Under The Tuscan Sun: April 2014

Today I got back from Cinque Terre with a group of girls from school! It was a short but beautiful weekend! We left Siena by train on Friday and got off in La Spezia about three hours later. We then took a five minute train ride into the mountains and got off at Riomaggiore. “Le Cinque Terre”, meaning “The Five Villages”, is composed of five gorgeous seaside towns known for their bright houses nestled in the mountainside cliffs overlooking the ocean. The first town, where we stayed, is Riomaggiore, the second is Manarola, the third is Corniglia, the fourth is Vernazza and the last town is Monterosso. After we got settled in our hotel on Friday we explored Riomaggiore! On Saturday we took a ferry to each town and explored the area! The five towns are so picturesque and it is definitely one of my favorite places in Italy! Each town has colorful houses, a marina, ocean rocks and Vernazza and Monterosso have beaches. The towns also have main streets where cute shops and the delicious seafood restaurants are located. Out of the five towns, Riomaggiore and Vernazza were my favorite because of the way their houses were arranged around the mountain and ocean. Manarola was also beautiful because the town is surrounded on the ocean opposing side by hillside gardens. We were able to walk along the gardens on a trail and get an amazing view of the sea! Overall, it is such a beautiful and enchanting place to visit, I am so glad I got the chance to before school ends! Getting ready for Switzerland this upcoming weekend!

Ciao!

-Rachel

Riomaggiore

The group!

Riomaggiore

Sunset

Riomaggiore

Manarola

Vernazza

Monterosso

Cinque Terre is the land of lemons!

Monterosso

Riomaggiore

Vernazza

Before my friend Kara and I went to Frankfurt and Heidelberg in Germany for Easter weekend, my family took me to the outlets on Tuesday, which are about 45 minutes outside of Siena! It was fun going because I felt like their child; They waited to leave until I got home from school and we all hopped in the Audi and went shopping together for about three hours. I didn’t get anything because the stores were mostly the same as in the U.S. (Nike, Adidas, Gap etc.) My family bought a lot of items though and wouldn’t say yes to buying something unless I liked it. I was really glad they took me with them, I am starting to feel more and more like a part of their family as the semester goes on. After working in Chianti again for my art restoration internship on Wednesday, I took a bus from the countryside to the train station in Siena. Kara and I then took an hour train ride to Empoli, an hour train to Pisa, a bus to the Pisa airport, a two hour plane ride to Frankfurt followed by a two hour bus ride into the city and a short walk to our hostel. It was a long day, but we had no problems and got to Germany safely Wednesday night! On Thursday we explored Frankfurt! We absolutely loved Frankfurt, despite what people told me before going there. People said it is really modern and big, which is true, but the city was the cleanest city I have ever been to and the modern skyscrapers were offset with traditional, antique German buildings. The city was easy to navigate and the people were so nice! It was helpful being able to speak so much English! We walked around the city’s main square with all of their cafes and shops; the Easter displays were beautiful! We went inside a few of the city’s famous churches and walked around their antique looking old town. We walked across the lock bridge then took a boat ride up the Main River. Towards the end of the day we took an elevator up 55 stories to the top of the Main Tower. It was awesome to see Frankfurt from so high up! On Friday, which was Good Friday, everything in the city was closed! We didn’t think about it being Easter weekend and that having an effect on things being open but it turned out to be a really fun and relaxing day! Since the only things that were open were a select number of cafes and restaurants, Kara and I went from café to café, hanging out and trying different foods! We walked to the old opera house and through many parks to get to the botanical garden, called the Palmengarten. On Saturday we took an hour bus ride to the small riverside town of Heidelberg. Heidelberg is definitely one of my favorite places I have visited so far, it is so picturesque and quaint! We walked along the river and bridges all day, stopping in fun shops and enjoying the atmosphere of an older looking German town. We underestimated the amount of time it would take us to get back to the bus station so we had to run to it towards the end and got on our bus just in time to head back to Frankfurt! Yesterday we said goodbye to Germany and departed for the long journey back to Tuscany. (We walked to the bus station, took a two hour bus ride to the airport, took a two hour plane ride back to Pisa, took a bus to the train station, took an hour long train from Pisa to Empoli and an hour long train from Empoli to Siena, then a half hour walk home, to be exact.) We luckily didn’t have any travel problems, except for the fact that the delicious, gourmet mustard Kara and I bought for our parents was .2 over the limit and we had to throw it away at security. (Sorry dad!) After I got home last night I was whisked off to my host grandparent’s house for Easter dinner. It was so nice that my host family brought me because it was the first time I joined them for dinner at the grandparent’s house. My host mom, Tiziana, has a sister named Rosanna and her parent’s names are Sabatino and Silviana. (Sabatino means “little Saturday.”) Silviana cooked a delicious dinner of tortellini soup, roast beef, an egg and ham casserole and a traditional Easter cake for dessert. I felt so welcomed by the extended family; they couldn’t stop touching my long, blonde, straight hair. (They all have short, dark and curly hair.) My host mom is also obsessed with the fact that my brother got married outside in December and they had me show the grandparents pictures of my family at the wedding, in short sleeves, outside, in December. It was a great end to a weekend and even nicer because Monday is still a holiday for Italy so we don’t have school today. I loved getting to see Germany and experiencing another foreign culture! This upcoming weekend I am headed for the beautiful Cinque Terre!

Ciao!

-Rachel