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!