Next Stop, Italy

Hannah and I going out for "aperitivo"

Ponte Vecchio Bridge

Hannah and I in front of the San Lorenzo markets

Although my spring break was half way over, Hannah and Arielle were just about to begin theirs. While Arielle finished up her midterms, Hannah and I explored the city. We saw the Duomo, the Ponte Vecchio Bridge and tons of stores and markets. For the one day we were together, Hannah made me have an authentic Italian eating experience. Dinner was aperitivo which is a kind of bar where appetizers and nibblers are served buffet style for free with the purchase of one drink. Breakfast the next morning was espresso and a croissant for breakfast, standing at the bar like everyone else. Lunch we ate at this amazing panini shop that is famous at least among all the kids studying abroad.

In the afternoon, I met Arielle at the train station as she had asked me to go to her grandparents house for two days with her. Her grandparents have a house outside of Palaia, a little little town in Tuscany country. 

front of the house

Arielle and I at the back of the house

Palaia and the surrounding areas are famous for their grape and olive vineyards and Arielle's grandparents are lucky enough to have their own olive trees from which they make delicious olive oil, as well as other fruit and vegetables growing on their land. I loved being able to see a different part of Italy other than the cities. No one spoke a word of English and I was able to peer into the lives of a different culture away from the prying eyes of the tourists. Between their exuberant hand motions and my fleeting (lets face it, almost nonexistent) Spanish, I was surprised that I could understand most of what the people were saying. The country was relaxing and gorgeous and an opportunity that I was very lucky to have.

Back in Florence, I met back up with Hannah and her parents who were visiting for Hannah's spring break. We got a tour of the Jewish Synagogue and then while Hannah's parents toured the city, Hannah and I did what we do best--grabbed a book, a bottle of wine, and a sunny spot to sit down and enjoy ourselves.

Mark, Melinda, Hannah and I in front of the Synagogue

Kalimera! Good Morning Greece!

View from Mina Studios where we stayed

(from top to bottom) Paige, Me, Catherine, Sam and Andy sitting on the steps of Paraportiani, the oldest church in Mykonos

The meal we cooked Saturday night in our apartment in Mykonos

Greek salad, Greek sausage cooked in Mythos beer mixed with peppers, pita and tomatoes with tzatziki sauce

 

The windmills of Mykonos

Watch the sunset on the water every night

Paige, Sam, Catherine and Andy watching the sunset

Spring Break. Originally there were seven of us. We flew into Athens where we spent a night and then Catherine, Paige, Sam, Andy and I took a early morning ferry from Athens to Mykonos. Ari and Allison, who couldn't get seats on the ferry, were scheduled to take an afternoon flight and meet us on the island later.

Meanwhile, Mina picked the five of us up from the port. Even though I had made the reservation at her studios and had been corresponding with her, she went straight to Sam and Andy, asking which one was 'Alex'. Nevertheless she was the kindest woman I have ever met, offering to drive us around the island if we ever needed and pointing out the best spots to hit. 

We didn't realize that Ari and Allison had missed their flights until we got a call from them in Santorini . Their phones never changed and so they strolled into the airport on London time, two hours late. As there were no more available flights or ferries for the next two days, they made a spontaneous decision to go to Santorini instead of waiting around the airport trying to figure out how to get to us. You can't travel with out a little bit of disaster and by now my friends and I were used to the unexpected. The two of them were lucky to find a man who presuming that they were on their honeymoon, gave them a discounted rate on the honeymoon suit and activities for the next couple of days.

Allison on an ATV

Ari

Although we didn't get any fancy motorbike toys to play with, the rest of us spent three marvelous days in Mykonos walking around town, climbing the cliffs along the coast, dancing on the beaches, test tasting every kind of 'authentic' greek food, and watching for shooting stars at night while lying in the sand. Because of the off season, we seemed to have the island to ourselves and were treated by restaurant owners not as tourists but as friends. Sounds corny, I know, but when the members of the semi-drunk family who owns the restaurant you're eating dinner in, starts toasting you every shot they take (which is often) than you gotta believe you hold a small place in their hearts... at least for the couple of hours you're there. 

After Mykonos, we flew to Athens for a day for the sole purpose of seeing the Parthenon. Sadly by the time we dropped off our bags at the hostel and made it to the Akropolis, it was closed.

The closest we could get to the Parthenon

We met up with Ari and Allison for dinner and the next day we traveled to Rome where I waved goodbye to my friends and took a train to Florence. Friends of mine from home, Hannah Roth and Arielle Kohr, are studying there for the semester and as I had already been to Rome earlier in the semester with my dad, this seemed like the perfect opportunity to meet up with them.