Jordan came to visit me this week and actually left yesterday. It was an amazing visit. I am so glad she came. She got here on Wednesday March 9th and that night we went to a delicious dinner. Her sister, Jessica, recommended a restaurant called Nerones, so we went that night. We got a bottle of wine which was perfection. Then we both had antipastas, with Jordan having tomato soup and I had caprese salad. Our main courses were pesto pasta and saffron risotto. Yum.
 |
| Caprese Salad |
 |
| I have a hard time taking pictures before the food is gone... We got too excited about eating it! |
The next day, we went to see THE David. THE part is a little of an inside joke, but you can never say David, and you HAVE to say THE, otherwise the Italians will get mad at you. But, after we saw the massive statue of The David, which is really cool, we hiked to the top of the Duomo. Oh my gosh, it was such an insane hike. There were so many stairs that winded around and around until you reached the top. Jordan is afraid of heights, so it was quite an accomplishment for her. I am very proud of her. I was pretty tired once we got to the top, but it was worth it to see the view.
After the Duomo, we were pretty tired so we just sat on a bench, where we were hit on by an elderly man filming a news casting. Yep, he flirted with us while he was filming. That's Italian men for you!
We did have some more delicious food that day. First, we went to lunch at The Oil shop, which has become one of my favorite places here in Florence. They have great sandwiches and the first time I went I got a pesto turkey sandwich with sun dried tomatoes. When I went with Jordan, I wanted to try something different, so I got a salami sandwich. Man, was it spicy, which I did not think existed in Italy. I love spicy, obviously being from Arizona, so I was happy to have the ZIP! It was a little excessively spicy, I have to admit, but I still liked it. I'll go back for it! Later, Jordan and I had a snack of a nutella waffle, mine had strawberries in it. The waffles were good, but a rip-off. 8 euros later.
Then dinner was at Gusta Pizza, which is the BEST pizza ever. It's a small place right down the street from me that I wanted to save for trying with Jordan. Now that I have experienced it, I have been wanting to eat there everyday. It's extremely dangerous. That night, we went to a bar called Rex with Laure and Kat. It was a fun bar with great music where a lot of locals hang out.
 |
| Gusta Pizza and Prosecco |
I took Jordan to Pisa the next day, which I never thought it would be so difficult to get there. Pisa is only a little an hour away by train, but it took us about 2 or 3 hours to get there. First, the first train we were going to take got cancelled and we were extremely confused. We wandered around the train station aimlessly, until we saw that the next train to Pisa was not until 1 something. So we left the train station, got lunch, and came back. Lunch, of course, was Kebabs. After lunch, we went back (crossing our fingers) and got onto the train finally.
 |
| While waiting for the next train, we found a photo booth and took these hilarious photos. Funniest thing is that we weren't sure we were going to get them, it took 5 and a half minutes for them to develop. Good thing we didn't walk away. |
 |
| Us on the Train |
We got to Pisa and walked straight to the tower because there is not much else to see. We didn't spend much time at the tower, but we got our funny photos and then wondered around the town. We had cappuccinos outside and watched the people that passed. It was quite pleasant.
 |
| Attempts at these jumping pictures were pretty funny, but not blog worthy. sorry. |
That night I wanted to take Jordan out for a fun night at a discotecca. Since, they are quite an experience I figured she needed at least one night there. We went to a club called Twice, which is always filled with interesting people, but it was still fun.
 |
| Jordan, Catherine, Nicole, Nina, Lauren, and Myself |
The next day, Jordan and I went to Uffizi where "The Birth of Venus" is. We got to see that and a few other recognizable paintings and pieces of art. Sadly, we weren't able to take any pictures, otherwise I would have been snapping away. After the museum, we went to the Boboli Gardens, which are right next to my apartment. We took a short walk from the museum to the gardens and I am so happy I ventured into them because I am going to go there all the time. They were huge and beautiful. I thought they were endless and we were not able to see everything.
 |
| This view is the reason I came here |
 |
| Posing weird... I don't know why. |
On Sunday, we went to Viareggio for Carnivale. Wow, what a day. One, it was pouring all day. Not just rain, hurricane winds with downpours. We had to use our umbrellas for shields from the rain that was coming right at our faces. Second, we got to see the Mediterranean Sea... in the middle of the rain. Even though it was raining and extremely cold, it was pretty cool to see the sea and say that I was there. AND third, we had a delicious meal. Duh!
Unfortunately, we were not able see the parade that they were supposed to have since it was raining. The floats for the parade are made out of paper mache and with the rain it would have never worked. We waited around in the insane rain in hopes we would see it, but we didn't. It was a let down, but we still got to see a lot of people dressed up in costumes. Some people went all out and I was able to sneak a picture with some of the characters.
 |
| Truffle and crab ravioli |
 |
| Ice cream cake |
 |
| Catherine, Sarah and Jordan at the ocean |
 |
| So excited... and cold |
 |
| Shark costume |
 |
| Avatar! |
 |
| The crowd |
 |
| The Mario gang |
 |
| Coo-coo clock? |
The rest of Jordan's trip was really fun. On Monday, I took her to the top of Piazzalo Michelangelo, which overlooks all of Florence. I had not been there at night and it was beautiful to see all the lights and the whole scene of Florence.
I am so glad Jordan came and I can't wait for the more visitors I am going to have. My sister, parents, and Ryan will be here on Sunday. The hardest part of this is knowing that my sister and Ryan are in Rome these next couple days. So close. I guess I can handle it...
No comments:
Post a Comment