Weeks 8 & 9!

There is a lot to debrief from these two weeks!!!!

I have decided to combine weeks eight and nine because the majority of both weeks were spent with my family! And also because I am behind on posting… oops.

Anyways, Monday morning, I walked Barkley to the train station, where we said our goodbyes. I can’t believe the week was already over, but thankfully, I had an exciting distraction coming up. I went home, went on a run, got organized for the day and week, and then I headed to my afternoon class.

After class, I just went home to get ready for my soccer game! Our school had reserved a soccer field for us, so a group of my friends and I signed up to play. Granted, I have never actually successfully played soccer before, but I was so open to learning. We ended up playing on a smaller field that felt like a mix of indoor and outdoor, and the teams were split up, so we played 6 on 6.

It was honestly so much fun and probably one of my favorite memories here so far. Our program director played with us, and it was also so fun to see all the boys get after it with one another. By the end of the game, I was exhausted, so we went home, ate dinner, and then went to bed.

On Tuesday, I had my morning class, where we practiced some traditional Italian dances that were a lot of fun! After class, I went home to eat lunch and start packing because on Wednesday, I was flying out to Paris to meet up with my parents. I also spent the afternoon studying and getting ahead on some homework because I had two exams due that week.

Wednesday morning, I met up with Julia and Dillon to go for a run before my class. I’m so glad the weather has been warming up enough to start running again, because I’ve honestly missed working out since living here. After our run, I got ready for class and then did some last-minute studying before my exam.

I then walked to class, took my exam, got to leave early, and then I went home to eat lunch and finish packing before heading to the airport. I got into Paris around 5:30 and was picked up by the motorcycle taxi, which was AWESOME. It was my second time taking it at the airport, and it’s gotta be my favorite mode of transportation by far.

I got to the hotel and was finally reunited with my parents! Gosh, getting to see them actually meant the world to me. I had missed them so much, and it was so surreal to meet up with them in Paris. They had originally planned this trip as their 25th wedding anniversary trip, but what says happy anniversary like your 21-year-old daughter tagging along!

I was so thankful that they let me crash their plans, but also let’s be real, they were coming to visit me, so that meant I just had to include myself in everything. But seriously, I was just dying for time with them and was willing to achieve that in whatever way necessary.

That night, we went to dinner and then straight to bed because they had only just arrived that morning and were pretty jet-lagged.

On Thursday, we had a fairly slow morning before leaving the hotel for more coffee and a croissant on the way to see Notre Dame. I was actually just in Paris for a week in September with my grandparents, so I had already seen the inside earlier in the year, but my parents hadn’t.

After that, we walked over to Shakespeare’s bookstore and did some shopping and exploring. We then stopped for a late lunch and headed back to the hotel to get ready for the Schiaparelli show. Our car was picking us up at 4, so it left us just enough time to take a nap, get ready, and eat a snack.

On the way to the show, we rode with our friends Tricia and Tara, who had actually spent the whole day exploring with us. I was so excited to get to spend time with them because I haven’t seen them since my summer in New York. They are the best and honestly feel like my NYC moms from the summer.

We all arrived at the show, where we had to walk down a long gravel walkway lined with paparazzi, which always makes me nervous because I am scared I will trip in my heels in front of everyone. Thankfully, there was no falling, and we found our way to our seats in the basement of the Louvre, where the show was.

The show was absolutely incredible and so much fun. It will never fail to amaze me just how talented Daniel is and how he is able to execute his crazy ideas into reality. There is also something so surreal about getting to watch his talent in real life, especially on the runway with the lights, the music, and all the people gathered there to support him.

After the show, my parents, Daniel, and I went to have a drink at the Ritz. I am always thankful for any quiet moment we get to spend with Daniel, and I know my parents feel the same way. We ended our night with Tara, drinking maybe a little too much champagne, and then headed to the hotel to get to bed.

On Friday morning, we had breakfast plans with Daniel because my parents and I were leaving around lunchtime to fly to Pisa. When we landed, we took a train to Lucca for the weekend. We ended our night by walking around Lucca and having dinner at a local restaurant called Gigis. It was a traditional Tuscan restaurant, and they did such a great job.

After dinner, we went home and got ready for bed.

On Saturday morning, we had a nice, slow morning at the Airbnb. There is honestly not a lot I love more than a slow morning, getting to enjoy my coffee, making breakfast, doing my quiet time, and getting ready on my own time.

We wandered over to the wall that surrounds the city of Lucca, which is about a 2.5-mile loop that you can walk along the top of. We took our time and eventually wandered into the city to get coffee. After that, we climbed the Guinigi Tower, which has an amazing view and even a rooftop garden.

By the time we were done, we were starving, so we grabbed pizza and ate it in Piazza San Michele. We kept exploring, grabbed gelato, and then headed to a cooking class my mom had booked.

The class was hosted in a local woman’s apartment, and we learned how to make ravioli, tagliatelle, and tiramisu. It was absolutely delicious. The class ended with all of us eating together at her dining table with her husband and translator, and it felt like we were part of her family.

Afterward, we wandered a bit more and then went home to watch a movie and go to bed.

On Sunday, we had another slow morning and finished walking the rest of the city wall. After that, we went on a mission to find my mom an ornament to bring home. My family has a tradition of collecting ornaments from places we travel, and it is one of my favorite Christmas traditions.

We ended up finding one from a local shop that supports children with disabilities, which made it even more special. After that, we packed up, had lunch, and took a train back to Florence.

I went back to my apartment to unpack while my parents settled into theirs. That night, we met up and went to one of my favorite live music spots. It was a 60s and 70s cover singer, and it was perfect because my parents love that music too.

After that, we grabbed pizza from my favorite spot and took it back to the Airbnb. It never disappoints. Then they walked me home, which was about a 15 to 20-minute walk.

On Monday, I dropped my overnight bag at their Airbnb since it was so close to my school and stayed with them. We walked to Mercato Centrale for lunch and stopped by my favorite leather shop on the way, where we all made some souvenir purchases.

For lunch, we tried gnocchi, lampredotto, and coccoli. The lampredotto was hard to get past mentally, but everything else was amazing, especially the brownie we got at the end.

After lunch, we stopped by Officina Profumo Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella before I had to go to class. Later, we met for aperitivo by the Duomo and climbed all 463 steps to the top for sunset. The view was so worth it.

Afterward, we grabbed gelato and went to dinner at Ristorante Natalino, where we tried pear and gorgonzola ravioli. It was so good. That night, my mom and I ended up watching Bridgerton before bed.

Tuesday morning, I had class while my parents visited the Boboli Gardens. We met for lunch at Schiacciateria De Neri and then ate on the steps of Santa Croce in the sunshine.

After that, we got affogatos at Vivoli and then had a private tour of the Duomo museum with a man my dad had connected with through his book. It was such a cool and unique experience seeing the museum through his perspective.

That night, we had dinner at I Latini and tried our first Florentine steak. After dinner, I went back to my apartment.

On Wednesday, I had class while my parents went on a food tour in Bologna. That night, we met for dinner with my friends at Trattoria Sabatino, which was so fun getting to introduce my parents to my life here.

Thursday, I had class and then met my parents for lunch at another sandwich shop that I honestly might like more than De Neri. We also stopped at a bakery that had one of the best cookies I have ever had.

We explored a bit more, grabbed coffee, and then I headed to class, which ended up being canceled. I met them at the Uffizi and spent the afternoon exploring art together, which I loved.

That night, we had dinner at Trattoria 13 Gobbi, and I got their famous rigatoni. It was definitely worth the hype.

Friday morning, we went to the Accademia to see Michelangelo’s David. It was incredible and so much bigger than I expected. After that, we spent the day exploring, shopping, and eventually walking up to Piazzale Michelangelo, where we got caught in the rain.

We ended the night with aperitivos and dinner in Santo Spirito, where we randomly made friends with a couple from Austin who are moving to Florence.

Later, my parents walked me home, and we said our long goodbyes. I wasn’t ready for them to leave, but I was so grateful for our time together.

Saturday morning, I left early for a school trip to Mantua and Verona. I didn’t know many people who were going, but I ended up spending the weekend with a girl named Penelope, who is the sweetest.

In Mantua, we saw historic churches, walked around the city, and had an amazing lunch with local dishes like tortelli di zucca. We also toured a massive castle before heading to Verona.

That night, we explored and had dinner before getting some rest.

On Sunday, we toured Verona, saw the Arena, castles, churches, and the famous Juliet courtyard. The weather was rough, but it was still a great experience.

After the trip, I came back to Florence, unpacked, and got ready for a slower week.

All in all, spending time with my parents has been one of my favorite parts of studying abroad. It is crazy how fast the time has gone, and realizing I am halfway done feels surreal.

I could probably write a whole separate post about everything I have learned so far, but for now, the weekly blogs will do :)

Ciao! Thanks for reading!