Senor Senso Unico

We went to the San Lorenzo market and walked around before Italian class at 1:15. Jer and I bought our “tourist” shirts, I brought them all to class so they could meet Costanza. They were lucky that day because we didn’t do much in class, no one was there! We went to get gelato at a couple of places then I had to go home and start getting ready for my interview with MTV that was at 4. I was extremely nervous. I was reading over possible questions that was going to get asked and thinking of my answers as well as the questions that I wanted to ask. It ended up that all of the wardrobe internship positions were filled for the summer, but I’m going to try again for fall. We went back over to the small leather market and my dad bought the jacket he fell in love with the first day and Carly and I got our purses! We ate dinner at Gusto Pizza that night. We all split four different pizzas. Unfortunately there were some “not so fun” things that had to be taken care of before I could go to sleep. My dad and I had to walk all the way from the river to my apartment, about a 30 minute walk in the cold. We were gone for an hour and a half. Then we headed back to the hotel to get some sleep for our early morning and long day! I gave my gifts to Carly and Jer before we went to sleep. =)

Shortyy/Shottyy

I had class early again from 9:30 til 12:30, so they went to the Ponte Vecchio and looked at all of the little shops, then we met up for lunch at Noe’s as soon as I got out. We ate out in front of Lion’s Fountain. Then when I had class at 1:30 they climbed up to San Miniato. We went to OIBO for appertivo, had a couple drinks, then headed over to Open Bar on the Arno River, where we saw Kelly’s family! We had the best dinner that night. Jer and I split chicken and a pasta. Our waiter was hilarious, and I talked to him about some possible people to get in contact with in Miami for internships. I’m making connections all the way over here in Italy! After dinner we went to Lion’s, where we met up with Kelly and her family. We hung out there for a while, Jer made a BELMONT shot! Mickey let her pour and serve them. She was such a cute little bartender that night! =)

Busy day!

I had class early Tuesday, but slept in. Apparently everyone else did too because I got an email from my teacher saying no one really showed up that day. I accidentally missed Italian too because I hadn’t set my watch to the correct time yet. So when I was getting lunch at what I thought was 1:00, it was really 2:00. We ate at Natalino’s that day and they loved it! I had a couple things to do before class that day, so while I was at the Study Center, they went to Pisa. I’m really sad that I didn’t get to go with them, because I haven’t been yet and they came back with really cute pictures! I had another thing to do that night for school at Syracuse til 7:30, so as soon as I got out of that we met back up at Lion’s. We ate dinner at Gusto Pasta and then went to see Shutter Island at the Odeon.

Oooh! Ghibellina!

That morning, my WONDERFUL daddy took all of my dirty laundry to the laundry mat to wash it while we got ready for the day. I had no clothes because everything was dirty! When we were on our way to meet him there, we got lost. I have absolutely no sense of direction. I didn’t exactly know the address, so I found an old man and asked him where “Ghibellino” was. He had no idea what I was talking about. He started speaking STRAIGHT Italian, and so fast that I couldn’t even make out one word to try to figure out what he was saying. Luckily a woman was walking by and he asked her where it was. She paused for a second and said, “Ghibellina?” Then the old man said “Ooooh! Ghibellina! Si! Si!” So she walked us to the street and found the laundry mat. My dad was in the process of folding laundry, so we helped him finish and he went back to the hotel to take the clothes back. While he was doing that, me, Jer and Carly walked around trying to find a bank that would exchange her AmEx Traveler’s checks. We went to about six banks and no one would exchange them. We took a break to eat lunch at Noe’s with my dad. Then went to a currency exchange place to convert her checks into euro’s, and she basically got screwed out of 100 euro. We went to the small leather market, where my dad found a leather jacket he liked, Jer found a couple bracelets, and Carly and I found some purses we fell in love with! We made no purchases that day, but knew we were going to have to go back.


We went shopping for a little bit because I had to find something to wear out that night to celebrate my birthday in. I found a really cute peach top! We went home, napped, and got ready for the night. We headed over to Lion’s for a couple of drinks where we met up with Peyton, Kelly, Brandon, Stef, and Charlotte. We took a couple shots, and then it started to get so packed and so hot that they stopped letting people in. At that point it was time to leave. We all started walking over to Yab. My feet were hurting so bad, I resorted to walking barefoot in the “Oh-so-clean” streets of Florence. I couldn’t think about it, the thought made me want to vomit. We got there and went straight in through VIP. We were taken to our table and got our first bottle of Grey Goose. We had a few issues that night, not big enough to mention, but overall it was an AMAZING night. Everyone had a blast, and the music was awesome. I can’t believe my dad did all of this for me. It’s definitely one of my most memorable nights in Florence! We got home after 4 a.m. At this point, I started getting sick. I had been going out and drinking every night since Thursday.

ROMA - Part 2

ROMA! ROMA! ROMA! We woke up at a decent hour, I think 7:30 and got ready. We ate breakfast, and headed over to the train station hoping to find a train to Rome around the time we got there. We took the 9:30 train to Rome and got there around 11:15. Jerica had her travel book and everything planned out that she wanted to see. It was a lot to see and a lot of walking, but we got most of it in. First stop, Roman Forum. We didn’t go inside, we just looked at it and took pictures from the sidewalk. They were so impressed, but had wished that they knew what they were looking at, knew some sort of history. Then we went to the Coliseum. We were bombarded by tour guides. One guy was so persistent, he was annoying! We told him we didn’t want to hear what he had to say and he said, “Well I’m going to tell you anyways.” God, I wanted to punch him in the face. We had too much to do and see in one day to do a two hour tour. No thank you.


We walked to the Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon from there, but on our way we stopped at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (also known as the “Wedding Cake”) and took some pictures. We ate lunch at a little café on a street near the Trevi. Pizza and calzones. We saw an undercover cop looking for guys selling fake designer bags. The Trevi Fountain was packed with people, but we found a little spot on the side to sit at and take pictures. I had already been there, so I gave the three of them coins to throw in the fountain and took pictures of them. Jer wanted to get gelato, so we got some for our walk to the Pantheon.
When we got to the Pantheon, Jer was stopped by a guard working there and wouldn’t let her in because she had the gelato cone. We all went inside while she looked for a trash can. She’s missing for like five minutes and when she comes strolling in she told us that she couldn’t find a trash can and had to shove the whole cone in her mouth. Funniest thing I had heard the whole trip so far. We walked around inside, looked at the tombs, and the whole time my dad was just so impressed by the architecture. I taught them “Hands Up!” in the Pantheon, too. =)




On our way to St. Peter’s Basilica, we found a sports bar COVERED in Steelers memorabilia. We couldn’t believe it! We’re in Italy, in Rome, and we found Steeles gear. The bar was closed, but the owner let us take pictures of it inside and we got pictures of our reflections in the door, because the door had Steelers stickers all over it.
By this time, Carly and Jer’s feet were hurting. They were complaining of swollen feet. Carly’s hurt so bad she was walking shoe-less on the way to St. Peter’s! I got a picture of it, to document it! Haha. We made it to the church and everyone’s breath was taken away. They couldn’t believe how immaculate this church was! I told them the story behind it and the symbolism of the gold and silver keys. Most of the inside was blocked off though because of Easter. There was mass going on. We stood inside for a while, just taking it all in. I had already seen it, but I was so moved, just like I was the first time.


I was hoping to show them the Vatican so they could see the Sistine Chapel. I didn’t know where to enter though. I found two Vatican guards and asked them where the entrance was and they said “Here, but it’s private property.” I was so confused! I was inside it already with the school, and I told them that. I was like, “How do I go see the Sistine Chapel?” They probably thought I was the stupidest American ever. One of the guards had to get out his map and show me the overview of the Vatican property and I found where it said, “Sistine Chapel” and next to it was the “Vatican Museum.” I was like, “How do I get there?” They said, “You can’t. It’s closed.” It closed at 4:00 and it was 4:30. I was so upset. That was the one thing we didn’t get to see that day.
Last stop, Spanish Steps. I hadn’t been to them yet. We took a taxi and thought we were going to die on our way there. The taxi driver was CRAZY! He almost hit a woman with a stroller. When we got there I was in shock. I had never seen so many people, and they were all just sitting on the steps. We sat in the sun for a while, listened to a guy, who was trying to sound like Enrique, play guitar, talked to some locals, then walked back to the train station. We got lost on the way and had to ask a couple people how to get there, but made it in time, after a REALLY long walk.


By the time we got home it was about 9:30. I had to still go to my apartment and get clothes for the week. So Jer and Carly went back to the hotel and went to sleep, while me and my dad went to Capponi. When we got back to the hotel we went straight to sleep. We were exhausted after such a long day!

Surprises, Surprises!

Family comes today!!!!! I was expecting to get a phone call or a text letting me know that they got in okay so that I could get to the hotel before they did and be waiting on them and I never heard from them. Their flight was supposed to get in at 10:30 and I hadn’t heard from them yet. So I continued to sleep until I got a call from a random phone number and it was my dad at the hotel. He was NOT happy. I was rushing around trying to get ready and look decent. I still had my makeup on from the night before. I grabbed a taxi and booked it to the hotel. I walked in and saw my dad and sister walking around the corner. I was shaking. I couldn’t believe they were here!!! I thought I was still dreaming. I had been waiting for this day ever since they booked their flights here. I’ve been so homesick and all I’ve wanted was my daddy and sissy to be with me, and they finally were!

Well, I had found out that there was a “mystery” fourth guest coming with them because I had to book our hotel room for four people. I’m not kidding, I thought it was going to be Elgin and I was expecting to walk around the corner and see him sitting on the couch, but instead it was my cousin, Carly! I literally was in shock, it didn’t register fast enough that she was actually sitting there. Now, I really was in shock. I gave her a hug and started crying! That’s who I hoped it would be from the very beginning, but after talking to her, my dad and sister, and seeing comments on Facebook I seriously thought it was Elgin. Come to find out, every time any one of them would talk to me about it they would call each other and start laughing. They really got me!!


Our room wasn’t ready yet, so I took them to Santa Croce, right around the corner from our hotel, and we had lunch outside. We walked around a little bit then they all napped. We went to Moyo for appertivo, where we exchanged cards and gifts. Yes, there were tears and yes, I had to read the card all the way through. I just couldn’t believe my family was finally here. I’ve been ready to go home for so long now, and them being here gave me just enough motivation to get myself through the next two weeks, then I’ll be with them again! After all the cards I had one more surprise. My dad and sister got me my purple nano. =) I lost my pink one a couple weeks ago at the Immigration offices, and I NEVER go anywhere without it, and it would suck to be without an iPod on my trip back to the states. I LOVE IT! On the back is inscribed “SLM” and underneath that “Don’t Be Scared.”


An apple martini later, we made our way to KOME – a sushi restaurant. It was packed, but the owner got us a bottle of wine and let us sit downstairs in their lounge. It was gorgeous, modern, and we were able to sit down and relax for a minute. We took some pictures, Jer had her first glass of Italian wine. The sushi was delicious, but expensive. I was very adventurous with my choices that night. I let Carly pick the sushi and I just ate it. Lol I loved every single roll!

After dinner, I had to take them to Lion’s Fountain. My dad’s heard so much about it and I wanted him to see why we always go there. I walked in and Peyton’s family was there. We hung out with them for a little bit and I got to introduce my dad to Mickey. We stayed there pretty late! SMF though.

Happy Birthday to ME!!

Me and Charlotte woke up and went to The Diner for our fix of hangover food. On our way Tyler sent me a text wishing me a happy birthday, but I couldn’t answer because I had no money on my phone. I was mid-sentence as we were walking up to the entrance and Charlotte tapped me. I looked up and Tyler was with a couple of his friends eating outside. Luckily I had gotten ready before we left, so I wasn’t looking like a hot mess. That day we relaxed around the house. Tyler called me and wanted to take me out to dinner that night. He picked me up at 9:30 and we went to Acqua al Due. Dinner was fun and delicious! I was just going to go home afterwards, but he wanted me to come out with him. We went to Central Park because he had to work the door for a couple of hours. I met some of his friends, then we went to Twice. VIP and more champagne. =) The people in VIP that were next to us smelled awful!! We were dyingggg. We left there and went to an after hours club. It was so sick!! The walls were covered in fabric, each room was decorated differently, some with artistic decorations that you couldn’t go into, and the main room had chandeliers and low tables with couches. Even the bathroom was decorated artistically. There was one stall and then next to it was a mannequin behind a piece of glass. It was kind of creepy. They were playing old school music like “Ghostbusters” and “Eye of the Tiger.” I don’t think I went to bed that night until well after 4 a.m. Oh, new obsession: “Stereo Love” by Edward Maya & Vika Jigulina.