Spring Break All Together

Saturday - Rome to Sienna

Saturday morning Kinsey and I woke up bright and early to be the first ones in line at 8:30 to get into the colosseum, we wanted to make sure that we got in and saw everything we wanted before we were scheduled to move on to Siena. We were literally ten people back in line and got in right when the gates opened. I was glad to have Kinsey with me on this adventure, because I have to admit I really did not have a lot of prior knowledge of the colosseum. Kinsey, once again being the history major had all the answers to my questions and knew most of what everything was that we saw. We then moved out of the colosseum and across the road to a park full of ancient ruins. We really did not know what most of the stuff was because it was all in Italian, but it was still pretty cool to see how the items could last and stay for so long. After that Kinsey and I said our goodbyes to Rome, went and grabbed our bags and headed to the train station. We got tickets to Siena and got on our first train where I became a little stressed. We had to change trains once and we kept going further and further past where I thought the stop was and it never came. I tried to communicate with the train attendant, but she did not speak English well. Eventually the stop came and we made it to Sienna safe, it was just a little stressful. In Siena, Kinsey and I had to figure out how to get a bus to the city because that was all the direction we were given by the B&B that we stayed at. Finally after much walking around with our heavy bags we found the bus and took it into the city. Then we went through the same ordeal with trying to find the B&B but this time we walked quite a long way. We found the B&B and then ended up having to go to another location to actually get our rooms. After we got settled in we went out to find a place that had been recommended by our B&B owner. It was fabulous. Kinsey and I both got pasta and I have to say it was some of the best I have ever had. We then walked around the city centre for a while made our payment to the owner at her personal house, and then we once again found gelato. This time I got mint. So good once again! The day ended with Kinsey and I sharing pictures on our computers and of course SLEEP!

Sunday - Sienna

All I can say is wow! Siena is absolutely gorgeous. I now know why everyone raves about Siena and its beauty. Kinsey and I really had no plan today, and that was the best. We woke up ate our interesting breakfast from the B&B and headed out to walk and sight see. We started by seeing a church and then began to wander. As we wandered we found other churches and buildings that popped out from around corners. It was so much fun to see what was going to be around the next corner. We had lunch at a really cool pizzeria and then went to the city centre and sat in the sun. It was really cool to just be able to sit back, relax and just let time go by while enjoying the landscape. After this Kinsey and I went to the Duomo, which is the Cathedral in Siena. Indescribable. Pictures are included below. After this we really had nothing else that we wanted to see so we began to wander again. We found a place that was absolutely amazing. It was a set of gardens high up on a mountaintop that overlooked the city of Siena on one side and the mountain ranges and Tuscan landscapes on the other side. We stayed here for almost an hour and a half. It was beautiful. Then we went back to the B&B and took a brief nap before dinner. After dinner we went and once again got gelato. Just note this will be a recurring theme of our days. This time I got Limone (Lemon). It was really good, but really tart. Loved every bite of it. Basically Siena was great and Kinsey and I did not want to leave on Monday.

Monday - Sienna to Florence

On Monday, Kinsey and I got up and headed to the train station. We had a little difficulty finding a bus to get there, but we did it. When we got to the station we had to wait about an hour until our train left so we both went and got big bottles of water so that we could refill our little bottles for a couple of days. However, Kinsey learned the lesson between Frizante and Naturale. Frizante means with gas or carbonated water. She tried to drink it and just could not handle it, so she had to get another bottle of water and throw that one away. Our train ride to Florence was uneventful, except for some sleeping and beautiful countryside. Upon arriving I Florence we headed straight to the Hostel to check in. “Right on Time” said the hostel owner as he showed us that we had put down one as our arrival time. We got all settled in and received the map of Florence with some circled items and we off. We started once again by just wandering. This wandering led us to a very nice pizzeria. 5 Euros for an eight-inch wide pizza! GREAT! Then we turned the corner by the pizzeria and hit the market. We walked through multiple streets of vendors and saw many cool items, but in the end bought none. This wandering put us out right at the front of the Duomo in Florence. Of course, we took many pictures and walked right inside. The inside was phenomenal just like every other church we have seen thus far on our trip. After visiting the Duomo we began to wander again and Kinsey decided she wanted to go see the water. By this time the sun was starting to set and we got a great view of the river with the sun beginning to set. We also found a bridge that dated back to 973 but rebuilt in the late 13th century. This bridge was so cool. It was formed by buildings and had the most expensive jewelry stores Kinsey and I have ever seen. After crossing the bridge Kinsey and I realized we were in the wrong side of town as far as money went and were sure to cross back over the next bridge. We found a nice place to eat diner after this. Our waiter was absolutely hilarious and kept us entertained for a good hour. I had a chicken breast covered in mozzarella sauce, with asparagus cooked in butter and cheese. AMAZING and DELICIOUS! After this we again went to find gelato per the suggestion of our waiter this time I got Peanut Butter, which was actually pretty good and even had real peanuts in it. Kinsey and I then returned to the Hostel because we knew that Tuesday was going to be an early day.

Tuesday - Florence

The reason I say Tuesday was an early start is because Kinsey and I woke up at seven to get showers and make sure we got in line at the Academia. Why you ask? Because this is where Michelangelo’s David is housed. We stood in line for thirty minutes and were in the museum very shortly after the doors opened. We walked around for a while and then rounded the corner. There it was. My first thought was, wow that is a lot bigger than I thought it would be. The sculpture of David was just so cool and very detailed. The detail was so incredible. Even to the point where the muscle in the back of the knee was poking out like it normally does when someone bends his or her knee. CRAZY AWESOME!! We spent a good hour in this museum and loved every minute of it. Then we again decided to wander and find some cool churches and other buildings. One of these we ran across was the Basilica of Santa Crose. At first we decided not to go in and just walk around the church. As we walked around we saw a cool view of the river with a mini waterfall. This is where Kinsey took the map from me and decided that there would be no more stress of where we were going and how long it would take, we were just going to see where and when we got places. Best decision ever!! After making the slight detour, Kinsey and I decided to go inside the church. Good plan! Inside we found the tombs of Galileo Galilee and Dante. Who knew? The church was unbelievable and really stunning. After this we began to look for a pizza place that our professor Dr. Smith had recommended. We found it and it was really good. Four-cheese pizza is a lot better over here. Then we walked straight across the street to a Gelato place that had been recommended to us by two people from the US and two from Italy. Here I got Nutella gelato. For those of you not up on Nutella, it is a Hazelnut chocolate spread that we have in the US, but that is really popular in Europe. Then we looked around some more and found items such as Dante’s church, and a really cool military arch. About 2 it began to rain a little a Kinsey had forgotten her coat and umbrella, so we headed back to the hostel to get these items. When we got to the hostel the rain had started to become substantial so we decided to wait it out. This included talking and more importantly an hour-long nap for the both of us. After the rain stopped about 4:30 Kinsey and I headed back out for more fun. We walked around and just looked at the sites and sounds of Florence for some time and again looked at the river at sunset. We found a really cool authentic place for supper and both got Fettuccini Alfredo. Once again, we headed for Gelato. Just a side note, all these are small two scoop cups of ice cream, not big cones like the first day in Rome. This time I got a mix of chocolate and coconut. There were actual chocolate chips and coconut pieces in the gelato. Once again so good, there is no way I can eat ice cream when I get back to the US. We finished our day by walking back to the hostel and sharing our pictures from the lat few days with each other.

Wednesday - Florence

Today was a much more relaxed day for Kinsey and I. We started out later today because we really just wanted to enjoy the sun and scenery of Florence. We began by going through the market areas one last time and getting all those last minute souvenirs that we just had to have and spend money on. After the markets we began our true journey for the day. Since we had covered pretty much all the important and worthwhile items the day before, we decided to cross the river and enjoy the countryside. We found a road that took you up on a mount that overlooked the city of Florence on one side and the Tuscany countryside on the other. We found a nice café and sat down for a long and leisurely lunch. After lunch, we tried our hand at some more gelato. The flavor for me this time was cookies and cream. After this we found a nice bench in a garden area in full sunlight and sat for an hour. It was the best time we have had. So relaxing and peaceful to sit and listen to the bird’s chirp and see the pretty landscape. We then made our way up to this really cool church that had a HUGE cemetery. Kinsey and I stayed in there for a while looking at all the tombs and gravestones. There were a lot of buildings built around people’s graves and there were all done in a different and unique way so it was really cool to see. We then started our climb back down the mount only to start climbing up another. You see, Kinsey and I had decided today was a no map day so we just wandered. I saw a sign that said castle and church to the right. We turned and began our trek. Little did we know that when we rounded the corner we would find a very steep and high road. We were committed at this point so we just went on with our journey. My calf muscles will be hurting tomorrow from this journey. We got to the top only to find the castle was closed. So we continued on to find the church. After walking a long way surrounded by brick walls with glass on the top to keep people from climbing over the walls, we decided to turn around and come back down the mountain. At the bottom we stopped for a rest and to make a plan for the rest of the evening since it was 4:30. We decided to go back to the hostel and put our stuff down rest a few and then head back out. For dinner we found a nice restaurant where I got some nice pasta with zucchini and Kinsey got lasagna. Once again like all nights after dinner we had gelato for dessert. Again another flavor for me, so I got a scoop of lemon and a scoop of melon. I have to say that the melon tasted exactly like cantaloupe and it reminded be so much of North Carolina and those good home grown Rocky Hock cantaloupes. We then made our way back to the Hostel, ran into the manager in the middle of a random street, and now we are sitting catching up on blogs for all you people to read. Enjoy! Tomorrow we catch a train to Venice for our final stay until Saturday.

Thursday - Florence to Venice

Whirl wind of a day. Today Kinsey and I left Florence. We went to the train station to find our train and as we were about to get on our train we ran into Elon Teaching Fellow friends. They were heading to Rome and us to Venice, so it was nice to see familiar faces. We then got on the train and rode for three hours to Venice. Upon arriving in Venice we came out of the train station and found a boat to take us to our hostel! Yes a boat. This city is absolutely awesome because it operates on boats and waterways. No cars at all. We found our way to the hostel, settled in and then began on our way. Because there are no cars, the streets are much more narrower and look a lot more sketchier. However, the first thing we did was to find a place that sold maps and got one to use. As my brother forewarned me, the maps here are not exactly accurate and true to what actually is in front of you. Kinsey and I decided though to not use a map. We took one glace to see where we were and the general area that we wanted to head towards and set off. We walked for a while and then would sit and enjoy the scenery. Every corner we turned there was another walkway and bridge to cross over another small canal. We eventually made it to the tip of the island and saw San Marco Basilica from across the Grand Canal running through Venice. It was remarkable. We then made our way over to the Basilica to view it and the courtyards surrounding it at sunset. After this we found a nice place for dinner where I had cheese pizza. We were too full and exhausted so there was no Gelato tonight. We made it back to our hostel, hung out, and went to sleep.

Friday - Venice

Great day right at the end. Today Kinsey and I started a little later because breakfast was served at our hostel this morning. We had eggs with lots of pepper, and toast. I also had hot tea to drink, which is becoming a favorite staple for me during the day when I am in London. We decided to start at San Marco this morning to actually see the inside, and decided to not use the map to get there but to wander once again. After an hour of walking and passing over many bridges, we finally found San Marco. We stood in line and we inside within thirty minutes. The inside was absolutely remarkable. Gold plated ceilings with biblical characters, the Basilica left me awestruck. No pictures were allowed, but that is something that I can never forget. After this, Kinsey and I had seen all we really wanted to see as far as we were concerned so we decided to pick an area on the map and wander. We found a nice place for lunch, and then we got Gelato. This time I got Vanilla and Chocolate. Again we set of to wandering and found a really nice park. We sat and started talking and watching the birds, and ended up staying in the park for about an hour and a half. We set of to walking again and made our way around to one of the bridges, there are only four that actually cross the Grand Canal, which runs directly through the center of Venice. This bridge, the rialto, dates back to the 16th century. When we got here Kinsey and I made a tourist decision, but it was worth it. We went on a gondola boat ride. Kinsey was disappointed because our man did not sing, but other than that it was really cool. We wandered again after the boat ride and found ourselves back by the train station. It was approaching dinnertime and Kinsey and I knew exactly what we wanted. We went back to the Rialto Bridge and found a restaurant that sat on the Grand Canal and had our last dinner in Italy. Yes, it was very sad because our trip is almost over, but great food. After dinner we went a found Gelato again. Chocolate and Mint for me this time. We sat in front of a church for about an hour in the dark and just enjoyed the nice weather. We looked up and could even see the stars. It was very nice. Tomorrow is the bittersweet ending to our break. Glad to go back to London and get back to school, but not as glad to end this amazing week in Italy.

Saturday - Venice to London

Wow, it is over. Today Kinsey and I knew we would be leaving, so we packed al our bags and sat them downstairs in a holding place while we went out into Venice for a while before we left. While out in Venice we did some wandering around the last bit of the island we had not seen yet. We found some really cool churches and sat in two different benched areas to just relax and recap our trip. We ate lunch at a pizzeria and got Italian pizza for the last time. Then it was time to get one more thing of Gelato before we left. I got a mix of mint and nutella. We then slowly walked back to our hostel to pick up our luggage. We walked to the bus station, after thirty minutes of searching found our bus and headed to the airport. We waited for the plane for about an hour and headed back to London. Glad to say we are back in London. Spring break was great and I loved every minute of it.


PICTURES TO COME!!!