Nerd Alert

This summer I made a goal for myself. I was to spend less time on the computer, or should I say Facebook (let's be real here) and spend more time with my entire head in a book when possible.

I feel that I succeeded as I finished three books during my commutes in and out of the city. I loved every single one of them. When you come across a good book, it's a great thing. 

I started with Water for Elephants,

followed by The Help,

and lastly Sarah’s Key.

I highly recommend all three if you haven’t already read them. Boys? Stick to ESPN.

Not surprisingly, all three of the books were made into movies. I have yet to see Sarah's Key in the theatre, but I saw the other two with Char and thought they were really well done. Although, in my opinion the books beat out the movie. That's pretty typical though.

Now that I am here in Italy, I want to continue my goal. I want to read as much as possible during my free time. I think it's safe to say reading is a little more productive then stalking people on Facebook, no? I recently started Safe Heaven by Nicholas Sparks. 

Anytime I read a Nicholas Sparks book (A Walk to Remember, The Notebook, Dear John, among many others) I am always satisfied at the end. So, I figured I wouldn’t be let down with this read. So far I’m likin’ it. When searching for the picture above, I saw that it's being made into a movie at the moment. Go figure.

I have a long list of books I want to read so I hope to do a routine book review on this blog after every book. It might come as a help to you if you’re looking for a new read, or just be a complete waste of your precious time ;) I'll keep ya posted on Safe Haven!


Nerd Alert: Jess & I are starting a book club when we enter the real world in a year. Any takers??

Can you repeat that, please?

Last night, Jess and I decided to head out for a beer at the Lion’s Fountain, an American pub, for a little gossip sesh. We didn’t find it necessary to shower or give a rat’s a$$ about looking presentable because talking to boys was not on our to-do list. Boy, were we mistaken.

Spandex and oversized sweatshirts seemed to be the theme for the night. Hot, right? The weather went bipolar on us over night & decided it was done being in the 90’s/ humid & is now pretty chilly. I’m not complaining, though. Bring on the fall!

We both ordered Italian beers on tap, and sat ourselves down in an enormous booth. 

As we sipped & chatted, I noticed we were getting eyed by bigger groups of people, probably wanting our seats. I mean, the booth could comfortably fit 8 people… and there was just two of us. But hey, you snooze you lose.

DIBS!

Then I noticed a particular little group (of pure boy) that was eyeing us for what I suppose was a different reason. After their eyes practically burned holes through our heads, I told them to take a seat and stay a while.

They eagerly took me up on that offer, and made themselves extremely comfortable.... as you can see.

Easy there fellas

We quickly discovered these boys were German, and spoke very little English. Well, this was going to be fun.

If only this night could have been recorded. The remainder of the night was spent constantly asking each other to “please repeat,” attempting to teach each other our native languages, and a whole lot of “Como se dice” (how do you say…). It was fun & a good challenge to interact with people who barely spoke English. It was also entertaining watching them get increasingly drunker.

Ciao, bello

Of course, all good nights must come to an end. Eventually, we parted ways. I think they left convinced we would see them again. Sweet dreams, suckers boys!

Sleepless in Cinque Terre

What a way to spend a Saturday here in Italia. 

View from the top!

I find it truly remarkable how I can casually book a trip to a place as scenic, & beautiful as Cinque Terre one night, and be there the next morning in a few short hours. It is hard not to take advantage of the endless possible trips offered here (and to be quite honest, you're a dummy in my book if you don't). We booked through EuroAdventures for this particular...adventure. The initial fee pays for your transportation (coach bus), tickets, and tour guide. The only thing not included was food and the .50 cent euros to use the bathroom- which I find just ridiculous. They obviously didn't think about the people with the smallest bladders on earth when determining this stupid, stupid rule. Holler if you're a Johnston!
Anyway, we went with students from all different programs which was a great way to meet new people that we wouldn't have otherwise had the opportunity to.

^Kewl new people

Like I stated in my last post, Jess and I were up pretty late. I think we focused a little too much on Kenny Chesney, and not enough on sleep. I was also wired from reorganizing and folding Jess' clothes because I am a neat freak and quite possibly OCD. I ended up falling asleep by 3:30 which was just excellent for the 5:30 wake-up call! Waking up on two hours of sleep, and then reminding myself that I had a six hour hot & sunny hike ahead of me made me jump for joy. Seriously. And to emphasize how painful amazing it was to wake up this way, my eyes burned so much from such little sleep that I had to wait until we arrived in Cinque Terre to reluctantly put my contacts in. You go, Kels!

Want to be friends?

So, at 5:30 we all walked out of our rooms like zombies & forced food/espresso into our mouths. We then rolled ourselves out of the apartment, and dragged each other to the train station. Of course, no adventure is an adventure without getting a little lost, right?? Okay, good. Well we got lost. Not only did we get lost, we got lost with 10 minutes to spare. We, indeed, found ourselves standing in the middle of Piazza della Signoria with four possible directions to go, and no way of narrowing that down.
Luckily, I swooped in and came to the rescue with my map and impeccable sense of direction. I threw everyone on my back, and made it to the bus with 5 minutes to spare. Note: exaggeration is a good thing. But really, I did get us there. ;)

Spitting image of me, no?

We were introduced to our amazing tour guide, Chris, boarded the bus, and started on our way. After a good two hours of traveling, we arrived in Cinque Terre where we hopped on a train that took us to the first town on the mountain. From there, we started on a leisurely walk around & got some great initial pictures. 

^A great initial picture...

We continued onto the next town where we were greeted by 400 steep steps to climb. I took those steps like a champion and pulled a Rocky at the top.

Adrian!!!!

If those steps didn't get you sweaty and breathing heavily (cause they didn't for me, duh) the hike to the next town absolutely did.
After up and down hiking, we arrived in the next town. 

Got water? That bottle was the death of my bladder.

We took a quick 30 minutes break where we all indulged in the most authentic and delicious gelato, and rested our slowly numbing legs. The next hike was about an hour and a half. When we got into the town, we immediately sprinted to a pizzeria sitting on the water. Jess and I ordered a pesto pizza to share. One of the foods Cinque Terre is known for (aside from salty sardines) is their incredible pesto sauce.. and indeed, it was incredible. It didn't stand a chance... we inhaled that puppy in seconds. In an attempt to digest afterwards, we rested by the docks until we departed for the final leg.

Nothing is more perfect.

When we congregated as a group for the last and final treck, the amount of people seriously decreased. I'll admit, the beach looked a little more appetizing then the enormous mountain ahead. We pushed through, hiked for a few more treacherous hours, & finally arrived in the town of Monterosso. Right before we got into the town, we passed through several vineyards. At one point, we landed upon a little hut where a man was selling freshly squeezed lemonade and lemoncino. Cinque Terre is also known for their lemons, so trying their lemoncello is a must. Jess certainly tried it. She was a first-timer, and when he handed her a little shot to taste, she slammed that right back. She didn't know it was pure alcohol, and that it's meant to sip on. You live you learn seems to be the motto Jess lives by on this trip. Consequently, Jess now does not like lemoncello.

And this guys life motto?
When life hands you lemons, make limoncello.

When we got into the final town, we immediately put our bikinis on, grabbed a beer, and threw ourselves on the beach to catch the last few hours of the sun.
Now that I think about it, it's pretty hysterical how I get so focused & determined when hiking. Ever since I was younger, I always wanted to hike ahead of the group. My parents have a cute story from when I was about 4 years old. One weekend, they took my brothers and I hiking in the Adirondecks. I moved my little butt up that mountain so fast, and just as fast ran right back down once I saw a huge dog ahead of me. I leapt into my dads arms and cried, "I don't like big dogs, Daddy! I only like little pink ones..." You better believe I'm still on a hunt for the perfect pink dog.

That'll do

For a majority of the hikes in Cinque Terre I remained at a steady pace, eyes glued to the ground (God forbid I took a little spill, or better yet- flew off the mountain which would've made for a great story or a really sad death), and just... thought. I was constantly thinking about things, from the silliest things to the most serious things. By the end of the hike, my legs weren't the only things exhausted, my brain was, as well. I was, without a doubt, ready for a little shut-eye once we boarded the bus. I absolutely passed out the entire way home, accompanied by a little Super Troopers on the t.v. I followed that up with a 12-hour sleep that night. Lazy. Bums.
Oh... and then I went for a 4.5 mile run around the Arno River the next day. I think it's fair to say my legs and I are not on speaking terms at the moment. I'll keep you updated.


;) Kels


Next up, a tribute to my roommate Jess. This should be good.

2 Weeks Down

Ciao everyone!! Long time no talk. That's because I tend to form these great ideas in my head & then never follow through. For instance, when starting this blog (because I had an obnoxious amount of free time before leaving) I convinced myself that I'd update every. single. day. while in Italy. Well, things change, power goes out, flights are cancelled, and BAM before you know it you are in a new country and forget about your great idea. 


After a good two weeks of settling in, meeting the roomies, bonding with the roomies, drinking copious amounts of wine, getting covered head to toe in mosquito bites, traveling to nearby cities, taking an incredible amount of pictures, starting classes, eating lots of cheese, sweating my brains out, and wondering where all my money went, I'M BAAACK.


But before I get to all of that good stuff, let me update. 
I definitely felt anxious and apprehensive about leaving when the departure day quickly approached. The family "good-bye barbecue" and the meeting with friends for one last round of drinks made it so much harder to grasp the concept of leaving for four whole months. 
Then word started spreading that a category 5 hurricane was going to be hitting the East Coast. When? Oh... just the exact afternoon/time I was supposed to fly out. With that said, Hurricane Irene certainly did hit, did some serious damage, & cancelled many flights, including my own. 

Kids canoeing their road...? Bet you don't see that every day.

After some sleepless nights and much time spent on the phone, my mom (you can call her Char) came through and got me on the next possible flight to Italy... four days later. I spent those next four days doing last minute shopping, packing, and spending the afternoons in the house accompanied by candle light (no power) reading & playing several rounds of Monopoly with the Bry man & Ali...winning... one game. 

I was definitely thankful, not for the hurricane, but for the extra time it gave me to get more comfortable with the idea of leaving, getting my stuff together, & spending more time the family and this little guy.

Jackson & Bonnie w/ frosting faces

By Wednesday, I was more then ready to get out of the powerless house, and into a country filled with gnocchi and tomato sauce. Yum!
After a bittersweet goodbye to Char at the airport, a sudden culture shock in NY (believe it or not) sitting at my gate amongst all of the foreign speaking individuals, an eight hour travel time, and my iPhone no longer working, I landed in ITALIA. Of course, I immediately rushed to the first cafe I saw to order my first cappuccino (so Italian). I knew I was no longer in Kansas Connecticut anymore when I asked for skim milk. The guy looked at me as if I had two heads blonde hair (weird) and told me they only had "regular" milk. I immediately nodded like I knew that, and proceeded to pay with euros. See ya American dolla dolla bills.

RIP D.D, you're large iced coffees will be missed.

Thankfully, a huge concern of receiving both bags at the baggage claim was no more. My over-weight bags and I took a 30 euro taxi (absurd, I know) to my apartment, and so it began. 
One of my other biggest concerns coming here was whether or not I would get along with the five other girls I was rooming with. I'm not used to living in a house filled with so many other girls, let alone in another country. My worries were quickly put to rest as soon as I walked through our apartment door (which was a bit of a struggle considering the apartments & doors are a bajillion years old so the keys don't easily turn the lock, therefore I thought I was at the wrong apartment & started to cry- but now I'm rambling). I was the last one to arrive so everyone was already settled in by the time I got there. After messing with the lock/ picturing myself as the next American abroad student getting arrested by the Italian police (this time for breaking and entering) I got myself into the apartment and creepily scoped out the new pad looking for ANY sign of cool girls living there. I checked out the closets, bathroom cabinets, cupboards, fridge.. anything. No luck. Just kidding :) 
I love them!!!! They all came home soon after I moved my stuff in, and we hit it off so well. My roomie amongst roomies is now my partner in crime and has been attached to my hip since the first day we met. So cute, I know. 

Much to my surprise, she's a laxer at Haaaaarvard. One thing I will never understand about those dang laxers is why they feel the need to bring their stick & balls everywhere they go. Jess currently has hers resting on top of the fridge and it occasionally makes a surprise entrance on my head when I open it. She hasn't used it yet but then again, there aren't many places she can toss a ball around. Maybe some wall ball with the Duomo? 

Note: Lax stick above ahead & Raid for mosquitos

The four other lovely ladies are all suuuuper. We mesh well because we're all so different from each other & have a lot to offer our little humble abode. Getting ready, going out, and cooking in is all a great time and there is never a dull moment. We are, indeed, as silly as they come. Yay, girl power!

Midnight Ponte Vecchio walk

Classes? I feel like any class you take in Italy is bound to be a little more interesting then one at home. With that said, I love them! I'm taking Intercultural Communication (my favorite), Literature of the Grand Tour of Italy (my other favorite), Food, Culture, and Society of Italy (my other, other favorite), History of Christianity, and of course Italiano! The professors are all laid back and really genuine. They have their Italian accents when they speak English which is definitely an adjustment because now I have to pay attention every second to understand them. Buzz kill. School- pfff. ;) 

Makin' crepes the Italian, & right way.

Getting around means walking around. Also, bikes, vespas and small cars are all the rage. The cars and vespas are extremely loud, and when they drive by the apartment it's piercing to the ears. Words of wisdom from the roomie, "get a damn muffler." Well said. 
Mosquitos are also raging insects, I've come to find out. The first two days here, we casually kept the windows open because of the 90 degree weather and woke up with mosquito bites covering our entire bodies. I counted nine alone on my forehead. I know I exaggerate a lot but I promise you this is not one of those times. Meeting everyone at school the next day was just greaaaat. I was swollen & looked like I had chicken pox. I insisted on asking everyone if they had a mosquito problem in their apartment just so I could answer back with, "OMG, you don't??!! We do...I got NINE bites on my forehead!!" I'm awesome. We had to upgrade to the strong stuff, Raid, to rid our apartment of those terrorists. So yeah, everyone who gave me advice about Florence, thanks for the heads up on these little suckers!
(Quick side-note)
Things that are awesome:
Gelato, pistachio
Gelato, hazelnut
Gelato, any flavor
If you know me well, you know my obsession over frozen yogurt. Well, frozen yogurts got nothin' on gelato, seriously. 

First gelato in Italia!

As far as trips go, we had a few planned through Fairfield University that were very interesting and beneficial. During the first weekend, we went to Pisa to see the Leaning Tower. It was a great trip, until my roommate knocked over a souvenir espresso mug that shattered on the ground. The owner demanded 3 euros from her, and when she proceeded to walk away without paying, he ripped her sunglasses of her head and held them hostage (is that legal?) until she payed up. She did. And now we've had a broken espresso mug sitting on our kitchen table for two weeks.

One casualty among many.

Last weekend we went to Assissi, Perugia, Siena, and San Gimigano, all of which are part of Umbria- towns that sit up on hills. We were given tours throughout all four towns, and were able to get some pretty incredible pictures. 

We booked Oktoberfest for next weekend of September 23rd, and are planning on going to Amalfi Coast the weekend after that. Tomorrow we're headed to Cinque Terre for a full day of hiking through five towns, followed by a few hours at the beach!! 


Today, two of my roommates and I walked around Florence for a good portion of the day. We found so many cute boutiques, leather shops, & vintage stores. I got a vintage Lacoste sweater for the winter, and a pair of 1970's Italian sunglasses! 

We also made our way across the Ponte Vecchio to the other side of the river. We've heard all good things about it, & would like to start eating/shopping over there more often. 

I'll be sure to post pictures after this packed weekend. Until then, I'll be listening to Summertime by Kenny Chesney with the roomie, even though it's not summertime anymore, and putting off going to bed, even though we have to get up in 5 hours. 


CIAO, Kels