On our last free day before school started we decided to go to Pisa! It was only a hour away by train to the friendly little town. As soon as we got there we headed straight to the leaning tower. Of course the only reason we wanted to go to the tower was to get the cheesy pictures holding the tower up. It is not as easy as it looks. I have a new appreciation for anyone who can successfully take the picture on the first try...We were lucky enough to be able to climb the tower to the top, yes you can climb a leaning tower. It was awesome! Granted going down was a little terrifying because the steps were really steep and narrow, I'm glad I wasn't first is all I'm saying. After we got down and were taking pictures a group of Chinese woman wanted to take a picture with us? So there we were smiling with a bunch of 50 year old Chinese woman throwing up the peace sign, totally normal right? Once we got all of our pictures out of our system we headed back to Florence and ate at this fabulous restaurant,Pepo's. It was a small restaurant that had 5 star quality, and excellent house wine. When we finish dinner we roamed around town exploring the Gelato festival, so many great flavors! We decided to call it an early night because we had school the next day. Womp Womp.
Waking up in the morning was horrid. I guess traveling around all over the place had finally caught up to me, I was exhausted. However as soon as someone mentioned lunch I sprang right up and we headed to the market! We went to run a few errands before we went to eat and realized we needed to go back to the apartment. When we got back I noticed someone had left the light on that leads to the roof top. Which is weird considering none of us have been up to the roof in awhile. All of the sudden we here a noise like someone rummaging around upstairs, naturally I grab a weapon( Hair-dryer), Emily sprints to the door, and Katie runs to her room. We all look at each other wondering what we should do. Since I had the weapon I felt like it was my duty to go check out what the scary noise was, with Emily and Katie right on my heels thankfully. I get to the top and see a strange man picking up trash on our rooftop. Immediately we sneak back down stairs lock up all our valuable and go straight to the front desk (landlord). He tells us that he hired the man to clean our roof and must have forgot to mention it. Well that makes me feel nice and safe. Who else has a key to our apartment? After this whole fiasco all of us realized it was time for school.
My first class was Wines of Italy. I was expecting it to be just like a normal wine tasting with small portions and a boring teacher. Lucky for us we had an extremely knowledable teacher who was very generous when pouring the wine. We had 5 tasting with equaled about 2.5 glasses of wine, yeah we were all very happy. After class ended we sprinted out of the doors because our other friends said there had been a Jersey Shore sighting! We sprinting down the streets like idiots only to run right into them! It was the luckiest thing ever. We proceeded to stalk them for a little bit until our next class, Pairing food and Wine. This class could possibly be my favorite class I have ever taken. We have the coolest teacher that is going to teach us so much! She even took us on a tour of town and all the places we must go to eat. Once again we bump right into Jersey Shore and found out where they work!! It was an overall great experience.
Today after school got out we had our cooking class provided by API. It was awesome and we had a personal chef who taught us how to make Gnocchi, little potato balls that taste like pasta. Full and Happy we headed back to our side of town to see where the night might lead us!
Wine of the Day: Gavi- Sweet white wine, absolutely delicious.
Monday, May 30, 2011
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Cinque Terre
Today we set out on one of our API excursions! We were on our way to Cinque Terre. It is an awesome set of villages right along the Mediterranean coast. The layout of Cinque Terre reminded me of Greek villages, with houses right along the ocean front. I have in my mind that this is going to be the best trip ever and I am going to get so tan from laying out on the beach all day! First of all it was freezing. It was the only day thus far where I wasn't sweating my face off. I'm trying to positive still because it really is just so beautiful, and then it starts to rain. Here we are in probably the most picturesque place I have ever been and it is raining! What luck. As we were going along the little town we stumbled upon the most delicious pesto shop. My taste buds were going crazy in my mouth! Then the guide explained the us that pesto actually originated in the village we were at. And they know pesto.
After we visited the first village we were on our way to the others. I assumed we would just be walking along the coast line from town to town. Why must I always be wrong? We took a boat. Everyone was so excited about the boat and the great pictures of the coastline they got while on it. I on the other hand was trying my best not to throw up on all the obnoxiously happy people's faces. ( Motion sickness had graced me with its presence.) When we finally got off the death trap we got to take a tour around the towns. They took us to this path called "lover's lane". Thank you API for reminding me that I am alone in Italy, only the most beautiful place in the world. Anyway It was awesome and all the "lovers" buy locks and lock their loves to the pathway. It was very cool.
On the bus back to Florence we decided we were all going to go out tonight. The six of us got some food from this oriental Italian place. With $1.50 glasses of wine, what luck! I think we actually stumbled across the "china town" of Florence but I'm not 100% sure. After our meal we came back and started getting ready. We decided we would go out and find the major club section of Florence. Before I continue this story I would like to tell everyone I don't even like going to dance floors in America, I sure as hell am not going to like them in Italy. "When in Florence" right? The group heads out to find the clubs and Jersey Shore, of course we get lost. We ran into some boys from Michigan who helped us find the clubs! When we get there we head into some bars to scope things out, all pretty normal until we got to the disco-tec. Pardon my french, but that shit was weird. There were so many people in there with flashing lights and unbathed Italians. Their form of saying hello is a nice grope as they walk by. I just loved it in there! I wish we could have stayed there all night, but unfortunately we decided to go on. A member of our group remembered the Fish Pub. An American favorite. The Fish pub definitely did not let us down! 5 Euro for 5 shots, a magical deal. They even played some Spice Girls just for us! I can safely say we will be visiting there again.
After we visited the first village we were on our way to the others. I assumed we would just be walking along the coast line from town to town. Why must I always be wrong? We took a boat. Everyone was so excited about the boat and the great pictures of the coastline they got while on it. I on the other hand was trying my best not to throw up on all the obnoxiously happy people's faces. ( Motion sickness had graced me with its presence.) When we finally got off the death trap we got to take a tour around the towns. They took us to this path called "lover's lane". Thank you API for reminding me that I am alone in Italy, only the most beautiful place in the world. Anyway It was awesome and all the "lovers" buy locks and lock their loves to the pathway. It was very cool.
On the bus back to Florence we decided we were all going to go out tonight. The six of us got some food from this oriental Italian place. With $1.50 glasses of wine, what luck! I think we actually stumbled across the "china town" of Florence but I'm not 100% sure. After our meal we came back and started getting ready. We decided we would go out and find the major club section of Florence. Before I continue this story I would like to tell everyone I don't even like going to dance floors in America, I sure as hell am not going to like them in Italy. "When in Florence" right? The group heads out to find the clubs and Jersey Shore, of course we get lost. We ran into some boys from Michigan who helped us find the clubs! When we get there we head into some bars to scope things out, all pretty normal until we got to the disco-tec. Pardon my french, but that shit was weird. There were so many people in there with flashing lights and unbathed Italians. Their form of saying hello is a nice grope as they walk by. I just loved it in there! I wish we could have stayed there all night, but unfortunately we decided to go on. A member of our group remembered the Fish Pub. An American favorite. The Fish pub definitely did not let us down! 5 Euro for 5 shots, a magical deal. They even played some Spice Girls just for us! I can safely say we will be visiting there again.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Firenze Forever
Ciao Florence!
After a scenic 3 hour bus ride we have finally arrived in Florence! I would describe it as quaint and scenic. Nothing like the fast pace life of Rome. I haven't quite decided which city I like better. Both cities are so completely different and wonderful in their own ways! As soon as we arrive in Florence we anxiously await our arrival to our apartment. Mind you we are picturing shantyville. Which consisted of 6 cots with maybe a bathroom and if we were lucky running water. I don't think I have ever been so wrong in my entire life. Our apartment is in the middle of busy San Lorenzo Market right above a Gelato shop. ( Heaven right?) It is fully equipped with three bedrooms, a giant living room, 2 refrigerators, and get this a roof top terrace for our personal use! I have never been so excited to live anywhere in my life! The only down side is no air conditioning, this can easily be fixed by letting the Italian breeze flow through our apartment.
Being girls we are running late to our API dinner. We have 10 minutes to get through the busy streets to the Duomo. We are frantically running around gathering up everything when 2 of the girls in are apartment realize their passports are missing. Do cliche movie scenes follow us in real life? Unfortunately this is no joke my friends. Megan and Katie are offically freaking out and we decide they have to be at the hotel Rome. All of us decide the best thing to do is go to the dinner and talk to our advisors about the situation.
As we are running through the streets we see the infamous Snooki! Of course we have to stop take pictures scream her name, then continue right on running. This of course lighten the whole mood of the evening On the top of a beautiful hotel roof top we are served a true Italian meal. It was absolutely delicious, after we finish up the API lady assures us we will find the passports!
Upon getting home Katie finds her passport ( Thank God!) but poor Megan was still missing hers. She called the hotel and they (of course) were rude and said they would "take a look tomorrow". Trying to lighten the mood we open a bottle of wine with our fellow API friend Joey. We all (except for Megan) were in better spirits and were convinced tomorrow would be a good day...
The next morning the hotel calls and THEY FOUND HER PASSPORT!!!! We are all so relieved and Megan and her poor mother can finally take a breath.
Today our day consisted of touring, looking for Jersey shore cast members, eating, API orientation, eating, touring some more and then finally eating with one of my best friends Madison! She has arrived in Florence and the gang is all here. I have a feeling this is going to be the best summer of my life, for now arrivederchi my friends!
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Ciao Bella Roma!
On our last day in Rome we decided we had to get every last historical site in. First of all our night out was not so kind to us. We all felt like someone hit us in the face with a pile of bricks, I guess we had to go out, when in Rome right? Anyway we started off the day at St. Angel's Castle. It was awesome! We got so lost in the castle that we ended up losing Emily . Our bad. As we were exiting the place we realized we were short a member! Apparently she was so caught up in the beauty that she was taking pictures and lost the group! Luckily for us she is the one member who actually has a sense of directions. While she was lost in this huge castle like building Katie, Megan, and I found a statue that looked just like Lord Voldermort. Needless to say we had our fun with that one! After we gathered everyone we headed to our next site, Vatican City.
The St. Peter's Church in Vatican City required a certain dress code, all of our shoulders had to be covered along with outfits to our knees. Naturally the only thing we had to wear were jeans. In 90 degree weather. Awesome. Once I entered the Church I realized it was completely worth it. It was the most majestic, ornate, and beautiful thing I have ever seen. There were so many statues all with a religious purpose, I was in complete awe. If there is one thing I could recommend for everyone to see in there lifetime it would be the St. Peter's Church. Once we got through we headed to the Sistine Chapel. It is truly everything it is set out to be and more. The only negative to getting to see the Chapel was being herded like cattle throughout the other part of the museum. Let me just say Europeans wouldn't know personal space if it smacked them in the face...
After walking to all of theses various places we were absolutely exhausted the 6 of us decided to come back to the Hotel and rest. Determined not to let our last night in Rome go to waste we mustered up the strength to go out and get some dinner. Another little tid bit about Rome is everyone thinks they have the place to eat, and no one is afraid to get in your face and harass you until you agree with them. Me being the person I am pick the restaurant where absolutely no one harass me. In fact they offer us free champagne if we agree to come into their cozy little place. Ding Ding we have a winner! Inside the restaurant we got great service, I'm pretty sure our waiter Arrmondo was infatuated by all of us Americans. At the end of the dinner he came up to us and told us how beautiful we were and that even though we were beautiful, Ashley was his favorite. Immediately we are in a frenzy making them pose for pictures and causing huge scenes! He even got brave enough to ask for a kiss...Ashley reluctantly agreed. This really set us off, We were laughing and screaming and photographed every moment of it. This would never be acceptable in America. Finally getting Arrmondo away from Ashley, we set out for Gelato! Delicious is all I have to say.
On the way back to the hotel we are walking along and realize some strange older Italian men are watching us. All of the sudden more of them come out of the alley and start walking our way Instantly we are all aware of our surroundings and I whip out my pepper spray. ( Yes, I have pepper spray that looks like lip-stick.) All of us start fast walking into a local souvenir shop. It was seriously like the mob came out of nowhere. I don't think I have ever been so terrified. When we finally get the courage to walk back to our hotel it is almost a fast sprint. Luckily we are adorable and the local police seem to be looking out for us. Safely back at the Hotel Tiziano we finally can take a breath and get some sleep.
It was real Rome, Now on to Florence....
The St. Peter's Church in Vatican City required a certain dress code, all of our shoulders had to be covered along with outfits to our knees. Naturally the only thing we had to wear were jeans. In 90 degree weather. Awesome. Once I entered the Church I realized it was completely worth it. It was the most majestic, ornate, and beautiful thing I have ever seen. There were so many statues all with a religious purpose, I was in complete awe. If there is one thing I could recommend for everyone to see in there lifetime it would be the St. Peter's Church. Once we got through we headed to the Sistine Chapel. It is truly everything it is set out to be and more. The only negative to getting to see the Chapel was being herded like cattle throughout the other part of the museum. Let me just say Europeans wouldn't know personal space if it smacked them in the face...
After walking to all of theses various places we were absolutely exhausted the 6 of us decided to come back to the Hotel and rest. Determined not to let our last night in Rome go to waste we mustered up the strength to go out and get some dinner. Another little tid bit about Rome is everyone thinks they have the place to eat, and no one is afraid to get in your face and harass you until you agree with them. Me being the person I am pick the restaurant where absolutely no one harass me. In fact they offer us free champagne if we agree to come into their cozy little place. Ding Ding we have a winner! Inside the restaurant we got great service, I'm pretty sure our waiter Arrmondo was infatuated by all of us Americans. At the end of the dinner he came up to us and told us how beautiful we were and that even though we were beautiful, Ashley was his favorite. Immediately we are in a frenzy making them pose for pictures and causing huge scenes! He even got brave enough to ask for a kiss...Ashley reluctantly agreed. This really set us off, We were laughing and screaming and photographed every moment of it. This would never be acceptable in America. Finally getting Arrmondo away from Ashley, we set out for Gelato! Delicious is all I have to say.
On the way back to the hotel we are walking along and realize some strange older Italian men are watching us. All of the sudden more of them come out of the alley and start walking our way Instantly we are all aware of our surroundings and I whip out my pepper spray. ( Yes, I have pepper spray that looks like lip-stick.) All of us start fast walking into a local souvenir shop. It was seriously like the mob came out of nowhere. I don't think I have ever been so terrified. When we finally get the courage to walk back to our hotel it is almost a fast sprint. Luckily we are adorable and the local police seem to be looking out for us. Safely back at the Hotel Tiziano we finally can take a breath and get some sleep.
It was real Rome, Now on to Florence....
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Roaming around Rome
Day 1: We have finally arrived! After getting off the plane we are greeted by a nice Italian man with Emily's name on a white board. He was our designated driver. He was a very chatty man that was interested in what my neck pillow was, apparently it was foreign to him! He was even nice enough to put some Jesse James on for us.
We are posted up at the Hotel Tiziano ( Home of the world's rudest concierge). It is wonderful besides the front desk, we even have air conditioning here!! Emily and I are determined not to fall asleep ( we have been up for 30 hours now) so we decide to go roam around Rome( Shout out to Katie and Megan). This would be a great idea, if either of us knew a thing about Rome. We manage to find our way to the Piaza Navona then manage to get lost for about 2 hours haha. We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of the other part of our group; Katie and Megan. We realize that they should have been here 2 hours ahead of us, the front desk says they haven't checked in yet. Naturally I approach the situation calmly. I then proceed to buy internet to tell my mom to call Katie's dad because she's missing.... That might have been jumping to conclusions. Better safe than sorry! Turns out she had been there all along sleeping in her room, who knew?!
After that whole fiasco we decide to go out determined not to fall asleep before an acceptable hour. At this point we do exactly what are mothers tell us not to do; go out drinking in a foreign country! After great pizza and a couple bottles of wine we decide to try to find our way home. It consisted of Emily( The responsible one) asking 7 different Police Officers direction to our hotel. With her savvy sense of direction and a little bit of luck we managed to find our hotel, thank goodness. Goodnight for now Rome!
Day 2: After our evening out we all agreed to get up at 8:30 and get some breakfast. When in reality we got up at 11:30 thanks to a rude call from the front desk demanding we move rooms. I was so disorientated when I answered the phone I thought it was some kind of sick joke. We had approximately 10 minutes to get presentable and pack our bags! That was a lot of fun. When we finally get moved in to are new room, the last members of our party had gotten in! With Ashley and Katie here we were all ready to go site-seeing once again. We decided to stop at this L'insalata (Salad) Ricca place for lunch. I myself detest salad for a meal, but being with 5 other girls what are you going to do? It was acceptable for a Salad place.
The next stage of the journey was to the Pantheon and Spanish Steps. I would just like to say that Rome is absolutely beautiful and full of so much history. I wonder what appeal America has after being here. Needless to say the sights were amazing. My perception of things will definitely be changed forever.
The Spanish Steps were extremely crowed. Don't get me wrong they were beautiful, but after being there for 5 minutes I had the urge to punch everyone in a 3 foot radius of me. Did I mention that every 10 feet some strange Italian man would try to sell me a fake prada purse or a bubble machine? I have to wonder what would make them think I would ever want a bubble machine. Do I look 5 to you? Probably. Anyway after the Spanish Steps we get lost again. Surprise Surprise. It is actually kind of fun to get lost, that is how we found some great restaurants!
Lucky for us API was providing dinner that night. It was the most amazing meal I have ever eaten, Italians sure know how to cook! We had Melon, Bruschetta, grilled veggies, gnocchi, baked zetta, and of course tiramisu for dessert. Just to let everyone know, wine is present at every meal. Water if we feel like splurging. Once we finished we decided to call it a night, Buono la notte Rome!
Once 8:30 rolls around we are up and ready to go! Some of our guy friends on the trip decide to join us for the evening. We end up eating at this pizzaria called "Pizzaria da baffetto". Literally y'all the best pizza I have ever eaten in my entire life! We are two wine pitchers down when leaving our little restaurant and we see the owner. Convinced we have to get a picture with this cute old man we approach him. He is more than delighted to poise with us!! After getting our sacred picture we are on the hunt for a bar/ disco-tech.
Thats when Sloppy's came into our lives. Their slogan was "classy in the front, sloppy in the back". Immediately we all knew we stumbled upon the right place. We start off the night with just some drinks, Then we spot from across the bar something called the Exotic Beer Pitcher. The most magical drink ever! Perfect for the whole table, we even consider challenging the Canadians sitting to our right to a drink off. After a couple of round of pure deliciousness we decide to travel to a new place. We run in to some fellow API members who are going to the disco-tech, of course we follow them. Here is just a little hint no one ever knows where they are going, don't follow the other Americans, they will get you lost in Rome. Lucky for us a huge guy with an afro told us about his bar right by our hotel. We get to Studio 18 and realize it is all Americans ( Hallelujah!!)
We hang out here for awhile then realize it is time to go home, we have a busy day tomorrow! Once we got back to our hotel for some reason we thought it would be a good idea to have a dance party? We spent about an hour dancing teaching each other various Bernie techniques, all very relative. Finally we pass out and prepare ourselves for tomorrow!
After our little adventure the score would be : Rome- 1 API Party of 8 -0
We are posted up at the Hotel Tiziano ( Home of the world's rudest concierge). It is wonderful besides the front desk, we even have air conditioning here!! Emily and I are determined not to fall asleep ( we have been up for 30 hours now) so we decide to go roam around Rome( Shout out to Katie and Megan). This would be a great idea, if either of us knew a thing about Rome. We manage to find our way to the Piaza Navona then manage to get lost for about 2 hours haha. We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of the other part of our group; Katie and Megan. We realize that they should have been here 2 hours ahead of us, the front desk says they haven't checked in yet. Naturally I approach the situation calmly. I then proceed to buy internet to tell my mom to call Katie's dad because she's missing.... That might have been jumping to conclusions. Better safe than sorry! Turns out she had been there all along sleeping in her room, who knew?!
After that whole fiasco we decide to go out determined not to fall asleep before an acceptable hour. At this point we do exactly what are mothers tell us not to do; go out drinking in a foreign country! After great pizza and a couple bottles of wine we decide to try to find our way home. It consisted of Emily( The responsible one) asking 7 different Police Officers direction to our hotel. With her savvy sense of direction and a little bit of luck we managed to find our hotel, thank goodness. Goodnight for now Rome!
Day 2: After our evening out we all agreed to get up at 8:30 and get some breakfast. When in reality we got up at 11:30 thanks to a rude call from the front desk demanding we move rooms. I was so disorientated when I answered the phone I thought it was some kind of sick joke. We had approximately 10 minutes to get presentable and pack our bags! That was a lot of fun. When we finally get moved in to are new room, the last members of our party had gotten in! With Ashley and Katie here we were all ready to go site-seeing once again. We decided to stop at this L'insalata (Salad) Ricca place for lunch. I myself detest salad for a meal, but being with 5 other girls what are you going to do? It was acceptable for a Salad place.
The next stage of the journey was to the Pantheon and Spanish Steps. I would just like to say that Rome is absolutely beautiful and full of so much history. I wonder what appeal America has after being here. Needless to say the sights were amazing. My perception of things will definitely be changed forever.
The Spanish Steps were extremely crowed. Don't get me wrong they were beautiful, but after being there for 5 minutes I had the urge to punch everyone in a 3 foot radius of me. Did I mention that every 10 feet some strange Italian man would try to sell me a fake prada purse or a bubble machine? I have to wonder what would make them think I would ever want a bubble machine. Do I look 5 to you? Probably. Anyway after the Spanish Steps we get lost again. Surprise Surprise. It is actually kind of fun to get lost, that is how we found some great restaurants!
Lucky for us API was providing dinner that night. It was the most amazing meal I have ever eaten, Italians sure know how to cook! We had Melon, Bruschetta, grilled veggies, gnocchi, baked zetta, and of course tiramisu for dessert. Just to let everyone know, wine is present at every meal. Water if we feel like splurging. Once we finished we decided to call it a night, Buono la notte Rome!
Day 3: Today was a very busy day! We have scheduled tours with API all day long. Starting off the day we went on a walking tour through Rome. We saw sights like the Piazo Fiori, Piazo Navona, Pantheon, and Trevi Fountain. The guide was extremely knowledgeable and gave great insight on the monuments. The Trevi Fountain is the most amazing place I have ever seen. It is this beautifully carved marble fountain the size of a building. Legend is if you throw a coin over your shoulder you will get to return to Rome someday! After all this we took a tour to the Colosseum. It was awesome, so much history in one place!! When we were getting ready to leave we decided to try to go to the Forum. Of course it starts pouring rain so we seek shelter in a nearby restaurant. At this point we are all exhausted and need to take a nap before the evening festivities begin!
Once 8:30 rolls around we are up and ready to go! Some of our guy friends on the trip decide to join us for the evening. We end up eating at this pizzaria called "Pizzaria da baffetto". Literally y'all the best pizza I have ever eaten in my entire life! We are two wine pitchers down when leaving our little restaurant and we see the owner. Convinced we have to get a picture with this cute old man we approach him. He is more than delighted to poise with us!! After getting our sacred picture we are on the hunt for a bar/ disco-tech.
Thats when Sloppy's came into our lives. Their slogan was "classy in the front, sloppy in the back". Immediately we all knew we stumbled upon the right place. We start off the night with just some drinks, Then we spot from across the bar something called the Exotic Beer Pitcher. The most magical drink ever! Perfect for the whole table, we even consider challenging the Canadians sitting to our right to a drink off. After a couple of round of pure deliciousness we decide to travel to a new place. We run in to some fellow API members who are going to the disco-tech, of course we follow them. Here is just a little hint no one ever knows where they are going, don't follow the other Americans, they will get you lost in Rome. Lucky for us a huge guy with an afro told us about his bar right by our hotel. We get to Studio 18 and realize it is all Americans ( Hallelujah!!)
We hang out here for awhile then realize it is time to go home, we have a busy day tomorrow! Once we got back to our hotel for some reason we thought it would be a good idea to have a dance party? We spent about an hour dancing teaching each other various Bernie techniques, all very relative. Finally we pass out and prepare ourselves for tomorrow!
After our little adventure the score would be : Rome- 1 API Party of 8 -0
Monday, May 23, 2011
This is your final boarding call...
The day has come! Emily and I board our plane in Lubbock Houston Houston we have our 8 hour flight to London Lubbock
After getting to London Emily and I have 1 hour to make it to our gate, totally attainable right? NO. We end up going to the wrong terminal (as directed by our ticket) only to find out we should have stayed in the terminal where we landed! The trolley ride took about 15 minutes each way. When Emily and I finally get back on the trolley to take us back to Terminal 5, we have 20 minutes before our gates close.
Panic mode starts here.
When the trolley finally stops we have 10 minutes to get past security, customs, and find our gate. At this point we get off and literally start sprinting in the airport, yes we were those people. Did I mention we were both wearing 40 lbs backpack? Anyway, we finally make it to security and we have 5 minutes left. Of course I get stopped to get checked. I had left a can of Ginger Ale in my back. Now they have to completely search my bag and look at every single item. Emily has already finished going through security, so I tell her to go on without me. (I feel like I'm in a drama film by the way I tell her to "Just go, leave me here, I'll make it!) So after this plump security man takes his sweet precious time going through my bag, I have 2 minutes. I am literally in a dead sprint, pushing old people, young people, really anyone that was in my way. I see the gate and I see Emily. Everyone has basically already boarded and we just make it on the plane...
Welcome toEurope Ladies and Gentleman.
After getting to London Emily and I have 1 hour to make it to our gate, totally attainable right? NO. We end up going to the wrong terminal (as directed by our ticket) only to find out we should have stayed in the terminal where we landed! The trolley ride took about 15 minutes each way. When Emily and I finally get back on the trolley to take us back to Terminal 5, we have 20 minutes before our gates close.
Panic mode starts here.
When the trolley finally stops we have 10 minutes to get past security, customs, and find our gate. At this point we get off and literally start sprinting in the airport, yes we were those people. Did I mention we were both wearing 40 lbs backpack? Anyway, we finally make it to security and we have 5 minutes left. Of course I get stopped to get checked. I had left a can of Ginger Ale in my back. Now they have to completely search my bag and look at every single item. Emily has already finished going through security, so I tell her to go on without me. (I feel like I'm in a drama film by the way I tell her to "Just go, leave me here, I'll make it!) So after this plump security man takes his sweet precious time going through my bag, I have 2 minutes. I am literally in a dead sprint, pushing old people, young people, really anyone that was in my way. I see the gate and I see Emily. Everyone has basically already boarded and we just make it on the plane...
Welcome to
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Packing, stress in a suitcase.
It is less than 24 hours before my departure to Florence Italy! I am in the midst of last minute shopping and the most dreaded part of the whole trip...packing.
How can they expect me to pack my life in one 50 lb suitcase for a month? Absolute madness! Should I bring 19 outfits or 20? Do I even bother bringing shoes? What will everyone else bring? Do they even wear tennis shoes in Italy? This are all very serious questions, that absolutely no one has the answer too. Somehow I will find a way to make it through this dilemma and pack just the right amount of clothes.
I am traveling with a few of my best friends and we hope to experience things of a life time. None of us have really been on our own, especially not in a foreign country. Needless to say our mothers feel extremely confident in us (Slight sarcasm). Throughout my travels through Europe I will try to give insight on just how different our cultures are. Me and my American self are on a one way road trip to culture shock, CAN'T WAIT!
Even though I will miss my family and friends I am ready to embark on a new adventure! Italy prepare yourself for this Texas storm that is about to hit you.....
"Courage is the power to let go of the familiar."
Raymond Lindquist
How can they expect me to pack my life in one 50 lb suitcase for a month? Absolute madness! Should I bring 19 outfits or 20? Do I even bother bringing shoes? What will everyone else bring? Do they even wear tennis shoes in Italy? This are all very serious questions, that absolutely no one has the answer too. Somehow I will find a way to make it through this dilemma and pack just the right amount of clothes.
I am traveling with a few of my best friends and we hope to experience things of a life time. None of us have really been on our own, especially not in a foreign country. Needless to say our mothers feel extremely confident in us (Slight sarcasm). Throughout my travels through Europe I will try to give insight on just how different our cultures are. Me and my American self are on a one way road trip to culture shock, CAN'T WAIT!
Even though I will miss my family and friends I am ready to embark on a new adventure! Italy prepare yourself for this Texas storm that is about to hit you.....
"Courage is the power to let go of the familiar."
Raymond Lindquist
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