Italian Adventures!!

Italy is amazing!! Morgan and I traveled primarily through train. We took a plane ride from Paris to Pisa, but then we went to Cinque Terre, Florence, and Rome on train!

-Pisa-

Pisa is so very underrated in my opinion! Everyone told me that Pisa is boring and there is virtually nothing to do there, aside from seeing the tower! Because of this, I went in with very low expectations. However, I was so pleasantly surprised by how much I loved Pisa! The little town is totally walkable, has a less touristy vibe, great food, stellar farmers markets, beautiful views, and lots of great shopping! I had the most delicious cannoli I have ever eaten there from a cute farmers market and I also got really awesome Italian shoes from a little shop!! Also, if you ever go to Pisa, I highly suggest checking out the sandwich shop, Gusto Giusto! Amazing and really inexpensive sandwiches!! I was seriously impressed by this place. 

Completely failing on the hand placement.

Gusto Giusto!!

-Cinque Terre (Manarola)-

When Morgan and I first started planning Cinque Terre, I was utterly confused. I guess it didn't occur to me that I would have to be choosing one of five towns to stay in. We were so lost as to which town to go to - we read loads of reviews from people, blog posts, activities, you name it! We found a great deal on the best site ever, Airbnb, for a seaview room in Manarola! Manarola was one of our top choices, so went for it!! It was amazing! Yes, I am now biased, but if Cinque Terre is in your travel plans and you are struggling big time on which town to choose, I strongly suggest Manarola. Even though it is small, Manarola is perfect. The views are breathtaking and they are from every which direction you look and it is not nearly as touristy as the bigger towns!

If you go to Manarola, you have to go to Nessun Dorma! It is the most amazing snack-bar/restaurant! You walk up this big hill and the restaurant is completely outside and faces the water! The food is great and it is the coolest vibe and probably one of my favorite restaurants I went to in my entire time abroad.

On our second day in Cinque Terre, Morgan and I did take the quick train ride to Vernazza to check out that town (side note - all the towns are within ten minutes of each other on train and it only costs like 2 euros for train tickets, so super easy if you want to see all of them). Vernazza was beautiful too! We got lunch there and enjoyed sitting near the water and doing some small hikes to viewpoints! It is definitely bigger and has more shops than Manarola, but it also is a lot more crowded! Because of this, we preferred Manarola, but truly you can't go wrong with either! Cinque Terre is amazing!!

On our last evening, we sat on a bench at the top of a hill in Manarola and watched the sunset over the water! It would have been a great date spot (too bad it was just Morgan and I lol). JK love you Morgan!!

-Florence-

We only had a day in Florence, but loved seeing the David and the duomo!! Florence is beautiful and has such a rich history and intricate architecture. We also had the yummiest paninis there from Al Antico Vinaio (thanks for the recommendation, Christy)! The line was insane, but they were so worth it!

-Rome-

Our Italian adventure concluded in Rome! We stayed in the San Giovanni neighborhood, which was awesome! It had the best tiramisu shop in town, called Bar Pompi! I got banana nutella tiramisu (didn't even know there was such a thing) and it was amazing!

Though these pictures might indicate otherwise, the Trevi Fountain was insanely crowded! Totally worth it, but so many people!

Italy was an unforgettable experience! I am so grateful I had to the opportunity to travel to so many parts of it! I am also grateful that there was so many delicious desserts I got to try!!!

Thanks for reading!

<3Bren

PARIS!

It has been forever since I posted an update documenting my life abroad!!! Around late March and early April-ish, school actually started to kick in and finals week, as well as a boatload of projects hit! So for the first time since being abroad, I had to buckle down and spend my time studying for exams.  The morning after I finished my exams, Morgan and I took a Chunnel ride from London to Paris. We spent two days there before embarking on our Italian adventure through Pisa, Cinque Terre, Florence,  and Rome! It was amazing. I am home now and am adjusting to life back in the states. I am also completely broke, so that's cool. It's okay, I'm trying my hand at hostessing for a local restaurant starting tomorrow, so hopefully I'll make back some of the insane amount of money I spent! 

Anyways, I wanted to begin by sharing pictures and memories from my time spent in France!

Chunnel from London King's Cross St. Pancras to Paris Gare du Nord was a great way to go! I highly recommend doing it - only takes about two hours and you are right in the center of Paris.

Documented via my health app, Morgan and I walked north of 26 miles during our time in Paris. But that's exactly how we wanted it, I loved being able to just walk around and find different fun places to stop. Even though we were only there two days, I felt like I really got to know the city by seeing it on foot. 

Being typical tourists, upon arriving in Paris we started off on the 1.5 hour walk to the Eiffel Tower! However, along the way we came across the Arc de Triomphe and Champs-Elysees. This was the perfect detour. I loved stopping at the different stores as we made our way to the Arc. The giant Louis Vuitton is amazing and we had to go for the macaroons at Laudree. Eventually, we made it the Eiffel Tower. We stopped for baguettes and ate them sort of on the side of the Eiffel Tower. Even though the side was not as picturesque of a viewpoint, it was super nice because there were no people there!! I hate crowds, so if I ever come back to the Eiffel Tower, this is where I'll be hanging again! 

On our second day in Paris, we ventured to the Louvre and Musee d'Orsay! Note to all my study abroad students - present and future! If you present a valid ID from your host institution, you can get into these museums for free!!! Huge savings of like probably $50, so that was a plus! Personally being a fan of more impressionist art, I loved Musee d'Orsay!! However, the Louvre and Mona Lisa were cool too. Both are def worth checking out. I love shopping, so Morgan and I boutiqued at awesome places for the rest of the time in Paris before being chased back to our hostel by the rain!

Thanks for a great two days, Paris! I'll definitely be back!

<3Bren