Gypsy Juice

Ciao! I'm sorry I haven't posted in a while. I have definitely been staying busy! Over the weekend, Lacey, my roommate, Alishya, and I went to Pisa and Lucca. Pisa was surreal. Everyone has heard of the leaning tower of Pisa, but it is crazy to be actually standing in front of it taking the typical tourist picture holding it up. I have to admit, even though I wasn't the only one standing 100 yards away, I couldn't help but feeling plain silly pretending to hold up an imaginary object. My outstanding acting is shown in the following picture:

 

Impressive, huh? We also visited the Cathedral and Babtistry in Pisa. Unlike most cities in Italy, the Tower, Cathedral, and Babtistry are not near the heart of the city, so once you have visited these places, there isn't much else to see. Another fact about Pisa, the Tower started leaning soon after they started building it, but decided to finish building anyway. They recently spent over $1 million (pocket change for America) to fortify the tower and keep it from further leaning. We caught lunch at a cute trattoria, or small restaurant, on a side street. I got a burger (I know, I'm so American). But what can I say? I love burgers. Pisa was also where I encountered my first real gypsy experience. A girl in our group was bombarded by two gypsies who put a piece of cardboard over her purse and took out her wallet without her knowing. Luckily, her keys were attached to the wallet so she heard them and quickly took the wallet out of the gypsy's hands. You bet my hand was glued to the zipper on my purse for the rest of the day! Pisa was great, but I'm glad we only stayed for a few hours. I was also glad to take a quick snooze before getting to Lucca.

If I had to describe Lucca in two words, it would have to be refreshing and adorable. Upon arrival all 40 students in our group hopped on bikes and rode the trail around the original city walls, which is uncommon for Italian cities. I couldn't help but practically jumping on the neon green bike and pedaling as fast as I could to the trail. Without trying to sound corny, I felt like a kid pedaling as fast as I could, feeling the cool breeze against my face until I couldn't pedal anymore. I didn't mind getting tired though because I was able to truly take in the view of the small town with mountains in the background. The combination of city and nature made me fall hard for Lucca.

After riding around the city (twice) we returned our bikes and got a cappuccino. We then walked through the town to get to the bus that would take us back to Florence. The town was a marriage of the old and the new: old cobblestone streets lined with storefronts displaying the latest fashions and of course a few leather shops here and there. We also saw a Game Stop, which made us feel right back at home. Not to mention, the street vendors selling candy that made our mouths water. The walk through town took about 20 minutes including stoppage to observe a tree growing atop an ancient tower and the town square that was once a large market. Moments after sitting down on the bus I had drifted to sleep, but not after gushing to Lacey about how cute Lucca was.

Sunday the roomies and I went to see a ballet of A Midsummer Night's Dream. We got tickets with a student discount, so we were excited about going without breaking the bank. We ran around the apartment most of the morning consulting each other on different outfit options.

One thing about Italy: you can never be overdressed. After primping, we decided on taking a taxi to the show since the walk would've taken about 40 minutes. The ballet was a very modern interpretation, but I enjoyed it. I topped off my fabulous weekend by web chatting with my boyfriend on Sunday evening. You gotta give it to Skype, I mean they make half the world seem like the next room over. Not to mention, it's free! While it was great seeing him, hanging up with him made me miss him even more!

This week has been good, but not too eventful. Classes have been the usual, but still very interesting. Today in my History and Culture of Italian Food class we tasted Italian schiacciata or focaccia bread and biscotti. Both were delicious and satisfied my mid-morning hunger. All of my classes are thought provoking and my business classes are actually relevant to marketing and business which make them even more interesting. Monday night my roommate and I shared a $3 bottle of wine, which we named gypsy juice. We happily sipped on our "juice" and laughed about God knows what. Monday, we celebrated January 31st, the end of the winter sales in Italy. I found a sweater tunic that is sure to keep me warm. While we heard the sales end in January, I saw sale signs today as well, so I think we have a couple more weeks. Even walking home from class is an experience. Today, I passed an accordion player on the way home who I couldn't keep myself from smiling at. As I listened to the romantic music of the accordion player, I started to smell the delicious treats at the pasticceria. A little while later, I passed a nun who started speaking to me in Italian and pointing at her back. I stood confused for a moment, thinking she was asking me to rub her back. Right when I was about to start rubbing, I realized her veil had come undone and she couldn't reach it behind her. Of course I helped her and went on my way. I mean I had to pinch myself when I arrived at the over sized wooden door to my apartment. Nuns, sweet accordion music, delicious pastry, uneven cobblestone streets? I feel like I'm living in a movie! I am absolutely loving every minute here! I'm already looking to the weekend for a couple day trips, but I won't spoil it for you! You will just have to check back to read all about it! Miss and love everyone back home!! Arrivederci!