Pinterest Worthy Weekend

Hello again! I had a fantastic first weekend in Firenze. Saturday was an overall very relaxed day which is something the roommates and I needed. On Saturday, we woke up at 7:30 to get to the Duomo by 8:15. This was the day that we were going to climb the 463 some odd steps to the top of the Duomo which is a cathedral and the tallest building in the city of Firenze. The one thing they do not warn you about this climb is that if you are claustrophobic, DON'T DO IT. The stairwells that you are walking up are ultimately for miniature sized people. My poor roommate, Bryn, is very claustrophobic and was ultimately trying to run up those 463 steps in order to keep from fainting. During the climb you get to walk through some of the cathedral which is absolutely beautiful. My mom instilled a love in me for old churches and cathedrals. She would absolutely love the Duomo. While we were there, a church service was going on led my monks and it was very cool to see and listen to them sing. The actual Duomo on the inside is a giant painting telling the story of Dante's Inferno. The images were interesting and graphic but beautiful at the same time.

I wonder if the person who painted this ceiling finished and said "I think I did a damn good job." Ha! Each figure on this ceiling is like 5 times bigger than lifesize. It was incredible.

Once we reached the top, I was stunned. Florence is literally surrounded by mountains. It was so beautiful to see the orange rooftops right next to huge mountains.

And then we saw this girl... wearing heels... up 463 steps... that's all I have to say.

creepin..

The rest of the day we went to the market to pick up some pesto, mozzarella, and tomatoes for some dinner. The entire rest of the day I laid in my bed and watched "Pretty Woman" and "the Bachelorette" with Bryn. It was raining so I didn't feel bad about being that lazy on a Saturday in a foreign country.

Foccacia

Yesterday, we woke up at 6:00 in the morning and were off to Cinque Terre. To all the girl's reading this, you probably have pinned a picture of Cinque Terre as a "Place To Go" on Pinterest. I'm not kidding, it was beautiful. Hands down the best day I have had in Italy yet. Cinque Terre means five towns in Italian. We took a train to the first town and walked from there to the second town. We took a train to the fourth town because evidently the third one was not worthy enough. The fourth town was beautiful but was under a lot of construction because there had been a mudslide in October that flooded the majority of the town. It was still beautiful though. This town was also known for their foccacia bread. OH MY GOSH. It literally melted in your mouth. It was so delicious. After the fourth town, the roommates and I took the hour and half hike from the fourth to fifth town. Because I did that hike, I do not feel bad about all the pasta and carbs I am eating over here. It was a trek but it was beautiful. I love to hike but as I am actually climbing up, I hate myself for having to do it. But it was so worth it.

Locks of love with the 2nd city in the background

These locks are from people who have locked their love in this city. They lock them here and throw away the key. 

Had to do this for my DG friends

4th City

Roomies

I had to take a picture of the downwards hill after having hiked so far uphill 

5th City

When we reached the fifth town, we got about 20 steps in and found this fun beach shack on the beach that sold margaritas and beer. We met three friends from Michigan and all sat down. Let's just say that we sat there for the rest of the day, listening to music, making friends with the owners, and having an incredible time.

Strawberry Marg

New friends and strawberry margaritas

Friends at our perch on the beach

Roomies and our new friends! 

I loved my flower. Kelsie did too.

Cinque Terre was absolutely beautiful. I can mark that location off the Pinterest "Places To Go." It was really good to get our of Florence for a little bit. When I got home I had some quality facetime with these crazies who I miss very very much.

Haha I love my crazy family. The only one missing is Russell. Look at that cute puppy. That face is so precious, as are all the other faces in these pics. Well I'm off for now. Gonna go clean my room and get some essentials done. Bye for now!