#iuin

Wow.

100 days in Firenze have come to an end and this has by far been one of the best experiences of my life. I have come to love this city and the people with whom I have joyously spent all these days.

The past few days have been all about spending time with these incredible people that I love and saying goodbye to the city I have come to call home (& of course, the food; the famous bistecca alla fiorentina, the last Gusta pizza, my favorite gelato.)

3.5 Months, 6 counties, and 19 cities later...I am back home in Indiana.

ITALY:

Florence

Vernazza

Manarola

Monterosso

Corniglia

Riomaggiore

Pisa

Pompeii

Positano

Capri

Sorrento

Monteculpiano

Munich, GERMANY

GREECE:

Athens

Santorini

Mykonos

Interlaken, SWITZERLAND

London, ENGLAND

Paris, FRANCE

Back to where it all began, #IUin Florence, Italy.

Ciao, Firenze.

Ciao,

Paris is always a good idea.

Finally. It is no secret that I have longed to visit Paris since I started learning French in the 7th grade. About a decade later, it definitely did not disappoint.

I went with two girls from my program, Emily and Lilly, but I stayed on my own. The first night, I ventured out into my neighborhood to explore and find dinner. I had Chipotle. Disgusting, I know, that my first Parisian dinner was at an American cult fast food place (one that I don't even like), but whatever.

    *Sidenote: it is strange to say Spanish words in French, i.e. 'guacamole'

The next morning, we ventured out on our quest to the Palace of Versailles. One that included 3 American girls and a complex Parisian metro system. It took some time, but we made it. And got in for free with our Italian student VISAs! We were met at the entrance with the golden gates and proceeded inside to find the most lavish and glamorous decor. I was captivated by the Hall of Mirrors. I will say that the French know how to do luxury. Each and every room was dripping in rich velvets, lace, and gold.

After the palace tour, we were ready for lunch. So, we stopped into Angelina's (renowned pastry shop). We all order the French onion soup--or is it just onion soup? Definitely the best I have ever had. 

After lunch, we explored the outside grounds and gardens of the Palace. The labyrinth-like garden maze was an incredible sight in itself, but with the cold, December temperatures, we decided to head out. But not before grabbing some Laduree macaroons!

After being surrounded by all things fabulous all day, we ended it by going into the original Christian Louboutin store. After waiting in line for about an hour (apparently there was word of his visiting his store that day), we went inside and shopped. Both Emily and Lilly bought their first pairs of Louboutins! I demonstrated very serious Keli self-control because we all know how I feel about shopping.

The next morning, I met up with Karli, a friend from high school who is now an au pair in Paris, and her 3 friends Annie, Shelby, and Kieran for brunch at Angelina's. There, we had the famous hot chocolate which is an incredibly rich, decadent, and thick chocolate and omelets.

We then ventured out to to different Chanel stores (this trip tested me y'all). Then, the Musee d'Orsay. Wow. After a semester in Florence, it was incredible to see the architectural marvel that housed so many legendary works of art, including those of one of my favorites, Vincent van Gogh. The museum was incredible, (again--for free with my Italian student VISA).

Afterwards, we ventured across the city and got some amazing photos for my IU photo series. Both Annie and Shelby are IU Hoosiers, too!

When we got to the Trocadero spot, which is a famous spot for landing the perfect photo with the Eiffel Tower, we were met with a surprise. The area had been occupied by a #BlackLivesMatter die in to protest police brutality against African-Americans in the U.S. All the way in Paris. I was overwhelmed with happiness that the world is watching and sees our pain. To be across the world and be blessed enough to bear witness to such international strength and compassion...there are no words.

After the protest, we went to the Champs Elysees to take part in the Christmas markets. These markets were the biggest I had seen across Europe; they went on for miles. There, I partaked in a new favorite of mine, hot mulled wine. Yum! Must make some this winter. I also had a salmon baguette for dinner, authentic French champagne, and bought some scented soaps from Marseilles--strawberry, cinnamon orange, and passion fruit! Then, we watched the Eiffel Tower light up and sparkle. Incredible. Shelby and Kieran showed me to some of their favorite pubs and bars. In order to get to one, we had to cross in front of Notre Dame as the bells rang and a Christmas tree lit up in front. We grabbed dinner for the night, and I went back to my hotel after an amazing and exhausting day in Paris.

And the final #IUin ...Paris.

Ciao,

34 hours in London...

To say my London trip was quick would be an understatement. But I tried to experience as much of this giant city as I could in the little time I had.

Friday began with a 24 hour transportation strike across Italy. This is probably the 7th strike that has occurred in the 2.5 months I've been here, and the 3rd one that personally affected my travel plans. While they don't usually kill our plans, they do heavily back them up. So after needing to be at the Pisa airport an extra 3 hours early, a 45 minute shuttle that turned into 2 hour standstill traffic, Italian passport controllers who held up customs for an hour, and a 1.5 hour UK Border entry, a 1 hour bus ride to London from Standstead, and a quick 10 minute Tube (London Metro) ride, we arrived at our hostel. And exhausted and hungry from our travels, we grabbed ciders and pub food from the hostel pub/bar before bed.

The next morning, we woke up at 7am and headed out to begin our day. We bought tickets to a city bus tour, "hop on, hop off" bus, so that we could squeeze in all of London, while still see the parts we wanted. First stop was Platform 9 3/4, a Harry Potter fan staple, at King Cross train station. While I never really jumped aboard the Harry Potter fanatic train, it was a pretty cool thing to check out. Throughout the day, we explored other landmarks like Buckingham Palace (aka my future home), Big Ben, the Tower of London, the London Eye,  Picadilly's Circus, and Harrod's luxury department store.

    *Sidenote: at the Tower of London, there was an exhibition for the 100th year anniversary of World War I where there were 888,246 ceramic red poppies installed in the castle's moat to honor each British solider fatality, Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red. We were there on the last day to see them before volunteers removed them all.

Never did I imagine London to be such an enormous city, so I know I have to go back when I have more time. That night, we explored some of the Christmas markets around the London Eye. We ate dutch pancakes with nutella, shopped for ugly Christmas sweaters, and tasted English toffee vodka. Very cool market.

Then, we returned to our hostel and got in a short nap before needing to head back to the Standsted Airport at 4am for our flight back to Florence.

Cheers, ole chap! #IUin London, England.

Ciao,

The beauty of studying abroad in Florence, Italy? Being able to take pretty cool day trips. On this particular day, it was Pisa. Pisa is a mandatory visit for all study abroad students in Italy, a right of passage one could say. So please, do excuse and enjoy the cliche tourist photos that are to come.

From Florence, some friends (Taylor, Nicole, Rachel, and Jordan) and I hopped on an eight euro train to Pisa from Santa Maria Novella train station. After about an hour or so, we arrived. Now, I'm sure I'm not the first and certainly won't be the last to say this but...who knew Pisa had more than just the Leaning Tower?! Obviously, I knew it was a city, but I never pictured it as it is. It really reminds me of a little Florence. To reach the tower, it's a bit of a walk over a river and through the shopping district and city center of Pisa. But then, boom.

We were met with the complete building and were delighted to see about a hundred people casually lounging in the leaning shade the tower gives from the sun. We sat for a bit and then headed to take photos.

Of course, we all took photos for each other, but the real daunting task came when we needed a group shot. So, we scouted out a nice American couple and asked for a photo. The results are hilariously disastrous. I mean really...when has anyone ever taken a Leaning Tower of Pisa picture like this?

Dear stranger American lady, in case you ever see this, typically the falling tower goes in front of the people holding it up. This was photo #3 by the way.

Of course, I had to take my traditional #IUin Pisa picture.

             *Super Hoosier saves the Leaning Tower of Pisa!

After taking tons of pictures in the blazing sun, we had to treat ourselves to some gelato! We stumbled into this adorable gelateria called Bellamia that had crunchy crepes: fresh hot, Nutelled-stuffed crepes folded and filled with two kinds of gelato, chocolate chips, and drizzled with more chocolate.

And on that note...

Ciao,

This weekend was easily some of the best days of my life. Specifically Positano, Italy, but I'll get to that in a minute.

Again, I booked my trip through Bus2Alps, after meeting up at the Santa Maria Novella train station on Thursday night, we loaded up a double-decker bus for what turns out to be an eight hour bus ride. (We thought it was a five hour ride so, imagine our surprise.) At 4am, we arrived in Sorrento, a cute beach town in southern Italy. We stayed at the Seven Hostel, which was very nice, even had a rooftop bar. Two hours later, at 6am, we were on a ferry to head to Capri.

On Capri, we went into the Blue Grotto, which is a tiny, tiny, cave where the blue water reflects off the bright white sand underneath and sunlight causes a glowing appearance. We paid 12 euro to go in and 5 euro to swim in it (a bit of a rip-off, but hey it's all about the experience). After being dunked in, I remembered how extremely salty the Mediterranean is. Caution: do not swallow the water. After the Blue Grotto, we returned to the boat and went on a (crazy) boat ride where we also saw the Green Grotto and White Grottos. We also sailed under the legendary Lover's Rock. After docking, there was an optional hike or tram ride to reach the next town. (Again, Keli don't do hikes). There, we explored the town of Capri, tried limoncello, and enjoyed the shopping. And the seafood, obviously. I had spaghetti alla frutta di mare with mussels and clams. Then, we took a topless taxi back down to the bottom of the island. A topless taxi, by the way, is a normal expanded car with its hood torn off that takes you on the craziest drive ever down the curvy streets of Capri while being sung stereotypical Italian songs. Oh, a tourist's paradise. That night, was one of my roommate's 21st birthday! We celebrated Ellen by dressing up and going out to a nice dinner in town and went to a beer garden afterwards.

On Saturday, we went to Positano, which was about an hour bus ride from Sorrento. (We missed Beyonce and Jay Z by 1.5 weeks, by the way [depression]). Then when we were dropped off at a random point on the massive cliff, we had to hike down (Keli had no choice) for about 45mins to get to the beach. But the views, were fantastic. When we finally reached the bottom, we were giving free reign over the beach. We, obviously, spent the first hour recovering from the down hill spiral of a hike. Then, 17 of us rented two boats and went to see Positano from the sea. Easily, the best decision I've made thus far. The views from the water were even more incredible and the random stops we took to all swim and party together in the water made it even better. We were taken to private beaches and blocked off in the water to enjoy the ocean. Unfortunately, the boat ride had to end and we went back to beach to finish off our relaxing day. Then, back to the bus and Sorrento we went. That night, we stayed in the hostel and hung out on their dance floors and bar.

On Sunday, we checked out of the hostel and took buses to Pompeii. For those who don't know, the city of Pompeii was destroyed in 79 A.D. when Mount Vesuvius erupted and covered the town in waves of detrimental soot and ash. It is typically referred to as "The City Stuck in Time" because the way the ash covered everything, it essentially preserved everything from the buildings to the towns people who were mummified. It was actually very different from how I thought it was going to look. The entire city was basically open for us to roam and explore the homes and gain insight into the lives of those lost. Things I didn't know about Pompeii: it was previously believed that everyone mostly died from the ash inhalation, where most died from the extreme heat that plagued the city (around 475 degrees F); they were an advanced people that even had businesses with marketing puns ("Vesuvium" was the name of a wine shop, a combination of Vesuvius and vium which meant wine); and the people practiced an immense amount of eroticism and phallic worship. The frescoes that were featured on the walls and ceilings of the homes were incredibly detailed and creative. Some homes even had intricate tiling and marble. However, walking around this dead museum gave a bit of an eerie feeling, like we were disrupting the final resting places of thousands. Overall, it was very memorable.

Clearly, my weekend in the Amalfi coast was action packed. And I cannot wait to come back. Look out Positano, I'm coming for you.

#IUin Positano

#IUin Capri

Ciao,