient stones that turned every which way and made our way to the top to have one of the most amazing views of florence. we could see the entire city, it was amazing.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNADTiigGIDq6J-7lDoFkGI5GjsbZKwdiopMVHwzAWmXyIg2E9Qe0sjhNoV9-30CNlHb8PmFJLhPH21mshUiU_42eS9PB1OfaqtQ0jysDfhFMLpQQZ3OQVSeIjhb7dF2bN5wZXPt0iUYk/s1600/DSC_0939.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNADTiigGIDq6J-7lDoFkGI5GjsbZKwdiopMVHwzAWmXyIg2E9Qe0sjhNoV9-30CNlHb8PmFJLhPH21mshUiU_42eS9PB1OfaqtQ0jysDfhFMLpQQZ3OQVSeIjhb7dF2bN5wZXPt0iUYk/s400/DSC_0939.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">could even see our church from the top</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11273298827703970594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968382065453214869.post-75152958671164922262012-02-04T12:37:00.000-08:002012-02-04T12:38:41.765-08:00<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjguNAeiGvgVlW2HtmDBvRLvXdlfpvzGPLuTYo-pPnPIqjyLILAvUef38inu3x_CXDAhl2tjx2jUSmGa1vbv3AVoXK0HkXRD6-Wo21Sx1OE_3KQhl9mTwt1m9K5-1PW9WghZUxPgov99Hk/s1600/IMG_1220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjguNAeiGvgVlW2HtmDBvRLvXdlfpvzGPLuTYo-pPnPIqjyLILAvUef38inu3x_CXDAhl2tjx2jUSmGa1vbv3AVoXK0HkXRD6-Wo21Sx1OE_3KQhl9mTwt1m9K5-1PW9WghZUxPgov99Hk/s320/IMG_1220.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">devoured these babies in 0.5 seconds</td></tr>
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found the secret bakery. (there's a secret bakery about 2 minutes away from my apartment--only locals know about it, it's only open super late at night, and can only be found by smell...) my friends and i happened upon it on our way home the other night--the smell of warm bread and pastries practically hit us in the face, and when we turned around we saw two old italian men rolling dough behind a glass door. we went in and the bakers mumbled something in italian and then handed us a couple chocolate filled croissants. they tasted like heaven.<br />
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also, ate dinner at "the diner" last night. i was craving a little something from home, and the diner made me the best american hamburger i've had in my life. the place was really cute inside--kinda like an italian moogy's (everybody from bc knows what i'm talking about).</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2GJqUdo2GxpcfI1jWkpB_lbFe0_5zck6SNzq4AV9VSRybQstX3zuVc9s8It4P-wfiEZR36q4hn1HLa8lJGEbUM75PSf37A2Kos7bxXXhDZr08vhyr3-rNEM3KOqPRMm_g6-DWZ50_mZs/s1600/IMG_1231.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2GJqUdo2GxpcfI1jWkpB_lbFe0_5zck6SNzq4AV9VSRybQstX3zuVc9s8It4P-wfiEZR36q4hn1HLa8lJGEbUM75PSf37A2Kos7bxXXhDZr08vhyr3-rNEM3KOqPRMm_g6-DWZ50_mZs/s320/IMG_1231.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">italian moogy's</td></tr>
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by the way, made some italian friends while singing karaoke...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4I4P7enyFFUU_L4I4WVb8rKLpivt8YS4HqyeWbSr9qORaFX-cQEIDRyTLE0CHVQODlqLUHNWbxo51_8fx7LpEEO0qh3CTBqBIZbyEnbd-F1Zu5NuWj7riUBzNeirO44_fV1tcrFGEyDA/s1600/IMG_1241.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4I4P7enyFFUU_L4I4WVb8rKLpivt8YS4HqyeWbSr9qORaFX-cQEIDRyTLE0CHVQODlqLUHNWbxo51_8fx7LpEEO0qh3CTBqBIZbyEnbd-F1Zu5NuWj7riUBzNeirO44_fV1tcrFGEyDA/s320/IMG_1241.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">new friend franco</td></tr>
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<br />Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11273298827703970594noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968382065453214869.post-25753193692689683732012-02-01T09:36:00.000-08:002012-02-01T09:36:50.383-08:00it's hump day during my first "real" week in florence. started my internship and classes, and i must say it's going great! my first two days at the florentine were a little intimidating--my very first assignment was to translate an article from italian to english, which took two whole hours, and even though it's an english-speaking newspaper, everyone in the office spoke italian all day. i just nodded along and pretended that i understood. i got to do some other cool things too, like writing articles and uploading the newest issue onto the website. yesterday i got to work with one of the supervisors, giacomo. he's the goofiest italian i've met, with hair that sticks out every which way. he played me some italian music while we worked and sang along with every song.<div>
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i'm also really excited for my classes (as nerdy as that might sound). i'm taking creative advertising of italian destinations where we'll be learning all about art, food, fashion, wine and italian advertising. today, i had my first photography and food writing classes. starting today, i have to take one picture a day for the rest of my trip, showing my personality and way of seeing a foreign country through the lens of my camera--those will definitely be up here for everyone to see. but food writing has to be my favorite so far. we will be writing recipes, restaurant reviews, feature food articles, and personality profiles--everything you can imagine with food. we'll be taking field trips to open air markets, butchers, and local restaurants to taste and write about authentic italian food experiences. i already made great friends with my teacher, who happens to be the editor-at-large of the florentine, and she promised to lend me all her books by anthony bourdain--my favorite food critic. he has his own tv show, <i>no reservations</i>, where he travels to every corner of the earth, trying every city's native foods and recipes. and since most of the writing we'll do is in blog-form, i will definitely share my writing here--so even if you can't come to italy to physically try real italian food, hopefully i'll help you to experience it!</div>
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"people ask me: why do you write about food, and eating and drinking? why don't you write about the struggle for power and security, and about love, the way the others do?<br />
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they ask it accusingly, as if i were somehow gross, unfaithful to the honor of my craft.<br />
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the easiest answer is to say that, like most other humans, i am hungry. but there is more than that. it seems to me that our three basic needs, for food and security and love, are so mixed and mingled and entwined that we cannot straightly think of one without the others. so it happens that when i write of hunger, i am really writing about love and the hunger for it, and warmth and the love of it and the hunger for it... and then the warmth and richness and fine reality of hunger satisfied... and it is all one." --M.F.K. Fisher</div>Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11273298827703970594noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968382065453214869.post-57997133261405141612012-01-29T13:55:00.000-08:002012-02-01T09:09:48.855-08:00it may be hard to believe, but the cats in florence aren't even the best part. here are some highlights from the past couple days...<br />
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on friday night, caroline and i stopped into the liquor store around the corner to buy a bottle of wine for dinner. should have been easy, right? wrong. first, we got harassed by an old man beggar who came in and had a laughing fit when he saw the cashier's baby (did i mention the cashier had her little baby girl in a crib next the to the cash register?) anyway, as soon as he left, the woman ran outside, looked both ways, yelled something to us in italian, and then ran off with our money. caroline and i just stood in the liquor store wondering if we'd just paid 50 euros for this woman's baby... we were pretty relieved when she came back five minutes later with change for the wine.<br />
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other than that, we've mostly been wandering around, enjoying gelato and the scenery. today, we spent the day in pisa and i captured some precious poses in front of the leaning tower. enjoy!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLTeQH5k0PfS_vamou9_VfH8LF4gEUWoF4OpYqLQmJ5vV2Y8Q0YWzDxTmWFmPLpo8QG4AtbRY_MXFMMDPOvC7RLgrstaV0-DkAwWDKH7JPR0j-9-0atoqIlUxnI_WTAQLQN_3YJncaBsw/s1600/IMG_1178.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLTeQH5k0PfS_vamou9_VfH8LF4gEUWoF4OpYqLQmJ5vV2Y8Q0YWzDxTmWFmPLpo8QG4AtbRY_MXFMMDPOvC7RLgrstaV0-DkAwWDKH7JPR0j-9-0atoqIlUxnI_WTAQLQN_3YJncaBsw/s200/IMG_1178.JPG" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCpwuF9th3_QdQyaKA5zBwtiuPWkw_BPIq0CLY1OXqFEd71n5QR-mvhc17u_kd8TrZVZYudKgLhYxBrxWUR1y6XJPbGM33tFaEW0tKh06x1jDd7RwpxZMVwCbIFXy_sy99a_Cp0xnjrK4/s1600/IMG_1190.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCpwuF9th3_QdQyaKA5zBwtiuPWkw_BPIq0CLY1OXqFEd71n5QR-mvhc17u_kd8TrZVZYudKgLhYxBrxWUR1y6XJPbGM33tFaEW0tKh06x1jDd7RwpxZMVwCbIFXy_sy99a_Cp0xnjrK4/s200/IMG_1190.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggkip2SIJQzcO4IFxT_nFiktt2oy0kgS1C0eutowxp01j8eQgZSUvBRhwwB58KJy5ZrtU5Xg9f8pKftUyhDXMyO1xjipMM67gJdg_bFnH887GNTp-XOvFzlN_LwFtqxl9dBouBdaxIz-U/s1600/IMG_1192.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggkip2SIJQzcO4IFxT_nFiktt2oy0kgS1C0eutowxp01j8eQgZSUvBRhwwB58KJy5ZrtU5Xg9f8pKftUyhDXMyO1xjipMM67gJdg_bFnH887GNTp-XOvFzlN_LwFtqxl9dBouBdaxIz-U/s320/IMG_1192.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11273298827703970594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968382065453214869.post-19978838541355982812012-01-27T07:15:00.000-08:002012-02-01T09:09:36.850-08:00<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA0c70aVVBBJgfEqjOeh5DhbVKd8b8RcLqlVGlJR0p092kFJ22cmaRRAe7t5xS0igIwxhM03nc4bzwhztbHSVhq8SEciKnO0H-9OpwrwniSwgG4pUtipkrkX8dFQNNuaXvoMyfnCTyUuc/s1600/DSC_0669.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA0c70aVVBBJgfEqjOeh5DhbVKd8b8RcLqlVGlJR0p092kFJ22cmaRRAe7t5xS0igIwxhM03nc4bzwhztbHSVhq8SEciKnO0H-9OpwrwniSwgG4pUtipkrkX8dFQNNuaXvoMyfnCTyUuc/s320/DSC_0669.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">saw some cats...</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">got to pet the cats.</td></tr>
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<br />Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11273298827703970594noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968382065453214869.post-73553821353059507122012-01-26T10:00:00.000-08:002012-02-01T09:09:55.618-08:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV75mkVPe03PphNYbtcjS5uuoPctrmC8GrbOidUuJnaLwzKhBhg8_ysSpZXqrtaeEhDdgSDBZusqUcMw78V3kMpXGVSNX7-Djle_VqZriGw3AS0B4OZgrLJS3kkSM_GrCddrurzUq7Yhw/s1600/IMG_1168.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV75mkVPe03PphNYbtcjS5uuoPctrmC8GrbOidUuJnaLwzKhBhg8_ysSpZXqrtaeEhDdgSDBZusqUcMw78V3kMpXGVSNX7-Djle_VqZriGw3AS0B4OZgrLJS3kkSM_GrCddrurzUq7Yhw/s320/IMG_1168.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">our apartment on <i>via verrazzano</i></td></tr>
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hey everyone, it's almost the end of my first week and i'm finally settled into my apartment. we moved in on tuesday, and all the apartments for students are really close together and near the school. i live on a tiny street called <i>via verrazzano</i> with five other girls all from the new england area. our apartment is small, but really cozy and cute--it has green shutters, a big brown front door, and palm trees in the backyard (which i still don't understand since it's been almost as cold as boston). the best part, though, is that our street comes out into a piazza with a beautiful view of <i>la basilica di santa croce.</i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGaxqitvC-R0gAegQwtd9pme5ovWtZrgo9hTdCu2YH6AirhGD3t6x4QsCTXTqcYgs1nOyXwlONyBV_x_fXfu6_-3Ww1hOCz8aBZtkGxGik1M3z_S7wS557M3tn6rYCc2XFCQ3PV9YU7xc/s1600/IMG_1160.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGaxqitvC-R0gAegQwtd9pme5ovWtZrgo9hTdCu2YH6AirhGD3t6x4QsCTXTqcYgs1nOyXwlONyBV_x_fXfu6_-3Ww1hOCz8aBZtkGxGik1M3z_S7wS557M3tn6rYCc2XFCQ3PV9YU7xc/s320/IMG_1160.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>piazza di santa croce, </i>the view from our street</td></tr>
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this week has been very busy with orientation events, but i still found time to explore the city yesterday with caroline, a good friend from bc. we walked all over the southern part of the city, wandering over <i>il ponte vecchio</i>, tasting our first italian <i>gelato, </i>and eventually making our way back to <i>il duomo</i>. everything here is so beautiful, it's unreal.<br />
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despite our free time, i'm really excited to start school. right now, it almost feels like we're all stuck in limbo--i don't ever have a clue what time it is, or even the day of the week, and it feels like i've been here a month already. i can't wait to get into the swing of things, practicing italian, starting classes, my internship, traveling around to other parts of italy and europe. there are just so many things to do, it's overwhelming. time to get started!<br />
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p.s. these are just a couple of the pictures i've taken in the past couple days. more to come...i promise!<br />
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</div>Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11273298827703970594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968382065453214869.post-13894054362143980712012-01-21T15:08:00.000-08:002012-01-21T15:12:05.586-08:00arrivederci!<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">hey guys! well, i've got my bags almost packed and will be heading off to <i>firenze </i>tomorrow for my semester abroad. as you may know, i will be studying at florence university of the arts and living right in the heart of the city. i'll be interning at the florentine --an english-speaking newspaper in florence--and taking classes in writing, photography, etc. (hopefully i'll be able to share some of my work here with you all once i get started). i have to admit i'm pretty nervous and will definitely miss my family, friends, and of course bc, but i can't wait to get over to italy. i've been craving a change of scenery for awhile now, and i think the italian lifestyle will be perfect for me. the italians have an old expression that kind of explains their way of life: <i>"il dolce far niente,"</i> literally meaning "the sweetness of doing nothing" or "delicious idleness." it is the absence of chaos and busy work; it is being still long enough for life to refuel you and show you what is important. if you know me well, you know i am the best at doing nothing, and even though i won't be doing </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">nothing</i><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> these next few months, i'm excited to finally get the chance to be still and indulge in everything that makes me happy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">i'm not sure if the internet access in florence will quite measure up to america's, but i'll try to get on here to update you all of my travels as often as i can. <i>arrivederci</i>, america, see you later!</span>Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11273298827703970594noreply@blogger.com6