Hello!
The last time I blogged, I talked about staying with Pietro near Lake Como in Italy. This was a while back from now haha, so I will try my best to remember (it shouldn't be too hard though!). Brynn and I thoroughly enjoyed our time with Pietro. What a wonderful host he was to us. We were his first couch surfers ever, and BOY did he impress us! So one morning we woke up early, and Pietro drove us to Como, where he goes to school. Well, this was on a regular school day, so he picked up his carpool good friend and before the school started for them, we got to meet a group of his friends on this crisp morning right in front of their school where everyone assembles and chats before the dreaded sound of the school bell. Their school, by the way, is grey and has columns, just like many of the classical architecture you'll see there. Fancy shmancy!
So while Pietro was in school, Brynn and I explored the small town of Como. Fortunately, the weather was gorgeous, perfect for a boatride across the lake. I felt like a golden retriever, smiling and letting my hair just go in the wind. My tongue might as well have stuck out, I was such a happy camper. And on the boat was so much diversity: Korean, Chinese, Canadian, Australian, American, Bulgarian...crazy! Then after walking around this cutey patooty town, we awaited Pietro outside of his school with gelato for him (Brynn's idea). Then we drove back for a lovely rest of the afternoon with him: we baked bread, biked down the hills to a lake by his house where we swam (that bike ride I will remember forever) in a cove surrounded by mountains. So fresh, and it felt like a dream. Then later that evening it was just us kids (the aunt left), and Pietro cooked, mostly. Probably the most memorable of my entire semester: tortellini, ricotta cheese, some soft, green herb, and olive oil, bread, and cheese. Couldn't get my fingers out of the leftover tortellini!
Ok I think I'm mixing up the days here...don't remember what we did the next day, but I do know that his parents came back from Prague that night, so they, Pietro, Serena, Brynn, and I sat around the dinner table and ate. And ate. And ate. And laughed. And talked slowly while the kids translated when necessary (they are VERY good at English!). It was just a fun night, and we liked the warm, funny parents a lot. They really tried hard to speak English; go them.
Onto Cinque Terre, our other favorite spot. Unbelievable. Check out my pics when they get up (some day haha). This place shouted your name, Casey! Again, blessed with beautiful weather. This place is on the western border of Italy, and it consists of five small, hilly towns. Colorful, sun-washed buildings stacked on these hills overlooking the sparkling blue. We stayed in a hostel, and as soon as we stepped in the place, we made immediate friends with Emily and Kate, two Canadian girls our age. Then we met Meredith and three guys and then three other girls...basically, as people checked into the hostel, they just added to our group. It was awesome, we all just had great chemistry from the start. We cooked together one night (of the two we stayed), and Emily, Brynn, and I hiked up the hill of vineyards and randomly-placed homes one afternoon. One day Brynn, Meredith, and I hiked with two other random girls from Colorado, Emma and Melissa. They were really cool. They hiked with us for most of the day, but after a refreshing dip in the ocean after such a hot hike, Brynn and I completed the entire five towns in that one day! I have never been so active in my life! It was a tough hike, too!
But the best night of Cinque Terre, and one of the most memorable of all nights in Europe was the night we went skinny dipping underneath the stars in the Mediterranean ocean. Enough said. Will never forget it.
Brynn and I then headed to Siena for three nights. There, we were blessed to stay with a friend, Davide, whom we'd met during our semester in Sevilla. He lives in an Italian version mountain home that his father built in the country of hilly Siena. Davide took us to see the city of Siena, a black-striped gothic cathedral there, all the shops...and then he had us try his favorite pizza there. It was really cool to take it all in from a local's perspective, just like with Pietro and any couch surfing experience you'll get! Davide also took us to see different microcosmic castle towns in Siena that offered spectacular, paintable views of the rolling hills and Siena's trademark trees (I forget what they are called). His mom was so so sweet; she made us dinner two nights! Again, a fantastic cook. Brynn and I took the bus to Florence for a day. This city reminded me of Paris a lot, with its nice bridges crossing over the river. We did not go to the duomo, but we looked around...I honestly don't remember what we did. Florence for me, I remember liking it, but not until after a few hours haha. Then that night we spent with Davide and his friend; we put pizzas in the oven at his house and had an awesome conversation. I really like Davide and hope to continue being friends, haha, an ocean away.
Rome came next, the end of our traveling together. Call us crazy, but we spent only two days there! Brynn and I realized that we really appreciate the smaller cities better, so we spent more of our time at each of the smaller places. However, we did like Rome; and two days was enough. We got to go to the Vatican and St. Peter's Basilica, saw Trevi Fountain, and the Coliseum and the Pantheon (from the outside). We walked around a lot, and we really enjoyed the smaller, hidden streets that were so quaint and cute. We got gelato (actually, a good amount in Italy in general, of course!), and one day we ate Chinese for lunch haha! I know, I know. Our last night in Italy we slept in the airport (way to end the trip, right?), but it wasn't so bad. 'Twas freezing, and we slept an average of two hours, but it was a good experience to have. Why did we do that? Well, Brynn was off to...UGANDA early the next morning! So it only made sense. Parting from her was bittersweet; here we had just had the time of our lives, soaking everything in together. And then she was off. What a good person to have in my life. I know I will see her again (we told her all the time she belongs in Boone! So she's a'comin!).
Well, that about does it for Italy. Can't express how amazing it was. And how thankful I am.
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