procrastinating

procrastinating from writing a 10-page paper and studying for my finals. good.

yesterday was the last day of classes. i had my italian final, which was really easy. i actually learned stuff in that class this semester. i will teach everyone a little somethingsomething when i get home. after classes i went back to my apartment to take a nap. my roommates and i then headed back to school to see the student art exhibition. both steph and i had photos in the exhibit. it was a fun time. a lot of students were there, and it made me a little sad to think that this is the end!

after we were there for a while and saw all the different kind of art displayed (which was done by tyler art school- one of the best in the country- students), we went to dinner at a place called calcio e pepi. steph had gone with her family after a girl from our italian class had recommended it. it is a small neighborhood true italian restaurant a little walk from school towards the residence. i got pasta with cheese and pepper and then we got some fruit salad. it was really good food, and the weather was nice enough to eat outside. so we ate in this cute little neighborhood outside in the nice weather! ahhh i really like it here.

after dinner we headed in search of a 24-hour bakery we had been hearing about. it was just a short walk from the restaurant and even closer to the residence. we knew we had turned down the right street when we began smelling the sweeeeet aroma of fresh pastries. the shop is downstairs, and completely full of goodies. i got a chocolate chip and cream concoction and a cornetto con crema for breakfast (that, obviously, did not last until morning!). we sat on the curb outside the bakery enjoying our sweets and just talking. it was a good time. 

i am making dinner tonight for everyone, so that should be interesting. thennnn at some point in my life, i will get started on all the many things i have been putting off. 

only TWO WEEKS left

that is so sad. i hate to think that i have to leave so soon. i will never get to live in this apartment again with the same people...it's weird to think about. i have had a really great time in rome. i wouldn't mind the classes ending (because they are getting harder as finals approach), but even they were awesome. my roommates, julie and i made a list of the things we have to do before we leave, and we are actually accomplishing a lot of them. i'm trying to take a lot more pictures than usual when we go out and everything. 

so anyways, this coming week is the last week of classes, and then we have a week of finals. i have a lot of studying to do. here is my schedule for the next 2 weeks:

tues,  8th: italian oral

 10th: italian final

   photography evaluation

mon,14th: finance final

 15th: history 10-page paper due

 16th: econ final

 17th: history final

20th: end of the program/come home

yikes. this semester has been amazing, and i am going to try to make these last two weeks go by as slowly as possible! i cannot wait to be home, but i wish i could stay here longer too! 

steph, becky, julie and i went to the beach yesterday. we tried out a new one, and luckily, it was significantly cleaner. we stayed there for a while. i went to the colisseum to take photos on friday and then we all went out to dinner at the restaurant downstairs, la fontane. steph made clams and mussels for dinner on wednesday night, which were reallly good. last night julie made burgers and nachos for us! those were really good also. we are going to go out to eat more next week, but the food my friends make is just so good!

okay i have a lot of homework and procrastinating to do now. i am uploading my pictures finally. byee

Day 2 in London

the whole class had the second day in london to explore independently. i walked around london with 6 other kids from my class. we grabbed some free breakfast in the hotel, then got on the tube heading for the london bridge. i had not known that the old london bridge is no longer there (but thinking about it now, i realize that i'm an idiot). the new london bridge is ugly and dull. we walked along the thames to the tower bridge, which is much cooler. it is big like the charles bridge in prague, but not as extravagant. soo we walked to the tower of london by crossing the tower bridge. we didn't enter in an attempt to spend money. also, it just looked like a big fortress/castle thing, and seeing it was just as good as walking around in it. the crown jewels are in there i think, and i would like to see those at some point. 

i don't exactly remember the precise order of the day after this because we took the tube a lot and walked even more and i had forgot to bring my small digital camera, my slr's battery had died, and i forgot to bring the extra (that i had brought and charged) out that day. 

okay so we saw the london eye, but didn't go on because the line was absolutely enormous. the street leading up to the eye is full of street performers. it was like a circus. there were so many diverse performers...some statue-like people, some musicians and a lot of people just doing stupid things. we crossed back over the thames at another point, which took us right past parliament, big ben and eventually westminster abbey. i am ashamed to say that we didn't go in those either! it all cost money and we were all tired and hungry. that is why i will have to go back at some point. we got some fish and chips for lunch, which are really good! we saw piccadilly circus, and then the girls i was with and i went to go buy tickets for the show mousetrap, the agatha christie play. my one roommate had wanted to go, and we got relatively cheap tickets. we went into the national art museum for a little while, then the girls headed back to get ready. 

the play was really cute...it's the longest running play in britain! cooool. our seats were really uncomfortable, but i got to see the entire stage, so it was fine. i also got to get starbucks before the show, which was great. after the play, the boys met us in leicester square near the theater. we walked around for a while, but ended up just going back to our hotel.

we woke up early sunday to go see the changing of the guards at buckingham palace. it took a lot longer than i thought, there were a lot of pushy people, and it was a little boring. i ended pu just hanging back a little instead of shoving myself into the crowd by the palace gates. i found out that the guards will be exiting again. i strategically sat down on a curb that had been abandoned in the rush to watch the show in the gates. i ended up getting a front row seat when the guards marched back out of the gates. i had remembered my camera, so we got some good pictures of that. 

we went to harrods after buckingham palace. the building is enormous! literally an entire city block, 6 floors high, stocked with basically everything under the sun. it was so overwhelming. they have everything in there from the designer goods to a butcher shop to a post office. it was crazy. i think samm would be in heaven there!

we need to head back to the hotel because our bus back to the aiport was leaving at 2:30. we got to the airport, on the plane, had a decent trip, got a bus back to our residence, and i was back in my room by probably 9?...i don't exactly remember. sunday night was the start of daylight savings time here, so we lost an hour. we lost another hour coming back to rome. yikes. luckily, i didn't have any homework due monday!

london was a really great city. i really want to go back...i just wish the exchange rate weren't so bad. it kind of has the same feeling as boston. a lot of people, but nobody is in a crazy rush like in new york. it wasn't as dirty or cramped as rome (because the streets in london are wider than the ridiculous side street-sized main roads in rome).

in conclusion, i had a good time going to all those meetings and learning a lot of information about various career opportunities in finance. i really liked walking around london so much too. that was my last international flight during this study abroad experience, which is sad, but i feel like i got to do everything i wanted (which was a lot). yay.

I DID NOT FALL OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH

hello! i have neglected my duties for far too long. a lot has happened...mom and griff visited, we went to sorrento, i went to london, the semester is coming to an end blahblahblah. i will write it out because i seriously need to organize my thoughts and this lovely diary of mine.

so after i wrote last (which was march 14)...

17: dad's birthday

21: mom and griffin arrive (at 7 am!)

22: we headed for sorrento 

23: easter

24: return to rome

27: mom and griff left for venice

       i left for london

30: i returned from london

okay so i didn't go get them at the airport like i did with samm because 1. it was way too early 2. there were two of them and i gave them good directions. so i met them at termini station nice and early and took them to their hotel. luckily/unfortunately the hotel was right by st. peter's (mmm easter at the vatican). so we stole some breakfast from the hotel that we hadn't checked into yet and left our bags. we headed over to st. peter's square to check that out. we got some amazing gelato, checked into the hotel anddd sat around pretty much all day. it was not a waste of time because that's what we had planned to do! we went out to dinner and got ready for sorrento the next day. 

we got a train to naples early in the afternoon. naples is a crazy, dirty, frightening place (and we were just in the train station!) we were going to walk around there a little, but we decided to head straight to sorrento. it took about 1.5 hours to get to naples and then another 1 to get to sorrento on this dirty little commuter train. we found our hotel relatively easily considering the fact it was right in the middle of town. we dropped our stuff off and headed out to look around. in summary, the sorrento experience consisted of lots of pizza, wine, small windy roads, a little rain, gorgeous views, and an overall veryy pleasant weekend. it was just a nice, relaxed city. in my opinion, the best place to go to escape the easter madness in rome. i am soo glad i got to go there with mom and griff. i think they had a lot of fun.

also! mom finally got to see positano in person! (you know, like from the movie under the tuscan sun). we weren't able to stay for too long because the shuttle bus going back to sorrento didn't run as long as we thought. the weather was a little dreary too. not to mention the fact that we had NO idea how to get to the center of town, if there was a center of town. the entire town is literally on the cliffs. i couldn't comprehend it. needless to say, we got some good pics with the ridiculous hillside homes and mom finally got to see the amalfi coast for real.

we headed back to naples on that same commuter train and then back to rome quickly so we could check into their apartment. i had recommended they get that so i could cook for them! it turned out to be a small place, but very well located right by piazza della repubblica (which has a metro stop). during their time in rome we went on a bus tour together (which was SO fun). i highly recommend those in any city. they got to see the colosseum while i was in class one day. i made them chicken parm with mozzarella and tomato, which was very good! i think they got to see a lot of rome and get a good feel for the city. we ate at the restaurant right next to my residence, which i hadn't done yet! it was really good!...so they got some touristy things, but also got to eat in small, real italian restaurants!

they left thursday morning while i was in class. they had a longgg train ride to venice, and i had a longgg day ahead of me ending in london. so i went to all my classes, packed and got back to school to catch a bus with my class to the airport. i went to london with my finance class as an excursion to see and have meetings with various professionals in the financial world.

we didn't get to london until probably 10 pm london time (an hour before rome). the passport control line was really long (i finally got a new stamp because i left the shengen countries...which is what my visa is for). then we took a 1.5 hour bus ride to our hotel! yikes. by the time i went to sleep, it was probably 2:30. we had to be up and out by 8:30! 

getting up turned out to be okay. i straightened my hair, put on my "professional clothes" that mom had brought over with her, and i was even able to grab some breakfast! we all walked to paddington station, which was the closest tube stop to our hotel. how cool is that?! paddington! i heard them say "mind the gap", i got used to calling it "the underground", and i was fascinated to find out that some of the trains are actually tube-shaped..like circular!

sooo we started the day and ING with a financial advisor whom my professor had gone to grad school with. she is a very  big deal at ING, making all their investment positions. her presentation was good. i feel i learned a good amount about ING. next, we went to the EBRD (European Bank for Reconstruction and Development) to meet with the American representative. that man was sooo boring that 2 people fell asleep!  he spoke very quietly, and it was hard to stay focused. we finally got a lunch break after that. we headed over to bloomberg next. that place was amazing. very high-tech. working there would be ridiculous. there is so much technology at your fingertips. we got a tour of the whole place, and then we were shown how the bloomberg terminal works. you can do anything with that thing from looking up people in the system to tracking ships anywhere in the ocean! we headed to the american embassy next where we underwent an extensive security check, were shoved in a small room, and spoken to by a man who never really specified his job. i was so confused at why we were there/i was really tired/my feet were killing. we were finally released after that! we took a bus (red, doubledecker!!!) back to the hotel to change. we were supposed to meet our professor for dinner, but we couldn't find him at the metro stop. we ended up just finding an indian restaurant. ps, the exchange rate is 1pound to $2. yay okay so that was day 1 in london. i will post day 2 when i get back from todays excursions around rome.

    

today was great!

Today was such a good, fun day! I went to the beach with Becky and my neighbor, Rachel (Steph is with her family in Tuscany). It was about a 30-minute train ride to the last stop. We had to walk across a road, and there was the beach! The weather was so nice today too...I think it got up to like 67 degrees! The beach was a dirty and the sand was dark (we figured they probably clean it up during tourist season). There was noone else there. We just laid on our towels and relaxed for almost four hours! It was a little windy, but sooo nice to just be outside with nothing to worry about.

We stopped at the grocery store on our way back to get dinner supplies. I had decided I was going to make dinner...I was determined! I just really wanted to cook and prepare something. I knew I wanted to make chicken and pasta (because that is so easy), but I couldn't figure out what vegetables and such. I finally decided and kept it a secret from Becky. I have never cooked for my roommates...or actually, ever...so I wanted to completely suprise her. 

When we got back to the apartment, Becky made some french fries from just frying slices of potatoes. We had wanted to try that out, and decided tonight was as good as any! So thennn I got to work on my masterpiece. I began boiling water for the pasta. I then sliced up some tomatoes and mozzarella balls and put them in the refrigerator with olive oil, pepper and oregano on them. I sliced up some bread I bought and put olive oil and diced garlic on them. I put the pasta (bow tie) in, cooked some chicken in olive oil and garlic and threw the bread into the oven. When the pasta was done, I mixed in some fresh pesto I bought. I served my colorful amazingness with Riesling (because Poppop said Mommom had really started liking it, so I decided to try it). Everything turned out really well! I was so happy. The chicken was good, the salad caprese tasted gooood with the pesto, and the wine is really good also. 

So besides being really tired from being drained by the sun today, I am feeling really good! I can cook! And Griffin and Mom are going to be here in a week! And I am going to start really getting out and seeing Rome because we all just realized our time here is so limited.

Tomorrow Becky and I are going to Castel Sant'Angelo, a huge fortress near the Vatican. I also want to do this walking tour around to a bunch of churches at some point. I alsooo need to get to the Roman baths. After the fortress we were thinking about taking our homework to Villa Borghese, a big park/gardens/zoo, because the weather is supposed to be really nice again. Sunday morning we are going to a market in Trastevere, which I still haven't seen in the daytime.

Last week went by fast, as usual. Samm left Monday, and things went back to normal. I was supposed to have two big tests back-to-back on Thursday, which I was stressed out over. I was going to skip my 8:30 photography class to sleep and study. I ended up going because I felt guilty skipping, and it turns out my Italian class was cancelled! That would have been the first test of the day. Our teacher apparently moved the test to Tuesday! Suchhh a relief. We are learning more grammar and such, and it is getting more challenging. So anyway, I tried to study for my Italian history test, but it didn't go very well. I think my grade on it could go either way. I just was not in the mood to study, which is horrible, I know. I have a 10-page paper due in that class in April, so I am really going to focus on doing well on that.

So that's about all for now. I am going to go plan out some day trips and places to see in Rome. I am also going to look into what I'm doing with the fam. We are definitely going to the Amalfi Coast, which should be amazing...beyond that, I need to make an itinerary (maybe). We went to a nice, cheap wine bar in Campo di Fiori for a little while. It was nice...not too many annoying Americans. Tonight we are all just going to stay in and relax. I have really enjoyed this weekend so far, and it just started! I like Rome and the beach and seeing new things. Study abroad is such a cool experience. Going back to Fordham is going to be an interesting transition!

Study abroad students get to register for classes early, so I need to get all that settled by the 25th. I miss Ram Van, and I need a summer job. Any ideas, please let me know!

The Last Day of Samm's Trip: Pisa and Rome

We woke up on Sunday morning at 6:15 so that we could stop by our cute coffee shop before going to the train station. Unfortunately the place was closed, so we got some breakfast at the station. We almost missed our 7:30 (5 euro) train because I needed to ask information something about our tickets, and then Samm and I couldn't find each other. Luckily, we did make it for the hour-long ride to Pisa. 

We got to see a little countryside on the way, but nothing too characteristic of "Tuscany". When we got to Pisa, there was absolutely nothing to see out the windows. That town is dismal and sad (I bet the slightly overcast sky didn't help my opinion). So we wander around a little not really sure what to do. We knew we needed to take a bus to Pisa, but nothing else. I finally asked a newspaper stand vendor and he sold us tickets and told us which bus to catch. The bus eventually came right outside the station, and we were on our way!

At one stop, a man on the bus leaned over to Samm and told her that was where the tower was. I am so thankful he did that because we had no idea! We quickly get off and walk to an entryway in a large protective wall. Through the frame you can see a cathedral with a dome, another building, and the Leaning Tower of Pisa in the back. I think that walled-in area is the only attraction of Pisa. The city is a little dirty, and I would never want to spend more than a day trip there. Anywayys, we get right to the picture-taking.

Samm got up on one post of many that lines a grassy median and I took some pictures. Then it was my turn. Then we re-did Samm. Then I had to go to the bathroom. Then we took a couple more shots. That was literally the extent of our time in Pisa! We went to take pictures! I think we got some really good ones too. Our photoshoot actually took a ridiculous amount of time, and we ended up having to take a taxi back to the train station in order to catch our train. We got there in time and grabbed some McDonalds for the ride (seriously, what would we do without that place?! so sad...) 

There were assigned seats on the train again, but we kind of ignored that. Instead of being a train that I am familiar with taking (like Amtraks up to New York with rows of seats) like the setup from Rome to Florence, this train had cabins with six seats in each. Samm and I got our own cabin. I am so thankful because we were able to catch up on some sleep over the three hour ride back to Rome. 

When we finally got to Rome, we went directly to the Colosseum so we could catch it in the daylight. We each paid 11 euro to go in. I think Samm liked it, but we both determined that it is not worth the cost. We headed back to my apartment to drop off our stuff before heading out for the night. 

We took the metro to Piazza del Popolo so she could see it, and that is also where you get off to go to the Pantheon. We walked there quickly because I knew it closes its doors at sundown (which it wasn't yet). We get to the Pantheon at 6:03...I specifically remember looking at my watch. The front doors are closed! It turns out the building closes at 6pm. I was so upset. I really had no idea. I know Samm was a little disappointed to. It just wasn't fair for her to get excited over seeing something and then it not working out (more than once). So I tried to make it all better by suggesting we go get gelato (which she was obviously up for)! 

We walk around a little and end up at the Trevi Fountain. It was so crowded! There were people everywhere. I am soooo glad she got to see it at night though. It is gorgeous when it is all lit up. We tried to get some pictures, but there were too many people. I told her that we could come back after dinner to see it without so many tourists. We then made our way to the Spanish Steps, which were also crowded, but more manageable. 

We sat on the steps for a while and met a very nice and adorable Japanese woman traveling with her daughter. They had asked us to take a picture of them, and then the woman just started talking to us. She spoke very good English while telling us about all of her travels. Samm said it when she was here, and I definitely agree, that one of the best things about traveling is meeting people from all around the world. It was really cool to have a conversation with the woman.

When we started getting really hungry, we headed to a restaurant that the man sitting next to Samm on the plane to Rome recommended to her. On a map, it looked only a Metro stop away, but we ended up having to walk a while. 

The restaurant was nice inside with tables very close together. There was an Italian couple on one side that left shortly after we arrived and a man eating alone on our other side. This man struck up conversation almost immediately and ended up conversing with us through our entire meal. He even left the restaurant with us. A little odd, but he was nice. He is from Copenhagen, traveling alone, and all his baggage got lost in transit. We didn't get his name or anything. Again, it was nice to meet someone from a completely different culture.

The food at this restaurant was decent, not my favorite. I don't think I would recommend it to anyone. I got the gnocchi and Samm got spaghetti carbonara. I really liked mine, but not hers so much. We then shared osso bucco (we decided to go all-out for her last night!). That was a good dish, but neither one of us were too hungry for it! We got tiramisu for dessert nonetheless! I got a cappuccino, but the foam was very strange. That is when I became hesitant to ever return...and Italian restaurant messing up cappuccino? Peculiar.

Sooo we decided that because it was so late (like midnight) and I had to sneak Samm into my apartment (we didn't book a hotel for that night) we would go see the fountain again early Monday morning. We made it back to my place, despite the Metro A line shutting down at 9:30 every night for construction (so inconvenient), and she got in without a problem. According to Italian law, I'm not supposed to have guests, but the guards didn't notice!

We got up at 6am, Samm finished up packing, and we got out of my apartment nice and early. We have a little difficulty finding the fountain from the Metro stop, but we finally get there. AND THE TREVI FOUNTAIN WAS TURNED OFF!! I could not believe my eyes. Just our luck. Who turns off the Trevi Fountain?! I owe Samm so much for all the ridiculous things that happened to us. We do what we can with a couple last minute pictures and head to Termini so she can catch a train to the airport.

I opt not to go with her because that would be 22 euro round trip, and I really wanted to go back to my apartment and upload pictures and sleep! We get her ticket and just hang out for a little while. She finally left around 8:30. We had such a crazy trip! I am sooo glad she came to Rome, and that I took her to Florence, and that we got to see pretty much everything a tourist needs to see. 

Florence!

Samm and I arrived in Florence around 4. We got some McDonalds to take to our hostel, and walked like 3 minutes there to go check in. After we check in, we are walked about 5 minutes away from the main building to an apartment building, where our actual room was. It was the nicest hostel I have ever been in. It was literally an apartment, with a nice computer (with Skype!), flat screen TV, huge kitchen, and nice common area. Samm and I got our own double room. There were three other people staying with us, but the place was so huge it didn't matter. The hostel is called Luna Rossa, and I would only stay there if/when I return to Florence again.

We drop our stuff off, eat our MickeyD's and head over to the Accademia Gallery (about a 15 minute walk away) to see David. 

Walking down the streets of Florence was amazing. All the buildings were old and what you would expect Italian buildings to look like! Samm really liked the whole feel of the city. I am really glad I took her there...we had a really great time! We arrive at the museum, pay the entrance fee, and see David in the main hallway. He is enormous. From pictures, you are not able to tell just how huge the statue is. Luckily, there weren't that many people there because the museum was closing soon. You aren't allowed to take pictures, but I had my camera around my neck. I steathily took a couple pictures! There were a lot of interesting paintings and busts in the museum also. There was a whole room full of marble statues, mostly busts all lined up next to each other. It was very cool. I couldn't take any pictures because a guard was following us! Oh well! We bought a few things from the gift shop, then got kicked out because they were closing for the night.

Samm and I decided to just start walking down the Florentine streets in search for the water. We had a free map from the hotel, and we wanted to see Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge), so we headed towards that. Samm had seen a picture of a bridge with stores on it, so naturally she wanted to go! The bridge has been around since the 1300s! I would say the name is plenty appropriate!

We passed the duomo, the basilica of Santa Maria di Fiore, which is an amazing building. It is my favorite cathedral I have seen yet in Europe. It is just SO huge and pretty (made from green and pink marble!). It is a lot lighter than the gothic cathdrals I have seen (like Notre Dame). It was just a really cool breath of fresh air (cathdral-wise)! We walked through multiple piazze , stopping to take pictures at each of course. We finally made it to the bridge, which is amazing. The colors are very vibrant, and it is very cool to see stores on a bridge. All the stores were closed by the time we got there, but it was nice to see the storefronts and balconies above the entryways without a ton of people crowding around.

We started to head back to the hostel, figuring we would find somewhere to eat on the way. We finally walked past this color, fun, interesting-looking restaurant that we decided to give a try. The decor inside was crazy, but very nice and fitting for our first night in Florence. Everything about the city had impressed us so far, and the restaurant just added that much more. We got bruschetta, which was very good and fresh. We shared a beef stew meal and a spaghetti with red sauce meal. Both were verrry good. We ordered the beef stew because the menu noted that it is a traditional Florentine dish. We got pannacotta with berry sauce to share for dessert. Neither of us had tasted pannacotta before, and we were a little hesitant upon seeing it. It was sooo good though! Definitely a great way to top off a good, fun meal. We headed back to our hostel after dinner and decided to call it a relatively early night so we could get up and see everything we wanted to see (and not repeat our Rome/Vatican misfortune). 

We woke up at 7:30 on Saturday, got ready and headed out nice and early. We got coffee and pastries at a cute cafe down the street from our hostel. It was a nice place that gave us a feel of really being in Italy. We had to wait until a camera store opened because I stupidly forgot my battery charger in Rome. The one store ended up not even having what I wanted, but there was another by the duomo that was recommended. We began to walk in that direction, but did not get very far because we ran into an enormous outdoor market selling all sorts of things from jewelry to leather goods to just random souvenirs. Naturally, we had to stop at almost every vendor. It was a lot of fun going through that area. We both got some nice, relatively cheap things. Samm saw a leather bag she liked, but we decided we would return later to see if she still wanted it. We saw a lot of the same things we had seen the last night, but they were even better in the daytime. 

We went into Santa Maria di Fiore, which was amazing. It was the brightest cathedral I have ever been in. It was very open and bright and huge. We didn't go into the dome because it costs extra, and we were going to see a panoramic of the city anyway. We crossed Ponte Vecchio again, but this time the shops were open. The bridge is lined with very expensive jewelry shops, so Samm was obviously in heaven! We began walking along the other side of the river towards a point on the map that the hostel man told us was great to get a panoramic view of the city. I don't know how far along we were, but we decided to turn around. We were tired of walking and tired in general, and there was still stuff we wanted to get done that day.

We headed towards the Palazzo Pitti and Boboli Gardens, which was on the same side of the river, but closer to Ponte Vecchio. We got in to both places for free because March 8 is Women's Day. The Pitti museums were interesting...very large...with a lot of paintings of religious figures. We started to get hungry while we were there, so we didn't spend much time lingering. The Gardens were not mapped out very well, so we didn't really know where to go. We decided to to wander too much, but we got to see a lot of the beautiful green landscape. Upon exiting, we got to see the statue of a fat midget sitting on a turtle that Samm had wanted to see. She had seen it in a book and though it was hilarious. We thought by leaving we would be giving up the opportunity to see him, but luckily he was by the exit! So our trip to the Boboli Gardens became worthwhile!

We went back over the bridge and had a late lunch at a little ristorante down a side street. I got pasta and broccoli and Samm got another kind of pasta (I don't exactly remember). The food was good, and it definitely hit the spot! At this point it was getting late, so we finished eating and headed back to the market with hopes of it still being open.

To our surprise, all the vendors were still out. We did more shopping, and Samm was able to get the bag she wanted (with a matching wallet). She was happy, and I was obviously happy I didn't disappoint her with timing issues again! We stopped back in our little cafe on the way back to the hostel to get some hot chocolate (which in Italy is very thick and very chocolate-y). 

We relax in the hostel a little bit...I think I even took a little nap...and then decide to go to dinner. A man staying in the hostel by himself asked if we wanted to go somewhere close by with him. He was very pleasant, very talkative, but probably lonely. He took us to a restaurant close to our hostel that he had been to a few nights previous. Again, the decor of the place was fun and funky. I really liked it.

I don't remember what we got to eat, but I remember it was good Italian food. I think Samm's desires for pasta were definitely met during her trip! We headed back to the hostel after dinner to call it another early night. We decided to get up really early Sunday to catch a train to Pisa so we could then return to Rome at a good time in order to do more sightseeing. 

I loved our time in Florence. I think Samm really liked the city (and shopping), the weather was nice almost the entire time, and we got to just relax and not walk too far to be able to see everything. I am really glad we went!