Finally feeling like a local

Hey guys!

Alright so I was definitely more optimistic coming into this trip about my blog, thinking I could blog every single day. The reality is I am DRAINED. Maybe I'm still not over my jet lag, or the 6 hour time difference? Not sure, but I definitely am going to make this a once a week thing. We have already booked our Spring Break ( traveling to 7 countries in 10 days), and two seperate weekend trips (Interlaken, Switzerland and the Almalfi, Coast). We got an INCREDIBLE price and it was too good of an offer to pass up! Somebody pinch me, because this experience still doesn't feel real. The fact that I am waking up in Italy every day for the next few months? I am so lucky & incredibly blessed! 

Today is the 12th day of being here and I kid you not it feels like 2 months! We have done SO much in these past 12 days, it feels incredible. So far we have traveled to two different Italian cities, Chianti and Bologna, and this Saturday we are heading to Sienna! Besides the winery in Chianti and the Italian food theme park in Bologna, we took a day of rest in between (literally sleeping till noon)... which I have never done in my entire life! (Ask Tyler or my family, this is unheard of!) I've begun to accept that it is just my body telling me how tired I am and the rest was much needed.

Last Friday, we traveled to Chianti, Italy to visit a winery. This trip was sponsored by our school (AKA FREE) which was incredible. We had a tour around the winery and it was accompanied by a perfect lunch of a meat & cheese first course, and a pasta as our second course. Of course, we wine tasted during the lunch, and I have to say now I am a huge fan of red wine. My parents are going to be so happy, now we can all enjoy red at dinner instead of me being the only one drinking white, lol.
We took a coach bus, and the roads here in Italy are so incredibly tight and small that the bus could not fit on the road, so we walked about 10 minutes towards the winery. It was a cold day, I was not expecting this country to be as cold as it is, but its such a crisp, clean air that I am definitely not used to!

Yesterday (Sunday), we went to Bologna, Italy to FICO Eataly.... basically an italian food theme park 2X THE SIZE OF DISNEY! Guys, it was INCREDIBLE. Another free trip for us, we traveled an hour and a half to Bologna by bus. The place was MASSIVE. We were able to see how they make cheese, the cured meats, olive oils, and anything related to italian food was there. The food was so fresh, and authentic, I can't imagine eating Italian food at home ever again! (The food snob in me is already coming out and im not even home yet!) The place is also a huge grocery store as well so you are able to buy farm to table ingredients at incredibly cheap prices. I wish we had more time to explore the place, we probably would have appreciated the experience more if we were able to do the activities they offered such as making your own pasta, and cheese!

I definitely feel (almost) like a local. I know my way around from our apartment to our school buildings. I forgot to mention, I am SO happy our apartment is far away from our school because we walk AT LEAST like 6 miles every day, and I love it! Also gives me a good excuse to indulge in all the food here, because we are constantly on the move! Our farthest walk in these 12 days was over 11 miles! I have a new love of walking, and it can only go up from here! I am currently sitting in my new favorite cafe, directly next to my school building. Coffee & espresso for only 1 euro? Can't beat that, and it definitely is better than my $5 Starbucks order back home! I have a week full of classes ahead of me; I am taking 5 classes in total; two art history classes one about the art of Florence, Italy, and one about Leonardo Da Vinci! One (mandatory) italian class, and a history class about the Jewish presence in Italy, and a QU online class.

Instead of posting pictures on here, I will put everything I take on Facebook! If you have read this far, thank you, and thank you for keeping up with my travels and my life abroad! I will check back next week and update you all on another increible week here in Italy!


passa una settimana meravigliosa ti amo tutti!! xoxoxo