So two weeks ago was my spring break, and my friends and I were traveling to a few different parts of Spain. The main place that we were going was the Canary Islands, to the island of Tenerife South. We were there for 5 days and there was a group of about 40 of us from Florence all staying at the same all inclusive hotel. But first things first. My first stop was Barcelona. Heather and I went to stay with our friend Whitney in Barcelona and Rebecca ended up loving it so much the weekend before that she came back, so we got to see her again. We got to Barcelona early on Friday and met a bunch of the girls from Florence and their friends who were studying in Barcelona and Rebecca at CDLC for lunch. CDLC is on the beach and a really nice and extremely interestingly decorated restaurant. The weather was great all weekend in Barcelona, sunny and in the 70's. We sat outside and enjoyed great meals. After lunch we walked down the beach and then to Las Ramblas, which is a big street with a bunch of stores and restaurants and a market. We went to the market where they have tons of fresh fruit, candy, nuts, etc. Yet another city I was able to get my candy fix in. Afterwards Heather and I went back to Whitney's apartment and took what ended up being a 4 hour nap, typical of Barcelona. We went to a club called Shoko on the beach that night. It was a lot of fun and the club was really cool. There was an outside area and you could just walk out and be on the beach if you wanted. Saturday we woke up and met a bunch of the girls at La Sagrada Familia, a church that Guadi designed that is still being built. It was one of the most beautiful and interesting churches I have ever seen. Guadi has a lot of architecture around Barcelona and his work is very unique. After we saw the church we went back to the beach and ate at Opium which is next to CDLC. We had another amazing lunch overlooking the beach. Rebecca and I split a lobster dish which was amazing and we had sangria. It was the perfect lunch and so relaxing to just enjoy our lunch in the sunlight on the beach. After lunch we walked to a park near the beach and some people rented a paddle boat and we just sat out at the park and soaked up the sun. Our weekend in Barcelona consisted of a lot of naps. We went back to Whitney's and napped again and then we went to Wok to Walk for dinner. They had a bunch of these in Amsterdam and we were obsessed so we were excited to hear that they had them in Barcelona. Saturday night we ended up being too exhausted to go out so we caught up on sleep and woke up early Sunday to do some sight seeing. As most of you know, I pretty much hate all museums, and the sightseeing in Barcelona did not involve any museums so I was a big fan of that. Pretty much everything we saw was either a park or a cool building with a great view of the city. We went to Park Guell first which had a ton of buildings and other architecture by Guadi. This is a place that everyone who visits Barcelona takes a ton of pictures of. There is a nice view of the city and the architecture is so interesting. Our next stop was lunch at Bo De Be. This is "the place" to go in Barcelona. Usually there is a really long line so we got there way before it opened and waited. Bo De Be makes these really fresh sandwiches with vegetables, meat, cheese, and sauces. Ours were warm because we were the first people to get sandwiches that day, and they were amazing. Of course we saw 15 people we knew there. Since many of the people we know all got the same abroad guides for all of the cities, we always end up running into people we know no matter what city we are in. After lunch we went back to Whitney's apartment and changed into bathing suits and went to the beach. On the beach we got massages by an Asian lady (it sounds weird but it was cheap and not really that sketchy). We walked around another area of Barcelona and went to Happy Pills, a candy store that basically comes in a pill bottle and you pick a sticker to put on it. I don't think I've ever eat as much candy in my life as I have been this semester. Hopefully I don't get my first cavity! We had tapas for dinner that night. Basically we just got a bunch of little plates of different foods. It's a cool concept because you get to try a lot of things, but you end up eating just as much as you would if you ordered one big plate. By the time we got back Sunday it was late and we had to be up early for our flight to Tenerife. There was a group of 8 of us flying there together and when we all got to the hotel most of the other people were already there. We soon noticed that the average age at the hotel was about 70. We were definitely out of place but it was good that there were a lot of us. We spent most of the days just laying at the pool and drinking. At night we would sit at the lobby bar where old couples would be dancing to jazz music. Not exactly our scene but we made the best of it. On Wednesday someone we were with organized a booze cruise, so about 60 of us went on a catamaran that anchored in the middle of the ocean (or sea, not really sure?) near a remote island and we got to jump into the water. There was music playing and drinks and the weather was beautiful so it was a really fun day. The weather in Tenerife was amazing the entire time, no wind and extremely hot but not humid. It helped to make me look a little less ghostly. It was a fun week but I was ready to see Sevilla by the time I had to leave. I got to Sevilla on Friday morning with 4 of my friends from Florence and we were all staying with our friend Dori. The weather in Seville on Friday was in the high 80's and sunny so we spent the entire day outside. We went to Plaza de Espana and the park nearby and rented a 6 person bike. We rode around the park for half an hour and sight saw. It was a really beautiful park and such a fun thing to do. We also walked around the town and Dori showed us a bunch of the sights. We went to something called the mushrooms which is these mushroom looking tall figures that you take an elevator up to and you have a great view of all of Sevilla. We wandered around a little, and of course got some more candy and then headed back to Dori's apartment. For dinner she took us to her favorite restaurant which has tapas. We let her do the ordering for us and we got a bunch of dishes I ordinarily would not have ordered but the food was really good. On Saturday we slept late for what was probably my first time in the last couple of weeks. We went to another tapas restaurant for lunch but it had more of American food. They had the best popcorn chicken I've ever had! We had to catch a flight that night so we headed to the airport not long after lunch.
I was going to Rome to meet my mom, dad, and brother. They got into Rome in the early afternoon, and by the time I got there it was 11 P.M. and they were all exhausted from the jet lag. When I got to the hotel they were all half asleep but of course excited to see me. It was weird not seeing them for over 2 months, which is probably the longest we've ever gone. I made them walk around with me and get me some dinner since I hadn't eaten yet. Our hotel was a block from the Trevi Fountain so we wandered over there and it was so pretty at night. I had obviously planned out all of our meals in both Rome and Florence, because there are some places you cannot miss, so we had a strict schedule to follow. I made my family wake up at 9 A.M. on Sunday, which anyone who knows my family, especially my mom, knows that is very unusual for us. It turns out what I thought was 9 was actually 8 because of the time change, so we were up extra early. We walked around Rome and saw an old synagogue. It was beautiful, and looked very different from any I had seen before. It resembled a church more than the temples I am used to seeing. For lunch we went to Tony's, which is the place that everyone raves about in Rome. They have chicken parmesan which is not common in Italy, so I could not wait. Mitchell and I split that and penne alla vodka and it was truly some of the best food I've ever had. After lunch we had a tour of the colosseum and ancient Rome. Not only was this tour 4 hours long, but it was in both English and Spanish, and it started to rain on us. Needless to say I did not enjoy it too much. I didn't really catch anything that the tour guide says, which is unfortunate, but the colosseum was still cool to look at. That night we went to a restaurant called Carlo Menta for dinner that was recommended by two people to me. It was not touristy at all, in fact most of the people there were Italian. The food was outstanding, and extremely cheap. It was a great find. We of course got gelato after dinner and walked around some more before going back to the hotel. On Monday we started our day by going to the Spanish Steps and then we just found a random restaurant for lunch. After lunch we finally had time to do my favorite activity, SHOP! This meant that my dad and brother separated from my mom and I and we did our own thing for the remainder of the day. Rome had some great shopping! We took a 7 P.M. train back to Florence. The hotel that my family stayed at was around the corner from my apartment so it was very convenient. That night we went to Acqua al 2 for dinner and took out some of my friends. It was a lot of fun and everyone loved the food. After dinner my friends and I took Mitchell out to show him what Florence is like at night. On Tuesday after my first class I met my family at their apartment and we went to Antico Noe for a snack before lunch (it was the only way to get in all the meals I wanted them to have). We ate our sandwiches on the way to see The David. Not being a big fan of museums, I didn't find this to be anything special. The David looks exactly like the fake David, but hey, maybe I should learn to appreciate art a little more. We had the rest of the day to walk around and shop after that so we stopped by Massimo, and I got another leather jacket, which I'm obsessed with. We walked around the leather market and then headed to the Arno River. We went to Gusta Pizza for lunch, the best pizza in Florence, and then walked around the Ponte Vecchio and Piazza Signoria. There is a carousel in Piazza Republica that I have always wanted to go on, so Mitchell and I decided to ride on it. Yes, we looked like 2 year olds, but it was fun. That night we went to Il Profeta for dinner. This place was unbelievable. John Travlota eats here when he's in Florence, and it's in Betches Love This so you know it has to be good. It is an authentic traditional Italian restaurant and the owners really take care of you. We ordered far too much food like usual, but we had to try as much as possible. The waiter let us try the John Travolta pasta because we asked about it, and it was one of the best things I've ever tasted. We got a pasta with truffle sauce in a baked cheese bowl, gnocchi with vodka sauce, eggplant parmesean, and more. It was quite difficult to breathe after dinner, so we took a walk down the river before we headed back for the night. Wednesday I had class in the morning and my family went to The Uffizi. Afterwards I met them for a quick lunch at a random place that I found. It ended up being really good and a very traditional Tuscan restaurant. I will definitely be going back there. My family took a tour of Florence while I went to class and then I met my dad and brother and we climbed to the top of the Duomo. It was MUCH more crowded than the last time I did it, but we made it to the top and the views are unbeatable. We met someone who went to U of I who was living in Ghana, and when I asked him, "is that in Italy" it set me up for being made fun of for the rest of the trip by my brother. Let it be know though that he thought Astor was a city, not a coffee shop. So we're pretty even here. That night we ate at La Giostra, arguably one of the best restaurants in Florence. It is owned by a prince and the food is to die for. They are known for their pear ravioli, so we all shared that and then got our own courses. Everyone loved their meals. Thursday morning we were off to the Italian Riviera. We rented a car, and being that this is Italy, it was a stick-shift. My dad hadn't driven one for many years so in the beginning I feared for my life, but then it ended up being fine. On the way we stopped in Pisa and Cinque Terra. In Pisa we basically saw the Leaning Tower of Pisa and left. On our way we pulled a typical Lev and stopped at McDonald's since we wouldn't be eating lunch for a while. Let me tell you, the McDonald's in Pisa was pretty good. Mitchell really enjoyed his chicken wings (ew). We parked at the first town in Cinque Terra and walked towards the water. The sights that I saw here was among some of the most beautiful I have EVER seen. We walked on the rocks near the water and just soaked up the views and then we walked to the second town. Here we ate lunch overlooking the water. We got lobster and other seafood. It was a fight to the death to eat that lobster, but it was amazing. We took a train from the second to the third town, and had to climb almost 400 steps to get to the town, and then climb down some more steps to get near the water. It was quite the workout, but worth it for the views. The last two towns were badly damaged in a flood earlier this year so we didn't make it there. The first town was definitely my favorite because I thought it was the pretty. We were all amazed with how beautiful Cinque Terra was. When we were done there, after all of the hiking up and down, we headed to Rapallo, where we were staying in the Italian Riviera. Our hotel was gorgeous and overlooked the water and the mountains. They had an infinity pool that went into the sea. Our rooms had a balcony that overlooked the most amazing view. It was a great place to stay for a few days, and I'd love to go back in the summer time. That first night we walked to the main town area and ate at a recommended area. It was a cute little town with good food. On Friday we woke up and headed to Portofino, another town on the Italian Riviera. This is a place that many celebrities live and vacation at during the summer. It was absolutely magnificent. Between the buildings, the water, the cliffs, and the views, I could have spent the rest of my life there. We hiked to a light house where we got a higher view of the town and the water. We ate overlooking the water again and just walked around for a couple of hours. On our way back to Rapallo we stopped in Santa Margherita which is betwen Rapallo and Portofino. It was yet again another beautiful town on the water. When we got back to the hotel my mom, brother, and I all had spa treatments scheduled. I got an hour and a half massage with a sea scrub called a sea holistic treatment. They put sea scrub on me, lotion, and hot rocks, and I got a full body massage. I fell asleep multiple times, so as far as I know she could have left the room after half an hour. But seriously, it was the most relaxing thing I have ever done. That night we went back into the town of Rapallo for dinner and had probably the biggest pizzas I've ever seen in my life. Saturday morning we woke up and headed back to Florence. On the way we stopped in Lucca, which looked sort of like a smaller Florence. It was a cute town with a small market and some good shops and restaurants. When we got back to Florence we sat out at the Piazza Republica for a drink. The next thing we know an ambulance is pulling up to our restaurant. Apparently someone sitting a few tables away from us passed out, and we hadn't even noticed. It was quite the scene, but luckily the guy seemed to be okay. That night we went to Il Latini for dinner. When we got there for our 7:30 reservation there was a large crowd of people waiting outside. I guess the restaurant has two sittings and that was the first one so they just start seating all of the reservations at one time. There was no menu here so the waiter told us a few dishes for each course and you can get as many of them as you want for the table. There was a lot of food and a lot of wine. It was not my favorite restaurant, but I'm glad I tried it. We had so much wine at every meal that it seemed normal. I started liking red wine from my wine tasting class, and since my dad likes it too that's what we drank all week. I have definitely acquired a taste for reds now, and my liking of white wine has decreased. It's going to be weird to go home and for it to still be legal for me to drink. Being 21 has not sunk in yet. Anyways, now that I went off on a tangent, after dinner I went back to my family's hotel because they were leaving early Sunday morning. I woke up early to say bye to them on Sunday. It was great to have them here in Florence and show them everything I do here. I love vacationing with them and being in the Italian Riviera was a lot of fun. I got to see a lot of cities with them and it was good to have them here. Now in less than 6 weeks I am going to be home. That is weird. So as you can see it's been a busy couple of week and I have barely had anytime to relax. And the next two weeks are filled with visitors so it looks like I won't be relaxing until I get home in May, but I can't complain. I'm having the time of my life and I still have many trips ahead. Budapest, Prague, Munich, Amalfi Coast, and possibly Lake Como. Now that I've wasted over an hour of time I could have been doing homework writing this blog post, I'm going to go. Ciao!
