After teaching me how to make risotto - which was super yummy - Caroline and I had plans to meet up with my friend Justin and go out for a night on the town. "Be prepared to get extremely drunk tonight!" was the message Justin had left me on my phone. "We can't drink too much tonight" I said "we have a meeting at my friends school tomorrow around noon so we have to be up and fresh in the morning." Ya right...like that lasted.
Justin met us at Carolines apartment her and I of course still getting ready. "I really want to where these heels" I said. I had bought brand new heels for this trip but not having worn heels in a very long time I didnt know if my feet could last. "They look hot!" They both said. "Yes but looks and the ability to walk after a few hours are to different things." "Emmie," Justin says "wear the heels, take your flats and put them in your purse. If your feet get sore just change them." I look at him "how is it you know more about women's shoes then I do?" I said laughing. (I know most girls know this but me not being a heels girl I'm clueless). Thank goodness the club was just around the corner from Caroline's apartment as I wouldnt have made it as I took a small bag that didnt fit another pair of shoes.
Not 5 minutes in the bar Justin had 10 shots lined up. "Justin! I told you, we can't get wasted tonight!" "Emmie, I don't go out during the week. I came out for you tonight...drink up!" So I did...we all did...and not just shots - which frequented the night. By the end of the night not only was I drunk but I couldnt walk in my heels even though I barely moved from the bar all night. We stumbled out of the bar, Caroline falling in her heels - walking along the Italian cobblestone is not easy drunk or sober. "Fuck it!" She said and took her shoes off, I followed suit...Justin carrying heels and purses back to the apartment where we continued to drink whiskey till almost 5am. We didnt make it to the school the next day. We did however have a pile of cigarette packs lol. Justin and I did a smoke run at like 3am. You have to purchase them from a machine on the street but they dont give you change so when you put in 20 euros you have to spend it so we ended up with five packs of smokes...not like I wanted any the next day.
We went for an amazing lunch at Porcuspino, this restaurant that Caroline frequents and got me hooked on it. Homemade pasta, wine, champagne....yum yum yum. The food in Florence is some of the best and I can't get enough of it. For me its always pasta...doesnt matter what time of day all I eat is pasta. Papardelle with a meat (boar) sauce. Pasta filled with ricotta and pairs topped with a butter and cheese sauce which is to die for....sooo good. Plus the gelato...OMG! There is nothing like real Italian gelato, and the gelaterias are amazing....they are bright and colourful with creamy gelato topped with fruit behind a shiny glass counter, going in them is part of the whole experience, I get excited just walking by the door.
Anyways...back on track ....after an awesome lunch at Porcuspino we met up with Justin and wandered the streets of Florence. He bought us gelato and then we took him shopping - for him, not us, he wanted to buy a new shirt.
We planned to meet up the next week as he was going away for work that weekend and Caroline and I had planned a little weekend get away.
Originally we were going to go up to Austria, but with timing and expensive train tickets we decided to rent a car and do a Tuscan road trip. Our car was awesome, a FIAT 500 in a beautiful pristine white. With the windows down we drove off into the beautiful Tuscan region...unfortunately driving in Italy is crazy. They drive fast, cut everyone off, barely use their flashers, pull out from a street in front of you without warning...we had a couple close calls but we made it safe and sound with white knuckles.
We used the GPS on Caroline's phone so we knew how to get to our hotel. We turn onto this little street that ended in the middle of nowhere with a house on each side. "This doesn't look like the photo." I said with a giggle. She gets out of the car looks around and gets back in "These are houses, there is no hotel." We look at the GPS, we typed in the wrong address...thank goodness it definitely didnt look like the type of place we wanted to stay in. Luckily we just had to go left off the street and drive a few minutes up the road.
For no reason at all they upgraded our room at the hotel, no extra charge! We walk up to the second floor a little excited. "I wonder what our room looks like" I said. "Well I already like the smell of the place" she said. We get to the door of our room, unlock it and walk inside. We started to giggle "well, if this is the upgrade I would hate to see what the other rooms look like" she said. It was quaint, one double and one single bed, a phone, no clock, a dresser with a tv and a patio with a view we loved it.
We hopped back in the car and headed toward the city centre of Luca which is still surrounded by its walls.
It was beautiful! Little tiny cobblestone streets that twist and turn every which way. It has a dark gothic feel as you walk through the old alleyways that now hold designer stores attracting gullible tourists. There seem to be more piazzas then |Italy itself. We had dinner in this amazing piazza that was oval shapped, the buildings rounded and restaurant patios lining the walls. The buildings were tall and cracked with flowers hanging on the sills...it was the perfect spot.
We headed back to the hotel where we decided to sit outside on the restaurant patio, have some drinks and order some antipasto. Honestly, I haven't stopped eating since I got here, I go from dinner to antipasto and sometimes pizza. I'm never full...the food here is just to good to say no to. Our waitress told us they were having a special lunch the next day...she even offered to open an hour early for us as we had to leave to get back to Florence because my parents were arriving the next day but we had to politely decline.
Next thing you know, the owner of the hotel sits at our table with another employee and we ended up drinking wine till like 4am. I must say, when I drink wine at home I end up with a massive headache the next day, here however it doesnt affect me....I may have wine flu the next day but there is no headache, I'm thinking its the lack of preservatives in their wine here or at least thats what I tell myself.
We headed back to Florence the next morning met up with my parents, dropped them off at the apartment and headed off to a vineyard to have lunch.
Finding the place was next to impossible. We ended up on these narrow windy streets that we had to keep turning around on and driving back because we kept missing the entrance. We finally made it, which was a sharp right and down this little road or more so like a path. We got to the bottom which had this incredible view but had a house on each side. Not again. "Im not sure this is it." She gets out of the car looks around gets back in "this is definitely not the vineyard." We check the GPS, wrong address again. "I guess we go back the way we came." I said. "How the fuck are we supposed to get the car out of here!" she said. The road we came in on was almost a 90 degree incline and we were in a standard car. She starts driving the car up the incline, both of us leaning forward, subconsciously hoping it will help. We get to the top but have to stop because she has to check for traffic. The car stalls and starts rolling back. She slams her foot on the break. " I have to back up and try again." We start rolling backwards but the incline is so steep that even though she had the break all the way down we were rolling pretty good. Images of us rolling all the way down between the two houses and doing a Thelma and Louise backwards into the Tuscan hills played in my mind. I was not liking the situation. The car stops, we lean forward and she steps on the gas and we go...all the way up and onto the street. We didnt say a word to eachother, we were both shaking and had stopped breathing and then we started to giggle.
We finally find the place, or we thought we had, we ended up at the so called address but it was all residential. She called the number of the vineyard and the lady told us we were there but we couldnt find it. We asked a local where it was and he gave us the correct directions which was a miracle. In Italy even if they dont know where something is they will still give you directions, sometimes you have to ask 5 people before you get the right way or you luckily stumble upon it yourself.
The vineyard was a huge disappointment. It was huge and industrial looking with no character whatsoever. The restaurant looked like a huge cafeteria and an ugly patio that barely had a view. We were in and out in 10 minutes.
It was a good thing we had already driven into the city once that day as it was easier the second time. The first time we were late meeting my parents because we kept missing turns and rerouting and ended up on the other side of the city. this time there was less traffic and recognized the streets where we had to turn.
We went for an awesome dinner at Porcuspino with my parents and then wandered around Florence for a couple hours. Even though I had lived there for a month to study I never got to see Florence. There is so much to see and every corner you turn there is something different, a piazza you havent seen, views of the river, the ponte vecchio bridge, we even road the carousel in one of the piazzas. Something I have done a few times but something Caroline hadn't done so it was on our to do list.
The next day my parents wanted to wander the streets and we went to a Sushi Train restaurant for lunch which was great and then we went to my friend Melissa's school. One of my reasons for going to Florence was to check out my friends school. There is a possibility they will be hiring teachers in September so it's something I am looking into. I want to start teaching again and moving back to Florence would be amazing...nothing is set in stone everything is just talk right now but it is a possibility but that decision is something you will have to wait for.
Seeing Melissa again was great...I forgot how funny she was. She was sad we didn't get to spend more time together but fingers crossed for the future.
It was my last night in Florence, my parents and I were heading back to Termoli the next day. We had plans to have dinner with Justin. He wanted to take us outside of the city center to a real Florence restaurant...a place tourists dont go. Unfortunately, my parents couldnt make it. They had been out all day and the 9pm dinners of Italy is not something they are used to and they wanted an early night. They decided to grab a hotel so Caroline and I could enjoy our last night.
Justin picked us up in his car and we drove to the restaurant, I wore my heels so I didnt mind. The food was awesome! Of course I had pasta. The servings were massive but I managed to finish the whole thing. After stuffing our faces we went back to Carolines to change our shoes and headed to the bar for a few drinks. I was sad because I had to say goodbye to Justin. I hate saying goodbye to people I have met along the way especially when there is a chance I may not see them again. But I know I will go back even if its just for a vacation.
After shedding some tears at the train station the next morning Caroline and I said our goodbyes and my parents and I rode the train back to Termoli.
Now I am sick. I have a throat infection, but you can buy antibiotics here without a prescription so I"m lucky...and, they are super cheap about $5 for 6 days of antibiotics which seem to have started working after 24 hours.
Today my parents and I rented a car and drove to Campobasso City which was a huge disappointment. It was ugly, polluted and took us over an hour to find a restaurant. Everyone who gave us directions either sent us to want that wasnt open or one that was under construction. We ended up at a local watering hole with amazing homemade PASTA!!! After that we drove to my dads home town, had some wine at the local bar and went and visited our cousin Maria.
Tomorrow my sister will be coming here with her family and we are taking them to lunch at our favourite restaurant - Rosarios - and then up to my dads town to meet Maria and our other cousin Gina! It's going to be great for my dad.
Now it's time for bed, it will be a long day tomorrow plus Sunday I am heading back to Florence for my last few days. I had such a good time I have to go back before heading home. I promise at least one more blog before my return, until then.
Ciao
- My Beautiful Life -
Justin met us at Carolines apartment her and I of course still getting ready. "I really want to where these heels" I said. I had bought brand new heels for this trip but not having worn heels in a very long time I didnt know if my feet could last. "They look hot!" They both said. "Yes but looks and the ability to walk after a few hours are to different things." "Emmie," Justin says "wear the heels, take your flats and put them in your purse. If your feet get sore just change them." I look at him "how is it you know more about women's shoes then I do?" I said laughing. (I know most girls know this but me not being a heels girl I'm clueless). Thank goodness the club was just around the corner from Caroline's apartment as I wouldnt have made it as I took a small bag that didnt fit another pair of shoes.
Not 5 minutes in the bar Justin had 10 shots lined up. "Justin! I told you, we can't get wasted tonight!" "Emmie, I don't go out during the week. I came out for you tonight...drink up!" So I did...we all did...and not just shots - which frequented the night. By the end of the night not only was I drunk but I couldnt walk in my heels even though I barely moved from the bar all night. We stumbled out of the bar, Caroline falling in her heels - walking along the Italian cobblestone is not easy drunk or sober. "Fuck it!" She said and took her shoes off, I followed suit...Justin carrying heels and purses back to the apartment where we continued to drink whiskey till almost 5am. We didnt make it to the school the next day. We did however have a pile of cigarette packs lol. Justin and I did a smoke run at like 3am. You have to purchase them from a machine on the street but they dont give you change so when you put in 20 euros you have to spend it so we ended up with five packs of smokes...not like I wanted any the next day.
We went for an amazing lunch at Porcuspino, this restaurant that Caroline frequents and got me hooked on it. Homemade pasta, wine, champagne....yum yum yum. The food in Florence is some of the best and I can't get enough of it. For me its always pasta...doesnt matter what time of day all I eat is pasta. Papardelle with a meat (boar) sauce. Pasta filled with ricotta and pairs topped with a butter and cheese sauce which is to die for....sooo good. Plus the gelato...OMG! There is nothing like real Italian gelato, and the gelaterias are amazing....they are bright and colourful with creamy gelato topped with fruit behind a shiny glass counter, going in them is part of the whole experience, I get excited just walking by the door.
Anyways...back on track ....after an awesome lunch at Porcuspino we met up with Justin and wandered the streets of Florence. He bought us gelato and then we took him shopping - for him, not us, he wanted to buy a new shirt.
We planned to meet up the next week as he was going away for work that weekend and Caroline and I had planned a little weekend get away.
Originally we were going to go up to Austria, but with timing and expensive train tickets we decided to rent a car and do a Tuscan road trip. Our car was awesome, a FIAT 500 in a beautiful pristine white. With the windows down we drove off into the beautiful Tuscan region...unfortunately driving in Italy is crazy. They drive fast, cut everyone off, barely use their flashers, pull out from a street in front of you without warning...we had a couple close calls but we made it safe and sound with white knuckles.
We used the GPS on Caroline's phone so we knew how to get to our hotel. We turn onto this little street that ended in the middle of nowhere with a house on each side. "This doesn't look like the photo." I said with a giggle. She gets out of the car looks around and gets back in "These are houses, there is no hotel." We look at the GPS, we typed in the wrong address...thank goodness it definitely didnt look like the type of place we wanted to stay in. Luckily we just had to go left off the street and drive a few minutes up the road.
For no reason at all they upgraded our room at the hotel, no extra charge! We walk up to the second floor a little excited. "I wonder what our room looks like" I said. "Well I already like the smell of the place" she said. We get to the door of our room, unlock it and walk inside. We started to giggle "well, if this is the upgrade I would hate to see what the other rooms look like" she said. It was quaint, one double and one single bed, a phone, no clock, a dresser with a tv and a patio with a view we loved it.
We hopped back in the car and headed toward the city centre of Luca which is still surrounded by its walls.
It was beautiful! Little tiny cobblestone streets that twist and turn every which way. It has a dark gothic feel as you walk through the old alleyways that now hold designer stores attracting gullible tourists. There seem to be more piazzas then |Italy itself. We had dinner in this amazing piazza that was oval shapped, the buildings rounded and restaurant patios lining the walls. The buildings were tall and cracked with flowers hanging on the sills...it was the perfect spot.
We headed back to the hotel where we decided to sit outside on the restaurant patio, have some drinks and order some antipasto. Honestly, I haven't stopped eating since I got here, I go from dinner to antipasto and sometimes pizza. I'm never full...the food here is just to good to say no to. Our waitress told us they were having a special lunch the next day...she even offered to open an hour early for us as we had to leave to get back to Florence because my parents were arriving the next day but we had to politely decline.
Next thing you know, the owner of the hotel sits at our table with another employee and we ended up drinking wine till like 4am. I must say, when I drink wine at home I end up with a massive headache the next day, here however it doesnt affect me....I may have wine flu the next day but there is no headache, I'm thinking its the lack of preservatives in their wine here or at least thats what I tell myself.
We headed back to Florence the next morning met up with my parents, dropped them off at the apartment and headed off to a vineyard to have lunch.
Finding the place was next to impossible. We ended up on these narrow windy streets that we had to keep turning around on and driving back because we kept missing the entrance. We finally made it, which was a sharp right and down this little road or more so like a path. We got to the bottom which had this incredible view but had a house on each side. Not again. "Im not sure this is it." She gets out of the car looks around gets back in "this is definitely not the vineyard." We check the GPS, wrong address again. "I guess we go back the way we came." I said. "How the fuck are we supposed to get the car out of here!" she said. The road we came in on was almost a 90 degree incline and we were in a standard car. She starts driving the car up the incline, both of us leaning forward, subconsciously hoping it will help. We get to the top but have to stop because she has to check for traffic. The car stalls and starts rolling back. She slams her foot on the break. " I have to back up and try again." We start rolling backwards but the incline is so steep that even though she had the break all the way down we were rolling pretty good. Images of us rolling all the way down between the two houses and doing a Thelma and Louise backwards into the Tuscan hills played in my mind. I was not liking the situation. The car stops, we lean forward and she steps on the gas and we go...all the way up and onto the street. We didnt say a word to eachother, we were both shaking and had stopped breathing and then we started to giggle.
We finally find the place, or we thought we had, we ended up at the so called address but it was all residential. She called the number of the vineyard and the lady told us we were there but we couldnt find it. We asked a local where it was and he gave us the correct directions which was a miracle. In Italy even if they dont know where something is they will still give you directions, sometimes you have to ask 5 people before you get the right way or you luckily stumble upon it yourself.
The vineyard was a huge disappointment. It was huge and industrial looking with no character whatsoever. The restaurant looked like a huge cafeteria and an ugly patio that barely had a view. We were in and out in 10 minutes.
It was a good thing we had already driven into the city once that day as it was easier the second time. The first time we were late meeting my parents because we kept missing turns and rerouting and ended up on the other side of the city. this time there was less traffic and recognized the streets where we had to turn.
We went for an awesome dinner at Porcuspino with my parents and then wandered around Florence for a couple hours. Even though I had lived there for a month to study I never got to see Florence. There is so much to see and every corner you turn there is something different, a piazza you havent seen, views of the river, the ponte vecchio bridge, we even road the carousel in one of the piazzas. Something I have done a few times but something Caroline hadn't done so it was on our to do list.
The next day my parents wanted to wander the streets and we went to a Sushi Train restaurant for lunch which was great and then we went to my friend Melissa's school. One of my reasons for going to Florence was to check out my friends school. There is a possibility they will be hiring teachers in September so it's something I am looking into. I want to start teaching again and moving back to Florence would be amazing...nothing is set in stone everything is just talk right now but it is a possibility but that decision is something you will have to wait for.
Seeing Melissa again was great...I forgot how funny she was. She was sad we didn't get to spend more time together but fingers crossed for the future.
It was my last night in Florence, my parents and I were heading back to Termoli the next day. We had plans to have dinner with Justin. He wanted to take us outside of the city center to a real Florence restaurant...a place tourists dont go. Unfortunately, my parents couldnt make it. They had been out all day and the 9pm dinners of Italy is not something they are used to and they wanted an early night. They decided to grab a hotel so Caroline and I could enjoy our last night.
Justin picked us up in his car and we drove to the restaurant, I wore my heels so I didnt mind. The food was awesome! Of course I had pasta. The servings were massive but I managed to finish the whole thing. After stuffing our faces we went back to Carolines to change our shoes and headed to the bar for a few drinks. I was sad because I had to say goodbye to Justin. I hate saying goodbye to people I have met along the way especially when there is a chance I may not see them again. But I know I will go back even if its just for a vacation.
After shedding some tears at the train station the next morning Caroline and I said our goodbyes and my parents and I rode the train back to Termoli.
Now I am sick. I have a throat infection, but you can buy antibiotics here without a prescription so I"m lucky...and, they are super cheap about $5 for 6 days of antibiotics which seem to have started working after 24 hours.
Today my parents and I rented a car and drove to Campobasso City which was a huge disappointment. It was ugly, polluted and took us over an hour to find a restaurant. Everyone who gave us directions either sent us to want that wasnt open or one that was under construction. We ended up at a local watering hole with amazing homemade PASTA!!! After that we drove to my dads home town, had some wine at the local bar and went and visited our cousin Maria.
Tomorrow my sister will be coming here with her family and we are taking them to lunch at our favourite restaurant - Rosarios - and then up to my dads town to meet Maria and our other cousin Gina! It's going to be great for my dad.
Now it's time for bed, it will be a long day tomorrow plus Sunday I am heading back to Florence for my last few days. I had such a good time I have to go back before heading home. I promise at least one more blog before my return, until then.
Ciao
- My Beautiful Life -
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