Turino with Mel

I had the BEST weekend ever with my sister! Mel arrived in Florence last Saturday morning.  I met her at the airport expecting to help carry her luggage however her luggage didn't make the flight due to her tight connection.  It was eventually delivered the next day but she still came with lots of goodies for me! Believe it or not she brought me a full dozen of sprinkle cupcakes :) She also carried lots of liquids and clothes for me! So off the bat... she already started the trip with a great start.  After she settled down we went to Gusta Pizza where she fully immersed herself in the Italian culture by eating a huge pizza. After lunch we went on a shopping extravaganza and purchased leather gloves, leather coats, and went to Zara (young women's fashionable clothing store) Obviously it was my favorite day since shopping is my favorite hobby but I was happy to spend time with her!  Later we took a break and chilled at my apartment and then dined at Acqua 2.  It is a fancy restaurant that serves samplers.  You can order based off the amount of people and sample multiple items on the menu. We started with a pasta sampler, and then I tasted the steak sampler.  We left feeling unable to breath. 

The next day we woke up and ate at The Diner (an Americanized breakfast place in Florence where you can actually get a bagel, pancakes, or an omelet)  Next we hiked Piazza Michaelangelo which over looks the entire city.  After we visited the Boboli Gardens in Florence and sat outside and caught up. It was a gorgeous day so it was perfect to spend time outside.  After we dabbled into the Italian culture by attending a food event in the community called The Taste.  It is a food trade show that occurs every year in which local citizens can pay 15 euro to walk around and sample some of the best food from the country at each booth.  You can then purchase the products after. My food and wine teacher told me about this and it was a perfect event to attend with Mel. Our favorite part was the baked goods and chocolate booths. Later we napped and then ate dinner at La Giostra.  La Giostra is my absolute favorite restaurant here and they are known for their Pear Ravioli, & Apple Glazed Chicken.  It is pretty fancy but well worth it to splurge on with family or friends.  When we were younger our family actually ate their when we traveled to Italy.  It is neat to go back and I still have vivid memories of the place. After I showed Mel the best gelato place in Florence called Grom.  We got gelato and walked to the bars so she could see the night life.  The next morning she departed to London to visit her friends from abroad the previous year while I crammed for Midterms.  It was hard to actually concentrate and do school work since this entire semester I haven't had any homework lasting over 10 mins. Hahah I felt as though I had to retrain myself to study.  I successfully completed all my midterms and on Wednesday Mel returned.  We went out that night and the next morning traveled to Turino.

We took a millions forms of transportation before arriving in Sestiere (a ski town of Turino). We decided on this destination because it offers great skiing and the winter Olympics were held in the city in 2006. We arrived in the evening and got settled, picked up our skiing/snowboarding gear and then went to dinner.  The next day we woke up early enjoyed our great Hotel breakfast (they cooked eggs for us...It was AMAZING!) and then ventured onto the slopes.  We stayed right near the slopes so it was easy to get to.  I haven't skied in a while so I approached the bunny hills expecting the worse.  I went down a couple of times and felt pretty confident.  Mel wanted to head onto moderate slopes so I didn't think twice before moving on.  I now regret that decision...I wiped out three times before making it down the moderate slope.  First let me inform you that a moderate slope in Europe=Black Diamond Slopes in America. The angle of the hill had to be close to a straight shoot down.  I burst into tears and laughter before making it down the hill.  It was quiet the experience. After that slope I told Mel I was sticking to the easy hills.  One of the coolest parts about the slopes and ski town is that you can eat and take breaks on the mountains. We ate lunch at a restaurant on the mountain and skied/snowboarded right up to it.  It is also very popular to sit back on the slope in a lazy boy outdoor chair.  People are posted everywhere soaking up the rays and taking a break.  I tried to take advantage of that as long as possible before Mel wanted to continue to snowboard and ski.  I called it quits early and went back to rest.  Later we ventured around the tiny town and went to aperski (drinking after skiing) We then grabbed dinner in the town and headed back to our hotel where we streamed movies!  This was a huge excitement point since my internet in my apartment is awful! The next morning we repeated our day by skiing, snowboarding and eating lunch on the mountain.  In the morning Mel had a minor incident in which she lost her snowboard.   She sat down and went to pull out her phone and didn't realize her board slipped out from underneath her. She spent a good 30 mins looking for it before finding on caught in a side of a fence. I personally couldn't be happier...I thought we could avoid skiing but that wasn't the case.  After a 2nd full day of skiing and snowboarding I couldn't walk. My entire body ached and was bruised!!! We then went to 2 different aperskis and then ate dinner.  The next morning we traveled back to Florence.  We settled down, unpacked and grabbed dinner at a restaurant called ZaZa's.  They are known for their wine, and pasta.  The next morning Mel got up early and left to go back to DC.  I was so sad but also got to look forward to my trip the next day to Sardinia.

Overall I had a great time with my sister and couldn't have asked for a better trip. It was so nice to have family here and escape the normal routine.  I enjoyed showing her all my favorite spots and spending time with her.  I want her to come back to Italy but I will also settle for my parents visit!!!
MY MOM COMES IN 3 MORE DAYS!!!! Can you tell I'm excited??? I can't wait to see my mom and dad and travel with them!

More to come!
Ciao!

Amsterdam

Last weekend we traveled to Amsterdam.  I was pleasantly surprised by the town and LOVED it! We arrived Friday night and started the trip with a feast at Wok Wok (an Asian stir fry place near by) It was so nice to get food besides ITALIAN Food! As much as I love Italian food I was ready for a break.  We then visited a couple of coffee shops and saw the red light district.  It was so bizarre to see girls dancing in windows waiting for men to enter the shop.  I found it very distributing and weird.  The coffee shops were somewhat interesting in that there is a menu in which you chose what type of marijuana to purchase.  I have to admit I was an obvious tourist in that I took a million photos documenting this experience.  The next day we started with the Anne Frank Museum.  The museum featured artifacts, documentaries, and quotes that depicted the story of Anne Frank. The museum was incredible.  I was moved by the exhibits and artifacts left behind by Anne Frank.   After we went to the pancake bakery and ordered HUGE pancakes!  I was spontaneous and tried a pancake with bacon and cheese cooked it.  It was DELICOUS!  We then made our way to the Heineken museum, which was like a big party inside.  The entire museum had rooms with music and logos of Heineken.  I personally hate the taste of beer so I barely made it past the sampler before giving away my two complimentary remaining glasses of beer.  After the Heinekin tour we went to see the Amsterdam letters.  Later we ventured to a diamond tour in which we toured the Gassan Diamond headquarters and viewed diamonds.  I found my future wedding ring!   It was a 3-carat diamond J and cost 200,000 euro.  So I’m going to have to tell my future husband to start saving once I meet him.  Later we dined on Thai food and visited another coffee shop.  The next day we walked around the near by town and then headed back to Florence.  Overall Amsterdam was my favorite trip so far.  I loved how the city was modern, and up to speed with technology.   It was a huge difference compared to Italy. There was a Starbucks in Amsterdam that I visited morning.  It was so nice to have a “normal” American coffee.  I was in HEAVEN!

This week after returning to Florence I visited and survived the Florence emergency room and hospital.  I was making lunch on Monday and cut my finger on a can.  I realized that I was going to have to go to the emergency room after feeling a horrid pain in my finger.  Ironically, I found out I live one street away from the emergency room.  I walked myself over and got admitted.  I was able to get a hold of my parents and avoiding getting stitches! I had to get a tetanus shot, which was unfortunate but my finger is ok! Another thing I learned was that everyone in the hospital only speaks Italian.  I had quite a bit of difficulty explaining what happened in Italian.  It is funny now looking back on it but a nightmare when I was there. Also I learned the health care in Italy is very cheap.  It only costs me 26 euro for the visit and shot.  Not too bad!  Currently I have to wear a large bandage over my thumb and can’t get it wet.  Showering, writing, and typing are a little more challenging than usual.  Hopefully it will heal quickly!

Anyway I’m anticipating my sister’s arrival to Florence!  Mel comes in TWO DAYS! I’m so excited to see her and show her Florence.  Unfortunately I have midterms Monday through Wednesday but after we are traveling to Torino for the weekend to go skiing and snowboarding! Looking forward to it!

Ciao!

San Gimignano

Two weekends ago we visited San Gimignano.  San Gimignanois a town 45 mins from Florence in Chianti Country. The town is known for their wineries and food.  We walked around the town, climbed the bell tower, viewed the town church, and enjoyed a 4 course meal for lunch.  We ate at a great little restaurant tucked away in the streets of the town.  We first were served Pomodori.  It is an Italian specialty that is served as a appetizer.  The dish is a mix of tomatoes, soft bread, water, and seasonings.  It looks like a thick pasta sauce that is light in color.  Next we were served a walnut truffle ravioli that was mouth watering!  After we had chicken and finished lunch with traditional tiramisu.  The meal wouldn’t be considered Italian if we didn’t feast on bread and wine.  After our HUGE lunch we tasted the world champions of gelato making.  Apparently there is a world contest every year and the makers were very proud to announce their victory with a huge sign placed over their shop.  Before leaving we had time to explore the shops and we found unique jewelry and wine all around.  This by far was my favorite day trip.  I really enjoyed listening to our advisors share stories and information about the city.