Let the Frolicking Begin!

Ciao from ITALIA friends and family! I have already had many adventures in my short time out of Spain and lucky you because you get to read all about them! Thursday after I wrote to you, I went home to shower and have one last lunch with my host mom. I packed up and almost lost it when I was saying goodbye to her. I will be back in Segovia after my month of traveling and she has already invited me for lunch that day when I stop in to say my final good-bye and pick up my stuff. I imagine that good-bye to be much more difficult! Shortly after lunch I went to the bus station to buy my ticket to Madrid and met my friends and we were Italy-bound! Our flight was at 21:30 (9:30) and we arrived in Milan close to midnight. After waiting for our bags, we hopped a bus to the train station where we attempted to sleep. I did not sleep more than 20 minutes and was extremely cold. We were very lucky that the train station guards even let us into the building as the building was closed for the night and would not re-open until 5:45 a.m.! Still, we were cheap and did not want to stay in a hostel or hotel for less than 8 hours...we are poor college students remember!

Some of the group was able to get on a train from Milan to Monterroso at six and the rest of us boarded at 7:25 and arrived in Monterroso around 11:30. The weather wasn't the best when we first arrived, but that was just fine because all I wanted to do was sleep because of my lack of sleep the previous night. So Anna, Katie and I slept while the others went to explore the cute little Italian city situated in the valley of a mountain range that I don't know the name of.  After our nap we, too, walked the length of the city, found pizza (we are in Italy, duh!) and some internet to connect with friends and family to clue them in on our whereabouts and existences. We stayed in the first of the five villages on the Cinque Terre coast. Cinque Terre, pronounced "chink-wah tera in your best Italian accent, in Italian means "Five Lands" and therefore there are five little towns. On Saturday we went out and discovered the other five lands and found a trail that led from the first city, Riomaggiore to Manarola. It was quite the easy hike and we think it was made for the less capable of (older population) travelers. It was beautiful and it was called the walk of love. We made sure to take many kissy pictures and lovey dovey poses to emphasize the walk of LOVE! Also, it is common for lovers to bring locks and lock their love on fences or nets along this trail to symbolize their forever love, I forgot my lock so I guess I must return! After the mild hike we took the train back to our village and walked around and finally met up with the other girls. Michelle and I grabbed some pasta on the beach and then we went out for the night at a popular bar named "Fast." We played card games, ate some more pizza, met some other US travelers and soaked up the fact that we were in ITALY! The next day, Michelle, Libby, Anna, Dana, Katie, Alexa and I climbed a mountain that overlooked our gorgeous beautiful beach and village. It took about 40 minutes to get to the top and much effort to avoid twisting my ankle on the way down. Despite what my friends thought though, I made it--injury free. After our hike we marched up to our hostel room, changed in to our suit and hit the beach...for the next six hours. Needless to say my skin didn't hold up all that well and thanks only to Libby's aloe am I sitting here right now writing to you. Without it, who knows if I would still be curled up in a bed in Cinque Terre unable to move! That night after a quick and cheap dinner at a local restuarant, the seven of us girls played cards and chatted in one of our hostel rooms. It was a great end to a fabulous weekend in Cnque Terre.

This morning, Michelle and I got up early for one last run along the beach. The views are absolutely breathtaking and seemingly more and more beautiful after everytime I looked! I highly recommend checking this place out for yourselves. My words and eventual pictures just can't and won't do it justice. After our run we went to the market for breakfast, packed up our room, handed in our keys and we were off! Anna, Dana, Libby, Michelle and I all boarded the 11:17 train to Pisa while we split up from the other part of our group because they were on their way to Venice instead. After arriving in Pisa, we then split off from Anna and Dana as they continued on right away to Florence and the three of us instead spent a couple of hours exploring Pisa and then headed to Florence later. We grabbed lunch and of course sunbathed in the grass below the infamous Leaning Tower of Pisa. It was, to be completely honest, a bit overrated, but really cool nonetheless. We made sure to take some ridiculous pictures of people in weird poses and then of couse ourselves in really weird poses! The Tower, which was closed in the 90s is actually now open for tours. I little fun fact is that the Tower of Pisa actually has been leaning since the 10th century--it started leaning after the construction of the third floor. How cool?!

After Pisa, we then boarded the 14:54 train headed to Florence. Traveling by train is really cool and allows us to see so much of the country side. It was obvious, mostly because of all ofthe Olive Garden commercials that I have experienced in the States, that we were in Toscany, Italy's wine country! After getting off of our train we began our search for a place to stay for the night. We ended up pacing the city for about an hour, walking in and out of hotel lobbys asking about vacancy, until we stumbled on this great hostel from which I now find myself writing to you. It is great because we have free wi-fi, free breakfast, a free walking tour tomorrow and really cheap dinners (2.50 euros)!! After settling a bit in our hotel, which I have a separate room from my travel mates, we walked around the city and found some really cool markets. I haven't bought anything yet, but I am going to go back tomorrow and see what kind of damage I can do! After exloring for a bit more, we came back for dinner and then went out for gelato, a staple to the Italian diet and one I have come to appreciate more and more each day. And even though it is Monday and I am in Florence, Italy I think I am going to go to bed! We did so much walking today as we searched the city of Pisa for its Leaning Tower and then Florence for three spare beds--we are bushed! Tomorrow its Anna's 21st birthday, so we best save up our energy!

Also, since this hostel is completely booked for tomorrow night, we must move tomorrow after our walking tour to a place pretty far outside the city. I guess that is the price we will pay for waiting until the last minute! It's all in good fun, but to put a smile on many of my readers' faces, I think I will be ready to come home after this month of traveling if only for the stability that comes with it. I am already exhausted and it has only been a few days! We have much to see in the next few days and I will be sure to keep you all posted as much as possible. I hope all is well on your side of the planet! Buena sera from Italia!