Sunday, June 3, 2012
Our day of food, and nothing else
Nicole
Danish, banana, apple, mini muffin, half mini croissant, mini pizza, Capresse pizza, coconut mango gelato, bacio and crema gelato, brownie, dark chocolate white chocolate cone, pesto pasta, three bread rolls, Dark chocolate and hazelnut gelato,
Riley
Sausage, potatoes, yogurt and granola, juice, half of a calzone, strawberry and coconut gelato, bacio and crema de grom gelato, carrot cake, dark chocolate and coffee gelato, spinach and cheese cannolis and 3 bread rolls, lemon, mango and strawberry gelato
Avery
Danish, banana, apple, mini muffin, half mini croissant, mini pizza, slice of margarita pizza, mango and strawberry gelato, crema de grom and statechella gelato, chocolate cookie, mint chocolate and almond gelato, pesto pasta and 3 bread rolls, raspberry, mango and lemon gelato
Kendall
Sausage, yogurt and granola, potatoes, cantalope, bacon, half of a ham and cheese calzone, pistachio and mango gelato, crema de grom and bacio gelato, bacio and pistachio gelato, turimisu cupcake, mint chocolate and sage raspberry gelato, egg pasta with bacon, turimisu, bacio milkshake, pistachio, coffee and dark chocolate gelato
Sent from my iPhone
When in Rome, do as the Romans do!
When in Rome! By Kendall
Well...Avery and I thought that last night was bad! We were sitting awake in our own sweat baking to death in our oven of a room! At 3 am, we finally decided that it wasn't worth it and that bug bites would be better than wiping our brows and staring at the ceiling so we opened a window and were able to get a couple hours of sleep before we got on the train to go to Rome! Our train pulled into Rome at 12:30 and we were going to start figuring out how to get to the hotel and how to meet up with the girls when suddenly I see a red hat bobbing behind an Asian lady...oh that's a cute girl! It was Nicole!! Tan faced and smiling! Reunited at last!! It felt like ages! The pesto girls were so tan and their hair was lighter and we loved looking at all of the pictures!
We made our way to the courtyard Marriott and set our stuff down. After a quick wardrobe change, Riley, Nicole, and I went to go see the Vatican while Avery (who has already seen it just last year) wasn't feeling so great so stayed at the hotel and got herself better. We made our way to the Vatican, stopping for pizza and then spotting a huge line for a gelato place! Our thought was that it must be famous so we got in line too! We talked to these super nice people who advised us on what flavors to get. I ended up getting coconut, strawberry, and pistachio! Riley and Nicole got strawberry, coconut, pineapple, and lemon! The place is called the old bridge gelateria and all the flavors are made with fresh fruit or pistachio or whatever the flavor might be!! It was really reasonably priced and HUGE and sooooo good!!! We were obsessed! I didn't even want to try the chocolate though because I know how good Grom's was! Anyways! We ate our gelato as we walked to the Vatican but it had closed just an hour earlier!!! We were so bummed, but of course we made the best of the situation and went and saw the colosseum instead and are going to see the Vatican tomorrow morning!
The colosseum was so cool! We reenacted what gladiators might have done and thought of what it would be like to witness thousands of people in there chanting men onto their deaths! It was so cool! After that, we walked around a lot and saw Rome and got some vibes for it! We even saw the Mouth of Truth that's in Roman Holiday and that was fun. It's just amazing that Rome is a city that is built around history and ancient ruins! It is amazing here! I love it!
We walked around doing what we do best: wandering around and soaking in the vibes. Then we made our merry way back to the hotel, watches a bit of the Little Rascals, and called it a night. We only have one full day left! It's nuts how time flies!
Well...Avery and I thought that last night was bad! We were sitting awake in our own sweat baking to death in our oven of a room! At 3 am, we finally decided that it wasn't worth it and that bug bites would be better than wiping our brows and staring at the ceiling so we opened a window and were able to get a couple hours of sleep before we got on the train to go to Rome! Our train pulled into Rome at 12:30 and we were going to start figuring out how to get to the hotel and how to meet up with the girls when suddenly I see a red hat bobbing behind an Asian lady...oh that's a cute girl! It was Nicole!! Tan faced and smiling! Reunited at last!! It felt like ages! The pesto girls were so tan and their hair was lighter and we loved looking at all of the pictures!
We made our way to the courtyard Marriott and set our stuff down. After a quick wardrobe change, Riley, Nicole, and I went to go see the Vatican while Avery (who has already seen it just last year) wasn't feeling so great so stayed at the hotel and got herself better. We made our way to the Vatican, stopping for pizza and then spotting a huge line for a gelato place! Our thought was that it must be famous so we got in line too! We talked to these super nice people who advised us on what flavors to get. I ended up getting coconut, strawberry, and pistachio! Riley and Nicole got strawberry, coconut, pineapple, and lemon! The place is called the old bridge gelateria and all the flavors are made with fresh fruit or pistachio or whatever the flavor might be!! It was really reasonably priced and HUGE and sooooo good!!! We were obsessed! I didn't even want to try the chocolate though because I know how good Grom's was! Anyways! We ate our gelato as we walked to the Vatican but it had closed just an hour earlier!!! We were so bummed, but of course we made the best of the situation and went and saw the colosseum instead and are going to see the Vatican tomorrow morning!
The colosseum was so cool! We reenacted what gladiators might have done and thought of what it would be like to witness thousands of people in there chanting men onto their deaths! It was so cool! After that, we walked around a lot and saw Rome and got some vibes for it! We even saw the Mouth of Truth that's in Roman Holiday and that was fun. It's just amazing that Rome is a city that is built around history and ancient ruins! It is amazing here! I love it!
We walked around doing what we do best: wandering around and soaking in the vibes. Then we made our merry way back to the hotel, watches a bit of the Little Rascals, and called it a night. We only have one full day left! It's nuts how time flies!
Friday, June 1, 2012
another day of checking things off the bucket list!
Blog for the first By Avery
Today's memories begun when the clock struck midnight. We were laying in our "hotel "beds, so ready for a good nights sleep, when we realized we were trying to go to sleep in a sauna. We had two options, melt or get attacked my Mosquitos. We chose to melt. We wore out long sleeve and long pants pajamas to help keep the insects off our bodies but curled under the sheet as merely a shield as well. We were actually perspiring under the sheet and long pajamas, like the kind of hot where the heat feels like its coming from the inside out. Our organs had to be over heated! We were breathing in hot, thick sips of "oxygen." we were hot and uncomfortable so we ended up reading our latest blog posts and having (what felt like) hours an hours of pillow talk. Then we looked at the clock and it had only been 7 minutes. Hades must feel like our room in hotel iris. Luckily after many attempts, we finally fell asleep.
When we woke up we packed and were heckled by the hotel worker to stay another night for a cheaper price then the other hotel we booked. We were confused and just agreed. So we kept our bags at the hotel iris and set foot to another perfect day!
Our first destination was murano! An island off Venice that is know for its glass blowing! We got off the water bus and walked right into a glass blowing show room. Some worker lady made us pay 5 euro to be in the production zone while others watched for free. It was so weird haha we were just standing there, in the work space, while many others stood behind us and watched...for free! Haha talk about rip off! But we laughed about it and felt some what special to get a VIP view of the glass blowing. It was really awesome to see the "master" himself blow and create these beautiful art pieces. The temperature was cookin! The furnace thingy they were sticking the glass in was a whopping 1200 degrees! Holy hades if you ask me! Not to mention the "master" glass man was smoking a cigarette while on the job. Nothing seemed worse then standing next to the that furnace while inhaling hot smoke into your lungs! And we thought we were gonna die last night at the hotel iris! Silly us! We think we got ripped off some more when we bought a glass frame and earring from the "master" himself but we don't really care, what we bought will always remind us of the rad glass blowing workshop that we were VIPs at! After we walked around the island, looking into shops. I ended up caving and purchasing the cutest watch ever! It's this bright red leather band with awesome little blow glass flowers around the face of the watch. I just had to buy it! It was so authentic! Right? Well I'll tell myself so!
Then we hopped back onto another water bus headed towards Burano. Another island off Venice famous for their lace making. We got off the bus thingy and begun exploring the town. On our little wander we stumbled upon the coolest little square of brightly colored homes! It was real and amazing and not a movie set! Bright colored houses lined the town and you know I live for the colors! I was just loving it! And before we found this place we purchased the most delicious ripe little basket of fresh strawberries from a market. So Kendall and I were nibbling on strawberries in a square of colorful houses full of beautiful flowers! It literally was heaven on earth! Fruit, colors and flowers! Ah! We went looking for the lace making factory cause all we were seeing were shops upon shops of lace items being sold. And I was wanting to see these Italian grandmothers in a sweat shop sewing away! (not really but sorta!) We found the lace museum and were soon blown out of your minds at the detail and precision lace making demands. Now I can fully appreciate Lady Gaga's billion dollar hand made black lace gown she wore at some stupid awards night! Then we grabbed a large full on margarita pizza to go (3 euros each! Heck ya!) and enjoyed it on a bench over looking the ocean (I think it was its considered an ocean? Maybe a sea?). The view was priceless and the pizza was practically priceless too! We wandered some more and headed back to the boat station, conversing in the best conversation as always! As we headed back to Venice, the exhausted settled in an we were in dyer need of a nap! So we some how found our way back to the hotel to crash in our sauna mosquito infested room.
After a quick rejuvenation nap we were off again on a quest to find the best Italian dinner...and to return to our favorite gelato place of course! We ate at this super modern suave restaurant. Kendall got her fav-lamb and polenta and I got some yummy chicken and potatoes! It was so good! We ate very slowly and european like, engaging in the best of conversation! Then off we were to Grom, the worlds best gelato place! We ordered our fav creams de grom and bacio! The cute italian man working at the gelato stand gave kenny a funny look when she ordered a large cone. He remember us from yeaterday! Yikes! We found a place by a canal to eat it and write in our journals. Soon after we were both wanting a second Grom gelato...whoops! Went back for round two! The cute Italian worker begun to laugh at us again, we thought he was laughing at us because we were coming back for more ice cream but later we realized maybe he thought we were coming back for him hahaha! We got our second cones of the day and found ourselves at some street party! There were people everywhere and a band playing and a large boat with tons of food ( a full on pig) and wine and fun Italians (creepy old men engaging in conversation with is)! It was a total blast! We were in the "local" part of town and just felt such a cool vibes of the culture on a Friday night in Venice. Then, the dessert queen wanted another cone, round 3 of the creama de grom but was too embarrassed to go back to the cute worker so I marched up there and ordered our third cone in literally an hour. When I came back to give it to Kendall she suddenly got some guts and decided this would be a perfect time to check "kiss a boy in Europe" off the bucket list! So after a few minutes of a solid pep talk, she marched up to that cute Italian gelato worker and kissed him right on the mouth! One thing led to another and before we knew it he was taking off this apron and walking out of the shop to go around the corner and kiss her some more! Some how "I have to go back to my hotel" was lost in translation as "let's go back to my hotel!" it was hilarious!! She quickly said "ciao!" and we were out of there! Laughing and squealing hysterically! I was so proud her! I will never forget that delicious creama de grom but most importantly I will never forget watching that hilarious moment in time! Kendall did it! Ah! That's my girl! I'm so proud! We had an adaquite jumped for joy time and were off to check our last thing off the bucket list...send a message in a bottle! So we chugged a water bottle and wrote letters to our future husbands. It was such a precious moment. Together we threw the bottle into the Venetian waters and pondered about our future husbands! What a memorable night we had! I'll never forget today and this moments that will always bring a smile to my face! We are now back at our sauna mosquito "hotel" and still can't stop dying of laughter! We love Venice! And creama de Grom! And each other! We meet up with the girlies tomorrow morning and we can not wait to swamp stores! HORRAY for kissing and messages in bottles!
Today's memories begun when the clock struck midnight. We were laying in our "hotel "beds, so ready for a good nights sleep, when we realized we were trying to go to sleep in a sauna. We had two options, melt or get attacked my Mosquitos. We chose to melt. We wore out long sleeve and long pants pajamas to help keep the insects off our bodies but curled under the sheet as merely a shield as well. We were actually perspiring under the sheet and long pajamas, like the kind of hot where the heat feels like its coming from the inside out. Our organs had to be over heated! We were breathing in hot, thick sips of "oxygen." we were hot and uncomfortable so we ended up reading our latest blog posts and having (what felt like) hours an hours of pillow talk. Then we looked at the clock and it had only been 7 minutes. Hades must feel like our room in hotel iris. Luckily after many attempts, we finally fell asleep.
When we woke up we packed and were heckled by the hotel worker to stay another night for a cheaper price then the other hotel we booked. We were confused and just agreed. So we kept our bags at the hotel iris and set foot to another perfect day!
Our first destination was murano! An island off Venice that is know for its glass blowing! We got off the water bus and walked right into a glass blowing show room. Some worker lady made us pay 5 euro to be in the production zone while others watched for free. It was so weird haha we were just standing there, in the work space, while many others stood behind us and watched...for free! Haha talk about rip off! But we laughed about it and felt some what special to get a VIP view of the glass blowing. It was really awesome to see the "master" himself blow and create these beautiful art pieces. The temperature was cookin! The furnace thingy they were sticking the glass in was a whopping 1200 degrees! Holy hades if you ask me! Not to mention the "master" glass man was smoking a cigarette while on the job. Nothing seemed worse then standing next to the that furnace while inhaling hot smoke into your lungs! And we thought we were gonna die last night at the hotel iris! Silly us! We think we got ripped off some more when we bought a glass frame and earring from the "master" himself but we don't really care, what we bought will always remind us of the rad glass blowing workshop that we were VIPs at! After we walked around the island, looking into shops. I ended up caving and purchasing the cutest watch ever! It's this bright red leather band with awesome little blow glass flowers around the face of the watch. I just had to buy it! It was so authentic! Right? Well I'll tell myself so!
Then we hopped back onto another water bus headed towards Burano. Another island off Venice famous for their lace making. We got off the bus thingy and begun exploring the town. On our little wander we stumbled upon the coolest little square of brightly colored homes! It was real and amazing and not a movie set! Bright colored houses lined the town and you know I live for the colors! I was just loving it! And before we found this place we purchased the most delicious ripe little basket of fresh strawberries from a market. So Kendall and I were nibbling on strawberries in a square of colorful houses full of beautiful flowers! It literally was heaven on earth! Fruit, colors and flowers! Ah! We went looking for the lace making factory cause all we were seeing were shops upon shops of lace items being sold. And I was wanting to see these Italian grandmothers in a sweat shop sewing away! (not really but sorta!) We found the lace museum and were soon blown out of your minds at the detail and precision lace making demands. Now I can fully appreciate Lady Gaga's billion dollar hand made black lace gown she wore at some stupid awards night! Then we grabbed a large full on margarita pizza to go (3 euros each! Heck ya!) and enjoyed it on a bench over looking the ocean (I think it was its considered an ocean? Maybe a sea?). The view was priceless and the pizza was practically priceless too! We wandered some more and headed back to the boat station, conversing in the best conversation as always! As we headed back to Venice, the exhausted settled in an we were in dyer need of a nap! So we some how found our way back to the hotel to crash in our sauna mosquito infested room.
After a quick rejuvenation nap we were off again on a quest to find the best Italian dinner...and to return to our favorite gelato place of course! We ate at this super modern suave restaurant. Kendall got her fav-lamb and polenta and I got some yummy chicken and potatoes! It was so good! We ate very slowly and european like, engaging in the best of conversation! Then off we were to Grom, the worlds best gelato place! We ordered our fav creams de grom and bacio! The cute italian man working at the gelato stand gave kenny a funny look when she ordered a large cone. He remember us from yeaterday! Yikes! We found a place by a canal to eat it and write in our journals. Soon after we were both wanting a second Grom gelato...whoops! Went back for round two! The cute Italian worker begun to laugh at us again, we thought he was laughing at us because we were coming back for more ice cream but later we realized maybe he thought we were coming back for him hahaha! We got our second cones of the day and found ourselves at some street party! There were people everywhere and a band playing and a large boat with tons of food ( a full on pig) and wine and fun Italians (creepy old men engaging in conversation with is)! It was a total blast! We were in the "local" part of town and just felt such a cool vibes of the culture on a Friday night in Venice. Then, the dessert queen wanted another cone, round 3 of the creama de grom but was too embarrassed to go back to the cute worker so I marched up there and ordered our third cone in literally an hour. When I came back to give it to Kendall she suddenly got some guts and decided this would be a perfect time to check "kiss a boy in Europe" off the bucket list! So after a few minutes of a solid pep talk, she marched up to that cute Italian gelato worker and kissed him right on the mouth! One thing led to another and before we knew it he was taking off this apron and walking out of the shop to go around the corner and kiss her some more! Some how "I have to go back to my hotel" was lost in translation as "let's go back to my hotel!" it was hilarious!! She quickly said "ciao!" and we were out of there! Laughing and squealing hysterically! I was so proud her! I will never forget that delicious creama de grom but most importantly I will never forget watching that hilarious moment in time! Kendall did it! Ah! That's my girl! I'm so proud! We had an adaquite jumped for joy time and were off to check our last thing off the bucket list...send a message in a bottle! So we chugged a water bottle and wrote letters to our future husbands. It was such a precious moment. Together we threw the bottle into the Venetian waters and pondered about our future husbands! What a memorable night we had! I'll never forget today and this moments that will always bring a smile to my face! We are now back at our sauna mosquito "hotel" and still can't stop dying of laughter! We love Venice! And creama de Grom! And each other! We meet up with the girlies tomorrow morning and we can not wait to swamp stores! HORRAY for kissing and messages in bottles!
Thursday, May 31, 2012
"We found [gelato] in a hopeless place" -Rihanna
"We found [gelato] in a hopeless place" -Rihanna... By Kendall
Well Avery and I separated ways with the pesto girls today! So sad, but we know they're going to have a great time and get tan in the beautiful Amalfi Coast! In the meantime, Avery and I left the hostel just a few minutes after the girls but as we were leaving, the guy at the front desk stopped us and told us that he put breakfast out early for us (because we had mentioned how we had an early train the night before). It was so nice and really thoughtful! So Avery and I enjoyed our complimentary breakfast of coco crispies and croissants and nutella and still made it to our train on time!
To Venice we went! Our train crossed over lots of water and we ended up in the sinking city! We had our backpacks on and were ready to get lost. Believe it or not, we actually found our hostel pretty quickly after leaving the train station! We wandered through little narrow streets and over canals and on bridges and through plazas...it really is so cool! I'm so glad we came here! It just looks like you're in a movie set every which way you turn! We set our stuff down in our rooms and then we set out on the town to get lost and hopefully stumble upon some cool things...let the wind blow us where it may! And boy did the wind blow straight and true...right into the most delicious pizza place ever! We actually each got 2 pieces there! It was so delicious! Thin crust, fresh cheese, good tomato sauce, and yummy meat and mushrooms on top! We nibbled on those as we crossed over the main bridge of the Grand Canal. It was really neat! Tons of boats and gondolas floating on by.
We continued our wanderings and found ourselves in San Marco's square. It was really awesome! But what wasn't so awesome was the gelato we got there! EW! Who would've thought that bad gelato could even be made in Venice, but we were proven wrong! I got a straight up MILKshake and Avery got caramel gelato that made her want to barf! We made a few guidelines after that of what had to be present in the gelateria for us to buy any: it has to be under the counter with silver tops covering it and can't have flavor indicators that are mass produced by Nestlé!
We wandered some more of course and passed many a churches and piazzas which were all quite lovely! We sat in the shade in front of Ponte dell' Umilta and rested our feet and sat by the canal. We passed Peggy Guggenheim's gallery and found a cool garden hidden behind brick walls! But the gate was locked... :/ we walked though lots of shops and little galleries and even passed one where everything was made out of wood! It was so cool! There were wood shirts and shorts and swimsuits and hats and umbrellas and even tablecloths! It all looked real, but it was actually made out of wood!
As we walked back to the hostel to take a quick nap before dinner, we found a gelato place called GROM in the San Barnaba square...it was heavenly!!! And the gelato was kept under the silver tops that I was talking about! Of course we had to get some! An boy were we glad!!! As we ate our gelato on the way back, we made sure to remember every step we took so we could return to that place!
After taking a nap and addressing some post cards, Avery and I were back on the town, out in our usual quest for good food! We found this place with red and white checkered table cloths and thought that it couldn't get much more Italian than that! So in honor of Nicole and Riley, we got pesto spaghetti, which was good! We took our time eating as the Europeans do and talked and laughed and people watched! It was wonderful! Afterwards, we traced our steps from a few hours earlier and went back to Grom! We were in heaven once again! It is 100% the best gelato we've had so far! Ahhh!! The crema di grom was amazing!! We walked around and wandered in the sunset lighting through the empty streets and bridges of Venice enjoying the gelato and one another's company. It was so much fun. We just had a relaxing journal and sketch session and it was just perfect! The wonderful day was wrapped up by a quick blog session in the lobby where we actually met some really awesome funny people that are staying in our hostel! I just love people. Something that I feel like I have formed an opinion about on this trip is this: everyone has good in them! It's just wether or not they choose to act on that that makes the difference. We have met such kind helpful people on this trip and I am constantly blown away a by how innately kind human beings can be. There have been some grouches and creepers here and there, but I really do feel like there is good in everyone! We are all connected in an effort to help and receive love and give love! I know this sounds cheesy, but I really do think that this effort that I'm talking about links us as humans and makes the world not just a big place after all!
Well Avery and I separated ways with the pesto girls today! So sad, but we know they're going to have a great time and get tan in the beautiful Amalfi Coast! In the meantime, Avery and I left the hostel just a few minutes after the girls but as we were leaving, the guy at the front desk stopped us and told us that he put breakfast out early for us (because we had mentioned how we had an early train the night before). It was so nice and really thoughtful! So Avery and I enjoyed our complimentary breakfast of coco crispies and croissants and nutella and still made it to our train on time!
To Venice we went! Our train crossed over lots of water and we ended up in the sinking city! We had our backpacks on and were ready to get lost. Believe it or not, we actually found our hostel pretty quickly after leaving the train station! We wandered through little narrow streets and over canals and on bridges and through plazas...it really is so cool! I'm so glad we came here! It just looks like you're in a movie set every which way you turn! We set our stuff down in our rooms and then we set out on the town to get lost and hopefully stumble upon some cool things...let the wind blow us where it may! And boy did the wind blow straight and true...right into the most delicious pizza place ever! We actually each got 2 pieces there! It was so delicious! Thin crust, fresh cheese, good tomato sauce, and yummy meat and mushrooms on top! We nibbled on those as we crossed over the main bridge of the Grand Canal. It was really neat! Tons of boats and gondolas floating on by.
We continued our wanderings and found ourselves in San Marco's square. It was really awesome! But what wasn't so awesome was the gelato we got there! EW! Who would've thought that bad gelato could even be made in Venice, but we were proven wrong! I got a straight up MILKshake and Avery got caramel gelato that made her want to barf! We made a few guidelines after that of what had to be present in the gelateria for us to buy any: it has to be under the counter with silver tops covering it and can't have flavor indicators that are mass produced by Nestlé!
We wandered some more of course and passed many a churches and piazzas which were all quite lovely! We sat in the shade in front of Ponte dell' Umilta and rested our feet and sat by the canal. We passed Peggy Guggenheim's gallery and found a cool garden hidden behind brick walls! But the gate was locked... :/ we walked though lots of shops and little galleries and even passed one where everything was made out of wood! It was so cool! There were wood shirts and shorts and swimsuits and hats and umbrellas and even tablecloths! It all looked real, but it was actually made out of wood!
As we walked back to the hostel to take a quick nap before dinner, we found a gelato place called GROM in the San Barnaba square...it was heavenly!!! And the gelato was kept under the silver tops that I was talking about! Of course we had to get some! An boy were we glad!!! As we ate our gelato on the way back, we made sure to remember every step we took so we could return to that place!
After taking a nap and addressing some post cards, Avery and I were back on the town, out in our usual quest for good food! We found this place with red and white checkered table cloths and thought that it couldn't get much more Italian than that! So in honor of Nicole and Riley, we got pesto spaghetti, which was good! We took our time eating as the Europeans do and talked and laughed and people watched! It was wonderful! Afterwards, we traced our steps from a few hours earlier and went back to Grom! We were in heaven once again! It is 100% the best gelato we've had so far! Ahhh!! The crema di grom was amazing!! We walked around and wandered in the sunset lighting through the empty streets and bridges of Venice enjoying the gelato and one another's company. It was so much fun. We just had a relaxing journal and sketch session and it was just perfect! The wonderful day was wrapped up by a quick blog session in the lobby where we actually met some really awesome funny people that are staying in our hostel! I just love people. Something that I feel like I have formed an opinion about on this trip is this: everyone has good in them! It's just wether or not they choose to act on that that makes the difference. We have met such kind helpful people on this trip and I am constantly blown away a by how innately kind human beings can be. There have been some grouches and creepers here and there, but I really do feel like there is good in everyone! We are all connected in an effort to help and receive love and give love! I know this sounds cheesy, but I really do think that this effort that I'm talking about links us as humans and makes the world not just a big place after all!
Under the Tuscan Sun
Blog for the 30th by Avery
Finally we were able to sleep in! All of us looked like zombies and needed some serious shut eye. We rolled out of bed around 9ish and feasted at the hotel's breakfast. Free rolls, yogurt, cereal, and chocolate has never tasted so good. The boss man of the hotel wasnt too thrilled four Americans were eating all his food...oh well!! After we ate, packed up and checked into the hotel colorado for tonights stay, we headed to the train station to go into Tuscany for the day. The timetable at the station said we had 30 minutes until the train left!
Perfect! We thought we could have enough time to run to our favorite panini place across town! Riley needed to go back to the leather market and Nicole, Kendall and I wanted those heavenly paninis. So we split up and made a meeting point in the station. Now we had 25 minutes! We took off literally sprinting, no time for even a jog! We were weaving in and out of people and construction areas, sprinting past the duomo and reaching the famous bridge we were on a mission for these sandwiches! We bust into the shop, cherry faced and actually dripping sweat from all parts of out bodies, and order our delectable pesto, tomato and motzerella panini. It seemed like the workers were ages to make our sandwiches! We had no other choice but to leave without Riley's sandwich, we really didn't have a second to spare. So we grab our sack sandwiches, shove them in our bags and take off, channeling our inner dash incredible! It was a ten minute all out sprint to the station! When we were leaving the shop we heard the bell tower ring noon...our train was leaving in 15 minutes and Riley would probably hate out guts if we missed the train so there was no stopping us! The Italian gravel, tourist crowds and sun beating down on us couldn't get in out way! We were in an all out sprint for a good 10 minutes to the station! We make it to the station, see Riley, she points to the platform we need to be at and we don't stop until we are sitting in our seats on the train! Once we make it, a flood of sweat come pouring out of us and our faces are so hot they almost exploded! We sprinted as fast as we could for 10 minutes there 10 minutes back and nearly missed our train...all for a sandwich! But a dang good sandwich that I will never forget. I wish you could have seen us, we looked like complete psychos. But all in all, we had those panini sandwiches and that's all that matters!
It took us the entire 2 hours train ride to regain a stable body temperature! You think I'm kidding haha anyways we arrived in siena and walked to the bus stop outside the station and just jumped onto the first bus with out a ticket or a clue where it would take us. Some lady told us which stop was the city center, and she ended up giving us the wrong stop but we didn't care because that stop lead us to our other favorite gelato place! They had gelato sandwiches! Ice cream sandwiches don't even compare to this masterpiece! We ate our treats and begun to wander around the city of Siena! Our favorite thing is getting "lost" in the cities we visit. It really allows you to get a feel for the beauty and culture of the place. We loved the steep streets and old architecture! Siena was so cool and so different from the other bustling cities we've visited. The vibes were a slower pace, calm and peaceful. After some wandering we made our way back to the gelato place, where we couldnt resist but to get another gelato sandwich! This trip actually revolves around food and it's hysterical! We sat outside the gelato shop and conversed in great conversation. You really get to know some one so well when you're with them 24/7 for over a month. We have all grown to love each other so much and can't wait to annoy our future families with stories upon stories of our expedition in Europe when we were young!
After that we jumped on a train headed to San gimianano-the true countryside of tuscany. We all crashed on the ride over there. Nicole snapped some of the most unflattering pictures of us totally passed out, head back, mouth open, and a double chin raging. After the train we had to jump onto a bus to take us out to San gimianano. The view was everything and more that we were longing to find! There were rolling green hills of vineyards and the sun was setting so the lighting was perfectly picturesque. We hiked up to this castle looking structure above the town and stood there in amazement, absolutely blown away by the breath taking views. And a photo shoot at the top goes with out saying!
We ate dinner at the top of the town at this authentic Italian restaurant. Nicole found her perfect basil and we were all so satisfied by our Tuscan dinner. We had to rush out of the restaurant and act like typical go go go Americans but we had to make our train back to Florence. Of course we missed the bus to take us to the station and missed the train, so we had no other choice but to sneak on a bus back to Florence. It totally worked and we were back in no time. And what did we do when we got back? Go to our favorite gelato place of course! Kendall was a champ! She was given the name dessert queen. Ordering a waffle with gelato and nutella, a tiramisu and a large cream puff, she blew us all away with her true talent for eating. "We're in Italy for less than a week, sue me, I'm gonna indulge," was an exact quote from miss dessert! That's my girl!
We headed back to our home for the night, hotel Colorado. At this point, my eyes are gonners from my alergies and I'm a blind puppy being led by Kendall and riley and nicole had discovered over 20 big bites each on them and are having an itch attack! We looked ridiculous but I guess you can't expect too much more from us.
We took quick showers to wash our bodies coated in sweat and dirt and Nicole covered herself in cortazone! Anticipating another early morning, we had our nightly scripture/prayer time and hit the hay! We had yet another glorious adventurous day and can't wait for our travels in the morning. Nicole and riley are off to the Amalfi Coast and Kendall and I will go to Venice for two nights and we will meet up in Rome! We are in love with Italy and are so excited we still have four more nights here! Ciao!
Sent from my iPhone
Finally we were able to sleep in! All of us looked like zombies and needed some serious shut eye. We rolled out of bed around 9ish and feasted at the hotel's breakfast. Free rolls, yogurt, cereal, and chocolate has never tasted so good. The boss man of the hotel wasnt too thrilled four Americans were eating all his food...oh well!! After we ate, packed up and checked into the hotel colorado for tonights stay, we headed to the train station to go into Tuscany for the day. The timetable at the station said we had 30 minutes until the train left!
Perfect! We thought we could have enough time to run to our favorite panini place across town! Riley needed to go back to the leather market and Nicole, Kendall and I wanted those heavenly paninis. So we split up and made a meeting point in the station. Now we had 25 minutes! We took off literally sprinting, no time for even a jog! We were weaving in and out of people and construction areas, sprinting past the duomo and reaching the famous bridge we were on a mission for these sandwiches! We bust into the shop, cherry faced and actually dripping sweat from all parts of out bodies, and order our delectable pesto, tomato and motzerella panini. It seemed like the workers were ages to make our sandwiches! We had no other choice but to leave without Riley's sandwich, we really didn't have a second to spare. So we grab our sack sandwiches, shove them in our bags and take off, channeling our inner dash incredible! It was a ten minute all out sprint to the station! When we were leaving the shop we heard the bell tower ring noon...our train was leaving in 15 minutes and Riley would probably hate out guts if we missed the train so there was no stopping us! The Italian gravel, tourist crowds and sun beating down on us couldn't get in out way! We were in an all out sprint for a good 10 minutes to the station! We make it to the station, see Riley, she points to the platform we need to be at and we don't stop until we are sitting in our seats on the train! Once we make it, a flood of sweat come pouring out of us and our faces are so hot they almost exploded! We sprinted as fast as we could for 10 minutes there 10 minutes back and nearly missed our train...all for a sandwich! But a dang good sandwich that I will never forget. I wish you could have seen us, we looked like complete psychos. But all in all, we had those panini sandwiches and that's all that matters!
It took us the entire 2 hours train ride to regain a stable body temperature! You think I'm kidding haha anyways we arrived in siena and walked to the bus stop outside the station and just jumped onto the first bus with out a ticket or a clue where it would take us. Some lady told us which stop was the city center, and she ended up giving us the wrong stop but we didn't care because that stop lead us to our other favorite gelato place! They had gelato sandwiches! Ice cream sandwiches don't even compare to this masterpiece! We ate our treats and begun to wander around the city of Siena! Our favorite thing is getting "lost" in the cities we visit. It really allows you to get a feel for the beauty and culture of the place. We loved the steep streets and old architecture! Siena was so cool and so different from the other bustling cities we've visited. The vibes were a slower pace, calm and peaceful. After some wandering we made our way back to the gelato place, where we couldnt resist but to get another gelato sandwich! This trip actually revolves around food and it's hysterical! We sat outside the gelato shop and conversed in great conversation. You really get to know some one so well when you're with them 24/7 for over a month. We have all grown to love each other so much and can't wait to annoy our future families with stories upon stories of our expedition in Europe when we were young!
After that we jumped on a train headed to San gimianano-the true countryside of tuscany. We all crashed on the ride over there. Nicole snapped some of the most unflattering pictures of us totally passed out, head back, mouth open, and a double chin raging. After the train we had to jump onto a bus to take us out to San gimianano. The view was everything and more that we were longing to find! There were rolling green hills of vineyards and the sun was setting so the lighting was perfectly picturesque. We hiked up to this castle looking structure above the town and stood there in amazement, absolutely blown away by the breath taking views. And a photo shoot at the top goes with out saying!
We ate dinner at the top of the town at this authentic Italian restaurant. Nicole found her perfect basil and we were all so satisfied by our Tuscan dinner. We had to rush out of the restaurant and act like typical go go go Americans but we had to make our train back to Florence. Of course we missed the bus to take us to the station and missed the train, so we had no other choice but to sneak on a bus back to Florence. It totally worked and we were back in no time. And what did we do when we got back? Go to our favorite gelato place of course! Kendall was a champ! She was given the name dessert queen. Ordering a waffle with gelato and nutella, a tiramisu and a large cream puff, she blew us all away with her true talent for eating. "We're in Italy for less than a week, sue me, I'm gonna indulge," was an exact quote from miss dessert! That's my girl!
We headed back to our home for the night, hotel Colorado. At this point, my eyes are gonners from my alergies and I'm a blind puppy being led by Kendall and riley and nicole had discovered over 20 big bites each on them and are having an itch attack! We looked ridiculous but I guess you can't expect too much more from us.
We took quick showers to wash our bodies coated in sweat and dirt and Nicole covered herself in cortazone! Anticipating another early morning, we had our nightly scripture/prayer time and hit the hay! We had yet another glorious adventurous day and can't wait for our travels in the morning. Nicole and riley are off to the Amalfi Coast and Kendall and I will go to Venice for two nights and we will meet up in Rome! We are in love with Italy and are so excited we still have four more nights here! Ciao!
Sent from my iPhone
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Day 29: FIRENZE by Nicole
This morning, we woke up in BEAUTIFUL Riomaggiore about 20minutes before our train left. We are so excited for the rest of our trip, butat the same time, we did not want to leave our apartment and this town!Especially after the traumatizing events of two nights before, we felt likethis place was a getaway, a safe haven, and a home. It was absolutely magical.But, we didn’t have too much time to wallow, so we packed up as fast as wecould and sprinted, literally sprinted, to the train station. There we were,booking it through the tunnel, panting, backpacks slamming the backs of ourheads and sweat starting to break. And STILL, the Italian guys were makingkissy faces at us and saying “ciao, bella” to us. WHAT? The tivas and thegreasy hair must really get them here. We took a train to La Spezia and thenran, yet again, to the train to Florence. It was a local train, so there are noseat reservations. It is first come, first serve. We barely made it on thetrain and walked in to find hundreds of school children swarming everywhere.There was not a seat in the house! We squeezed by a bunch of the carts butended up standing in the middle of the isles with all of our stuff. Eventually,the other three girls got a seat, but I just plopped my bag down, willy-nillyand sat on that thing and wrote in my journal. It ended up being a hilarioustrain ride. Kendall looked up to see Riley sitting by this very portly Italianman, eating greasy bread with plain marinara sauce on it. She began to eye it,thinking, and I quote, “what in the world?” But apparently, he mistook thatglance as “me licking my chops with lost and wayward puppy eyes, dreaming ofhow good a delicious slice of pizza would taste.” Being the jolly, kind manthat he was, he extended the pizza over the Asian girl’s head and insisted thatshe take it, even though “I insisted that he keep it!” But finally, realizingwhat a nice gesture it was, “I took it, closed my eyes, and took a bite intothe bread and tomato sauce. It actually wasn’t half bad. I just had to gratifyhim by eating the pizza, followed a smile and thumbs up.” This is just a sillystory to explain how kind everyone is here! We seriously have been so touchedby the fact that besides a few (who happened to be extremely rude or scary),everyone here is so loving and genuinely kind-hearted. There is just such anamazing air to the people here.
When we got to Florence, we were actually stranded with ourbackpacks. A couple days before, when we had WiFi, we found a hotel, right indowntown Florence, for just 4 Euro a night! It was too good to be true! Webooked it, and…it was too good to be true. They emailed us the next day, sayingthey made a mistake and that the room is actually 70 Euro/person/night. Whoops.Well, considering our lack of WiFi for the next couple of nights, we decided tocross that bridge when it came. Whoops again. It came. And here we were, inFlorence, with nowhere to go. We decided to take a gamble and walk to the Hotelafter all and at least use their phone to book another hostel. When we gotthere, we explained the situation, and they ended up letting us stay here foronly 20 euro each! What a miracle! We dropped our bags off, booked a differenthostel for tomorrow night, and went on our merry way to romp around Florence.
First things first: food. We had heard of this Panini shopthat was organic and fresh, and supposedly, amazing. We walked through Florencein awe at the architecture, and of course, the vibes. We were already in love.Little did we know what was in store for us. I am literally salivating justthinking about it. THAT SANDWICH! We found the place, ‘Ino. It was just alittle tiny shop and all of the items on the menu were in Italian. The man atthe cashier was so welcoming and nice, you would never guess that he was anaward winning, New York Times-honored chef! There were awards and articles allover the walls. Unable to read anything on the menu, besides Pesto (buthonestly, that is the only thing I need to know), we asked him what he wouldrecommend. Avery, Riley, and I got the daily special. Kendall asked him tochoose something for her with ham. We watched them slice the fresh cheese andtomatoes and LATHER on the pesto, and I honestly cried when I got that Paniniin my hands. We were overwhelmed. It was the best, most savory sandwich I haveever had. In fact, it was the best thing I have ever tasted. I cannot evendescribe the joy I felt as I ate that sandwich on the bridge by the river. RealTears.
We sat by the river for a long while, before continuing toexplore the city. We were all in awe as we admired the statues in the plaza andthe Duomo and all of the architecture and history that fills the city. I couldhave looked at those statues all day. Eventually, we decided it was time forsome gelato. We walked to another place that Kendall read about. I got thecoconut almond flavor and the dark chocolate hazelnut. It was, yet again, mouth-watering.After continuing to explore, the other girls got more gelato (probably a good20 minutes later). Then, we walked to the leather market, where we boughtjournals and whatnot. Kendall also got a great bag and Riley bought thegreatest red leather backpack that was ever made. After the market, and lotsand lots of walking around, we went back to the river to relax for the besttime of day (about an hour before sunset, when everything glows). It wasbeautiful. I walked like an Egyptian on the bridge (in honor of Zoe Hart) andwe laughed as we tried to wave at the row team. After the sun began to set, wewalked to a restaurant overlooking the square and got some more food. Kendalland I kept trying to imitate the short, evil chef from Ratatouille… “LINGUINI!!!!!!” It is still stuck in my head, Ican’t stop saying it. I got ravioli with creamy nut sauce…it was delicious!Then we went back to the first gelato place and got more! Don’t judge us! Gobig or go home. We’ve got on more week to live like this. We’ll all behospitalized by the time we get to Dusseldorf. Then we got lost on our wayhome, but got some more good walking in, so that’s always a plus! Bottom line:Italy is good to us. We love it here. Pesto is the best thing that has happenedto me...The end.
the 28th. Cinque Terre. the most perfect day!
Today was a perfect day! We woke up in our apartment and opened the windowsand swung open the green shutters to the coastal Italian air. We grabbedpeaches, bananas and nectarines on our way to the path that links the 5cities together. We walked along the ocean following the path, enjoying thewarm sun and the ocean breeze as we went. We walked through Manarola andcontinued on the path to the next city, but the path had been ruined because ofthe huge storm that really affected Cinque Terre last October. So we had totake a short 2 minute train to the next city (Corniglia) to continue the hikefrom there. We walked up a thousand stairs and walked through the town where weheard little Italian kids singing in their elementary school for a performancefor their parents! It was precious!
We found the trail that would take us to Vernazza (the fourth city) andwalked about 50 feet when we saw some cement maker blocking the path! Butinstead of turn around, we decided that we thought we'd be fine if we just wentaround it and stepped over some construction tools and kept trekking. This partof the path was all through the hills that reminded us of Hawaii and Peru! Itwas so pretty! It was so nice to hike also! It wasn't an impossible hike orsuper super hard, but it got our heart and lungs working and it felt nice toget some exercise and to sweat (as gross as that might seem). By the time wemade it to Vernazza we were really hungry! Vernazza seemed like it was hit thehardest by the storm. There was construction and repair work all through thelittle town, but we were glad that we stopped there to eat because our moneycould be going in the town that needed income from tourists the most. We ateoutside this restaurant by the town's cove, and it was very tasty! Riley andNicole got pesto pasta of course and I got penne pasta with tomato sauce and itwas delicious! Avery got a delicious margarita pizza!!
By the time we were done with lunch, it had started to rain. I guess we werelucky though because it was supposed to rain all day...and the rain wasn't coldat all. So we started our hike to the last of the cities of Cinque Terre calledMonterosso. We began walking on the path and it was completely packed withtourists. It felt like we were in line to something at Disneyland. Even thoughon the way to Vernazza we had to walk over some repair work areas, we were doglad that we took the closed path because we were pretty much the only oneswalking on it and had the whole path to ourselves! This one was a bitdifferent, but half way though the hike we got ahead of a lot of people and hadit to ourselves for a little bit. When we emerged from the rainforest-like pathand made our way through some buildings and around a corner, we saw thegorgeous ocean shimmering in the sun! We could hardly wait to jump in it! Weran down to the pebbly beach (briefly encountering an LDS couple eating lunchthere) and jumped into the water! It was initially pretty chilly, but as soonas we got used to it, it was warm as can be! We started swimming out for arelaxing star floating session in the water when what do I see floating besideme?! A jellyfish!! We frantically swam closer to the shore in fear of a colonyof them! I just kept picturing Makena Madsen's jellyfish stings that she gotwhile she was traveling and picturing myself with some crazy rash where it hurtto much to carry my backpack!! But once we got back close to the shore, werealized that we were being silly and although we'd look out for jelly fish,that would not ruin our Italian ocean experience! So we kept swimming aroundand climbed over some rocks to put out things in a safe hidden place while weswam. Nicole and I climbed over some more rocks and found a ledge to jump offof into the water! It was so fun! It was a little smaller than the bungee jumpwe did a couple of days ago but was so perfect for our Cinque Terre beachparadise day. Being here relaxing by the ocean, laying on rocks like lizards,soaking in the sun was pure heaven! It almost felt like a vacation from ourvacation...like a blissful break of our hobo backpacking lives (which is alsoblissful in its own way...but not exactly relaxing sometimes haha).
We finished off our Monterossa couple hours by grabbing some gelato! It wasso good that we got some more as we walked to the train station haha Sue us!We're in Italy! The land of gelato! We took the train back to Riomaggiore anddropped our stuff off at the apartment and then set off to find boats to rentto take out for sunset, but there was no one at the stand! So even though thatwould've been the cherry on top of the most perfect day, we still sat of therocks by the ocean watching the sun fall behind the watery horizon. Nicole eventook a dip in the water!
By the time the sun was gone, we were getting hungry, so we went to the samerestaurant that Avery and I went to last night. The pesto girls obviously gotpasta with pesto on it, avery got caprese salad and I got seafood spaghetti. Wefinished off desert with the same delicious homemade tiramisu we had last nightand it was divine!!!
We went to bed for the the last night in our apartment after we tookshowers, read scriptures, said a group prayer, and even listened to a generalconference talk. We figure that we need as much help, protection, and guidancethat we can get on this trip!
It is so weird that we have been traveling for almost a month now! We onlyhave 7 nights left! It is just so bizarre! Sometimes it feel like we were inEngland a year ago but at the same time, it feels like yesterday that I waspacking for this trip! We have been doing so much every single day that it'salmost the same as college where so much happens in a week that one week feelslike a month, but because everything is so fast paced, one month feels like acouple of days...if that makes any sense at all.. Haha I am so grateful that wejust decided to backpack through Europe like we each have always wanted anddidn't procrastinate it! We knew that it'd be expensive, but when is travelingthrough Europe not expensive? Life is only going to get busier! So if you arereading this and are thinking that this would be fun and that you want to do itsomeday, try to just do it! No time is going to be completely convenient. Wemade time and saves money and took breaks from babysitting jobs and school andmissed weddings and birthdays, but it was so worth it. I wouldn't trade theexperiences we've had or lessons we've learned for anything! I hope that I canremember these lessons and and live by them when I get home!!!
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