La mia vita a Firenze: October 8, 2011

October 8, 2011

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, MOM AND DAD!

Today I woke up around 6:30 and caught the bus to the train station around 7:15. When I walked to the bus, I could see my breath and was glad I had brought a scarf I could wrap around myself! I cannot believe how the weather has changed so quickly. I met Katie, Willi, Erin and Alex at the station at 7:45 and we took the train to Lucca at 8:07. I was very excited because our train was two levels so we got to sit on the upper level :) The train ride was not very long and we got to Lucca at 9:30. When we arrived, the sun was shining but it was still chilly, but it felt so nice and we were dressed for it. Getting off the train and walking toward Lucca, I immediately fell in love with it. First of all, it is surrounded by hills (I would call them mountains or foothills but I don’t know if they actually are), which are SO beautiful. Secondly it is a completely walled city. On top of the wall, there is a beautiful bike and walking path that follows the wall around the entire city that is lined with trees and offers beautiful views of the surrounding countryside. Third, the air is so fresh, it is quiet (not touristy), and it actually felt like fall when we were there! There were crunchy leaves along the path that I could step on and hear the satisfactory crunch, a few leaves were starting to change, and just the fresh air felt so crisp. We started off our day by walking along a fair amount of the wall around the city and stopping to enjoy the views and some of the ruins along the way. There were so many people out—riding bikes, playing Frisbee, picnicking as a family—it was so much fun to be a part of. After we had walked about half of the wall, we headed down from the path into the city. We decided it would be the most fun to just wander around and see what we could find so that is just what we did.

We first came across a little church that was absolutely gorgeous on the inside. It was built between the 12^th and 13^th centuries and was much less elaborate than a lot of the churches we have been studying, which I really appreciated. After that, we wandered down what seemed to be the main drag and found an incredible little pastry shop where I got a caramel apple crumble bar, which DEFINITELY tasted like fall! We ate them right by the tower with the trees growing out the top, which is apparently a famous landmark in Lucca. After that, we found what seemed to be the main square in Lucca where the church of San Michele stands. There were people playing music, kids playing, people eating lunch, flower markets…it was so beautiful. We sat ourselves on the steps beneath the statue of San Michele and just took in our surroundings and the beautiful, sunshiney day :) It was so relaxing to just sit there and really be a part of the culture around us; it was such a break from being in the city. After we had spent a while there, we wandered toward the Lucca duomo, which was stunning, as well. After the duomo, we decided to find some lunch. We found a little pizzeria where they had pizza to go so we got a few pizzas and took them back to the wall to sit there and enjoy the incredible view while we ate. We ended up staying there a while because it was just so beautiful to sit in the sun and watch the world going on around us. After a bit, we wandered back into town and wandered to some of the parts of the city we had not yet been to. We really got to see most of the city, which was so nice. As it was nearing the time for our train, we found our way back to the wall and slowly walked along, back toward the station, taking our time. We had decided to take the 4:30 bus back home so we could all be home in time for dinner with our families :) We made it back to the station with a little time to spare, said goodbye to one of our new favorite cities, and caught the train home.

We got back into Florence around 6:00. I wanted to enjoy the beautiful day a little bit more so I asked Katie if she wanted to walk home with me—we can walk halfway together before we have to split off toward our respective homes. However, when we reached the turn off, I decided to walk home with her, as I had time, just to see where someone else was living. I had heard about other students’ homes but had never actually been to any of them and seen where exactly they were. We had a lovely walk and it was so interesting to see where she lived because I realized what a nice, upscale neighborhood we live in. She lives in a pretty nice neighborhood as well but it is much more commercial. Our neighborhood is so quiet, filled with families and older Italians and is very residential. Plus, we live across the street from two of the most beautiful parks in Florence. AND, across the street are the beginnings of the upscale villa homes. It really put into perspective what a nice neighborhood we live in. I dropped her at her house and walked back in the other direction, back toward home. I took the route around the park and, once I got to the top of the hill where all of the expensive villas are, almost home, I got a view of all of Florence lit up. It was just spectacular! I walked the rest of the way home from there and got home around 7:30.

For dinner this evening, we started with basically buttered noodles with parmesan. I actually was very excited for them because they were so different from anything we have had and kind of exactly what I was craving. For our main course, we had zucchini and a quiche that was absolutely delicious. I don’t remember all it had in it but I know it included cheese, spinach and grapes…it was very yummy. For dessert we had clementines, which were sweet, juicy, and the perfect end to the meal! It was a delicious meal and a wonderful end to a wonderful day :)

Now that the day is done, though, I am exhausted so I had better get to bed here pretty soon! Thankfully I can sleep in tomorrow and take it easy, especially now that my paper is written. I hope you all are having beautiful fall days, as I had!

All my love,

Kari

P.S. The internet was too slow to add all of the photos I would have liked to but at least it let me upload a few!