Cinque Terre

Ok so I was a terrible person and didn't put my last few trips on my blog, so I am going to do it now. Better late than never! On April 21st we went on a day trip to Cinque Terre. Our bus dropped us off at the train station in La Spezia, where we got an unlimited train pass that could take us to all of the cities. The five cities include Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. We didn't go to all of the cities on the advice of our leaders. One city is the entrance to the hiking trails. There had been a landslide which caused the easy hiking trail to be closed and we weren't prepared to do the hard hiking trail. We stopped at the different cities, took pictures, had gelato, and ate of course. We ended at the last city where there was a really nice sand beach. There was also a great country bar across the street that had great drinks and played country music which is hard to find in Italy. It was a great day!

French Riviera Part 2

So this trip to the French Riviera was with Bus2Alps. This trip was so great because it was such a beautiful weekend. I went on this trip by myself because I actually won this trip! I left on Thursday and we got to Nice at around 2am. The Hostel was pretty nice and the beds were very comfortable. I also met 3 girls from the trip who were in the same hostel room as me who I ended up hanging out with for the whole trip. Friday morning we got up for breakfast at the hostel and went on a walking tour of Nice with our awesome tour guide James. He used a baguette so we could see where he was and made the last person in the tour wear the loop of shame. The tour was really fun. I was supposed to go scuba diving, but unfortunately it was too windy and the water was too choppy to go out. Despite my disappointment, James pulled through for us and took us to a really great beach where we hung out until we had to be back at the hotel. We went to a great place for dinner, Waynes Bar. I would definitely suggest going there if you are ever in Nice. Great for dinner and fun at night too. There is live music during dinner and a DJ at night and everyone dances on the table. After dinner we got some dessert at a Gelato place that I had gone to the first time I was in Nice. Saturday we headed out to Eze to the Fragonard perfume factory. After the factory tour we were able to climb up in the town and go to the exotic gardens which were really awesome. I also got a crepe for lunch which was delicious. After being in Eze we headed to Monaco and Montecarlo. There was a tennis tournament starting the day we were there so there were some tennis decorations outside the casino. Walking around Monaco was fun and it was a really nice day again when we were there. Sunday was probably me favorite day of the trip. We went to Antibes for a beach day. Antibes is a small town in the French Riviera that is huge for Yachts. We walked through the outdoor market in town and got sandwiches before heading down to the beach where I spent around 4 hours reading, sleeping, tanning and listening to music. It was the perfect end of the trip. The ride home was great because nobody sat next to me and i was in a seat where nobody was behind me so I got super comfortable. Also my guide from bus2alps was amazing and she also had a great choice in movies!

Lake Como, Italy and St. Moritz, Switzerland

April 6th we woke up early once again in order to get to the bus for our school trip to Lake Como and Switzerland. At around 10am we arrived in Lake Como. We were free to walk around the town on our own for about 2 hours. We rode a carousel that was in front of the cathedral and quickly found the market that ran through the streets. We grabbed a quick pizza and then made our way to the lake to take  some pics. It was so stunning and it was a beautiful, clear day so the lake looked amazing. After lake Como we headed to Cadenabbia to take a ferry ride to Bellagio. There were great views and we just sat in the sun and enjoyed the view. We then left Como and headed to St. Moritz. As we travelled we watched the temperature slowly drop as we drove higher and higher up the very curvy mountain road. The hotel we stayed at was really nice and we were surrounded by the Swiss Alps. After a bit of settling in we went downstairs to eat dinner at the hotel. It was a delicious multi-course meal. My only complaint about the hotel was how hot it was in the hotel. We actually had our window open all night and we were still hot. Before bed we walked into town with some other people on the trip to go to a bar. The bar was so crowded that most of us didnt even stay in town, but the walk at night was so great and it actually wasn't too cold. The next morning we got up and had breakfast at the hotel, then we went on a walking tour of St. Moritz. At the end of the tour we got on a train, The Bernina Express, for a ride through the alps which was so beautiful. Everyone on the bus were going nuts trying to take pictures and i just sat and laughed at them and took pictures of everyone freaking out. We also grabbed a quick lunch and some goodies from a chocolate shop before the train so I ate a panini and some chocolate cake on the train ride. I also fell asleep for the last 15 minutes because I was so exhausted. We got off the train in Tirano where we had a little bit of time to walk around the city. There was also a huge market in the streets so we walked through and looked at all the stands. There was even one selling pets and I held a mini turtle that was so cute. We departed for Florence around 4 ish and got back 6 hours later. Another great trip that I wont forget!

Roma

On March 2nd we took a day trip to Rome. We took a train from Santa Maria Novella to Roma Termini. The train is easy to use and I suggest to book in advance online. The earlier you book, the cheaper it is. So for my ride there I actually booked a 1st class ticket. Not really on purpose I just chose the cheapest tickets and 1st class happened to be the same price as a 2nd class seat, so I figured why not? In 1st class you just are able to get one free drink and a snack so I got peach juice and cookies. Upon arrival in Rome we were on a mission. There was a lot to see and we had an appointment to see the catacombs to go to. We started out by taking the metro to the Spanish steps. (The Metro is a cheap and easy way to get around) We then walked to the Trevi Fountain and took our pictures making our wishes. After the fountain we made our way to the Pantheon. The funny thing about places in Europe is that it is like living in a museum. All of the places that you learn about are all right here. It just creeps up on you. You are walking down a side street then BAM hey there Pantheon, or BAM hey look its the Trevi Fountain. Next had just enough time to get to the Vatican in order to go on our tour of the catacombs. We wrongly thought we could walk there so we almost missed our tour, but thankfully the people in charge were able to change our appointment. With our extra time, we went to the Coliseum and took a lot of pictures. Right when we got to the Coliseum the sky got so clear and blue and the sun was shining. After taking some pics we gave ourselves plenty of time to take the metro to the Vatican. Saint Peter's Square was so nice. St. Peter's basilica is massive and beautiful. It was also especially awesome to be there since the pope had resigned only a few days before. Finding the entrance to the catacombs was a little difficult because the entrance was outside of St. Peter's square. The catacombs tour was really interesting though. We were underground in very small and humid corridors and rooms.   It was crazy that they found all of the graves by accident! After the tour was over, we  got to go into St. Peter's basilica. It is overwhelming in there. It is even more massive from the inside and it is so intricately decorated. Of course 2 of the more famous works displayed in there are the Pieta and the Baldacchino. After leaving St. Peter's we got some gelato and chilled out and made our way back to the train station and came home. I would say in order to see everything you may need 2 days.  

Monaco and the French Riviera

On March 9th at 530am we were off to the bus taking us on our school run trip to Monaco and the French Riviera. Thankfully the bus ride to our first stop of Monaco was only a 4 hour trip unlike our previous 13 hour trips to Austria and Prague. After sleeping on the bus (and on the random kid i sat next to) we arrived in Monaco. Although the weather wasn't so hot, you could still see the beauty in on of the smallest countries in the world. We were met there by our tour guide. She sure did brighten up the mood on the bus. "Ladies and Gentlemen, coucou! My name is Constance and I am 54 years old, I have a daughter, she is 20 years old. I have a dog who is four, and two hamsters." Yes, this was her introduction to all of us. So after a short tour in the rain of Monaco we were able to grab a quick lunch and souvenir shop before heading back on the bus to head to Montecarlo. Constance rode with us and of course entertained us with a combination of stories and facts about Monaco. When I say combination, I seriously mean it too, she would literally be in the middle of telling a story then stop to say something about Monaco and continue. For example "Yes so she met someone from Monaco and she got pregnant.....o and look at that, that is where Tina Turner lives....yea so then she had a daughter and she is a citizen of Monaco". Alllrrriiiighhhhytttttyyy theeennnnn. Anyways we got to Montecarlo and at this point it started to clear up. We walked up to where the casinos were, and of course I had to gamble just to say I did it. I put 5 euro in a slot machine and lost it all.....surprising! NOT. One kid on our trip actually won about 100 euro which was pretty awesome. After the casino it was back to the bus! Next stop Nice, France. We got to the hotel, checked in, missed our tour, roamed around, found the beach, got AMAZING crepes then went back to the hotel to get ready for dinner. The school organized the dinner which was really good. It included salad, a chicken dish, french fries and dessert. After dinner we decided to walk around a bit more and my friend and I decided to get a second dessert because we just couldn't resist how good they looked! We headed back to the hotel after that and went to bed so we would be ready to leave at 8am the next morning after we ate breakfast. Breakfast was a little sad, but it is the European way to not have a big breakfast. Our next stop was St. Paul. St. Paul was breathtaking. The views were amazing and the town was so cute and quaint. After a small abount of time there we left for Cannes. Cannes was my favorite place that we visited. It was warm and sunny, right on the beach, there was a harbor. Basically just amazing. We walked around and found a cute place to get a bite to eat. I got a ham and cheese with a strawberry lemonade. We then headed to the outdoor flea market that occurs every sunday. We all got ourselves cute rings then made our way to where they host the Film festival in Cannes. We found our favorite actors and actresses handprints in the ground, got gelato and headed back to the bus. Just before we went on though, we convinced one of our friends to jump into the water. That was a great time. I would have done it, but I didn't want to be wet for the whole bus ride. I needed to be better prepared. I am going back in a month with Bus2Alps because I won a free trip there, so I can do it then! Our last stop of the weekend was in Eze where we visited Fragonard, a perfume factory. We took a quick tour, smelt different perfumes then had a chance to buy some. I bought a perfume and some soap. :) That concluded our trip so after that we headed home to Florence. I would highly recommend a trip to the French Riviera if it is possible in your travel plans!

Austria: Vienna and Salzburg

Ok so sorry for the delay but last weekend I went to Austria with Bus2Alps. It was a great trip although it was freezing cold. I would definitely suggest that if possible, go to Austria in the spring. The rolling hills covered in snow were beautiful, but when they are green and it is sunny it is probably even better. So in Vienna we stayed in A & O hostel. It was definitely not as nice as the hostel in Prague, but we dealt with it. They did have a really good breakfast though. The first day we were there we went on a walking tour of Vienna. The tour guide was very passionate and kept going on and on about stories, which would have been more interesting had it not been snowing. My friend and I ditched out on the last stop on the tour to go to Starbucks to warm up. (Starbucks was our meeting place after the tour, we weren't being really american). After we warmed up we went to a restaurant for late lunch/dinner which was really good....sorry i wish i remembered the name but it was in another language and we just were told the directions. Before we went back to the hostel we also got the Sacher Torte which is an unbelievable chocolate cake that Vienna is known for. We ate the whole thing when we got back to the hostel. That night we went to the Sound of Vienna concert. It was really awesome. There was a small orchestra who played Mozart and Strauss. They also had 2 ballet dancers (one guy and one girl) and 2 opera singers (one guy and one girl) who performed with them on certain songs. The next morning there was another walking tour of a cathedral which we decided to skip because we were too cold. Instead we slept in, got breakfast and waited for the bus to come to load up for our trip to Salzburg.

Now Salzburg was a whole other story. As you may or may not know, The Sound of Music was based upon and filmed a lot in Salzburg. Because of this, we had a  Sound of music themed part of our trip. On the bus ride from Vienna to Salzburg we watched the Sound of Music which was so awesome. When we got to the hostel, called YOHO, there were sound of music pictures everywhere and the wifi password was even soundofmusic, which pretty much made my day. This hostel was definitely nicer than the first which made us happier. They let us explore on our own for the day so we went out and about, went to a cafe and got some great cake, we went to Mozart's residence, Mozart's birthplace, we tried the Mozart chocolate and then met the group for a dinner at a beer hall. The dinner was really good I had ribs and a baked potato. It was a food court set up and u could just pick and chose what you wanted to buy. We stayed there til around 10 then headed back to sleep and get ready for the Sound of Music Tour in the morning. The Sound of Music Tour was absolutely amazing. If you couldn't already tell, I am slightly obsessed with the Sound of Music. We went to the 2 houses/palaces that they filmed at for the Von Trap houses, the lake that they fell into when they canoed, the gazebo, the path where Maria sings I have confidence, and we went to the cathedral where they had the wedding scene and we basically walked down the aisle that Julie Andrews did in the movie. I actually almost cried of excitement when I first saw the Von Trap house. It was amazing and I highly recommend doing the tour if you find your way to Austria. Austria was overall amazing and I am so glad that I went!

Czeching out Prague!

Ok so this weekend we booked a trip to Prague! Side note: we are booking most of our trips through a company called bus2alps. They are really handy and do a great job with having a lot of awesome trips planned. Some include transportation to your destination, others don't. Either way, it's a great time. Another side note: I should get paid for this bus2alps advertising! lol. So, back to Prague. It is beautiful and picturesque, like living in a fairy tale. The people were friendly to us and they mostly spoke english which was a plus. The only bummer was it was freezing!! Although, the snow did add to the beauty of it. Just make sure you pack lots of layers if you go during cold months. We stayed at the Czech Inn hostel which was great. I was a little nervous about the whole hostel thing because truthfully I was picturing dirty bunk beds and sharing a room with 20 other strangers, but to my pleasant surprise I was greeted by a 4-star hotel equivalent that had a really yummy free breakfast (i think it was free because of bus2alps though) and they had a cute bar downstairs (we were greeted by a burlesque show the first night.....interesting...). While in Prague we did 2 walking tours of the city and also a tour of the Prague Castle. The tours included stops at history places, the John Lennon wall, and all around Prague. We also ate some delicious food! Meat is their thing so definitely get either the pork meat platters or the goulash. Also the beer is indeed cheaper than the water, and the restaurants basically assume you want beer and just bring it out. They are known for their beer, so it is pretty good. I'm not a huge beer fan so I didn't have a lot, but if you like beer you will definitely like Prague. The metro and the tram were our forms of transportation and they were pretty easy to figure out. Also the money was very different there. 1 euro was roughly 25 czech, so we were walking around with like 1000 czech, but thats not really a lot of money. I spent 1100 while I was there. I bought 2 sit down meals, souvenirs, a  bar meal at the hostel which was cheap and just like water and soda from the mini mart across the street. If you wanted to do more sit down meals or buy a lot of souvenirs then I would suggest a little more. I also was there only for a weekend also. Prague was a great trip and I would seriously recommend going there.

FOOD

This is where I will post pics of all the delicious food I get and hopefully where to get it so that if anyone comes to Florence they can check it out!

1) First Gelato: bought from Perche No!

2) Food from the Chocolate Festival
This was at the plaza in front of Santa Maria Novella but its only here Feb. 8th to the 17th but im sure it comes back at least yearly....keep an eye out!

3) Gelato from Grom

4) Dante's- Great Pizza, free unlimited wine for students, its "americanized" but its delicious anyways

5)Gelato from Gelateria Antica Florentina --> Via Faenza 2a- has delicious gelato for a really inexpensive price, smallest cone is 1 euro and smallest cup is 1.50 and he gives a generous amount.

****side note*** my professor said that if the gelato place doesn't serve the flavor buontalenti then it isn't authentic

6)Tijuana-->Mexican food-i know why would you eat mexican when in italy, but if you are here for a long period of time its fun to change it up and the food is delicious. I also strongly recommend the frozen margaritas.

7) Gilli-cappuccinos and pastries, all delicious, it is better to stand at the bar when you order because you have to pay a really high sitting fee

8) News Cafe...its located right across from giglio 15, which is the corner of via giglio and via melarancio

9) Pizza Man

10) Secret Bakeries-basically u go there really late at night and knock on a sketchy door, wait for them to answer, hand over ur money and order. Then they take it close the door and u wait there til they come back with your fresh made pastry. I always just ask for watever they have with chocolate/nutella

11) Gusta Pizza- AMAZING pizza...delicious...go over the bridge to the right of the Ponte Vecchio (when you are on the same side of the river as the Duomo) and keep heading down and it will be on the corner on your right

12) Gatto

13) Aqua al 2-Get the Bluberry Steak!! Everything from the meats to the pastas are really good! A little bit more on the expensive side but not unreasonable plus they give student discounts!

14)The Diner- Trust me, if you are staying in Italy for a long period of time you will be craving American food. They have AMAZING burgers and milkshakes!!

15)Astor Cafe- Another good place to get burgers and also an american breakfast. So delicious, also a bar at night, really cool vibe plus the jersey store cast went there a lot when they were in Florence