Last Day in Forence!

So today is our last day here and Florence...hard to believe. We had a plan today to shop and eat and pack but that soon changed. We were walking around shopping when we came across Piazza de San Marco which is also a central bus stop for several different buses. We had wanted to visit a little city called Fiesole which is up in the hills and overlooks Florence but we hadn't been able to go. So on a whim, we decided to buy a bus ticket and go to Fiesole for the morning! The bus ride took about 30 min and it was well worth it because the view of Florence was amazing. It was a quaint town and it was really nice to get away from the busy city and to hear birds chirping and see green trees and landscape everywhere! We walked around and explored the little city and around 12pm we headed back down to Florence. We ate pizza for lunch (we are officially sick of pizza...it hit us today!) and then took a little nap and then went shopping to spend the last of our money :) We plan on eating a nice dinner tonight and calling it a day! We have an early morning tomorrow and a long day of flying ahead of us! Can't wait to be home!

Leaning Tower of Pisa

Friday we headed to Pisa! We went to the train station and used an express ticket machine to buy our train tickets (look at us...we are turning into expert travelers...lol). The train ride was about 1hour and once we got there we headed straight for the tower! It was so awesome to see it in person. We took a bunch of pictures and had fun walking around enjoying the sites. We finished looking around and made it back to the trains to head back to Florence. Later that night we had a nice big dinner! The trip is winding down! Can't believe it's almost over!

DAY TRIP TO SIENA

So Wednesday we traveled to Siena. We got on a charter bus at 8:50am and set out for a new adventure in Florence. We slept most of the bus ride which was a little over an hour long. When we got there we just explored. We found the Duomo del Siena which was really pretty. The outside of it had so much detail to it. We also found the Piazza del Campo which is where they hold the famous horse races (each district is represented by a horse and which ever horse wins gives that district bragging rights apparently). We walked into several other churches and looked around the shops but after a couple hours we decided to catch the next bus back to Florence. It was a very relaxing day!

Today (Thursday) we went to the Galleria Accademia which is where Michelangelo's David is. It was amazing to see. The statue is so big and so detailed it's amazing. We also went to the Bargello Museum where we saw hundreds of statues and pieces of art work. Last but not least we went into the San Lorenzo and saw Michelangelo's tombs that he designed for some princes. They also had some beautiful artifacts there that belonged to the families. We ate at the most delicious restaurant in Florence! We had the biggest plate of spaghetti and meat sauce for only €6! It was amazing! We are stuffed right about now! Anyways we hope to travel a little bit more these next 2 days maybe to Fiesole! Miss you all!

Tuesday in Firenze

It is our third day in Florence and so far Florence has been a lot easier to navigate than Rome! We are getting to know Florence very well. We frequent the pizzeria on the corner of the street our hotel is on at least twice a day! Beni, the worker there has gotten to know us real well and gives us free desserts every day along with a discount on everything!! Yesterday we went to the Duomo, Santa Maria del Fiore. We went into the baptistry doors where we saw the famous "Gates of Paradise." I found out the doors are just a replica and the actual doors are inside the museum...boo! We went into the Duomo and then decided to climb 414 narrow step to the top of the Bell Tower. It was well worth the climb because the view was absolutely beautiful! We could see all of Florence. Yesterday was one of the girl's 21st birthday so we planned on going out with them for the night. We were orginally going to the club seen on Jersey Shore but heard some not so great stories about the place and decided to go to a local pub called the Fish Pub where Monday nights are "ladies nights!" The place wasn't that great but we had a great time together! We all ordered cocktails and also shared a few shots to celebrate the night! It was a lot of fun =) Today we went to Santo Spirito, Santo Croce, Santa Maria Novella, and the Uffizi gallery. I got to see some of my favorite works by Boticelli!!!! It was amazing to see them in person! Tomorrow we will be traveling to Siena and possibly Pisa. It is never easy traveling but somehow Kendall and I make it back safely so pplease say a prayer for us as we travel to Siena tomorrow morning!

Arriverderci Roma, Buon Girono Firenze!!!

We have arrived in Florence and we have wi-fi!! haha We had a pleasant train ride from Roma, it took about an hour to arrive to Florence and it is beautiful here! Our hotel is really nice and a lot more modern than our hotel in Roma. Kendall and I walked around and the streets and buildings are just beautiful. We treated ourselves to a nice steak dinner tonight with wine and we had crepes and canoli's for dessert!!! It was a delicious evening. We are excited to explore Florence in the morning and we are looking forward to our travels this week.

FYI

Just a heads up, we will not have wi-fi at the hotel in Florence so we may not be able to post pictures and write on our blog this next week. We will if we are able to!

Last day in Roma!

Today is our last day in Roma! Tomorrow morning we will be on a train to Florence. Kendall and I are very excited and somewhat nervous to take the train. It was quite an expereince yesterday and we didn't have any luggage with us so tomorrow will be interesting. This morning we had a late start to the day but we decided to walk to the Castel Sant'Angelo. It is a castle near the Vatican. We did not relaize how close the Vatican was because you could see it from the Castle. We took a few more pictures at the Vatican and then walked over to the Botanical Gardens. It was an adventure trying to find it but with the help of strangers once again we found it! It was nice but not as impressive as I expected. It was a realxing early afternoon however. We ate a snack at the top of the hill in the Japanese Garden where you can see all of Rome, the view was spectacular. We will be going our tonight our last night in Roma and I am sure we will have a great time!

Beautiful Orvieto

Hey everyone so Micaela and I took a day trip to Orvieto which is in the region of Umbria.  This morning we got on a bus (just barely...we had to run around to buy a bus pass because the place we normally go was closed...stressful!) and went to the train station.  We found our platform and asked for some help on the train to figure out which stop we get off at.  We finally arrived and we were not disappointed at all! It was so beautiful.  Compared to Rome it was very peaceful and just very quaint.  To get to the city we had to take a rail car up the mountain about 2000 feet in elevation which was pretty cool.  Once we got up there we explored an old garden that was part of a castle I think. It had some amazing views! We then wondered around and found the duomo cathedral which is unbelievable.  The exterior is just so detailed it's crazy.  After that we ate at this local restaurant and it was soooo good.  I had a pizza and Micaela had a pork sandwich and both were delicious...might have been our most tasty meal so far :).  We ended up walking around the entire city on this walking path that was on the edge of the mountain.  A little old man told us it was between 4-5kilometers.  So it was a decent walk with awesome views.  We also explored some old ruins at a church near the highway...it was kinda spooky but it was fun. We finally made our way back to the train and headed back to Rome before it got darker and colder. It might have been the best day of the trip so far...it was really a great city and it was a lot of fun to get out of busy Rome for a day and see the countryside part of Italy. Miss you all and love you!

Friday Morning

Today we take the train for the first time!!! Wish us luck! Should be a fun day outside of Rome!

Thursday in Roma

The week finally caught up to us today. Being on our feet most of the day and little sleep has definitely made us tired. So today we decided to have a relaxing day. We only had one place left to see from our syllabus so we leisurely made our way there after a late morning start and then brought back 2 pizzas to our hotel and lounged around with our roommates. We had a wine and cheese party in the hotel lobby with the rest of our group today. It was really nice and it was my first wine since I have been here! I had white wine and it was doable, the red wine wasn't too bad either. We had popcorn to munch on and enjoyed eachother's company. Tonight we will be going out to the Scholar's lounge again and then tomorrow morning Kendall and I are will be journeying by train to Octavia. It is about an hour and a half outside of Rome and we are hoping to get there safely, without getting lost! I am told it is a beautiful place though. We are very excited and I am slightly nervous about getting there but so far we have figured everything out so I think we will be okay :)

10 Things We Have Learned In Rome!

1. Beware of Gladiators in front of the Colosseum...they will take your money!!!
2. There is a charge if you order water...and bread
3. No toilet seat covers and usually no toilet seats!
4. No public bathrooms
5. Bus driver will randomly take a 20 min break
6. Pizza must be eaten with a fork and knife...unless you take it to go
7. Streets are not parallel
8. Pedestrians do NOT have the right of way!
9. Water coming out of a wall is considered a water fountain...so drink up!
10. Gelatto is AMAZING!!

Roma Roma Roma

Its Thursday here in beautiful Roma.  What a week it has been.  We have seen so many things its hard to believe it.  We spent Tuesday morning in the Colosseum and we went there pretty early so we felt like we had the whole place to ourselves. It was amazing...you can see everything from there. Thursday we spent the morning at the Vatican which was quite an experience.  St.Peters is amazing. There are no words to describe how you feel while you are inside.  We walked through the Vatican Museum and we saw the Sistine Chapel which is amazing.  To imagine one person creating something so amazing is what I cant wrap my head around.  All I keep thinking is I wish I could go back and time and see all of these places when they were first built. The architecture is so elaborate and detailed its incredible.  On Saturday we are planning a day trip to the country side so we will let you know how that goes! We are excited to get out of the city and experience more and more and more!!! 

Buon Giorno Roma!!!

We arrived safely to Rome and we are having the time our of lives! Everyday is an adventure but we are doing our best to adjust to the culture here. Rome is an absolutely beautiful place. We have seen so much already in the short time we have been here. Our first full day out we were told to "get lost" and that we did! We walked all over Rome and ended up at the Colosseum. It was spectacular! The best way to see everything is to "get lost" amongst the many streets. It is amazing how out of nowhere you see an incredible site! We walk into every church we come across and we are never disappointed. They are all simply breath taking. It has at some point even been emotional to be inside these incredible places. We went inside the Colosseum yesterday and it was more than I could ever imagine, just amazing. There really are no words to describe it. One can't help but marvel at such beautiful sites. The food here is wonderful! Kendall and I have eaten pizza and pasta almost every day! However, ordering food here is much different than in America. For example, most restaurants you eat standing up or you eat while you're walking. Our first night we ordered a slice of pizza, they folded it up and handed it to us in wax paper and we ate it just like that. Last night was our first night out and we had a blast! We went to an Irish pub called the Scholars Lounge. It's an Americanized pub where mostly everyone speaks English and they play American music and have American sports on TV. A bunch of girls from our group joined us last night and we all took shooters (my very first) together and enjoyed eachother's company. These are a few highlights of our trip thus far and we hope to post more very soon! Miss and love all my friends and family and I hope all is well :)

As Kendall and I begin this exciting adventure in Italy, we would like to share with you, our friends and family, our thoughts, laughs, and the many moments that we will cherish for a lifetime. Our dreams are becoming reality and in 9 short days we will begin this amazing adventure! Please follow us as we travel through Italy, write to us, and enjoy the many stories, photographs, smiles, and laughs that we would like to share with you.