Exploring more of Italy!

Ciao!
I'm sorry I have not posted in a while! I am going to try to post atleast once a week. To recap everyone: Friday was Jen's 21st birthday. We went out with all the CCI kids along with Brit, Brianna and a few of their friends. It was a great time! The bar gave us a free bottle of Champagne to celebrate!

Some of the girls! :)

Saturday, the girls and I spent the day at Boboli Gardens! The Medici family lived here in the late 1500's. Cosimo I de' Medici was the second duke of Firenze and the first Grand Duke of Tuscany. Boboli Gardens is the last placed that this very powerful family lived. The place is never ending!! So many hills, fountains, sculptures, and paths to walk along! We could have spent all day just walking around and discovering new things.

The view!

Sunday, Brit, Brianna and I hiked through Cinque Terre. It is five different towns on the Mediterranean Sea! Absolutely BEAUTIFUL! It was about a 5.5 mile hike, and for all of you who are wondering yes I almost fell several times! It was so worth tripping over my feet though. Words cannot describe how beautiful these towns are!

380 stairs up!!! That was just the beginning!

One of the towns had a love bench and locks of love. Couples put a lock on a fence and throw away the key. This will keep their love there forever! I was told the locks are in different areas throughout Italy, but this is the only place I have seen them so far! Also, because these towns are built on hills and right on the ocean the people there live the longest out of all the other people in Italy! They are the healthiest from all the walking up hill and fresh fish.

School started this week, which most of you know. The professors are amazing and my courses are so hands-on and interesting!! I am taking an Art History course and 90% of the time we're in the museums and NOT in the classroom!!! I am also taking Elementary Italian II, which will be a little challenging but being here will definantly help! I am especially excited for my Comparative Media and Practicum courses. For Comparative Media we will be writing for an Italian travel website called Flow n' the go. Our practicum consists of putting together a documentary about Firenze!! I am also taking a Genius of Firenze course, which will be easy but very interesting! Each week we learn a different topic about Firenze. One week it is Religion, the next history and so on.

And I've already been asked if I'm related to Frank Zappa! haha. Also, unlike in the states, people know my first name is French. :)

I think that about sums everything up!! This weekend I don't have any plans to travel but I am looking to go to the Almafi Coast SOON! I am really trying to get some videos posted but I'm having issues with converting the clips to the right file to import!

I love and miss everyone so much!

First weekend in Firenze!

View from our Balcony!

Ciao everyone!
The First weekend here has been amazing! The city is absolutely Gorgeous!

I think I know why Italians are so skinny now! It has been 100 degrees since we've been here and there is NO air conditioning (Our apartment is on the top floor). They also walk every where! I think I shower every time I come back to our apartment! It has been quite an adjustment, but well worth it! I'm really excited to embrace their way of living.
 

Brianna, Brit, Jen and I are officially settled in our apartment and it feels like home :). We are about 15 minutes from the school and about 10 from the Duomo. It is an absolutely gorgeous church. It was built in 1294 to be the largest church. It no longer is, but it was the first octagonal dome to be built without wooden supporting. While we're here we want to climb the 463 stairs to watch the sunset!

Front of the Duomo

We spent the weekend walking around the city and locating key places. We went to the 99 cent store today. They have EVERYTHING!!! We bought lotion, or so we thought, Brittany went to use it and it was soap!!!! So between the 4 of us, we now have enough soap for the rest of the semester. Also, Jen and I were walking and a statue jumped and blew a kiss at me! I screamed so loud people thought I was crazy! The man just laughed! I did NOT find it very funny! haha.

Part of Firenze! heading toward the Duomo

 We start orientation this week! I'll keep everyone posted!

Me infront of Kent's campus