Day 12/13: Touring Tuscany

Mario's front yard - tough life right?

Mario - the owner of the last vineyard who gave us a tour

Jerry and his dog Russell (just a guy on the tour)

First stop on the winery tour

Barrels and barrels filled with aging wine

At a stopping point on the bike ride looking back at the castle

A view from the top of the castle

Okay, crazy busy weekend. Yesterday, the 29th, my roommate and I went on a Tuscan bike tour. Little did we know that from the meeting point we took vans to a castle winery like 40 minutes away. The group of us (about 15 people) got a tour of their estate and learned the history of the family and the castle we were at. The people on the tour with us were crazy (in a good way). One couple was traveling around the world for 6 months, another was traveling through Europe for their honeymoon, another had just gotten engaged and they thought they should go on a 4 month stint around the world before they settled down, and one guy was traveling in between events he was DJ'ing in Egypt and Barcelona. Then we started the bike ride - it was beautiful. Riding through the rolling Tuscan hills was second to none. Then after about 8 or so miles we stopped for lunch at this family restaurant in a town I'd never heard of. We got salad, pasta, bread, water (which is never free), dessert, and coffee all included in the tour price. It was incredible. Then we made it back to the castle where we said our thank-you's and good-bye's to the family and made our way back to Florence. Being that it is the gelato festival this weekend in Florence we thought it was a good idea to stop by a couple of places and try out their product - we approved. Knowing that we had an early morning the next day I decided just to hit the hay and try to get a good night sleep. Plus I was kind of worn out from the ride - haven't exercised in a while.

Today, the 30th, was a full planned day - 8am-8pm with winery tours in the Tuscan region. There is this thing called Cantine Aperte (meaning: open cellars) where all of the winery's in the Tuscan region open their property to the public and show people around their estate, their vineyards, and the process in which they make wine. It was really fascinating and I might have even learned a thing or two. Everyone was so nice and super friendly - probably because their life was to work on a vineyard overlooking hundreds of rolling acres. After the second stop our group of about 25 stopped at a small town called Pienza for lunch and a little break. Someone told me that this place was know for cheese so I couldn't resist making a purchase. The last winery we stopped at was great. By far my favorite people. The owner was this 80 year old man who got all dressed up for us in a suit and had, showed us around everything and flirted with anything in a skirt - but it was okay because he's old and it was more cute than creepy. The scenery was unreal. It literally looked like a painting. Words can't do it justice, not even photos. It was everything you think about when you think of Tuscany and I was in the middle of it. Winding roads, rolling hills, vineyards and pastures as far as the eye can see and not a trace of commercialization. The thought of a Walmart made me sick to my stomach. After a 2 hour bus ride back to the hotel I think I'm ready for some deep sleep. Our program is leaving at 6am for Rome tomorrow for two days so I'm going to need all the sleep I can get.

Day 10/11: catching my breath

Cool bike shop I go in like every other day - they have to think I'm plotting to steal a bike or something by now

Mercedes garbage truck - they clean the streets in style

For being so high up with only a short railing I'm surprised that there are not any accidents (or people throwing stuff off of the top...which was pretty tempting)

View from the top - like I said, everything

Inside of the dome from about half-way up the walk to the top

Yesterday, the 27th, was another day in Florence. Instead of class our group walked around the eastern section of Florence noting important structures, churches, statues, and museums. It was a good mid-week break from class. This walk-about brought us to lunch back at the hotel and after that I thought it was about time I climbed to the top of the Duomo. It was an incredible sight from up there - you could see every part of the city from one point. The walk up there is a bit difficult though filled with narrow staircases, 2-way spiral stair cases, and elderly people needing to take a break for some air (probably wishing they had their oxygen tanks dragging behind them). Another 486 steps and I was back on solid ground. Decided to go to the Piazza d'ell Indipendenza to get a cup of coffee, a delicious blackberry tart, and do a little reading. It was funny to watch people in the Piazza interact with each other. Groups of people would sit down in a circle in the grass and have a beer, or couples would share a bottle of wine. It's funny because there's no public intoxication law so everywhere you go people are just casually having a drink as if they were carrying an Ice Mountain. Another interesting observation I made was that the garbage trucks in Florence are Mercedes-Benz - not much more to say about that, just found it kind of funny. Dinner consisted of left over pasta from lunch that was chilling in the fridge - which is why I spoiled myself the next night.

Today, the 28th, was a rough morning for me. I wanted nothing more than 3 more hours of sleep when I woke up for class but you gotta do what you gotta do. One double shot of espresso and I was ready to go - until after lunch when I passed out for 2 1/2 hours (a much needed siesta). This weekend is the Gelato Festival in Florence and my roommate and I took full advantage of it. In every Piazza there were tents up selling gelato for really cheap. So I bought 5. I think my mom is afraid I'm getting fat over here - and she's probably more right than wrong but hey, what am I supposed to do? Me and my roommate asked the guy at the front desk where a good place to get a steak was and he gave us his recommendation which turned out to be really good and not too expensive. The only thing was that I'm pretty sure our waiter thought we were gay...there was not much we could do to avoid that in the situation. Since we're going on a bike tour in the morning tomorrow we thought it would be a good idea to stay in and call it an early night. We found a website to watch free movies, decided on A Nightmare on Elm Street. Probably won't use too many nights to watch movies but I think it was what I needed. Busy 4 days coming up. Got to get some sleep.

Day 8/9: Florence, Pisa, and Lucca

The Ponte Vecchio - over priced jewelry and coats but still looks really cool

Florence city-scape

The Duomo - everything leads to it

A view looking back at Lucca from the wall that surrounds it

Mark that one off the bucket list

Yesterday, the 25th, was a pretty chill day in Florence for me. Instead of class our program went on a tour of a section of the city - seeing the sights, talking about the history of it and wandering the streets. A good break from class to be honest. After lunch, I wandered over to a different cafe in a part of town I'm not too familiar with past our school to do some reading for the next day's class but ended up sitting there getting lost in 2 Corinthians for a couple of hours. Me and my roommate signed up for a wine tasting at some guy's winery in town and it ended up being really interesting - learned all sorts of things about wine ediquitte, what a good wine looks like, how different regions produce certain kind of wines, what meals and menu items go best with certain kind of wines, the history of some famous Tuscan wine...everything. I came out feeling more than informed. After that it was around 8:00 and I thought I'd go to a place on the other side of the river, Piazzale Michelangelo, which is way up on a hill a good ways away from the city center. Turned out it was about a 45 minute walk from my hotel (didn't expect that) but was totally worth the hike. The view was incredible. Once I got back around 11:00 I crashed and went to bed.

Today (the 26th) I had class at 8:30, got an espresso then had class again at 11:30, then had lunch at the hotel at 1. A very standard weekday morning which lets me relax a little and attempt to strike up conversation with someone at the cafe (which usually goes about as far as me asking them if they speak english [in Italian of course], them saying no, and that is that - but that's not always the case). For the rest of the day my program decided we wanted to see Pisa (and the infamous leaning tower) and another smaller city called Lucca. Since it was a bigger group we decided to split it up and go at different times to make traveling easier so me and my roommate went right after class with a few other people and made our way to Pisa. Literally nothing to do there except act like you yourself and all of your might are holding this falling structure in its place (but we expected that). So after a short stint in Pisa we hopped on a bus to Lucca which was just 3o minutes away. It was a good break from busy and loud Florence (which I didn't know how busy and loud it was until I got to Lucca). Similar architecture but just a lot quieter and more peaceful. It's an interesting town because it is completely surrounded by a wall which fortified the whole city. After walking around, finding a place for dinner and getting some gelato we found the next train back to Florence. I have no idea where this day went - from class to now seems like 2 hours (it's been 11 by the way). Well that's about all I have for now - I'm exhausted and could use a good night's sleep.

Day 6/7: Venturing out a bit

Cinque Terre - Honestly one of the most beautiful places I've ever been...a close second to the gypsy village

These are all over Italy: It symbolizes an unbreakable love between significant others

A view from the fifth town in Cinque Terre looking back at where we started

Another one of the communities in Cinque Terre

Okay, been a little while now - Sunday was the definition of a full day. Pretty much the whole group of us went to a coastal region called Cinque Terre which is made up of a huge national forest and five little towns within hiking distance from each other. This place was absolutely beautiful with mountains, the Mediterranean, and villages as the setting. We all got on a train at 7:30 in the morning and it took a couple of hours to get there and by the time we hit the third town everyone was ready for lunch. There was a steady flow of people throughout the whole trail and the town we stopped at didn't have too many places to eat so seating was tricky. On our last stop I was in the ocean when all of the sudden I heard someone yell my name from behind me - turns out it was Trey (Bryce's brother who is studying in Milan). Definitely did not expect to see him there! So I got to hang out with him and his friends for the rest of the trip then made my way back to Florence around 7pm. Got home around 9:30 and crashed for the night.

Yesterday (Monday) we had class again then I went and found a plaza to do some reading. A couple hours later I realized I was almost late to a church service I wanted to check out at at 6:00 at San Lorenzo. It was an incredible building with so much culture and history with it. Although I haven't been to too many masses before and couldn't understand a word they were saying it was a really cool experience and I'll try to go to another one sometime soon. Later at night I ran into the tour guide from Cinque Terre and he recommended a good gelataria and I couldn't turn that down - 2 euros later I was more than convinced that pistachio and coffee were meant to be together. Walking around Florence at night is still one of my favorite things to do - there's more culture to be experienced without the tourists running around with maps out asking people if they speak english. It's a lot more relaxed and a lot less crowded which is a good change of pace. My plans keep changing day by day as far as my weekends go but I think by the end of this week I'll be an expert on Tuscan wine with a Tuscan bike tour on saturday and a Tuscan winery tour on sunday. So much to do, so much to look forward to - I can't believe it's already been a week.

Day 4/5: It's not called soccer

Plazza dell'indipendenza

Area around the Duomo - shops and cafes

fantastic marketing by a gelateria (I was sold)

Inside of the market

The past couple of days I feel like I've really gotten to know my way around. At least to the point where I don't need to stuff my face in a map at all times. Yesterday we went on a group tour of a section of the city for class which was kind of pointless but at least it took the place of class for the morning. Afternoon hit and I was in need of a nap - 2 1/2 hours later I felt more than rested (I like this whole siesta thing, I'm trying to make a habit of it). There's a place across the street I like to go to get work done and do some reading so I got a coffee and hung out there for a couple of hours. It was definitely more of a chill day for me. At night the city looks completely different and it's cool to see the churches, cathedrals, and rivers lit up and without all of the tourists.

Today (Saturday) I got to sleep in which was far overdue - followed by a shower and I felt like a million bucks. For the first part of my day I set out to explore a different part of town and ran into some cool plazas, fresh markets, cafes, and parks. The market I stopped at was really cool - people would back their van/truck into their spot, set up a couple of tables and put out their fruits, vegetables, cheeses, and breads. The market probably took up the size of half of a football field. The cafes are interesting because every one of them offers breakfast, lunch, pastries, bakery items, coffee drinks, gelato, and alcohol - the variety is crazy for such small stores. Also, you don't pay until you leave the cafe - so you just order, stay for however long you desire, and then tell someone else what you got and pay. Then I decided to finish my school work (which is just reading that is due before the next class). 8:00 r0lled around and me and my roommate were starving so we found a place to get a burger and watched the UEFA champions league finals match where an Italian team was playing so that was packed and a lot of fun and kind of smelled like BO but thats expected. Italy is a really cool place and I find myself enjoying it more and more as I become more familiar with the culture, customs, and city.

**photos brought to you by my iphone

Day three:walkabout

A park I stopped at outside of Giardino della Fortezza

My first gelato

Vespas, scooters, and bicycles line the streets

These bike paths are along every street - it's awesome

First day of class was today and it seems like it's going to be really interesting. For taking a history of the renaissance and reformation course I'd say I'm in the right place. I have an hour and a half between classes so I went to a park just outside of our school to sit, read, and witness dove rape. The birds here are very persistent in trying to find a mate and at times I even felt bad for the females. Enough of that though. After classes and lunch (everyday for lunch the people who run the hotel/dorm we're staying at provide a huge meal for us, it's great) I wanted to get a feel for the layout of the city so I grabbed my backpack and stuffed a map in my pocket (like I need one) and set out. There was a cool park outside of some fort, where I was told very sternly that I was not allowed to go into, so I sat on a stone bench and got to read for an hour or so. So far there are three things that I love about Italy 1) everyone kind of speaks english if you give Italian a shot, 2) there are as many coffee shops in Florence than there are Mcdonald's in NYC if not more, and 3) EVERYONE rides a cool old school bike, literally hundreds are chained up on every street. So after my 5 hour excursion I thought I'd look at a map to see where all I had gone - turned out I didn't venture out very far, it just seemed like I did because I stopped so many times either in a cafe or a gelato place, even a couple bike shops (I couldn't resist). Oh well, I'll have plenty of time to see the whole city - although I feel like I could stay in Florence the whole month and still not see everything. Overall there is just a lot of walking around whether during the day or at night and I've taken a nap everyday which I plan on keeping up on.

Day two: Gypsy encounters

So the flight across the atlantic...not as enjoyable as I expected. Don't get me wrong, I had plenty of legroom compared to those not in emergency isles, the food was actually pretty good, and American Airlines played some quality flicks (Up In The Air - starring George Clooney and 17 Again - starring Zac Efron and Matthew Perry). But for some reason I only saw about an hour and a half of shut eye, it was cold, and my legs were begging to be stretched out. I met some people on the plane that were going to Florence through other various study abroad programs and went through the Rome train station with them (it helped that one in my program kind of spoke Italian). Gypsys were everywhere though; trying to steal my train ticket, my lunch, and my soul (okay maybe I took it a little too far there but really). Thinking we should save a few Euros we decided to walk from the Florence train station to the hotel we're staying at and during that walk it decided to rain. Thanks to my spidy sense I wore my rain coat though. Florence is cool, it seems a lot bigger on a map than it actually is so that's good on the feet. I'm hoping to have a lot of down time tomorrow to walk around, get some espresso, take some photos, and just relax for a bit.

Cheers for now.

Day one: getting there

Well I'm at the Columbus airport now waiting for my 3:05 flight to Chicago and have around a half hour to kill. I'm not going to lie, I'm a little nervous but that might be due to the lack of sleep and the fact that I didn't pack until Midnight. It was a good final afternoon at home though - went to breakfast with my mom, purchased necessary toiletries, got a hair cut from my Aunt Anne, and wrestled around with Jim. My mom, Jill, and I met my dad at the airport to say our final goodbyes and went through check-in faster than expected so we got to hang out for a little bit.

News update: a drug dog literally just came up and smelled my bag for about 10 seconds.

Oh well, I should probably start paying attention to the boarding call. The next time I post I'll be 4,500 miles away.

This is only a test...

*work done by Adam Eckley

Well since I'm going to be out of town for a while I figured I can keep anyone who's interested up to date on my life. I'll be in Italy from May 18-June 19 taking classes, seeing the sights, enjoying the cuisine, and meeting new people. My goal is to end up in Interlaken, Munich, and Monaco on weekends and otherwise becoming accustomed to the culture in Florence. I'm really excited to have this opportunity and don't want to waste a minute of my time abroad. Well, like the title says, this was only a test post and I don't even know if anyone is going to follow this but hey, it gives me something to do!

These photos have nothing to do with the post or my trip to italy. I just wanted to mess around with the "add image" feature for this blog site and show off some sweet craftsmanship.