kebabs

i thought it would be appropriate to have en entire post dedicated to nothing but kebabs. if you are studying abroad in europe and having a serious chipotle withdrawl, i highly suggest you run to the nearest kebab shop near you. coming from the middle east, these babies are packed full with vegetables, meat, french fries, falafels, or whatever kind of humble jumble your prefer. in europe, "doner kebab" refers to sliced meat served in a pita (thanks wikipedia). we prefer ours in wrap form (much healthier, right?!) also, how great is it that they are only 3.50 euro! any who, here are some sub par pictures of these famous kebabs that you should all consider framing.   

the goods. always get spicy, people. always spicy.

the meat. usually lamb or beef.

falafels. 

shaving the meat

YES

true life: we are addicted to kebabs

my taste buds..

want to share with you what a good time they are having. obviously this post is going to have to happen almost weekly. it is very difficult to not take pictures of every meal. i am very sorry to say that i have no pictures of kebabs on here because HOLY COW KEBABS. some of these go back as far as the first week so i will do my best at trying to remember what they were.

veal and potatoes 

self explanatory: at a wine tasting

pasta and bacon

some type of cream with fruit topping

berry tart

gelato

best panini's ever. ever.

"Black Dream" 

pasta with chicken

p i z z a

gelato from one of our favorite places- Gelateria dei Neri

our "dining hall" gives us an insane amount of wine on thursday day nights

fried chicken. unfortunately the only picture i have of this. we all can't stop talking about this chicken.

meatballs and pumpkin soup

gelato from the famous, Vivoli. good gelato but terrible service 

cake with pistachios 

tuna and potatoes 

egg and tomato sauce

fig tart

our favorite place right next door. they have EVERYTHING

cappuccino and cinnamon bun from the pastry shop on campus, Fedora.

Dante's gives free wine to college students. this place is dangerously close to us and conveniently has the best gelato right next door 

another one of our favorites, Arnold Coffee. also known as the "american coffee experience," naturally 

granita from Capri

The Amalfi Coast

this weekend was spent in the beautiful Amalfi Coast. we packed the night before as our bus was leaving right after our italian class got out on thursday. we arrived in Sorrento around 2:30am and after some room confusion, went right to sleep. the hotel was definitely a stretch for even a 2 star hotel but it was fine for a few nights. on Friday morning we took a ferry to Capri. we took a boat ride around the island where we found out the we wouldn't be going to the Blue Grotto. I'm not gonna lie I was a little very heart broken. we took a funicular railway up to Capri Town on the other side of the island and walked down to the water. it was so warm! the waves were really rough so it was hard to stay in for very long. on the way back we stopped for a limoncello tasting and got dinner at the hotel.

Capri from the top of the island

Marina Piccola, the beach we swam at and ate lunch

sipping on Granitas. the amalfi coast is famous for their lemons (they are the size of my head) so capri is the best place to get a Granita. Granitas are basically slushy that originated in Sicily. 

touring around the island of capri

on saturday we went to Positano. this was mostly a relaxing day at the beach. we walked around to different shops, got lunch, layed on the beach, and got drinks at a local bar. we got dinner at the hotel again and walked down to the main street of Sorrento to get some much needed gelato.

laying on the beach at Positano. the waves were to rough to go in very often

walking down to the beach

on sunday, we checked out of the hotel and drove to Mt. Vesuvius, the volcano that destroyed Pompeii. the bus dropped us off almost all of the way up so it was a short (but steep) hike up the rest of the volcano. we then drove to Pompeii and got lunch. a few of us went off on our own and found a pizza place that made your pizza in a brick oven right in front of you. it was the best pizza ive had since ive been here. we toured pomeii for an hour before heading back to florence. 

once in awhile, i remember to take these kinds of pictures for my mom so she knows im alive

it was hard to get a good picture at the top. it was so big!

i am off to Prague this weekend where i will be touring a concentration camp, a castle, and Oktoberfest. however it is a 12 hour bus ride so wish me luck!

p.s a package from my family arrived today complete with slippers, pirates booty, and oatmeal. its the little things!

THANKS FAMILY YOU ROCK <3

20 things

i am someone who gets really homesick. i guess i'm somewhat of a homebody so being in another country takes some adjusting for me. italy has made me miss a lot of the everyday luxuries i had at home. that being said, there also a lot of things i love about italy that i wanted to implement when into my routine when i get back.

ten things i'm missing
-tea kettles: we only have this fancy coffee steamer thing in the apartment and i have no idea how to use it
-swiffers: when we got here the floors were so gross they turned the bottom of your feet black! i scrubbed them with a towel but now they are back to black.
-mason: obvious
-my porch: this is something i miss at school a lot too. its my favorite spot to read
-changing leaves: there are no trees here!
-not being stared at: walking down the street is seriously sketchy because the men stare at you like they want to eat you. its best to just run when possible.
-my bed: the one here isnt the greatest. but who doesnt miss their own bed?!
-vegetables: ive been looking high and low for asparagus. but for now im on a strict diet of eggs, green beans, and pasta
-singing: always a given
-coby: sorry i had to. but its true

ten things i love

-the people above us: someone up there gives music lessons and if youre in the kitchen during the day you can hear a viola or two
-fresh markets: the closest "grocery store" to us is an indoor market and it is cheap and glorious. the only problem is it closes at 2.
-the cafe next door: one of the best and cheapest gelato. they also have killer cannolis. did i mention its right next door?
-windows: i just love the windows. they dont believe in screens here so you good jump out if you really wanted. not to mention they are huge!
-italian schedule: i didnt think i was going to like the whole dinner at 9pm thing but its actually great. you have so much more time during the day! plus most days i cheat and eat at 7:30
-skype: thanks, technology
-the duomo: supper touristy of me but everytime i see that giant thing i want to cry
-secret bakeries: more on this later
-walking: everywhere! i walk so much im so tired by the end of the day. i guess that happens when you live in a city

Around Florence

we have been in florence for a week now and we are all settled in. we have found the closest gelato to our apartment, discovered the best iced coffee in florence (italians don't really drink that stuff. weird, i know!!), went to a really cool (but also sort of sketchy) club called Space, and signed up for a gym! (please don't ask) while we are finding our way around, i miss a lot about the comforts of home. whenever i need something, i'm used to going to one convenience store to find everything (RIP, Target). however, it is a little bit harder here as each store is designated to certain items. spending money is also becoming an issue as we all want to try everything and eat everything (trying to save major mula over here, people). thinking about being here for four months makes me crazy nervous and brings an overwhelming mix of emotions but i know they will have to drag me kicking and screaming when it is time to leave. 

if anyone wants to send me letters, or packages ;) (i'm in dire need of slippers, wink wink) just ask for my address! i promise you will get a postcard in return! 

on our first night we went to MaMMaMia's (naturally) and i shoveled this giant pizza in my face

we also tried All' Antico Vinaio, a famous and amazing panini place. all the panini's are bigger then my head and it's only 5 euro for your choice of any toppings. every time we walk by im dying to get another one. i can't wait to take my parents when they visit.

i pass through my favorite piazza almost everyday, Piazza Della Republica, which makes me want to run around singing "a light in the piazza" all over the square. it is especially incredible at night when the live bands are out and the carousel is lit up. we rode it the other day. it went a whopping 1.5 mph. WOO

the place right next door sells these babies along with amazing gelato. super dangerous. 

i am lucky enough to live 20 minutes away from campus. every morning i get to explore the quiet streets or taking a nice walk along the Arno River. you can see the Ponte Vecchio in this. 

okay okay. so this is not the view from my apartment. but it is a view from one of our friends. every time i go in there i have to steel a picture of the amazing view

last night we went to Ganzo, the "dining hall" on campus. but let me tell you this place is amazing. we have 140 points for the semester and each meal here is 2-3 points so guess where i'm going every night?! every dish is prepared by the culinary students and they are all to die. and they all look so pretty! you can check out the menu here.

Santa Maria Novella. this is right near our apartment and right in front of the train station. 

one of my favorite things is hearing the horse and buggies outside our window