Last Days in Florence

As our time in Florence began ticking away (and as the weather finally got nicer) my friends and I started checking things off of our to do lists. Most of the lists included various restaurants that were tackled one night after another so that none of us bought groceries for the last month (this also contributed to most of our bank accounts being drained by the end). We also did things like have prosecco and watch the sun set at Piazzale Michelangelo, visit the Boboli gardens and climb the Duomo for the last time. One exceptionally hot Friday afternoon, a bunch of us had a picnic on the banks of the Arno river. We also visited the beautiful hilltop town of Fiesole. Constant visits from friends and family members of the group helped keep us busy and on track as we showed them around… I may have had Gusta pizza over ten times in the last semester and over half of those trips were because of visitors. Our last Thursday night in Florence began with Prosecco on my roof and ended with a terrible hangover the next morning. We visited all of our favorite spots including Ladies’ Night at Naima, Kikuya where we had the Dragoon beer (14% alcohol but it was on the to-do list), and finally Lion’s Fountain where Corinna and I just managed to buy our last Kilkennys before closing time when we were forced to finish them in the street behind the bar with all of the other students. After mingling and deciding not to finish our beers, Corinna and I split a kebab and wandered home. The next day my fellow squirrels (AGD sorority sisters) and I said farewell to our beloved Firenze, wandering around remembering our favorite things of the semester. We patted the boar statue for luck, admired street art and music, rode the carousel in Piazza della Repubblica and had our last Perche No gelatos. It was a beautiful end to an incredible semester. 

Last sunset picnic from Piazzale Michelangelo

From Fiesole looking out on Florence.

La Mia Amica Italiana

Before I left for Italy, I had expressed interest in being a part of a program that allows us to live and attend events with Italian students. Although this did not, as I had expected, make me fluent in Italian, living with Marta was one of the best things about my semester abroad. Aside from being the sweetest little angel of a roommate anyone could ask for, Marta was so helpful and always willing to take us to her favorite places in Florence. The relationship was mutually beneficial, so while she showed my roommates and I around and helped us with our Italian, we all taught Marta new words like “sassy” (constantly applicable to either of us on any given day) and introduced her to movies like The Sound of Music and Roman Holiday. Marta and I plan to keep in touch and hopefully she’ll be visiting America soon, but I will never forget how much she contributed to my amazing semester. 

Spring Break 2012: Dublin

This is extremely late but I cannot not write a blog post about the motherland. After a slightly disappointing visit to the big city of Barcelona, I was thrilled to have chosen Dublin over Paris as our next destination. As soon as I stepped off the bus into Dublin city I was smiling. Despite the typical overcast and chilly Irish weather, Dublin felt like home. I hadn’t realized how much I missed the English language which was only made better by the fantastic Irish accents. Already exhausted from the first leg of our not so restful spring break, the next few days were a pleasant blur of accents, pubs, and delicious food. I tried fish and chips for the first time, as well as traditional Irish breakfast. I also had a delicious steak and Guinness pie covered in puff pastry at a restaurant in Temple Bar called the Shack. Oh the Guinness! I was never a fan before but I made sure to have at least a pint a day and after touring the Guinness factory I’m definitely more inclined to choose it over a Natty light. One day we took a free walking tour organized by our hostel. It was an excellent tour led by an aspiring actor, Paul, who humorously acted out just about every important event in Irish history and from whom we learned our favorite catch phrases of the semester “happy days” and “that’s class”. My number one favorite part of Dublin, however was the live Irish music in every pub. Although, regrettably, I never got up and step-danced (I’ll save that for next trip), the familiar sound and songs made me feel just as at home as if I was sitting around with the Davitt clan. 

On the Ha'Penny Bridge

For Dad: "Look at those stripes!" at Trinity College

Guinness Factory