Summertime

It was a great summer and it's hard to believe it's over. But there is a nice autumn feeling in the air, the Italians have broken out their jackets and scarves, and the kids are back in school. Summer is definitely over.

I've done so much since the last post and that's one reason it's taken me so long to update. I'll just start from the beginning. At the end of July, we packed up our things and headed to the boat for the next month. In Italy, the month of August is pretty much a national holiday. Most businesses are closed and it's not unusual for the entire family to get out of the city and spend a few weeks on the coast. Why didn't we think of that?? In our case, it was the Croatian coast. We sailed for four weeks straight down the islands of Croatia, around the boot of Italy, then up the Italian west coast. Croatia was really pretty but it reminded me a lot of Italy. It's so close that almost everyone speaks Italian and it seemed like it has adapted a lot to Italian tourists. We spent most of our time on the boat, stopping in different bays to eat lunch, go for a swim, or sleep for the night, but we did visit a few nice towns. I really enjoyed life on the boat. It was much more relaxing and spacious (even with 9 people on board!) than I was expecting. Their au pair from 2 years ago joined us for the trip so she, Lucia, and I organized a nice schedule to keep things running smoothly. The kids did great on the boat and everyone was happy.

Anchored in a bay in Croatia


Kornati, Croatia


Slapovi Krke, Croatia


Coast of a Croatian island


Korcula, Croatia


Playing with Gilda on our longest sail of the trip- 12 hours overnight from Dubrovnik, Croatia to Bari, Italy


We all took turns standing on bow of the boat, hanging on to a rope attatched to the top of the boat, and swinging out into the water. Even Pietro loved it!


When we got back to Italy, I had the whole next week free and I got to spend it with my mom and her dad! They wanted to visit me in the spring, but thanks to the volcano they had to reschedule. They got here on a Sunday afternoon and we had a few days to explore Florence. It was my grandfather's first trip to Italy and he loved it! Wednesday morning we traveled to Greve, a small town outside of Florence in the Chianti region, and also where the mulino is. After lunch in town, we went to see the kids and grandparents who were staying at the mulino for the week. We got a full tour of the house and a lesson of how the mill used to function. After a nice afternoon of coffee, tea, Vin Santo, biscotti, and visiting with everyone, my mom and Granjack headed off to Rome for the last few days of their trip.

On our way to dinner one night


At the mulino


I spent the next week at the mulino with the kids and their nonni. I love watching them run around out there in the yard and on the river because it reminds me so much of when Emily and I spent time with our grandparents when we were little. Life in the country is so different than life here in the city, but I loved it. We took walks in the woods and picked fresh blackberries, figs, apples, pears, grapes, and peaches that we used to make delicious pies, cakes, jams, and applesauce. We returned back to Florence just in time for Gilda's 4th birthday. I can't believe how grown up she is!

The treasures from our walk in the woods


Now here we are. The kids started school yesterday, which was a big benchmark for me. I've been here for over a year now so I've seen things go full circle. This year I knew exactly when we needed to wake up, how we would have breakfast and get dressed, and when they should be out the door, compared to last year when I knew nothing! It's a good feeling.

I'm actually writing this on a train coming home from Verona, finally a few hours with nothing to do. Today was my day off and I decided to take a day trip. With my time here getting shorter and shorter, I'm feeling especially motivated to explore and see as much as I can before I leave. I'd never been to Verona so I decided to go check it out today. I went by myself, but it was so nice! After a few mishaps before leaving (I had the wrong train times, went to the wrong station, then missed the train to the right station...) I finally made it. I was a few hours later than I was hoping, so I hit the ground running. Literally. I even ate a panino while I was walking, which is so unlike me not to stop for a good sit down lunch. But, I saw pretty much everything there was to see and I loved the city. Hopefully I can make these day trips more of a regular habit this fall!

Greece

Well my friends and I finally had our big fat Greek vacation! It was amazing! I am now obsessed with the Greek isles and Greek food. Burney, Molly, and I flew into Mykonos and Caroline met up with us a day later. We spent three nights there before taking a ferry to Santorini for four nights. Both places were absolutely beautiful! We celebrated Burney's birthday in Mykonos and could not have had more fun. We went into the trip with no plans at all and it worked out great. We walked around town, layed by the pool, made Greek salads in our little hotel apartments, and watched the amazing sunsets every night! It could have been the most relaxing week of my life... We got a little more adventurous in Santorini and rented two 4 wheelers to explore the island with! We drove them all around and visited another village. Burney and I were a little nervous to drive at first, but it ended up being so much fun! Another night, we went on a catamaran sunset cruise, which was awesome too. They took us to swim in the natural hot springs then grilled some Greek appetizers for us to enjoy with a glass of wine while watching the sun set.

Sadly, Molly flew straight from Greece back to the States, Caroline left a week later, and Burney heads back next week. I've already said all of my goodbyes and it was pretty bittersweet. I'll miss my little travel friends for the next few months! But we've all had such great experiences this year, separately and especially together. I can't imagine the past 11 months over here without those girls. We had some great vacations and fun times together but more importantly, we were a little support system for each other over here. I love you girls and miss y'all already! But I know there are lots more visits together to look forward to in the future.

I'm now in the middle of the laundry/organizing/packing process to get ready for the big sailing trip with the family. We'll leave sometime next week for a month on their sailboat. We're sailing around Italy, from one side to the other, and stopping to spend some time in Croatia on the way down. Sometimes I just stop and laugh at laugh at my life right now. This time last year, I had no idea all of the amazing things that were in store for me! I'll pretty much be out of touch on the boat, so everybody have a great rest of the summer and I'll be back in September!

Beautiful view of Mykonons town from our front porch


Sunset on Burney's birthday


Beach in Mykonos


All of us before leaving for Santorini


BEAUTIFUL Santorini


The famous sunsets in the city of Oia, on the island of Santorinin


Caroline and me on our 4 wheeler


Our last dinner together

A Month with Friends

Well, another month has flown by! June has been a busy month for me with lots of visitors. It was great! Some of my parent's best friends from Texas had been planning a big trip to Europe this summer with some of their friends from home and had Florence on their itinerary. So, my parents decided to come visit at the same time! Everyone met here one Sunday afternoon and we spent 4 days together eating great meals, visiting the sights, touring Chianti, and catching up.

Everyone on the Ponte Vecchio


Stopping at a vineyard in Chianti


Dinner at Open Bar


Bellini's at Villa San Michele


Walking around the Boboli Gardens


Another really fun thing this month was having Ryan Coletta in Florence. He was studying abroad with his FSU program here and it was great to have a friend from home living here for a little while. All of his friends were really nice and fun too!

I was so sad to say bye to Ryan, but the day after he left I had more visitors! Margaret and Cason stopped in Florence for a few days on their European backpacking trip. They were on their third week of traveling and stayed here for three nights total. It was so fun to see Margaret again, after just seeing her in Destin last month.

And last, but definitely not least, I was so happy to visit with some more friends from Destin, Ms. Karen and Emily Lyerly. They were also doing some traveling in Europe and spent a few days here. One of their nights here overlapped with Marg and Cason so we all met one afternoon to watch the World Cup.

Emily, Me, Margaret, and Cason


It's always nice to see a new, familiar face while I'm so far from home, so thanks to everyone who has taken the time to visit with me while you were in Florence this month! Yall are awesome and I'm so lucky to have so many great friends!

One more thing, look how big my babies are getting!! So sweet.

May

I know I say this every month, but it's really true this time; May was the best month and I can't believe it's already June! I have so much to catch up on! The month started out great with a visit from the Coletta's. Ryan is studying abroad here for the summer so Ms. Jeanne and Tiffany were so nice to deliver him safely to Florence. They were here for about five days and we had so much fun together! It wasn't their first time in Florence, so we weren't rushing around to see every touristy sight, it was very relaxing. Thank you Ms. Jeanne, Tiffany, and Ryan for all of the good food, wine, and laughs. I love yall!!

At dinner with one of my favorie families


A few days after they left, I flew home for two weeks! It was so great. I spent one week in Destin with all my friends and family and had the best time. The weather was perfect and I got to see so many people. Kristen surprised me by flying home from D.C. for the weekend! There wasn't a quiet moment! My whole time at home was spent visiting with friends, going on the boat, hanging out on the beach, eating great American food, and enjoying being in my own house. I also went to a wedding and got to celebrate Cheney's engagement! It was so great having everyone together.

At the Mattie Kelly outdoor concert


Taking a sunset harbor cruise


Margaret, Natalie, Jessica, Kristen, me, and Haylee


After a week at home, I flew up to Atlanta to see my Georgia friends. A lot of them are living there now so we all got together. It was the best reunion! I was actually there on my birthday and Ansley's is the day after, so we had a cookout at her cute house to celebrate. It was great seeing everyone!

My friends at the birthday cookout


Two days later, I flew to Colorado for the big event! I was invited to the Air Force Academy Ring Dance which took place at the Academy Friday night. Lucia was so nice to let me borrow one of her beautiful Italian gowns and I carried it practically half-way across the world for the formal. But it was so worth it! It was my first trip to Colorado so that was fun too, it's beautiful out there. Everything about the weekend was great!

Before the dance


The mountains in Breckenridge, Colorado


Before I got home to the U.S., I wasn't expecting to experience any culture shock because that's the only way of life I've ever known, but I have to admit that I did. Nine months in Italy really has given me a different outlook on so many things that I didn't even realize. I had forgotten about so many of the differences. The main thing was definitely the dining experience. And although I had some great meals at home, I was ready to get back to the Italian way of eating. But, I was pleasantly surprised to notice how soft everything was at home! It sounds weird, but since everything is air dried and ironed over here, I forgot how amazingly soft towels and sheets could be! I was sad to leave America, but thinking about the kids made me feel better. I was so happy to see them when I got back! They gave me so many hugs and kisses, we couldn't stop laughing and smiling. Now I've been back in Florence for a week and life is going on as usual. After the first day, it was like I had never even left. Now it's June (omg!) and there is so much to look forward to! I'm planning some trips for the summer and fall and I'm trying to squeeze in as much as possible into my last six months here!

Lately

This month has flown by! And I obviously haven't been too good about keeping everyone updated lately. But with the beautiful weather, traveling, friends visiting, and meeting new friends in Florence I haven't been spending as much time on the computer, which I guess is a good thing. But it's been a great month! For my off weekend, I went to Cagliari in Sardinia with Burney and Caroline. It's a cute little beach town off the coast of Italy. We went to the beach, walked around town, and ate great seafood. Burney and I actually got an extra day and night there when our flight home was cancelled due to the volcano but we didn't mind at all! We had great weather and a fun time together.




Sadly, the volcano also cancelled my mom and grandfather's trip to Florence. I did mind that one, but hopefully we can reschedule their visit for another time. I was really looking forward to having them here but I ended up having a nice, quiet week instead. Burney and Molly came to stay with me Saturday and Sunday. We also had a friend from Georgia who was passing through Florence so it was fun being with all of them. Molly had a week off from her family in Switzerland so she stayed with me for a few more nights. Yesterday we took the train to meet Burney in Lucca, a small Tuscan town about an hour and a half from here. I LOVE LUCCA! It was my first time there and I'm already looking at my schedule to see when I can go back. I could live there forever! Molly and I got there in the morning and rented bikes. Lucca is still surrounded by the old city walls and there are bike paths and little parks all the way around. Burney got there at lunch time so we had a nice meal outside together and walked around a little bit before I had to come back to Florence. I hated leaving them because we've been able to spend so much time together lately and it will probably be a while until we will see each other again.

Taking advantage of the beautiful weather (and my friend's rooftop terrace) Saturday afternoon


And again on Sunday...


Lucca



Some more recent news, I've decided to extend my stay with the family and will be here until January! That is great news for everyone who hasn't visited yet because now you have a little more time! I'm really excited about having another fall in Florence and a few more months in Italy. I was starting to get so sad thinking about leaving the kids, the family, and everything here when Lucia asked me if I was sure I really wanted to leave. We never really talked about me staying longer so I didn't know it was an option, but when she offered it to me I almost felt relieved. I was curious when I got here to see if a year in Italy would scratch the itch that I felt to live somewhere else and experience a new culture. I was wondering if I would feel fulfilled or if it would just leave me wanting more. I guess I did feel like I needed a little more time, but I promise I'm not staying forever! (Not even in Lucca.) I think this will be the perfect amount of time and a great way to end 2010. And since I decided to stay here longer, I asked if I could have some time to visit home. So, I'll be in the states for a few weeks next month! I'll be in Destin May 11-18th so let me know if you're in town too!

Spring Has Sprung

It's finally spring in Florence and I couldn't be happier! The weather has been so nice lately (with the exception of a few afternoon April showers). We were driving back into town a week or so ago from being in the mountains and it was like the seasons had changed overnight. Everything is green! Flowers are blooming and the sun is out! But so are the tourists...the past few months have been so pleasantly quiet around town but I guess tourist season is back...oh well. We've been back and forth between the mountains so much lately, we've barely had any time in Florence. Only two days this week then heading out again on Thursday. They're trying to get in every last minute of skiing. We spent the past weekend there too but it rained all day on Sunday so we spent the morning in the house then went out to a fabulous Easter lunch. The restaurant had a special set Easter menu with SIX courses. We were at the table for two hours and couldn't even think about food for dinner that night. It was so good though!

The kids are out of school this week so I took them to the Boboli Gardens this morning. It was such a beautiful day that I wanted to get them out of the house. We ran around and explored the gardens for a while then went to Mama's Bakery for a special treat. We met two little girls there and ended up staying for over an hour playing with them. It was a great morning! Tonight is my night off so I'm cooking dinner at a friend's apartment then heading out to Beatles night at Be Bop. I haven't been there since Kristen and I studied abroad here but it was one of our favorite things to do so I'm looking forward to it!

I feel like my time here is flying by. It's already been more than seven months! We're starting to talk about summer plans and when I'm going to leave...it's so weird. But I'm excited about so many things coming up soon. My mom and grandfather are coming to visit in two weeks and I'm in the middle of planning a few other fun trips. It's going to be a good spring! Even though I'm a few days late, Buona Pasqua...Happy Easter to everyone!

Fresh flowers at the market


Tulips in full bloom at Piazzle Michelangelo




The kids at Boboli






Pietro and I couldn't find Gilda for a few minutes (a little scary) but eventually saw her here...

Spain

If I hadn't had my trip to Spain with Emily to look forward to, I would have been depressed after the Maldives. We got back to Florence late Sunday night and I left the next Tuesday morning for Madrid. It was actually snowing as I walked to the train station that day and I almost cried thinking about being on the beach two days before. But, when I landed in Madrid and saw my Mom and Emily I was so excited! We spent that afternoon walking around Madrid and catching up and I was really sad when my mom had to leave the next morning. I was suffering from the worst case of jet lag and was tired from all the traveling (5 different planes and 3 different countries in 7 days!) and climate changes so I was feeling a little less than par the first few days. (Side note- Lucia asked me what that phrase meant the other day and I told her it was a bad thing, but isn't less than par a good thing in golf? where does that come from?) Anyways, we still had a good time. The weather was colder than we were expecting, so we spent a lot of the time trying to run from one inside place to the other- museums, shops, restaurants. I really liked Madrid and thought it was a beautiful big city. There were lots of trees, parks, and nice buildings. We saw some great museums, toured the Royal Palace, did some shopping, and went to a Flamenco show one night that was really neat! And I can't forget all our trips to Starbucks- they don't have these in Italy, so it's always a guilty pleasure for me when I leave the country.

Thursday afternoon we left Madrid and flew to Barcelona. We got in pretty late so we just grabbed a quick dinner and went to sleep. The next day we saw some sights around town- the food market, the seaside and port, Gaudi's famous church and park, and toured the Picasso museum. Neither of us was really crazy about the food in Spain, actually I really hated it but Emily said I was just being a spoiled brat from living in Italy. But we managed to find a few tapas everywhere we went that were pretty good. Everything is ham, eggs, and potatoes though and you can't escape the smell of ham anywhere! Eww. Saturday, our last day there, was the best weather we had all week. We spent the whole morning trying to get to Figueres, a town 2 hours away with the Salvador Dali museum, and ended up missing our train. But we were happy to have a nice day just to hang out in Barcelona. It's also a really beautiful city. We sat outside for a while and people watched- a very interesting thing to do in Spain- and enjoyed the sun. That night, we HAD to have an Italian dinner and it was delicious!

We both flew out early Sunday morning. Emily went back to school and I went to Rome to spend the day with Caroline. I hadn't seen her since November and figured this would be a good time to pass through. I actually got to see Burney and Will too who got to Rome for a vacation about an hour before I left. Now I've spent this week getting back into the swing of things in Florence. We're leaving shortly for almost a week in the mountains. The weather has been wonderful lately and I'm soo looking forward to spring!

P.S. the picture uploader isn't working now, but I'll check again when we get back from the mountains next week...