Buona Pasqua di 5 Terre!

Happy Easter from the Cinque Terre! Easter Sunday, what a wonderful holiday as a child. I remember loving to wake up on this morning and have chocolate for breakfast! Who could ask for more?

Alex and I woke up, ate some hard-boiled eggs and fruit, and went in search of coffee. We found some to-go coffee, which is a rare find in Italy, and took it back down to the waters edge. I decided this was the perfect time for a swim, so I changed into my suit and jumped right in. Little chilly, but it felt so wonderful to be swimming, its been so long and I remembered how much I missed it! Alex snapped some photos, boy was it chilly!

After the morning swim, I took a quick shower and we boarded another boat to the town of Portovenere. This was a town recommended to us by Alex’s family, who spends some time in Italy every year. We were pleasantly surprised by this town, right on the water with lots of little places to eat. We both enjoyed salads for lunch, and wandered through the streets, looking at all the places where olive oil, foccacia and pesto were made. It all smelled so delicious! We took lots of pictures of the water, and the town, it was all so wonderful!

After a long day, we were ready to head back. We bussed to La Spetzia, where we caught a train to Pisa, and then got on the train back home to Florence. It was such a nice weekend, and certainly one of my most favorite, if not THE favorite, places in Italy. It truly was magical!

Ready for another week at school, its all going by so fast now that the end is near. Few more weeks of class, then Finals, and then HOME to the US! Ciao Bella

Earthquake

Hi there everyone, just a quick post to let everyone know that I am alright here in Italy. The earthquake that occurred at about 3:30am this morning happened about two hours south of me, and it was very devastating to the country. The death count is over 100, and there are still several people missing. Please join us all in a prayer for the families and friends effected by this event, and keep them in your thoughts as you go through this week. I want to take a minute to tell all of you how much I love and miss you, and think about you all, and am very grateful to have so many friends and family members who care about me. Glad to be safe here in Italy, and will keep you updated on the next 6 weeks of my Italian life. Ciao Bella!