We got up the next morning to do the taste of Tuscany tour. The bus took us outside of Florence into the beautiful Italian country side that made me feel like I was in a movie. We had a traditional Tuscan brunch and went to a winery. We got to learn about how they make wine and then had a tasting. I definitely have a new appreciation for red wine after this trip. After the winery we went to this old medieval town and got gelato. Nothing beats Italian gelato... definitely had it three times in 4 days haha.
The countryside and the grape vines at the winery
You can't see it that well, but it's just an example of some Italian gelato!
That night we also went on the organized pub crawl with our hostel. We got to go to fun bars and one was even right outside of the Duomo, so we got a sneak peak of that. At the third bar I ended up going somewhere else with Italian friends I made. It was really cool because it had live music and everything and was something I probably wouldn't have found if it weren't for them.
I got back really late that night so we slept in a bit on Saturday. We got pizza for lunch and then did the tourist double decker bus tour of Florence. It was really worth it because you really get to see so much and learn a lot more about the city than you would on your own. It also took us to this nearby old Italian town, which was super cute and I enjoyed a coffee there.
A view of Florence at one of the lookout points the bus took us to.
A cute bridge in Florence that we ended up exploring the next day.
That night we ate dinner at this place called Zaza. Of course all the food we got there was very good. Pasta galore. Haha but when in Italy it's kind of a requirement. We met people at our hostel that night and went out to a couple different places in Florence with them.
The next day (aka Halloween!) it was unfortunately pouring rain. Europeans don't really celebrate Halloween the way we do, but there were decorations and at night some people dressed up. We wandered around the city a lot and saw different attractions, like David and the Duomo when it was wasn't nighttime at a pub crawl.
Part of the Duomo
Despite the rain we still enjoyed our day. I got my costume! I ended up being an inmate with a black and white striped shirt and handcuffs. Funny side story, at the airport on the way home my suitcase had to be inspected because they saw something in it. This sir is like digging through all of my dirty laundry, throwing things around, and finally he reaches the furry handcuffs at the bottom. I tried to explain it was for my costume but he just gave me the craziest look ever and then threw them away. Hahaha, what a loss.
For Halloween we met up with these people from New Zealand that we had met the night before. We went to a karaoke bar and Erin and I were freaking next in line when it closed! Annoying. But we also went to this cool Irish pub that Kelly and I found while looking for a bakery. Ok let me go ahead and tell the story about this secret bakery. The 3 of them went the first night while I was out with the Italians. It has no sign on the door, doesn't open until2 am, and is super sketchy, but is supposed to be like the most amazing thing ever. So around 4 that day Kelly and I wanted to find it and we walked all up and down the street it was on and couldn't find the door. That's when we walked into the Irish pub and we felt so dumb, but I asked the guy "So... we're looking for a bakery... and it's kind of a secret." Surprisingly he knew what we were talking about and that's when we found out it wasn't open yet. Anyway, that Irish Pub ended up being a lot of fun.
Inmate
We hung out the New Zealanders until like 4 am and had to get up at 8 am. We got breakfast in Florence before leaving and caught our bus to Pisa. It was still POURING this day, so it was kind of a downer. But we still got to see the leaning tower and get a good lunch there. Caprese salad and tiramisu are definitely two of my favs.
Amanda and I at the tower
Our flight left at 5 for Valencia and while we were waiting I finished the book in Spanish I'd been reading! La llave de Sarah, which is a really popular book in the US called Sarah's Key. I absolutely loved it and understood everything. Plus it was 394 pages, so it was quite an accomplishment. I actually just bought a new book today and it seems a little more difficult. I'm excited though because I've got to keep challenging myself in order to improve!
Last night we got back to Valencia around 7:00 and it was fun seeing everyone again and getting to talk about our weekend. This morning I had my Spanish business class and we actually got to walk around and see different Spanish businesses and franchises, which was awesome. I got lunch with Byron at Bocatta and then went to the central market with Dom. Italy has solidified my obsession with tomatoes, so definitely scored like 8 of those.
I had history class at 3 and then immediately after we went to this Museum of Enlightenment. I wasn't too pumped about it, but it was actually a cool interactive experience. I wanted to go for a run after we got back but I forgot that daylight savings time happened this weekend (a week before the US, so I'm actually only 5 hours ahead of home for the time being) and it was already dark by the time I got home.
Looking forward to two full weeks in Valencia before we head to Madrid!
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