Cinque Terre

The spring weather has finally decided to grace Florence with its presence. You can now easily sight Americans because many of them will be wearing shorts. Be warned, though, when choosing to wear shorts in April in Florence, you are ensured to get at least two up-downs. Apparently Italians continue to wear jackets and scarves in 70-degree weather. The perfect weather came just in time for my weekend in Cinque Terre. It was a gorgeous Saturday and Sunday in para..para…paradise, and I am so glad I will experience it again with my parents when they visit in May. It was a great foretaste of what is to come.

 Cinque Terre consists of five colorful fishing towns (Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore) on the coast of the Mediterranean. On Saturday we explored all five towns by way of the train that connects the “lands,” and it’s only about a four-minute ride to each town. Every town had its own feel and was different from each other. I would say Vernazza and Riomaggiorre were my favorite.

 We had lunch in Vernazza at the incredible Belforte Restaurant. You walk up these stairs that lead you to the restaurant that looked like it was in a little stone tower. We ate on the top overlooking the gorgeous blue sea. A straw roof protected us from the sun and a cool breeze kept us refreshed. They serve incredible local seafood and homemade pasta. Cara and I split the Tagliatelle pasta with zucchini and shrimp. It was divine. Our waiter was quite nice and gave us several refills of bread as well as some complementary wine and a shot of something (I don’t even know what it was haha). Every meal is better when something free is included! We definitely felt like we were living the high life.

 We watched the sun set in Riomaggiore. If you’ve ever seen pictures of the colorful houses on the coasts of Italy, it was more than likely taken in Riomaggiore. Definitely postcard worthy.

Sunday was spent taking a super cool hike with Laurel and Cara. We started walking a paved biking/running path that used to be a railroad. It had lots of tunnels. Dark cool tunnels. It was beautiful because it followed the coastline to another beachy town. There we did a short hike up along the rocky coast. It reminded me a lot of the Californian coast.

The rest of the day was spent on the beach in Monterosso. We weren’t about to spend 18 euro on a bottle of sunscreen so…. I am now the hue of a cherry tomato and I’m pretty sure I crunch when I walk. #worthit.

 My editing system has been acting wacky, so none of these photos have been edited, but I wanted to share them with you so you can see the natural beauty of the Italian coast.

Vernazza

Lunch time

Breathtaking views from the restaurant

Vernazza

The not-so-secret beach

Riomaggore

Sunset at Riomaggiore

Such a fun hike

Switzerland and Germany

I went to Lucerne, Switzerland and Munich, Germany this past weekend with my university. I never thought I would be fortunate enough to travel to all of these wonderful places while abroad, so it’s crazy to think I went there for the weekend.

 Lucerne was breathtaking. It was a bit foggy, but that added to the whole ambiance of the gorgeous lake town. Lucerne is situated in the valley of the Swiss Alps on the edge of a beautiful lake. We had a couple hours there before taking a lift to the top of the Alps. I enjoyed an Almond Americano in a coffee shop and a stroll around part of the lake. After Lucerne, we rode a tram that took us to one of the highest peaks in the Swiss Alps. When we got to the top, we had a swanky lunch prepared for us at the restaurant in the hotel. I felt like quite the VIP.

 After lunch I gazed at the mountains for a good while. The visibility was still a bit foggy, but every now and then, the clouds would move and you could get a peak of the peaks. I felt so small and insignificant, thinking about God’s creativity and ability to move the mountains. The Swiss Alps are unlike anything I’ve seen before, and I am in love with them. Switzerland is a gorgeous place, and I’d love to go back. On the tram ride down, Suzanna and I had a duet performance in honor of Rodger’s and Hammerstein’s “Sound of Music.” It was altogether fitting that we do this, considering the scenery surrounding us. It made so much sense and we sounded so good (ahem). Almost comparable to Julie Andrews…

 Munich is full of culture and beauty. A place where the people drink more beer than water. Which is crazy because their water is goood. We had a tour of the city and Saturday night we experienced dinner at the Hofbrauhaus. If you’ve ever been to Germany in Epcot at Disneyworld, the restaurant with the long tables, the band at the front with the yodelers, that’s what the Hofbrauhaus is like. They serve beer in 1 liter Steins, bratwurst, potato salad, spaetzle, pretzels, and apple strudel. The band was tooting away on their tubas, like the marionettes in the "Sound of Music," all decked out in their lederhosen and suspenders. After practically every song, everyone would stand and sing Germany's national anthem (at least, I think that's what it was) and then "cheers" to everyone. It was a fun experience, full of loud German wannabes.

 Sunday was a more solemn day. We went to Dachau, one of the first concentration camps in Germany during WWII. In middle and high school, you hear about the inhumanity and harrowing circumstances of concentration camps, but to be there and see the conditions in which these people lived was unexplainable. It was humbling to stand on the grounds. I don’t mean to sound depressing, but the truth is, it was. But I was fortunate to see it, and for that I was glad to see it.

 On the way back to Florence, we drove through Austria. I so wish we had time to get out and walk around. With mountains towering over each side of you and little towns around each turn, I felt like I was in the Prelude of, once again, "Sound of Music." I couldn’t get it out of my head the whole weekend! The wonderful thing about bus rides is the freedom to let your mind wander without having to worry about where you are going. So with that, I gazed out the window and daydreamed about Captain Von Trapp singing Edelweiss to me. Only he can remain a man while singing about a flower. Sigh, what a man.

 It was a magical and musical weekend, and I absolutely loved it.

The hillsss are aliiive

Spring Break Part 4: Paris

Paris is one of those cities I dreamt about as a little girl. When I was in middle school, the way I would fall asleep at night was imagining myself sitting at a street cafe reading. Or working for a fashion company in Paris. These ideas probably stemmed from watching Sabrina starring Harrison Ford and Julia Ormond. I watched the movie at least once a month, and my father would come into the TV room, groan and say, "You're watching this again?" Then he would proceed to sit down to watch the rest with me. Mom and Dad love the movie just as much as I do, and probably fall asleep at night imagining themselves in a little cafe too.

 The first night there, we walked around the Montmartre area, where all the artists live. You get an amazing view of the city as well. Cafes are left and right, artists are selling their work. It's quintessential. We ate dinner at this amazing Creperie. There were these two young, very french-looking boys, one playing the piano and the other playing the guitar. With this being the first real experience in Paris, I mean, I was in heaven. I had their French Onion Soup, which had a thick layer of melted cheese and fresh croutons on top. uhhhh, it was so gooood. To finish, I had a chocolate crepe. Use your imagination, it was heavenly.

 Paris is just one of those places where your imagination can run wild. When we were watching the Eiffel Tower light up at night, I almost cried (But I didn't). I had imagined this moment for so long time, I was a bit overwhelmed when I was finally there. A lover might have added to the experience, but experiencing it with my friends was a happy substitute. We played "La Vie En Rose" on my ipod about seven times that day. We would get funny looks and smiles, but deep down they were happy they could hear Luis and his trumpet.

We took a train to Versailles on the last day in France. We walked through the Palace first, but every window we came to we just had to look outside at the grounds. We could not wait to walk around the gardens. The grounds are huge! And everything is so perfectly kept. Every bush trimmed, every garden bed weeded. I absolutely loved Versailles. Rowers were rowing in the lake. Ever imagine having rowing practice at Versailles? You can also rent bikes and explore the vastness and beauty of the gardens. We're poor, so we were content just sitting by the water enjoying the beauty that surrounded us. I could've spent all day there. Unfortunately we had to depart for Florence that night. But we took advantage of every minute in Paris soaked up the magic of it all.

 Laurel made an awesome video that sums up our trip. It was a wonderful break, and I was blessed to experience it with such good friends.
 

The Umbrella Parade

You would have thought that Carnivale had continued on through this weekend with the colorful umbrella processional we had going on today.

 Today we went to Siena. From hearing all the great things about Siena, I was really excited to check it out for myself. We knew the weather was going to be somewhat crummy, so we all brought our umbrellas, two layers of socks, and comfy shoes. Although my shoes were comfortable, they were quite soggy by the end of the day. It rained, and believe it or not, snowed the whole time we were in Siena. It did not help that our tour was mainly an outdoor walking tour. The wind was blowing, the temperature was about 23 below zero (ok, not that bad, but it was in the thirties). I’m not exactly sure of all that our tour guide said. To be honest, I zoned out 90% of the time, because I was trying to transport blood circulation into my toes by wiggling them to create friction. I’m not sure I was actually wiggling them though, because my toes were too numb to tell.

 Once the tour was over, a couple of us ran into a restaurant to eat. As we were eating, we looked out the window at the snow that was coming down pretty hard. Apparently, snow hardly ever happens in Siena, so I noticed a couple Italians with their noses pushed up against the window at the snowy spectacle. Although the snow was beautiful, we were all eager to make a dash to the bus to warm our little toesies.

 When Rachel and I were walking back to the apartment after the day was over, my cheap red umbrella began developing a mind of it’s own. Whenever the wind blew, without missing a single gust, would either pop out like all the nannies’ umbrellas in Mary Poppins, or do a little dance, making me look like an idiot who can’t hold an umbrella still. I couldn’t help but laugh at everyone else who were having the same difficulties with their strong-willed umbrellas. My umbrella died that night. It’s lying in the umbrella graveyard with all the other 3-euro parasols.

 Despite the yucky weather, Siena was beautiful, especially in the snow. But I am very happy that I will going back in May when my parents come. We’ll probably have to do another walking tour, because I only listened 10% of the tour guide’s information. Perhaps I’ll learn something next time. I Lord willing, I won’t have to use an umbrella.

The Piazza

Making the most of it

Staying warm and enjoying some tiramisu