21 in Paris!!

Ciao! So it's official...I'm 21 in Europe and I am alive to tell the tale (jk haha). On Tuesday night, to start the birthday celebration we went out to dinner with the four of us, and our friends Carleen and Madison at this place across the river called Osteria Santo Spirito. It was so delicious! Mikey and I split mussels and this amazing pasta with cherry tomatoes, garlic, and basil. After dinner we went to this bar that we've been wanting to go to for awhile called Art Bar where the drinks are really pretty and fruity. So I rang in my 21st birthday with a raspberry mojito! It was fabulous:)

Chitarra Spaghetti with
Cherry Tomatoes and Basil

Mussels in Tomato Sauce

Chocolate Dessert!

My Mojito!

Daiquiri at Art Bar 

Me drinking my first LEGAL drink!

 Then, on my real birthday I had class at 9am but when I got back from class my roommates had decorated my room with balloons and streamers. Then I laid out and tanned with Colleen and Carleen in our courtyard for a bit. And then at night we all got ready and walked over to the Westin Hotel which has an amazing rooftop bar where you can get drinks and do aperitivo. I had the most delicious apple crisp martini, and we felt so classy and had the best views of Florence!

Apple Crisp Martini

My Room!

Me with my drink!

Me and Dana

Just enjoying some free birthday champagne!

Colleen and I on the rooftop

Dana, Mikey, Me, Carleen, Colleen

So needless to say, I had a great 21st! And although no bartender asked for my Id, I made sure everyone knew I was turning 21! I even may have had a few drinks bought for me;)

And as if my birthday could have gotten any better, Thursday night we left for Paris! We arrived late around 11pm and went straight to our apartment to go to bed. Our apartment was in this cute little quaint area called Montmarte. The next morning our first stop was Louvre. But not before we stopped and had a cafe au lait with a pain au chocolat! The Louvre actually had been closed only like a week ago because pickpocketing had gotten out of control, but it was open again thankfully. And with my purse with zippers that lock, I was feeling more than prepared! The nice thing about museums and most tourist attractions in Paris is that they are free for students as long as you show your passport! So we got right into the Louvre and made all the necessary stops. Hammurabi's Code, Mona Lisa, Winged Victory, Venus di Milo, and the painting of Napoleon's Cornonation, just to name a few. After the Louvre, we went outside and took the classic pics and then met up with one of Dana's friends Sammie who studies there so she could take us to get the best crepe for lunch. We got crepes with ham, egg, and cheese...so good! And they were made on the street at this little stand where we got to watch him make them. After our crepe indulgence we made our way to the Notre Dame where we climbed to the top and had some amazing views of Paris!

Mona Lisa

Winged Victory

Napoleon's Coronation

Venus di Milo

Michelangelo's Slaves

View from outside

Classic Louvre Pic!

Notre Dame

Bridge of Locks on the way
to Notre Dame

Inside the Notre Dame

French Choir that was
singing during mass!

Gargoyle at the top of Notre Dame

 Then after the Notre Dame we were exhausted so we went back to our apartment to freshen up before we met up with our Cornell friends for dinner. We met up with my friend Liza who is in Theta with me at Cornell and then 2 of Mikey and Dana's friends who are in their sorority at Cornell. We went to this restaurant called Le Relais de l'Entrecote. It is famous for its steak. First they serve you amazing baguettes, then they bring out a salad with this tangy spicy mustard vinigarette, and then they bring out the steak with like a green peppercorn sauce on it and they serve it with french fries. Then, when they can tell you're finishing your first portion of steak and frites, they refill your plate with more steak and frites! What could be better right? After dinner, we went to a really cool bar with Liza and Sammie and had really good sangria. Our first day in Paris was a success! But we still had so many things on our list for Saturday....

Day 2, Saturday. We woke up early and left our apartment at 9. The one thing in Montmarte that is a tourist attraction is this church called Sacre Coeur. So that was our first stop. It's up on a hill and was so beautiful. Here are some pictures:

Sacre Coeur

 Then after Sacre Coeur we headed over to the Musee d'Orsay where they are famous for the impressionist art. We saw Monet's Water Lillies, Degas' Dancer paintings and Van Goghs as well! The art was so amazing.

Inside the d'Orsay

Water Lillies

Degas

Degas

 So after the d'Orsay we met up with Liza who then took us to the Jewish Quarter called the Marais to get lunch. This time I got a crepe with chicken, cheese, peppers, and onions. It was amazing. Then we walked over to this public park called Place du Vosges where we just sat and enjoyed the nice weather for awhile. I was also determined and on a mission to make a visit to Fragonard Perfumerie while I was here because they have my favorite scented perfume in balm form that you can't find anywhere else. It's a scent called Juste un basier which means just a kiss and it is my absolute favorite. I was so happy when Liza found a Fragonard for me and I bought 6 of them!  After I was in my perfume heaven, we needed macaroons of course so we first went to one place called Pierre-Hermes where I got a giftbox of macaroons to take home with me. They had the most unique flavors: rose, olive oil vanilla, rose, creme brulee, cherry and lemon, red currant, passionfruit and chocolate, and so many more. Then after Pierre-Hermes, we went to Laduree which is a sit-down place where you can also get macaroons. So of course we had to do the whole sit-down experience. I ordered a chocolate-coconut macaroon and a Marie Antoinette Tea flavored one which tasted sort of like earl-grey tea. It was amazing!!

In Macaroon Heaven!

 

Pierre-Hermes

 After we were stuffed with our macaroons, we walked down the Champs-Elysees which is the street that leads up to the arc de Triomphe. We were going to climb the arc but then realized it cost money and when things had been free all day we didn't really feel like we needed to do it. What we really wanted to see was the Eiffel Tower! So that was our next stop. The tower was so breathtaking and beautiful in person. No picture can do it justice.

Arc de Triomphe

Macaroons

Marie Antoinette
Tea Macaroon

Eiffel Tower

Selfies at the Tower!

Liza and me

Another Eiffel Tower Pic

 So, finally our busy day was over and we did everything that was on our list! We headed over to Rue Clair which is near the Eiffel Tower to eat dinner at a cute little bistrot. Mikey and I split some vegetable quiche and salmon. And of course after dinner we had to have banana nutella crepes!

So overall, I'd say I had a pretty amazing week. Paris was my favorite place we have visited so far. It was the first place where I could have pictured myself studying there. The food, the people, the architecture, everything was just so amazing! We never wanted to leave...:( But we had to be up at 5:30am this morning to be on time for our flight to Bologna where we then had to take a bus from Bologna to Florence so it was a long day of travel. We are always happy to be back in Florence:) I cannot believe I only have 3 weeks left of this amazing journey! One more trip is coming up this weekend: Munich for Springfest! And thanks to everyone who wished me a happy birthday!! I can't wait to celebrate again when I get back home.

xoxo,
Alli 

The Curse is Lifted: Amalfi Coast!

Ciao! Sorry it has taken me so long to give you an update...travelling has been non-stop and it doesn't help when I don't have wifi for an entire weekend! So, finally this weekend we had nice weather!!! There is no longer an abroad curse on us! On Thursday night we left for the Amalfi Coast. It was about a 7 hour bus ride and we arrived to our hotel in Sorrento at 2:30am. We immediately went to sleep because we had to be up at 6:30 the next morning to catch a ferry ride over to the island of Capri.

Friday, Day 1: We woke up early and got on the bus at 7:15 which took us to the port in Sorrento where we all loaded onto a huge boat that took us over towards Capri. Then from there, our tour group divided into smaller groups and loaded onto smaller boats. We got to take a private tour around the waters of Capri and saw the tunnel of love which is a rock that forms a tunnel and apparently you have to kiss your loved one underneath it. Well, too bad none of us had anyone so I guess were going to have bad luck for like 7 years or something, haha. Then we arrived at the Blue Grotto which is this small opening in the rocks and you take small boats inside and can see the blue waters literally glowing and you are inside a little cave. The four of us loaded into a small boat and even had to lay completely down in the boat so we didn't hit our head while entering the Blue Grotto. It was so cool inside you couldn't anything except the glowing blue water. Then we loaded back onto the boats to continue our trip over to Capri. When we arrived to Capri it was about a 20 minute walk up to the main town. We were so thirsty so we immediately got blood orange and lemon granitas...so delicious! Then we were able to just roam around a bit and take pictures. After that we took a bus up to Ana Capri which is the very top of the island. Up here, we ate lunch at this place recommended by our tour group. Everything was delicious: Colleen and I split spaghetti with clams and a margherita pizza. After lunch we shopped a bit and had some limoncello. Today was warm enough for shorts, but the wind killed us! It was kind of chilly but we decided to still take the chair lift up to the very top. Once you reach the top of the chair lift, you are literally in the clouds and you can't see a thing! We felt like we were in heaven, but the views were absolutely amazing.

View while riding
up the chair lift

View from the top of the chair lift!

After the chair lift, we just sort of roamed around the tiny little town, shopped, had some gelato, and basked in the hot sun...we were enjoying every second of it. We felt like the rain was going to start any second but it never did! We left Capri around 445 and took the boat back to Sorrento. We showered and got ready and then headed into the main town of Sorrento for dinner. We ate at this seafood restaurant that was really good. And afterwards Mikey took us to find this one gelato place she had eaten on her teen tour 4 years ago...and it was so worth it. They had every kind of candy flavored gelato. I got the equivalent of an almond joy flavored gelato called "bounty" with chunks of the candy inside. So good! By now, we were exhausted so we headed back to our hotel to go to sleep.

Day 2, Saturday: We got up at 8:30 and got ready to get on the bus again. We left for Positano around 9:30. It was only like a 40 minute drive and when we got there it was a 30 minute hike down to the beach. We were in our glory when we saw the beach. It was 75 degrees and sunny, what more could we have asked for? We got some sunscreen, bottles of water, and were ready to lay out and do nothing. Then around noon, we were offered the opportunity to get on a boat and go cliff jumping if we wanted to. And we couldn't miss out on that so we took a boat ride over to these cliffs which were actually really high once you got up there! We went in shifts so we could take pictures of each other of course. So while Dana and Colleen jumped Mikey and I stayed back and took pictures. Then Mikey and I climbed and Dana and Colleen took pictures. Of course Mikey made us climb to the second most high jumping spot! But it was so much fun and even though the water was cold it was so worth it.

My view from the beach

View from the walk to the beach

We also got paninis from this place called Vini Panini that was recommended by our tour group. However, we waited in line for over an hour and they definitely weren't worth that long of a wait. Then we laid out again on the beach and we all fell fast asleep. It was so nice to finally just enjoy the warmth and be in a swimsuit! At about 5pm, we got ready to leave Positano and walked back to the buses that took us back to Sorrento. We all took showers and then got ready to go out again for dinner. This time, we went with three of Mikey's friends who happen to be on the same trip with us. We went to this restaurant on a little side street. Colleen and I split mussels and some vegetables and then we went to the same gelato place again, we just couldn't resist. Then we walked around a bit and went back to our hotel to sleep.

Day 3, Sunday: We got up around 9 to get on the bus at 10. We were all packed up and ready to go but we were stopping in Pompei before our final trip home. We got to Pompei around 11 and we had downloaded the Rick Steve's guide to Pompei before hand so we didn't have to pay for the guided walking tour. His guided tour was only like 50 minutes and we got to see pretty much everything we wanted. And it was so beautiful and sunny out that we didn't mind wandering around. We ate lunch at Pompei Pizza and had delicious blood orange juice slushees again. At 3, we left for Florence on the bus, slightly tanner than when we had left so I'd call that a win! We were so happy to have been able to be in the sun and wear shorts and not see a drop of rain for three days! And the nice weather has continued in Florence, just in time for my 21st birthday tomorrow! Tonight we are going out to dinner with some friends across the river to Osteria Santo Spirito and then going to this bar called Art Bar where they are famous for having the most beautiful cocktails. Can't wait for my first LEGAL drink even though I'm in Italy and won't get carded:( And then as if that wasn't already enough, we leave for Paris on Thursday to continue the birthday celebration! Don't worry Mom and Dad I will be safe and Dad, I know your rule! Move the decimal place....2.1 shots instead of 21! We'll see if that happens....

All my love,
Alli

BARCELONA

I just got home on Sunday from my weekend trip to Barcelona and am leaving again tomorrow! On this trip, in addition to realizing just how exhausting travel can be, we've also realized that there is a possibility that we bring bad weather with us wherever we go. Barcelona is supposed to be nice and sunny and we're now in April so we thought we were in the clear and that the rain was over...but it followed us all the way there. However, we still managed to make the best of it and took on this big city.

We flew out of Florence on Thursday night. Our flight was at 8pm and we landed around 9:45pm. It was so nice to just fly directly from Florence into Barcelona. We took a cab straight to our hostel, the Urbany hostel, which seemed sketchy at first but it really was fine. We were in 2 bunk beds and it was perfectly fine. Then we gathered up our energy and got ready to go out. There are a lot of Cornell people studying abroad in Barcelona so we were able to meet up with some of them at their apartments before going out. But let me explain something about the going out culture in Barcelona: a pregame typically lasts from midnight until 2am and then around 2:30am you head over to the club. Well by the time the pregame was over, I was already exhausted! We went to a club called Opium, which is right on the beach, it was so cool you could literally walk outside the back of the club and be standing on the sand. I think we got home that night around 4:30am and then got up the next day around 9:30am because we didn’t want to miss out on our day!


Day 2, Friday: It rained most of the day and was pretty cold but we still managed to do some sightseeing. Our first stop was to go to the La Sagrada Familia which is this massive church right in the city center. It was built and constructed by Gaudi but was never finished. We waited in line for nearly an hour to get in, but while we waited Colleen and Mikey went to find us some StarbucksJ Suddenly, the line didn’t seem nearly as long! The inside is so breathtakingly beautiful and you can tell it was created by the hands and mind of a genius. We got the audio guide with our ticket so that we could get some of the history while we walked through it. Here are some pictures:

Inside Sagrada Familia

Another view

Outdoor view of the nativity

So, after La Sagrada Familia we were starving so we decided to head over to La Boqueria which is a huge market on Las Ramblas, a pretty busy street in Barcelona. We even figured out the metro there and nothing sketchy happened, it wasn’t too scary at all! At the market, they had the biggest selection of fruit and vegetables I have ever seen. We got these amazing fruit juices that you could find in literally any flavor. I got a banana orange juice that was so delicious! Then for lunch we got paella and falafel. They were very good but had way too many toppings on them we were so overwhelmed! We could all only eat like half of our plates. After La Boqueria we were exhausted from the combination of very little sleep and our flight the night before. So we went back to our hostel for a little siesta….that lasted until 8pm! Woops! That night, our Cornell friends weren’t going out so instead we met up with my friend Alex who happened to be in Barcelona the same weekend! I got to see her two weekends in a rowJ So we got dinner at this really cute tapas place and a pitcher of sangria. I got cod croquettes(so good!) and a sesame chicken skewer. Then we met up with Al and her friends at their apartment and headed over to this bar called Bosc de le Fades on Las Ramblas. The only way I can describe this bar is like the Rainforest café at the Mall of America. There were vines and fake trees everywhere it felt like you were outside! And there were even nymph figurines around the bar and seating area that were really creepy. The sangria here was actually so delicious as well! I guess Barca is the place to get great sangria. After the bar, my roommates wanted to go home so I went out with Al and her friends. We went to a different club but also went to Opium as well. Another great night out in Barca…but I was already getting exhausted!

La Boqueria

Some Seafood on display

Too much paella... 

Me Alex and Danielle at Opium

Me showing off my pick-pocket proof bag!!

 Day 3, Saturday: We slept in till around 11. The weather was much better today! I even wore a dress and flats….but I think I was a little over ambitious with my outfit choice. We got ready and took the metro to the area where Park Guell was. Park Guell is basically a really pretty public park that overlooks the city and has cool mosaic art all around it. It was fun to just sit and take in the views and enjoy the sunshine while it lasted….We walked around for awhile until we started to get hungry. So we went back to La Boqueria, determined to get a better meal this time. Mikey and Colleen found a Dunkin’ Donuts on the way so they were happy. I got another fruit juice at the market and then also tried an empanada that was stuffed with olives, tomatoes, and cheese..so good! Colleen got guacamole, Mikey got some overpriced chocolate, and Dana got some cones of Spanish ham and manchego cheese. We were all much happier campers this time around. As we were leaving La Boqueria and heading towards the port, it started to rain and got so windy. By now, I was really regretting my dress and flats idea. It turns out that right across the bridge by the port is a huge mall so we took shelter in there and I bought a pair of leggings at H&M to put on so I was much warmer on our walk home.

Park Guell

Pretty trees in the sunshine!!

And the rain begins
again at the port..

View of the city from Barcelona 

When we got back to the hostel, we took another siesta and then went to dinner at another bar for some tapas and beer. We realized that Barcelona’s food just really doesn’t compare to Italy’s though, so we were thankful this was our last dinner. And after dinner we headed to this bar called Chupito’s where they are famous for having like 500 different types of shots. You literally just tell the bartender what flavor you like and he makes you one. I told him I liked peach so he made me this fruity one that had a Peach-O gummy candy at the bottom…so good! And they are famous for their use of fire with their shots. We had two rather creepy, but nice enough Russian men buy us these shots of Sambuca where you dip your thumb in the Sambuca and then the bartender lights your thumb on fire and then you put it out by sticking it in your mouth and then you drink the shot! It was so scary but so fun! After chupitos, we were pretty tired and we had to fly home in the morning so we took a cab home and called it a night.

We got back to Florence around 1pm and the sun was shining! We were never so happy to be back! We were happy to have visited Barcelona but realized that there isn’t much to do in that city except go out at night…and after three nights of it, it all starts to feel the same. Needless to say, we are so happy we made the choice to study in Florence where a great meal is just around the corner and there is so much to do during the day time as well as at night! Hopefully our bad luck with weather won’t follow us this weekend when we head to the Amalfi Coast. We are going to Capri, Sorrento, and Pompeii and we want some beach time!! Keep your fingers crossed!!

Xoxo,

Alli