Lennon, Beer, and...Beer. Praha!

Ciao!

Update from last week: Thursday was my last cultural literacy class. It was the most beautiful weather in Florence so we convinced Sarah Barker to get some gelato from La Carraia and then have our final class outside at Piazza Santa Maria Novella. She was more than happy to get out of the classroom and into springtime Florence. We got our gelato (I had lemon and raspberry - SO good) and then had our last class. I wish this course was offered for the entire semester. A class picture later and bam - one class done!

Later that night, Rachael and I packed up and met up with Joe and Kaila for our lovely 12-hour bus ride to Prague! We departed Florence at 8:15pm. I was bus buddies with Kaila and we watched some movies until the first rest stop in Germany. We had a brief stop in Munich to drop off some students and then four hours later arrived in Prague. That was at 9am Friday morning.

FRIDAY: We found our way to the hostel, St. Christopher's Mosaic House. Unfortunately, we couldn't check into our room until 3pm so instead we freshened up and met up with Becca. I love seeing friends in Europe - it's kind of bizarre but in a surreal way. So we all headed out to check out Old Town Square and Europe's "2nd Most Overrated Attraction" - the astrological clock. I like it, but I have no idea how to tell the time.

We walked through the square, which resembles DisneyWorld. The buildings are gorgeous and are brightly colored. It's a fantastic square to relax in. We got some breakfast at Bohemia Bagel. Afterwards, we wandered over the Charles Bridge to find the John Lennon Wall. So this wall the actually the only thing I wanted to do in Prague. For those of you that don't know what it is, Google image it. Just an idea: " In 1988, the wall was a source of irritation for the communist regime of Gustav Husak. Young Czechs would write grievances on the wall and in a report of the time this led to a clash between hundreds of students and security police on the nearby Charles Bridge. The movement these students followed was described ironically as "Lennonism" and Czech authorities described these people variously as alcoholics, mentally deranged, sociopathic, and agents of Western capitalism. The wall continuously undergoes change and the original portrait of Lennon is long lost under layers of new paint. Even when the wall was repainted by some authorities, on the second day it was again full of poems and flowers. Today, the wall represents a symbol of youth ideals such as love and peace." I brought a bag of sharpies specifcally for this occasion. We all picked a few and got to work. We added personal touches to the already-graffiti-filled wall. The wall is imcredible. I could just sit by it all day, I'm pretty sure.

After reading the majority of inspirational quotes and lyrics, taking a few pictures, and looking at it in awe (again and again) we made our way right around the corner to the Lovers' Lock Bridge. It's a bridge covered in locks. Lovers go to this bridge, put a lock around the iron railing, and throw the key into the river. The love lasts forever. It's very touching.

Afterwards, we hiked up the hill, and finally onwards to Prague Castle. I was confused at first because we never found the "castle" but then I realized that the Prague Castle is more of a village and not so much of a stereotypical castle (such as the Edinburgh Castle). It was interesting and we went into the Cathedral, a second church, and the Old Palace. The view from the castle was incredible - you can really see all of Prague.

Rachael, Joe, Kaila and I stopped at a restaurant for lunch. The first thing that I noticed was everyone was smoking...inside. Wow, I haven't seen that in awhile and good thing. Smoke-free places are definitely the way to go. We sucked it up and sat down to a fantastic Czech lunch: goulash and dumplings. Oh, and beer. We all got the Pilsner Urquell. I really liked it. Plus, it was way cheap. Prague uses the Czech crown, so in dollars a half liter of beer costs only about $1.25. Phenomenal!

Afterwards, we wandered around some more, eventually returning to the hostel. We could finally check into our room and were more than surprised with what we found. The four of us were staying in a 16-person mixed dorm. Sounds creepy? Not in the least. The room was the nicest hostel I've ever stayed in - even nicer than some hotels. Each bunk bed had a wall on one side and a curtain on the other for maximum privacy. Speaking of beds, they were HEAVENLY. down comforters with down pillows the size of a dining table. Incredible. We all layed down for a quick power nap, got ready, and then met up with Becca + Co for dinner.

We had dinner at a place near our hostel. It took us forever to find it because unfortunately for us, Czech is the craziest language I've encountered. It's all just consonants and accent marks thrown together. We finally found the restaurant and had a fantastic dinner. I had mixed veggie quesadillas and hot wine. Hot wine is delicious. It's similar to sangria with cinnamon. Plus it's hot. Duh. I really liked it. For dessert, I had warm raspberries over vanilla ice cream - nom nom nom.

After dinner, we found The Beer Factory, located on Wenceslas Square. The bar was actually really cool. I wish we had come in earlier because there are a bunch of tables throughout the floor, each with their own beer tap. During certain hours, you can "challenge" other tables to see who can drink the most beer. Instead, we just got a corner couch and hung out. When Gabby was sleeping in the bar, we decided it best to call it a night and return to our wonderful heavenly cloud beds in the hostel.

SATURDAY: Today was not as nice out. However, chillier weather and some drizzling from the sky didn't put a damper on our mood. We were in PRAGUE! We grabbed some bagels at Bohemia and met up in Old Town for the free walking tour. The tour was AMAZING. Our guide, Colin, was super energetic and animated, perfect for me. He was from Scotland and had some great jokes. We went through Old Town Square, past Estates Theatre where Mozart conducted, and through the Jewish Quarter. He was full of information that really made Prague come alive. Definitely one of my favorite things we did.

After the tour, we followed Joe's great advice and went to check out a market in Northeast Prague. We found the metro and bought our tickets. Good thing too because there were guards checking. Two came up to me and, at first, I thought they were drug dealers. I didn't understand anything they said to me so I simply said "No. No thank you" and tried to keep walking. Eventually it made sense that they were actually transportation security and wanted to see my ticket. Honest mistake?

We got to the metro, after walking alongside a highway, and stood in front of it. Not exactly what I was expecting. I was thinking it'd be similar to Rice's or Canal Street. It was probably the most sketchy, ghetto market I'd ever been in. The four of us hurried about the long aisles of stands, anxious to get the heck out! Joe did make one successful purchase: brass knuckles. Why? I'm not exactly sure, but it made me feel a little safer.

After that near-death encounter (not really, but maybe), the girls all took a nap in our cloud beds. We woke up, got ready, and headed out to dinner right down the road at Csdkjsjrklejf. Maybe that's not the name of the restaurant, but you get my point. Crazy Czech names! We walked into the restaurant and were extremely happily surprised that they asked if we wanted Smoking or Non-Smoking seating. It's been awhile since that's been asked! Obviously we chose Non-Smoking. We all ordered some beers and our dinners. My friend Emily from SES finally found us! It was so great to meet up with her, especially since she's been living in Praha for the past 9 months. We ate our delicious dinners. I ordered some O-rings and then for dinner roasted duck, dumplings, and cabbage. Delicious. First time for duck and it's a success!

After a few more beers, Joe, Rachael, Kaila and I headed towards Old Town. We stopped for some postcards and eventually found The Beer Museum. To our surprise, it was not a museum at all but instead a pub...even better! The girls split the 10-beer sampler and Joe got his own. There were about 50 different types of beers to choose from so we picked the craziest ones: blueberry, chocolate, raspberry, cappucino, Indian pale ale, demon, sweetheart, and so on. We let our waitress pick the last few because we got too tired of searching for more.

My favorite beer, BY FAR, was the raspberry. I could drink that with my breakfast! The chocolate beer was interesting. At first it tasted like chocolate, but then you remember you're drinking beer and it freaked me out. Anyways, it was definitely a lot of fun to try the wacky flavors. We even made a new friend! We don't know his name, but we do know that he wore 2 pairs of glasses and he didn't have teeth. An interesting man found us while we were beer sampling and kept talking to us in some foreign language...possibly one that he made up himself. He may or may not have been homeless and he may or may not have been crazy. But we liked him.

We left the Museum and there was only one thing left on my Prague To-Do List: eat a sausage sandwich from the street stands on Wenceslas Square. Luckily, that was just on our way home so I got one! It was delicious, although too fatty for me. Prague List Complete. Oh, and I even managed to fit a quick phonecall to the US in too at midnight - HAPPY BIRTHDAY DANE!!! :) We got back to the hostel and the UCONN game was on. We hung out in the bar for a bit and I noticed I had some crowns leftover. I didn't want to waste my money so I got a beer from the bar. I chose Gambrinus, trying something new. I loved it. The bartender was from Australia (although I guessed Scotland at first...hm) and even gave me a discount. Beer finished, goodbyes to Becca complete, it was time for bed.

SUNDAY: Happy Daylight Savings for Europe! We remembered to set our ghetto phones ahead and our watches too. We woke up on time and checked out of the hostel. We got to the bus right at 9:30am and left Prague for home. We made a pitstop for lunch and continued to Munich to pick the rest of the group up. I needed a window seat so Joe sat with me. Typical. We watched some more movies on the ride back and stopped once more for a short dinner break. To sum it up...14 hours later, we were home from Prague in our lovely Firenze! Wow.

So Prague, I love you. You were beautiful, relaxing, very bohemian and fun. I'll be back. As for the Lennon Wall, next time I'm bringing a bucket of paint...and glitter.

MONDAY: Classes per usual. It was a rainy rainy day here in Firenze. The most unproductive day I've had possibly this entire semester. However, as it was Monday, that meant COOKING LESSON!! We were a smaller group but that's okay. On the menu tonight: Schiacciata al Olio (Focaccia), Pasta e Ceci (Pasta soup with chickpeas), Petto al di Polle al Limone (Lemon chicken), Melanzane alla Parmigiana (Eggplant parmesan), & Salame Dolce (Sweet fake salami).

We made our own focaccia bread - it's SO easy!! I put onion, proscuitto, and cheese on mine. We made the pasta soup, lemon chicken and eggplant parm. It was so much food! Not soon enough but eventually we sat down to dine. Everything was so delicious. I really think I'm learning to cook! The dessert we made is a sort of "prank" dessert. It is cocoa, eggs, and crushed cookies that is rolled up to resemble salami. It looked too much like salami and kind of freaked me out...but I ate it and loved it. A nice little dessert snack.

Dinner was delicious and Kristie, Amanda, and I rolled ourselves down to our apartment. Such a great meal. From 10pm until 4am I can't even tell you what I did. I was so unproductive and just vegged. It was actually nice. I got to Skype with Babci! The infamous Babci!! So that was nice. I even got to Skype with Diana and Kaila at 3:30am. So funny.

TODAY: Somehow I managed to wake up and make it to Art History on time. Afterwards, Diana and I ran some errands and went to the market. Again, I'm a bandit! Let's see, I successfully purchased: blood oranges, Pink Lady apples, lemons, mozzarella, Greek feta, baguette, red/white onion, red/green pepper, eggplant, potatoes and kielbasa. Woohoo! Tomorrow night is Potluck Dinner with the girls so I'm getting all of my fresh ingredients. I'm so excited!

After the market and lunch, we had Italian class. We had some elderly Italians visit us and chat with us. My group had possibly the two cutest grandmas or "nonna" ever. Only downfall? They spoke all in Italian - no English - and barely took a pause to breathe. What did I learn? They were Italian. That may be it. It was a lot of fun, regardless.

So now it's 6:00pm and it's time to get ready for yet another great dinner. We have a dinner field trip with Italian class to a restaurant. How nice. I want this in the States! Time to get ready but I'll keep trying to update as much as possible!

PS: BUDAPEST UPDATE: IT'S A GO!!! So it looks like Ari and I will be taking thermal baths in Budapest this weekend. Hollaaaaa!

Ciao Ciao!

What a Week!

Hello!

So let me try to update everything from this week...

MONDAY: We had our second apartment check and what do you know? WE GOT A GREEN CARD! Finally! Classes went fast. Then the roomies and I got ready for our very first cooking lesson!

We headed to our lesson at a woman named Mrs. F, an American who married an Italian man and then stayed in Florence. She's nice and seems to know her stuff. We got to her cozy apartment around 6:30, washed up, and began our first lesson. There were 8 of us total, including Mrs. F. We received our personal cook books, with each lesson's itinerary, as well as "spin-off" recipes. Fabulous! I can't wait to be a chef!

So for our first lesson we made our four-course meal: Polenta all Piastra (grilled polenta with cheese), Papal al Pomodoro (tomato bread soup), Pane ai 5 Cerealo (5-grain bread), Frittata di Porri e Patata (eggs with leeks and potatoes), Fagiolini in Umido (stewed green beans) and finally Crostata di More (blackberry torte).

Dinner was delicious and it was literally the hardest waiting I've had to do for food. Definitely worth it though, and I may or may not have helped myself to seconds and thirds. It was definitely one of the best meals I've had in awhile. We got back from lessons three and a half hours later, stuffed to the brim, which made it easy to fall asleep with my food baby.

TUESDAY: Up early for classes, it was definitely difficult to get through Art History. Afterwards, I convinced Diana to tag along with Kristie, Rachael, and I for our Tuesday trip to the central market. Good thing she did, too, because I "made out like a bandit" as she'll agree with. Kristie showed us to the best dried fruit I've ever had (the first dried fruit I've ever had for that matter..). I loaded my bag with dried strawberries and cherries. I'm definitely more of a fan for the strawberries - yum! They taste just like gummies. Afterwards, I showed off my kielbasa stand and got some kielbasa snackskis too. Next, picked up my mozzarella! Finally, onto the best veggie stand in the central market. I got 10 potatoes, 2 red onion, 1 green pepper, 1 red pepper, and 1 yellow pepper, plus a huge chunk of celery all for THREE EUROS. That's $4.23. Such a steal!

More than thrilled with my market purchases, the four of us headed back to the apartment for some lunch. I cooked up the veggies and kielbasa with pasta for Diana and I. Afterwards, time for Italian. We had an author come talk to our class about her novel. We had to translate some passages and she criticized the use of Google Translate (with good intentions).

After Italian, it was way too nice outside to sit in The Cave all day, so thankfully Diana was up for more adventures. We met up with Ari and a friend and all went over the bridge to La Carraia. Easily, my favorite gelato in all of Florence. I decided to be completely crazy and go for some fruit gelato, since I'd never had it before (I usually stick to tiramisu or baccio). I debated but ultimately settled for a 2-euro cup of raspberry & strawberry. Wise decision. We got our gelatos and had no place in mind to walk. We knew we wanted to be in the sun, so we just sat on Ponte Carraia (the bridge) and sat and talked. It was perfect. Eventually we ran into Kristie and Sarah Barker (our Aussie teacher).

After gelato, it was still too nice outside to go home so instead we wandered up to the leather market with SarahFrank. We wandered throughout the entire market and decided to head home and get ready for the night. After a quick power nap, I made dinner and Ari, Sarah and I made the half-hour trek to Diana and Kaila's apartment. We sat down, chatted, and realized we all have the same circles of friends. I love what a small world it is! I can't wait to get back to school and all love on Italy together.

We headed out around 11pm to BeBop, a local bar that on Tuesday nights has a Beatles cover band. We got to the Bop, realized it was too packed (we were a little late), and decided it best to just try again another week. Instead, we all just walked around Florence in the perfect nighttime weather. I love this place. Around 12:15am, Ari took us all to one of Florence's infamous "secret bakeries." My second bakery in less than a week - I'm loving life! Big girl bed here I come! We all got donuts - some chocolate and the rest cream. D-E-LICIOUS! The perfect end to a fabulous night.

TODAY: Sociology was a struggle, as I could barely follow what Pierluca was trying to prove. He talks in circles sometimes, but it's okay. I made the greatest To-Do List ever. Afterwards, Italian was the best time, per usual, as we were listening to "Due," an Italian song by Laura Pausini. It's supposed to a love song, but after we translated it, seemed more like a psychotic attempt to find love. It really was ridiculous. Entertaining to Justin, Kaila, and I though.

After classes, Kristie, Ari, Ann, Brooke, and I had lunch at The Oil Shoppe, one of my favorite sandwich shops in Florence. For 6 Euro, you get a huge sandwich, fries, and a water. It's a deal. Right from lunch, Ann and I managed to be only a minute late to Simon's class. A somewhat interesting lesson, we had a sight visit to Orsanmichele. Five minutes and a worksheet later, I was home-free!

So that's been my week. Tomorrow I have classes and unfortunately one is my last cultural literacy class with Barker. Womp. Shortly after that, I leave for Prague for the weekend with Rachael, Kaila and Joe!! I can't wait. I'm not too happy that I'm leaving gorgeous Florence weather for colder Prague weather, but hey, I've got the travel bug :)

The 'Ruge!

So this to keep on top of my blogging, here's what happened this past weekend! I'm going to skip right over St. Paddy's Day and erase it from memory (for those of you that know me, you know why).

FRIDAY: Kristie and I were finally off to Perugia for the weekend to visit Nicki. We caught the 2-hour train and I napped the majority of the way. We arrived in the hilly city and took the MiniMetro (very similar to a tram car from Disneyland) to the top of Perugia, where Nicki was waiting. Ah! It was so great to see her, but also kind of strange to see her somewhere besides Penn State. After a quick shop through the grocery stores, we headed back to Nicki’s apartment. I am INSANELY jealous of the tiny four-person fourth floor flat. It is slightly retro, slightly posh and very cozy. Also, the view is absolutely incredible.

We were informed that we all were going to a potluck dinner with some of her friends from school so we had some cooking to do! Nicki and Kristie, along with my sporadic assistance, made eggplant parm and an eggplant/pepper/onion dip. Once the food was ready, we got ready and headed down the hill – of course – to the dinner.

Quickly enough, I learned that Perugia is all hills, no matter which direction you walk in. You are guaranteed to go down a hill, then up a hill, then down another hill to reach your final destination. It’s ridiculous. We arrived at the potluck and met a bunch of other students from Umbra. We chowed down on some fantastic foods – tuna cristini, eggplant parm, mixed salad – and chatted for awhile. The night got rowdier, as did we, and soon enough we ventured out towards “The Steps.” These steps are the infamous landmark of Perugia where the locals go to drink and chill. I LOVE THIS. So, we walkd past the center and towards another friends’ apartment, but quickly did we smell the sweet, sweet aroma of a secret bakery. So it’s not only Florence that has them! We took a quick peek into a hole-in-the-wall place and saw a man baking up some cornettos. We each got a chocolate croissant. The greatest. My first secret bakery experience.

Onwards, we ended up at the guys’ apartment and learned some names. I ran into some people from Penn State and we all, weirdly enough, hung around in the kitchen, making jokes and such. I even fit a call into Dane, thanks to the help of Ryan. Yes! After some broken glasses and Barbie sticker faces, we walked to The Steps and headed home for the night. Completely exhausted, the three of us fell straight asleep.

SATURDAY: We woke up some-what early and had a breakfast of blood oranges, my favorite. Nicki, Kristie, and I headed out to the train station to meet up with other students from Umbra and to catch the train to Spoletto. Nicki, a great planner she is, had arranged for us all to go on a hike in Spoletto, another Italian town about an hour from Perugia. The hike would be led by one of the professors at her institute. The train was entertaing and the three of us made some jokes nad caught up. We arrived in Spoletto and met our guide for the day, Cinzia. The fifteen of us walked through the quaint town until we reached the base of the mountain and took about eight escalators up. I honestly thought that was the hike, just how the Italians do it. I was wrong.

After our final escalator ascent, we walked along past a café and towards this incredible bridge. The view was beautiful and we hadn’t even hiked yet! We crossed over the bridge – which would never be allowed in the States – and finally got onto the hiking path. I certainly didn’t think the hike would be intense. Yet again, I was wrong.

After ten minutes, I was already out of breath and I’m nearly positive that my muscles were detaching from my body. Of course, our guide said the hike up to the top is “only an hour.” Wonderful, only fifty more minutes to go!

Although it was a challenging hike, it was a beautiful day out and the views from the path were incredible. Despite the complaining, near disasters, and sweat, the hike was more than worth it. Our group finally reached the top (just when I thought we had been walking in circles) and found the restaurant where we’d be eating lunch. There were a herd of cats that patrolled the place and also a Dalmatian, if you can call it that. The poor dog was extremely un-proportional that I wasn’t sure if it was a dog.

We all sat down to what was perhaps the best meals I’ve had in awhile. We started with wine, bread, and bruschetta. Next, I ate my lemon and porcini raviolis. They were heavenly. After Cinzia ordered our table another bottle of wine, we finished the 3-hour lunch with dessert. I had crescionda, which is an Italian dessert that you can only get in Spoletto. The owner of the restaurant all gave us free dessert, to celebrate St. Joseph’s Day, as well as his birthday. Buon Compleanno! Grazie Mille!

It was a fabulous lunch, but the time came to go down the mountain. Cinzia told us – more than once – that you hike up the mountain and roll down. It was too true for our group. Some mishaps and near-fatal experiences later, we reached the wonderful bridge and arrived at the café, only to find out that we had missed our return train and that the next train home to Perugia wasn’t for another five hours. Well, there’s nothing we could do so we all headed to Spoletto’s local bars for some aperitivos and nibbles. We spent the majority of our time just chatting, napping, or eating. Not too shabby if you ask me.

We all boarded the 10:19pm train from Spoletto to Foligno, where we had to transfer to a bus for the final hour to Perugia. It was a warm ride back home to “the Ruge.” A taxi ride later, and Nicki, Kristie, and I changed into our jammies, made some pasta, and watched the Amanda Knox Lifetime Original. After spending the day discussing the entire incident, it was only logical to end our way with the cinematic portrayal. The movie was surprisingly accurate, from my knowledge, of the chaos from a few years back. It’s actually pretty surreal as to the scope of the entire thing. I can’t imagine. After the movie, I quickly fell asleep, not without dreaming some bizarre dreams. In hindsight, watching the movie probably wasn’t the best idea. Worth it though.

SUNDAY: we slept in a bit and quickly headed into the center for Nutella. This might sound strange, but since Italy just celebrate it’s 150^th birthday, the Nutella jars have special stories and pictures on them, very similar to the jam jars I used to collect of Pokemon and Looney Tunes. The three of us found the Nutella! Kristie and I bought four jars each because there are four different stories. Yes! We walked ot the edge of the main street and had a delicious breakfast of Nutella and fruits. Afterwards, we walked through one of the oldest places in Perugia, which is a fort filled with prison cells and shops, making for an interesting building.

Rushing back to Nicki’s for some espresso lessons (Great Job Nick!), we had to pack up our bags and head home. After dropping Nicki off at The Steps, we had 15 minutes to get to the MiniMet, take it down four stops, get to the train station, buy our tickets, and find our track. I definitely didn’t think it was possibly, but we’re just that good. The MiniMetro felt much slower than usual and after getting off at our fourth and final stop, we literally ran off of the MiniMet, down the stairs and bolted towards the train station. Kristie ran like the wind (really, I was impressed) and got our tickets, just as the train reached the station. We sprinted down the steps to get to the track and pushed past people exiting our train. We hopped up onto the stairs and, as soon as we did, the train took off. Wow! I honestly can't believe we made it! We found two seats and sat down, sweating and exhausted from the most stressful 18 minutes of the weekend. Well, we made it. High-Five!

We got back to Florence around 4pm and decided it was too nice outside to ignore. We wandered around the leather market and grabbed some kebobs for dinner. We even discovered a wonderful new grocery store near the Duomo. Sweet! I came back last night, Skyped with a bunch of people, and called it a night.

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TODAY!

This morning we had apartment checks and for the first time, our apartment got a Green Card! Good thing! So today was pretty much a lazy day. Had classes and then grabbed lunch. I finally updated this blog about Spring Break and that takes me to now. Five of my roommates, including myself, have our very first cooking lesson tonight with Mrs. F. I CAN'T WAIT! I have no idea what we're making, but it will be delicious.

I'll be sure to update later about the cooking. As for now...ciao!

I think I can...I think I can

Alright so finally, two weeks after I left for break, I'll update this thing. I apologize in advance for loss of memory on these events, but alas, I'll try my best. So this was spring break, eurotrip style, 2K11.

CITY #1 - BARCELONA, SPAIN - March 4-7, 2011.

(FRIDAY) The roomies and I boarded our flight from Florence and arrived in Barcelona a few hours later. Flying over the ocean and beach, I got insanely excited for the city. Unfortunately, I was extremely ill with a headcold and the flying didn't help my case. Regardless, we all found our hostel, Kabul's Backpacker Hostel, without any problems and settled in quickly before exploring Barcelona.

First on our agenda? Visiting the Dunkin Donuts right up the street from us. Sadly, however, the iced coffees in Europe aren't nearly as delicious as those in the States. Womp. Next, Barcelona soccer tickets. Check. Then, we all headed to the Magic Fountain of Montjuïc for their infamous daily light's show. We got to the steps just in time and sat down to witness the Epcot-like show. The first show, at 7pm, was Disney themed and fantastic. The next lights show was movie themed, but not quite as good as the previous. Afterwards, the roomies and I walked Las Ramblas, where our hostel was off of, and stopped in the market. Wow! The markets in Barcelona > the markets in Florence. We decided to buy a 3 Liter bottle of Vodka, called GLEN, for the six of us to split for the weekend. In a spur-of-the-moment decision, we made it out to one of Barcelona's finest Flamenco shows. There were 2 dancers and it was actually pretty impressive the various sounds they made with their hands and feet. I enjoyed.

(SATURDAY) We woke up and headed out to the soccer stadium to validate our tickets for that night's game against Zaragoza, another Spanish soccer team. We waited for about two hours until they finally opened, got our tickets, and continued on with our Barth-elona adventures. Next up: Park Guell by Gaudi. We took the metro a few stops over, walked for about twenty minutes and then up a huge hill and bam! There is was. The park was one of my favorite parts about Barcelona. It reminded me of Candyland. It is absolutely fantastic. The weather was beautiful and we spent a decent amount of time walking around, finding the infamous chameleon, and then wandering up to the roof of the park. Yes, I said it - roof. We soaked up the sun and eventually it was time to head out. We stopped at Casa Battló, which is also a house designed by Gaudi. He's awesome. The house was extremely unique and just the outside was impressive enough for us.

We wandered down Passieg de Gracias and peeked in a few stores. The shopping in Barcelona is heavenly! Starving, we settled for some quick Burger King (such Americans, I know). We all raced back to the hostel to freshen up for a fantastic night ahead.

Rachael, Ari, Allie and I found ourselves down to Port Vell for sunset. It is beautiful down by the water. We grabbed some hotdogs and waters and watched the boats during sunset. We took the metro to the soccer stadium, where we met up with Emily, Jess, Amanda, and Annie. My very first soccer game and it was a FC Barcelona Futbol game ... how lucky am I!? The stadium is absolutely incredible - it's HUGE. Of course our tickets were for nosebleed seats, but even so, they were decent seats. We sat next to the opposing team's fans and that made for some interesting and confusing chants. Once or twice, I found myself cheering for the wrong team. Oops! Decked out in my Barcelona jersey, I was proud to sing Spanish cheers which meanings I knew little of. FCBarcelona won the game, 1-0! Of course, that was expected.

Afterwards, we got a little lost in the streets surrounding the stadium and waited for over a half hour in the crowd to get on the metro. Starved, we ate at Via 70, a cute outdoor restaurant on Las Ramblas. We all ordered tapas to share and Ari and I split a mixed paella. It was pretty good!

To end my night, the girls and I all headed down to Barceloneta to experience Europe's very first ice bar, icebarcelona. It literally is a room made completely out of ice, from the chairs to the cups you drink out of. We had to wear huge, silver space jackets to keep warm. After ten minutes, we all were frozen and ducked out to warm up by the fires outside. A very successful Saturday indeed!

(SUNDAY) Left the hostel to witness a marathon happening right on our street. Run! We all walked through the Gothic Quarter, partly by accident looking for the churro place Becca recommended. Eventually, we found it and ate arguably the best churros & chocolate in Barcelona. The place is the definition of a dive eatery - it really was just a hole in the wall. If we weren't looking for it, there's NO way we would've ever noticed it. It was the best find and we all got sick to our stomachs stuffing our faces with sugar.

Afterwards, we walked towards the Cathedral and witnessed a bunch of groups dancing in circles. It reminded me of Leanna's Greek line dancing. It was fantastic to watch. Some people were even dressed up! There was a band playing live music on the steps of the Cathedral too. The sun was shining. It was perfect. We walked inside and mass was just beginning so we listen to it for a bit while we walked around the public areas. For a split second, we thought we were inside La Sagrada Familia, until we realized we were mistaken so off we went!

A short metro ride later, we arrived at the real Sagrada Familia and WOW!! The building by Gaudi (my favorite) is absolutely breathtaking. It looks exactly like the wet-sand castles I used to make at the beach when I was younger. I think I could honestly look at it for hours. We had a quick photoshoot and were on our way. The best kebob later and it was time to get ready for Carnivale!

We all met up with Becca and her friend and caught the train to Sitges, Spain. Sitges is notorious for their Carnivale parades and their homosexual community full of spirit. The train was filled with spectators dressed in the most ridiculous costumes. We all walked down to the beach and waited for the parade to begin. We quickly learned that the parade wouldn't get to our spot for a while and so instead, we all grabbed some pizza and waited. Eventually, we noticed some floats coming our way and grabbed a place along the street to watch.

The parade...how can I explain it? Easily. The parade, for the most part, was composed of men and women, gay and straight, smoking and drinking their way down the street. It was such a sight! The float themes ranged from Alice in Wanderland to Jungle to Ugly Women. It was bizarre but so incredibly wonderful at the same time. We spent the next few hours (what a long parade!) watching and interacting with the dancers. It was a great time. We waited for an hour to catch the train back to Barcelona and by this time is was already 4:30am. We all decided that we might as well just stay up, check out of the hostel at 5:30am, and head to the airport...so we did.

We arrived at the airport completely exhausted and in our crazy outfits. We looked ridiculous. A short ride later and it was layover time in Madrid. After we got our passports stamped (YES!) we took yet another flight to Dublin.

CITY #2 - DUBLIN, IRELAND - March 7-9, 2011.

(MONDAY) So we arrived in Dublin in the afternoon and checked in the Four Courts Hostel, which was located right in the center of Dublin. The staff were so incredibly nice and I would love to go back again. We stayed in a 24-person bedroom, but there were only 10 people in our room (which six were the roomies). As expected, we were starving and we walked over to the Porterhouse for a real Irish dinner.

The Porterhouse was amazing. I got Beef & Ale pot pie with mash...DELICIOUS. We also got some buffalo wings. It was a fantastic dinner. We noticed a guy eating alone and so we ushered him over and he talked with us for a bit.

(TUESDAY) Up bright and early (for us anyways..), we had breakfast at The Queen of Tarts. Of course, the place is known for scones -which I tried and I really want to like but don't - so instead I settled for a breakfast of scrambled eggs and lox. It was delicious. Afterwards, we all walked forever until we reached a different town entirely (it was by accident, kind of) and reached Dublin's prison, Kilmainham Gao. We took a tour of the prison and learned that there's the Old Wing and the New Wing. It was all extremely interesting and creepy in a way. I enjoyed it.

Afterwards, it was time for some Guinness!! We did a self-guided tour through the Guinness Factory, which is incredibly huge! The entire factory is centered around a seven-story glass pint. Crazy! We tasted hops and barley and we even quizzed ourselves. Ari and I could use a little help when it comes to Guinness knowledge. Eventually, the tour ends at the very top of the pint (or the top floor) where you're treated to a complimentary pint of Guinness. You have a 360-degree view of Dublin. Just the view from the top is worth the entrance fee. I had my very first Guinness up there and it wasn't too shabby. It's extremely dark and it's something I could possibly drink every once in a while.

On our walk back, we all were discussing where to grab a quick lunch. A woman on the streets overheard us and cut into our conversation - politely of course - and offered a suggestion for a cafe coming up. It's exactly that reason that I loved Dublin. The city itself is actually grungy and beat, sort of run-down, but the people who live there completely make it worthwhile. The Irish are possibly the nicest, most genuinely friendly people to ever meet. I love it.

After lunch, we split up to do our own things. Rachael, Ari, and I decided to skip the Jameson Whiskey Factory since we don't like whiskey what-so-ever and instead check out the shopping streets. We walked down Henry Street, which is the main street. They had a Forever 21, Top Shop, and a Penney's. How do I describe Penney's? How about the greatest store ever? Where I spent the majority of my money? Where I bought things I didn't need? Yes. All of the above, but I don't regret it! The store is similar to an H&M or Forever 21 but ten times cheaper. Yes...cheaper! It was a great find.

Afterwards, the three of us wandered to the end of Henry Street and found O'Connell Street, which is a main drag in Dublin. Eventually, we all met up and went to dinner at Brazenhead Pub, a block over from our hostel. We got soda bread, spicy "chips", Irish stew (yum!), and of course a Bulmer's cider. I LOVE BULMER'S! After the delicious dinner, we went to Temple Bar area to check out, well, The Temple Bar. As soon as we walked in I knew I loved it. The place was very low-key and a fantastic Irish duo was playing some Mumford and Sons. I was in heaven. There were a few people just dancing on their own and many more just enjoying the scene. With my Bulmer's in hand, so was I. When the bar finally closed, we wandered along the streets and saw some make-shift bands playing in the streets, drawing a crowd and some dancing. Oh how I love Dublin.

(WEDNESDAY) Happy Ash Wednesday! Up early again, Rachael, Ari and I walked over to breakfast at Bewley's, located on Grafton Street. I feasted to an Irish breakfast, which consisted of: potato farl, grilled bacon, sausage, tomato, pudding, mushroom, poached egg, famous home-made relish and toast, plus coffee. SO GOOD. I LOVE FOOD! Afterwards, we walked down Grafton Street towards St. Stephen's Green, which was beautiful. Rachael and I found our claddaugh rings - finally! I love mine.

Next, we walked back up Grafton to Trinity College and hung out with the college kids for awhile. It's a beautiful college. Then, over to St. Patrick's Cathedral. The Cathedral and the park are incredibly beautiful. We walked inside and throughout the cathedral and goofed around a bit (cough cough Ari). Next, we found the Dublin Castle but it didn't even resemble a castle so we didn't think it was worthy to spend money on - and we were right. So instead of touring it, we did a little bit more shopping and ended our busy Dublin tour at the best fish&chips in town - Leo Burddock's. It's a hole-in-the-wall kind of place with crazy Irish people working in there but nonetheless, a great experience. We each got our own fish&chips and let me tell you...they weighed as much as a small infant! There was so much food, but it was so so good!

We met up with the other three roomies, who also got their own fish&chips, and checked out of our wonderful hostel. We rushed to the airport and unfortunately got stuck in the most traffic imaginable (thanks to a Justin Bieber concert, ugh). We made it, got through security, and boarded the plane. Well, some of us. Unfortunately, Allie booked the wrong flight somehow and they wouldn't let her board, even though there were plenty of empty seats. So, Ari, Rachael, and I got on our place and Allie, Emily, and Jess enjoyed another night in Dublin.

CITY #3 - EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND - March 9-11, 2011.

(WEDNESDAY) We arrived in Edinburgh at night, although we were missing three of our roomies. We caught the bus into the city, found our hostel - High Street Hostel - and found some food to munch on. It was a rainy night, but already I could tell I loved this quaint town.

(THURSDAY) The three of us woke up early with a full itinerary for the day. Just as we were leaving, Allie, Emily, and Jess arrived from Dublin and they went straight to bed to catch up on sleep. So we headed out to breakfast at Spoon, this cute restaurant down the street. We each got a breakfast sandwich which surprisingly filled us up. Afterwards, while the weather was still cooperating, we visited the Edinburgh Castle.

We walked down the Royal Mile towards the Castle, marveling at the gorgeous Gothic buildings that lined the main road. Of course, as soon as we entered the castle grounds, it started raining. Shortly after, it stopped. There was a rainbow glistening in the sky, which was a magnificent sight to see over the entire city of Edinburgh. The view from the top of the castle was stunning. We could see as far as city's edge and the waters in the distance. Beauty! We wandered through the various museums of the castle, especially the War Memorial and Honors & Crown Jewels. Edinburgh's Honors & Jewels consist of the crown, the scepter, and the sword. While we browsed the gift shop, the sky outside blackened and almost instantly it started hailing. The weather in Scotland is wild! I couldn't believe it. By the time we left the shop, it was sunny outside again. Crazy.

On our way back, we found a ticket office called The Hub, which reminded me of Penn State (ah, I miss the HUB!). It started drizzling - of course - and thankfully we took shelter in St. Giles Cathedral. There was a fantastic organ inside of the church. We took a tour around and then, when it stopped raining, made our way towards New Town. In Edinburgh, the city is split in half - New Town, which is full of shops, and then Old Town, which is where our hostel was (and in my opinion, the more beautiful side).

We stopped in the Mound Museum because we saw it was free and it didn't take us long to realize why. It was the Royal Bank of Scotland's museum. It was all about money, which doesn't really interest me because, well, it's not really interesting. The three of us were easily bored.

The sun was still shining so we made our escape to the Scott Monument. My love! It is this fantastic monument right on the edge between Old and New Town. It's dark and Gothic and wonderful. Afterwards, we decided to have lunch at perhaps one of the greatest eateries in town - The Baked Potato. That's right, my favorite food, in a restaurant. I'm bringing this idea home. The Baked Potato is the greatest place in the world and my baked potato was no exception. There were too many options on the menu so I settled on the classic: potato, cheddar, and sour cream. To my surprise, it was a 1-to-1-to-1 ratio of these ingredients. Heavenly! Some noms later and I was stuffed to the brim.

To work off our lunch, Rachael, Ari and I continued our walk down the Royal Mile. We stopped in the Children's Museum, which is a nostalgic, but somewhat creepy, museum of childhood toys. There were four floors, each with a different theme. Afterwards, we continued down until we reached the Palace at Holyrood. We took an tour through the Palace. It was beautiful inside and listening to the guides definitely helped peak our interests. The Palace is actually still used by the Queen of England for important events, especially during the summer months.

After our fantastic tour, we walked across from the Palace to the Scottish Parliament. We found out it was free to go inside so of course we did! We took a quick look around the education stations and tried to wander further, until a security guard stopped us. He asked if we had tickets for the debate. We said no and he told us they were free. S owe got our tickets and headed up the stairs to sit in on a debate in the Scottish Parliament. It was actually really cool to see the inside of the debate room. My amazement quickly diminished, as I have absolutely no interest in legal affairs. For Rachael's sake, we sat for a few more minutes until we called it a successful day.

The last stop for our busy Thursday? The Elephant House. This small cafe located on George IV Bridge Street is where it's rumored that J.K. Rowling wrote the first few Harry Potters. Apparently, Hogwarts was created from looking at the Edinburgh Castle. Very interesting. Regardless of the validity of the rumor, the three of us warmed up to some Scottish tea. It was nice to just sit and breathe for once during Spring Break.

Afterwards, we went back to the hostel to freshen up. For dinner, we decided to try out a popular Indian restaurant near our hostel. For some reason, the UK is notorious for fabulous Indian cuisine. Anyways, I'd never had Indian before so I was hesitant because I had heard you either love it or hate it. Well, I loved it. We ate at Mother India and our waiter was fantastic. I asked him for the best thing on the menu and he told me a spicy chicken dish. Rachael, Ari, and I shared a few appetizers and naan and then split four dishes. So delicious. I can't wait to make this a habit once we're all back at Penn State. Hello India Pavilion! Anyways, dinner was a huge success and I couldn't have been happier with our day in the 'Burgh.

(FRIDAY) Rachael left us early in the morning to get back to Florence, so it was Ari and me all day. We slept in, which was nice, and then headed out of hte hostel with absolutely no destination in mind. It was stress-free and a nice change of pace from previous days. We walked into New Town and found a recommended cafe for breakfast, Glass & Thompson. I had a ginger cake with rum icing - scrumptious! After an hour-long breakfast, we walked around the neighborhoods in New Town until it starts to rain (what else is new!?). So we rushed into a department store, which actually was a terrific coincidence. The huge department store actually resembles Saks Fifth Avenue. We ventured through the floors, browsed the ritzy clothes, and went up to the top floor - the food floor. There were conveyor belts with chocolates, sushi, and other noms. However, the best find was my toffee waffles! I had them for the first time in Amsterdam and I finally found them again! They were only 1 pound each, so of course I got two.

The sun was finally back out so Ari and I wandered back to the hostel, checked out, and grabbed a quick lunch at The Larder. Don't be alarmed! We didn't eat lard. I got vegetable soup and Ari got scones with clotted cream. We found out that clotted cream is the "in-between" stage, between cream and butter. They stop the process halfway through to produce the smooth, cool clotted cream. It's delicious!

After lunch, we got to the airport and met up with Allie, Emily, and Jess. We waited around for our next flight and bam! We were off to our final destination!

CITY #4 - CHARLEROI/BRUSSELS/HASSELT, BELGIUM - March 11-13, 2011.

(FRIDAY) Our fifth flight of Spring Break and we landed successfully in Charleroi, Belgium. A shuttle ride later and we were inside the gates of our airport hotel. Since we only booked the hotel for three people and we were five, Ari and I were lucky enough to wait outside to get sneaked in. A half hour later and some mild heart attacks, we were all successful inside our tiny room. Too lazy and scared to all go out, Emily, Jack, and Jess spent over 30 Euros on MickeyDs and brought us all home dinner. Sick from junk, we all passed out.

(SATURDAY) Jess, Emily, and Allie were exhausted from their escapades and planned to sleep the day away. Ari and I decided we wanted to see Brussels, so we got ready, packed up, and headed to the airport to catch the shuttle bus to the city. Of course, since Sensation White was that night and we wouldn't be returning to the hotel, we had to wear our white outfits out. We honestly looked like the biggest goons, in our white shorts and matching white sneaks.

We got to Brussels Midi station and felt like we were in the ghetto of Brussels. I ran into my friend Greg from Interlaken (small world!) and we caught up a bit. We got to Brussels Centraal station and off we were, without a map or any plans. It was kind of overwhemling to me, especially being such a Type A person. We decided where to go, initially, but looking into the sky and if we saw a tall building, we'd walk towards it. It worked at first. Then we found a postcard stand and looked on the cards to see what important landmarks Brussels had to offer us. We walked towards the center of Brussels, where we discovered this maginifcent courtyard area with gorgeous Gothic buildings. It was here that I ran into my friend Cameron from Penn State. Brussels, you're great!

After a quick catch-up session, Ari and I wandered to get some food. We settled on a sandwich shop. We ordered fried sausage sandwiches and split an order of Belgian fries, aka fries with mayo, ketchup, and onions. So bad, but so good!

We walked the streets until we found Mannequin Pis, the Little Pee Man. He's so much smaller in person that I'd imagined from the postcard! We walked into a couple more churches, witness some great street musicians, and of course ate chocolate. The best chocolate experience was in our last chocolate shop. We walked in and the woman asked what type of chocolate we were looking for. We had nothing particular in mind so she asked us what type of chocolate we liked and then proceeded to give us free sample tastings. So fabulous! Of course, then I bought a bunch of chocolates.

Happy in our chocolate comas, we caught the train from Brussels to Hasselt, Belgium for the huge phenomenon known as Sensation White. Sensation is the huge rave, where over 40,000 people dress in white and celebrate life. We got the Hasselt around 8pm, got ready in the bathroom, and then waited three hours for the rest of our roommates to meet us.

The group of us took a taxi to the arena and could easily hear the techno music blasting through the walls. Ari and I got our locker and entered possibly the most crazy concert of my life. The sea of people dressed in white wearing orange and green neon gloves loving the music was such a sight! Extremely excited, we pushed our way to the center of the arena and just loved the DJs. The best songs, the craziest dance moves...we had a fantastic time. We even dance battled a few strangers. One proceeded to sneak behind me and pick me up on his shoulders. At first, I thought I was going to get taken away but then I realized he just wanted me to enjoy the music more and so I danced up high! All-in-all, a successful Sensation. I couldn't have asked for a better experience. Thanks Ari!

We met up with the other around 4:30am and decided it best to leave for the train. We were waiting for the 6am train to arrive and I ran into yet again some more PSU people. I love it. Almost 6am and we noticed crowds of ravers rushing towards another track. Wow, awesome. The train station displayed the wrong track number for our train to Brussels. So we ran for our lives towards the real track and just barely squished into the train. We literally were sardines packed onto the train. For over an hour, no one could move, sit, or breathe. It was extremely uncomfortable but at least we made the train.

However, we missed our connecting train once we got to the Brussels station. We were stranded, with no way to get back to Charleroi (and the airport) except to take taxis. So taxis it was! Allie, Ari, and I were in a taxi and as soon as we started the ride, I knew it was going to take a pretty penny to get to the airport. A 200-Euro taxi ride later, we finally arrived at our hotel, grabbed our bags, and sped off to the airport. Wow, I honestly can't believe we made it! Although the price of the ride sucked, it was better to have at least made our flight home. So through security in our ridiculous white outfits (which the airport staff commented on) and an hour of waiting, we finally were on our sixth and final flight home to my beloved Florence.

We landed in Pisa, waited a half hour for the train, and an hour later were back home. Exhausted and starving from over twenty-four hours without food or sleep, somehow I managed to take an eight hour nap.

-END-

So wow, that was my break. It was: insanity, drama, wonderful, gorgeous, memorable, forgettable, delicious, cold, hot, love, hate...AN EXPERIENCE. That's the best way to sum it up. I loved everything that happened, for better or for worse, and I don't think I could have asked for a better trip. Or could I?

My favorite surprise of the trip was Edinburgh. I loved that town.

To sum up each city:

-Barcelona: beautiful, but crazy

-Dublin: the friendliest but ugliest city of break

-Edinburgh: quaint, gorgeous, & see-able in 1 day

-Charleroi: only known for the airport

-Brussels: a confusing, but charming & fantastic chocolate town

-Hasselt: insanity

...and there you have it. Possibly the longest blog I'll ever write, but there you have it. My spring break in a nutshell. Yes, this is the shortened version!

BREAK, SPRING - CRAZINESS!

I need to update this, but I can't find the time. SB: You won. The End.

YOLO: Interlaken

Ciao!

So I'm terribly behind and exhausted, but I'll update this specifically for my fabulous trip to Interlaken, Switzerland from February 24-27th.

So I left for Interlaken at 11:30 pm to meet up with everyone from Bus2Alps. Seeing that I knew no one going on the trip, I packed my bags and crossed my fingers that I'd make some friends. Turns out, a lot of people were going solo and it was an easy task. We boarded the bus to find that the majority of people on it were already completely smashed. The Rome kids, they're wild. So 7.5 hours later and some stiff joints, we arrived in Switzerland. Even though it was dawn, I could see the mountains and knew I made the right decision by coming.

We checked into Balmer's (our hostel) and got to our rooms. I met the 7 other girls in my room - all from Florence - and we grabbed a quick breakfast of bread and butter. Then I went out the door with Brit and Matt for our morning paraglide through Interlaken. On the ride up the mountain we drew names for our pilots: I got Thomas! He was young, funny, and made the glide interesting. We hiked up a little further into the side of the mountain and they laid out the equipment. They briefly explained what to do to take off (you run down the mountain until the wind catches you) and then they said "GO!" I honestly thought I'd be "that person" that fell trying to run but I succeeded! The entire paraglide lasted about 20 minutes and honestly, it was so incredible. I didn't think it was scary, seeing as you're sitting in a seat just coasting through the mountains. It was a pleasant ride and towards the end, Tom decided it'd be fun to do some tricks. Finally on ground again and I was sad it ended. Paragliding was beautiful!

Afterwards, the three of us headed back to the hostel to hang out before our second stunt of the day: Canyon Jumping. A lot of people had done it and raved about it, so I'd figure I'd test it out because skydiving is way too expensive (I plan on doing it this summer anyways). I met up with Matt, Mike, and Emma from Sevilla and they were fantastic! Around 1pm we boarded the bus with about 10 other brave people and drove to our jumping destination. Simply the drive through Switzerland is breathtaking. The mountains are so huge and perfect, I could honestly live here (and I don't even like the cold or snow). Anyways, we arrived and got all geared up in our harnesses. Then we took a 15 minute hike up the mountain to the jumping platform. The guys running the session were really chill - maybe even too chill - but we signed our souls and picked numbers to jump. I picked #6, right in the middle of the group, so I could see people jump first and then also have people to cheer me on. The first girl hesitated for about ten minutes and then finally faced her fears and jumped. Wow! I thought she slipped of the platform and would have hit her head on the canyon walls but she survived! The next few people went and finally it was my turn. I wasn't scared until I stepped out onto the platform and Izzy (Iggy?) let the rope drop. I actually felt the weight of it hanging in the canyon and realized that my entire life relied on this rope holding up. Incredibly frightening. So I had planned out all of these cool ways to jump off the platform, but when the entire group was shouting "5...4...3..." I just started running and jumped out as far as possible, completely forgetting to look at the camera lady.

Wow. I can't describe the feeling after I jumped except panic, freedom, and terror. I literally couldn't even scream because I was too terrified until finally (after what seemed like hours but was really 8 seconds) the rope caught and I swung through the canyon. THE GREATEST FEELING OF MY LIFE. The entire experience of canyon jumping was probably the scariest/most liberating/wreckless/incredible thing I've ever done. You can only jump three places in the world, Switzerland being one of them. The hardest part? Actually getting the courage to hurl yourself off of the platform, because they're no one forcing you off, like in skydiving. Absolutely incredible.

So after that adrenaline rush, I had absolutely no other plans for the rest of the weekend - and it was only Friday! We got back early enough to make the Chocolate Show in town. The show was fantastic, especially for the price. We learned about the various types of chocolate, how it's harvested, and how to make certain yummies. The best part? SAMPLES. There were so many samples and I stuffed myself silly. My favorite was definitely the beer chocolate. Afterwards, although stuffed, we headed to dinner at the best Thai restaurant in town, conveniently located next to our hostel. I found my drunken noodles on the menu! Sorry Cozy Thai, but you lost this one. My dinner was fantastic and I even had some leftover to bring back. Afterwards, we hung out in the basement Metro Bar and then passed out after an exhausting - perhaps one of the best days ever - and slept.

SATURDAY! I got to sleep in a little, which was nice for a change, and headed to breakfast with Matt. Afterwards, Matt, Brit and I stocked up on lunch - apples & oranges - for our hike through the Swiss Alps. Since I clearly have no athletic abilities, that cancelled out trying snowboarding or skiing, so instead we settled for hiking. Good choice. It was a beautiful, sunny day out and we took the train to the next town over, where we found these incredible cliffs. We didn't have a map, really, so we picked a direction and just walked.

Eventually, we saw paragliders and remember that this was the right direction so we continued past a waterfall and found a cable car up the mountains. We took up to Murren so we could continue our hike. We stopped for lunch the side of the mountain and our view was absolutely surreal. I couldn't believe where I was or what I was looking at. Just endless mountains, right in front of us. I couldn't have been happier.

After lunch, we hiked some more and eventually decided to turn around (since we had to make it home for dinner). It was the greatest hike I'd ever been on. We walked for forever through the canyon, past small farms and barns and streams that have the clearest water I've ever seen. On the train ride back to Interlaken, there was a family sitting across the aisle with a baby. We made faces at the baby to make it laugh and the family noticed. The woman handed her baby to Brit across the aisle and we played with it for a couple minutes until it sank in: THE WOMAN JUST GAVE US HER BABY. Who does that!? It was the funniest but most bizarre thing ever. So we gave the baby back. "I went to Interlaken and all I got was this baby" seemed to be our slogan for the day.

We got back from our hike and for dinner, we decided what else but Swiss fondue! There were 6 of us that went to dinner and we got this enormous pot of Swiss cheese and plenty of bread. We ate and ate and ate...then felt sick. Definitely worth it.

We headed back to the hostel and got ready for a fantastic night. We hung out in the rooms, played some games (until we were too loud and got asked twice to go to the bar) and then just danced in the club. I tasted my first Bulmer's, this wonderful cider. It's my new favorite drink. The club was fun. Phoebe and I played some Truth or Dare (but most Dare) and made some new friends, aka Glasses Kid and Hat Kid. It was a very very fun night, to say the least.

SUNDAY: After breakfast, our group walked to one of the lakes. After all, Interlaken does mean "between lakes." It was drizzling, but still a beautiful day. I'm almost positive despite the weather, it's always amazing in this place.

We found our way to the lake and it was beautiful. The water was stunningly blue. The mountains in the back made for the best postcard money could buy.

After a quick "this is for mom" for photoshoot, we stopped for some souvenirs. Taking the long way back to the hostel, we passed the goats of Interlaken. They were somewhat entertaining.

Afterwards, one last stop at the bagel shop across from our hostel. The woman is from New York but married a Swiss man and now runs a shop in Interlaken. Honestly, she has it made. We boarded the bus - I got a great seat this time - and we drove the 7.5 hours back to Florence.

I am going to live in Interlaken as some point. It is the perfect place, just absolutely incredible. It's definitely been my favorite trip thus far. I made new friends, did some crazy things, and just was able to do what I wanted. It doesn't seem to happen that often. I loved it.

LATER THAT WEEK: So the week of February 28 - March 3 was our Midterms Week. Unfortunately, I went to Interlaken the weekend before and didn't get anything done. I came back from the trip and crammed for midterms for Monday. Then I crammed for midterms on Tuesday. I think from exhaustion and germs and these apartments, I got sick and was miserable for the rest of midterms and the week. We'll see once I get the grades back...eh. I got some antibiotics from the doctor and paid a pretty penny for two prescriptions. Then, spring break happened (*See next entry*).

That's is for now!