Section 2

Section 2: Venice
We left for Venice on Thursday last week.  We had to take two (or was it three?) trains to get there.  It was a long trip, but not too long (unlike another train traveling day we had, more of that later). We got to the train station in Venice and had to take a water bus to the other side of the city where our hotel was.  The water bus system was pretty cool since it travels around all of Venice and takes riders wherever they need to go. So, we took the water bus over to the other side of the city and on the way got to see the whole city including Saint Mark's square, which is the biggest tourist sight in Venice.  Once we got off the bus, we got lost, since Venice is extremely confusing and has so many winding streets that don't connect through.  We got lost a couple times, but the one on the way to our hotel was the worst.  We were lugging heavy suitcases and by the end of it we were all exhausted.  With no time to rest, we went out and about to see sights though!

Saint Mark's 

Now that you have gondolas on your mind, I need to tell you about the gondola we took.  It was really cool and relaxing.  We sat on red, velvet, fuzzy seats and road through the canals.  We got to see the main large canal that was near our hotel, Saint Marks's, and many beautiful buildings.  It was my favorite part of the trip.

Waiting for the gondola 

The rest of the time in Venice was spent riding along the canals on the water bus, eating some tasty gelato, and having great seafood.  Dani, Ryan, and I went to Murano, which is where they do the glass blowing.  Unfortunately, there was not much to see because a lot of the stores were closing once we got there and there wasn't any glass blowing going on.  But, it was a beautiful and relaxing ride on the water bus.  We discovered a really good french place to eat that evening and we all had great dishes.  My sister got eggplant parmesan and I had spaghetti with clams, and we shared.  My mom had the same as me, Ryan had ravioli with spinach and ricotta, and my dad had quail. Yes, quail.  He went all out since it was his birthday. 

Another place that we really liked was the bar next to our hotel.  Surprising, they had the best meatballs I have ever had.  They also had fried meatballs, cheese balls, and fried zucchini.  It was all fried food, and I loved it because fried food is hard to find here in Italy! 

Venice was gorgeous and a lot of fun, but Cinque Terre was where we went next and it was my favorite place so far while I have been studying abroad! 

Coming up: Section tre (three in Italian for all you unworldly people like myself haha) 

Step by step...

Alright, I am breaking my spring break down into sections.
Section 1: Florence
My amazing family came to visit me and we spent the whole spring break together.  I couldn't be happier.  It was so good to see them and telling them goodbye was even harder, but we will get to that later.  There are a lot of happier/ funnier/ crazier times to tell everyone about first.
My mom, dad, sister, and Ryan and I met up at about 12:30 on Sunday the 20th.  I literally power walked from my apartment to their hotel, where I was meeting them.  I was so eager and anxious all morning.  I have to admit I cried a little when I saw them; I did not realize how much I missed them.
That afternoon,  I took them through the open market that is right near their hotel, which sells leather purses, scarfs, jewelry, and other random items.  After a browse through there, I took them to a wonderful restaurant at one of my favorite places.  It turned into one of their favorites, of course.  I got pear ravioli, which was so rich, creamy, and completely delicious.

Later in the day, I took the fam up to the top of the mountain that looks over all of Florence.   I have been up there quite a bit, but I don't get sick of it. 

The next day I made another trek to the top of the Duomo.  This time though I got a personal tour and it was not quite as hard.  My leg muscles are going to look GOOOOOOD when I get home.  We got to go on a secret walkway that was really close to the outside of the Duomo and got to look out on the city without any crazy crowds.  It was still beautiful.  Florence is amazing to see at high heights! 

The Dome

Had a little vertigo... 

Clearly it was a windy day

The next day we went on a Tuscan tour that took us to Siena, San Gimingnano, Pisa, and a farm.  The farm was my favorite part.  We got to eat fresh veggies, wine, pasta, and meats that all were grown and made at the farm.  We had four different types of wines for each course of our meal, including a dessert wine (too sweet for me).  Also, we have olive oil that was made at the farm as well.  I will have to order some of these great items online soon.  

The farm 

The cows

Wine!

The first two wines 

Obviously, dad was excited 

The olive oil

The three good wines from the lunch 

The next day, we went to see the David, shopped around Florence, and I took my parents to see the Boboli Gardens that are near my apartment.  They have become one of my favorite places to go;  I am sure I have said that before.  I really enjoy going to the gardens and just sitting and reading or just relaxing, so I really wanted to show my parents these endless grounds. 

Had not seen this yet... that's how large the gardens are

Of course there were other things that happened in Florence, but that is a lot to document in a blog/ take pictures of.  I am trying to soak it all in and not be behind a lens the whole time.  

The next section is Venice, which was our first stop outside of Florence and the Tuscany region.  Stay tuned.