FALLing in Love with Italy

Ciao to All,

I was sitting in Boboli Gardens yesterday afternoon (If you haven't noticed.. I kind of go there a lot....) noticing the fall colors all around me, and I was suddenly thankful for the hints of Indiana-like weather.  It is a beautiful time of year here in Italy, and we've yet to have any cold days .  From my favorite spot in the gardens I can see Florence from end to end, and the reds, golds, and browns of the buildings were mixing nicely with the tips of the trees and the fallen leaves beside me.  Ah, I love the fall.

I really would like to be blogging on a more daily basis - to give you all a  sense of true life here in Florence for an American student.  This has ended up being more of a travel log than I intended it to be - but I guess it's my nature to tell all the fun stories from weekend adventures! To continue with the weekend travel log trend - I'll have to fill you in on my recent trips.

2 weekends ago I was in Verona and Venice, on our last schedule trip with API (my study abroad program).  Verona is classically beautiful - with amazing architecture and the romance of Romeo and Juliet's legacy still thick in the air. We visited the Montague's and the Capulets's supposed estates - and of course took pictures near Juliet's balcony. 

Sunday morning we took a boat into Venice and I was thrilled to finally be in the Italian city that I've always dreamed of visiting. We went on a great guided tour that really gave me a overview of the city.  I've debated over and over again whether or not to share a particular story from Venice.. well I should say THE story from Venice.  If you know me well enough, you know I am not one to keep secrets.. especially stories at my expense.. so here goes....

I think the best way to share is just to put it all out there - quick and painless.  After a long day of walking, Tricia and I were sitting by a canal relaxing and watching the gondolas go by.  It was nice to be on a side street, away from the mobs of tourists. After a half an hour or so, we got up to leave and Tricia offered to take my picture with the canal behind me. I remember thinking it would be best to be close to the water, so I took a few steps down a small flight of stairs that led right into the canal. I'm sure your guessing it by now - I took one or two steps, slipped on the moss, and fell straight into the water.  Yes, fully submerged into a canal in Venice, Italy. Gondolas full of tourists floating by and all...... Oh. My. Lord.

So needless to say, it was a weekend trip to Venice that will be remembered forever. (And I'm sure I made a few photo albums of the random tourists who were going by in the gondolas right then!)  After a nice  man gave me his hand to get out of the water - I immediately told Tricia "So are you going to take my picture, or what?". Obviously I was still in shock at this point...

I scraped up my remaining dignity and walked to the nearest clothing store leaving a trail of puddles behind me. I was lucky enough to find a cute new outfit and I wound up looking like nothing had happened at all. What a day. (Ok, you can stop laughing now!)

This past weekend was uneventful in comparison, but it did include Europe's largest chocolate festival - Eurochocolate 2008!  My friend Rachel and I took the train to Perugia, a medium sized Italian city south of Florence.  It was a day filled with crowds of chocolate lovers, giant chocolate sculptures, and a few free samples! The craziest thing I saw was a giant chess set made out of chocolate that people were actually playing! It was a fun way to spend a Saturday before buckling down for midterms which are going on this week. 

We leave on Friday for our fall break trip, so I may be MIA for a while. I promise to add some pictures sometime this week though. I mean, I might as well show some proof that I fell in the canal! :)

Love to all at home! Send me e-mails - I love hearing from everyone!

Blessings,

Katelyn