Pictures of Italy.

On top of the Duomo.

Cirque Terre

Italia.

It's been exactly one week since I've come back from the wonderful land of Italy.

I think the weather is trying to torment me, pouring down gallons of rain every minute, continually reminding me that, no, you will never get a tan again while abroad.

Actually, I didn't even think I would be able to go visit my friend Nora in Florence, due to the Icelandic volcano. I had actually skyped her and we talked about how fun it would've been, but this flying ban just wasn't going to let up. My flight was set to leave at 9.45am from Gatwick on Wednesday the 21st. On Tuesday, at 10pm, the ban was lifted. I had to scramble to wash/pack/borrow things to bring over to the warm climate, and then hurry to bed since I would have to get on the train around 5.50am. Needless to say, I was estatic, running around like a madman trying to finish everything, and even though I only got around 3 1/2 hours of sleep, I was able to keep riding on high until around 4pm the next day.

I was in Italy 5 days, from the 21st to the 25th. I ate more carbs (amazing I know) than I ever have in my life, and got quite a lovely glow. Granted it went away the second I landed in England, but I'm not going to dwell on that too much. Nora's apartment was about a 5 minute walk from the Ponte Vecchio, the famous gold shop bridge, and 7 minutes from the Duomo. Since she's been there for about 4 months, she knew where everything was, and when it was open. So I saw just about everything. We climbed up to the top of the Duomo and up the hill to the Piazzale Michelangelo. I saw the statues in the Piazza della Signoria, including fake David, and then to Accademia where the real David is kept, along with countless other Italian sculptures and paintings. We wandered around the street markets, food markets, and into gelato shops. I was able to enjoy bar crawls, clubs, and free wine. Florence was awesome.

On Saturday the 24th, we took the train 2 hours to the coast, to Cirque Terre, and hiked along the cliffs overlooking the sea. I got a plastic dragon toy and a kiwi on a stick in my happy meal at the train station.

Between the sunny coatless weather, pasta, wine, and gelato, Florence was one of my favorite trips during my time abroad. But, as soon as I got off the train to walk home in Eastbourne, I felt more at home here than ever before.