my taste buds..

it was a short week for food but i leave fall break today so the next 10 days will be full of food and

 I CAN'T WAIT

sardines 

magliati pasta

apple tart with gelato and chocolate wafer 

from mug: a sausage and onion sandwich with french fries

from 7 brothers gelato: this place is like a frozen yogurt place but with gelato. they have tons of toppings and they price it by weight. so good. 

gnocchi with cuddle fish 

"sugars and spices" some kind of cake with a layer of pumpkin

octopus over veggies and beans

veggies over a pumpkin sauce with cheese

pear cheesecake 

around florence: mug cafe

i've been seriously slacking on the blogging this week. midterms start on monday and since no one here has done any work all semester (study abroad) we were all in a tizzy trying to play catch-up. not to mention, our wifi went out on friday and we have been devastated ever since. obviously. with it being midterm week, the wifi couldn't have picked a better time to fail us. so on saturday we ventured to one of my favorite cafes, MUG. i seriously am in love with this place. its like the italian version of starbucks. they have great wifi, comfy couches, and great coffee. sadly, we have yet to find a place with pumpkin flavored coffee. however, the toffee nut coffee from mug is almost just as good.

my taste buds..

gelato from one of my favorites

MUG. i swear by this palce. it is the best coffee shop for doing homework or just sitting. super nice people too! 

some type of chocolate filled pastry from la cocotte

the duomo from my cappuccino from News Cafe

some type of stuffed oyster from Ganzo

orecchiette pasta with feta cheese

pork and shallots

this was the most amazing chocolate cake in the world. AND it was dairy free!

lasagna from Ristorante Toto

this kind of looks like a jumble of mush but we went to Soul Kitchen the other night for apertivo and it was AMAZING. they had tons of pastas, mac-and-cheese-like-cauliflower, fried eggplant and so so much more. i'm drooling. not to mention their mojitos are out of this world.

the cake we got for Shauna's birthday from the pastry shop on campus! it was a chocolate cake with butter cream frosting. however, we are convinced the frosting was 99% butter. 

my pistachio croissant from breakfast this morning. they love their pistachios over here and i am so okay with it.

finally got a bagel from mamas bakery. so yummy and it fulfilled my bagel craving. 

3 of my favorite travel apps

this post is procrastination at its finest.
before i came abroad i read tons of blogs about the best travel apps. of course i downloaded all of them and now, with the new ios update i can't figure out how to delete them! so if anyone can help me out that would be great. anyway, i thought i would share my 3 favorite travel apps that i have found most helpful.

packpoint

this app is seriously cool. you tell it where and how long you're going for, and what activities you'll be doing while you're there and it generates a packing list for you! it bases it on weather, length of travel, and your activities! i found this app after my last trip so i'm excited to test it out for next time.

triposo

this is a great app if you're wondering where to go. it even has guides made by the locals so you can skip the tourist stuff. it even works offline so you don't have to go find a wifi spot.

taxibeat

since florence is a walking city, i haven't gotten to use this app yet. BUT this is a great one for anyone in a new city. you can choose a taxi driver and read their background before getting in a cab. each driver is rated by other users so you know exactly who you are getting into a car with.

my taste buds..

this past week was another great week for food. on thursday we went to theme dinner at our dining hall. they do this every thursday and it consists of five courses with a different glass of wine for each course. its no secret that we all walk out a little buzzed. this week's theme was "the harvest" so everything had to do with grapes. yum.

braised beef with extra virgin olive oil mashed potatoes 

chianti wine from theme dinner

potato gnocchi with smoked scamorza cheese fondue and black grapes
[if you've never had gnocchi run to the nearest italian restaurant and get yourself a plate immediately}

(slow food/salami) mousse, celery puree, white grapes, and toasted bread

beccafico-style sardines
[don't ask me what that means i'm just reading off the menu]

"autumn in florence" cinnamon gelato, rum soaked figs, and some kind of amazing pudding in a chocolate dish

beef over veggies

a panini "springtime" from pino's. seriously a must when visiting florence

pasta with artichokes

apple creme brulee

lamb over white beans

tuscan bread and grape dessert

a purple smoothie from love life juice bar

my meal from the diner. see the post about it here

our burnt but delish apple crisp

bombolone filled with creme from our trip to chianti

now i'm hungry