Frolicking in Florence!

That ^ is the view from the Pont Vecchio bridge, which was supposedly built during Roman times. Very ancient! This was the first place we went yesterday on our first day in Florence. I wanted to go to the bridge to see if I could find any rowers, but didn't have any luck until later in the afternoon.

After crossing the bridge from our hotel (an awesome Inn that I would return to!) we headed over to the Uffizi Gallery to check out some of Boticelli's famous works. Having taken an Art History course has really heightened my appreciation and interest in tracking down these master pieces, but I'm not sure that Alex ever picked up on the excitement there!

We sped through the line with our pre-purchased tickets and saw Spring and the Birth of Venus and went through most of the rest of the museum before heading off for lunch.

Florence isn't touristy like Rome, but it's certainly touristy enough! The restaurants we've gone to over the last 2 days have been nice but service is incredibly slow because they are so busy. Lunch yesterday lasted for TWO hours before we got the bill! Sometimes, I think it's nice to sit, chat, and relax for that long but other times I wish that we could get through a bit quicker. Since waiters don't normally have to work for tips here (it's included), you don't get the same attention that American waiters and waitresses provide at restaurants.

After lunch (it was about 3:30PM!) we headed back to the hotel to relax for a couple hours before dinner. Normally we NEVER do that but I think the 10 days of travel has been wearing us down and we also are at the point where we'd rather save money than enter another museum that we're not completely interested in. So, relaxing for awhile was nice.

For dinner, we went to a COOKING CLASS! It was very touristy but a fun way to spend some time. The menu was PIZZA which I'm not supposed to eat - too much dough. In the end, I did try some, which I'm happy about. We learned a lot and I hope to show off my pizza skills back home!

As it turns out, pizza flour has the most flour of any type (bread, cake, pasta, etc). I thought that was very interesting! The instructor helped us to make the dough from scratch and taught us techniques to avoid lumps and to make it perfectly smooth and also to shape it.

We even got to scoop it up on this giant pizza thing!

The best part was seeing the results. 

I'm really glad we did that - cooking is something that Alex and I both are really interested in and it was the perfect activity for us!

Day 2 in Florence started with the Accademia Gallery. On the way we saw more rowers! Wahoo!

The streets were mobbed because it's Easter and everyone was either going to church or doing touristy things. We finally made it to the museum alive, but by that point were so fed up that we just saw David and a musical instrument exhibit and then left.

We headed over to Neptune's Fountain and saw the David replica and of course, Neptune.

We ate lunch in this area and wandered around some more, taking in the shops and other sights. Later on we went to a gelateria recommended by PB Fingers. It was extra delicious because they put mousse on top of your gelato if you asked for it!

We decided to take a break at the hotel again before dinner. I think our weariness of travel is definitely showing at this point. I'm not sure if the past 10 days have just exhausted us or if the whole semester is finally catching up to us in regards both to energy and finances, but we're definitely slowing down a bit! We're looking forward to making it home tomorrow and then taking a break for a couple of days before jetting off for a quick weekend in Dublin and then wrapping up our travels with a visit from Alex's parents. Can't wait to see them!

Our Roman Holiday.

How do I describe a city like Rome? There's so much there and so much to do that it's hard to capture it all in words. We arrived late Wednesday night after a long day of travel (5 hour layover in the Kraków airport and then a 1 hour delay) and slept in a bit on Thursday before setting off. My first thought of Rome was how dirty it was, especially around the train station. It seemed dirtier even than Paris! 

Between orienting ourselves and dealing with the metro ticket machines (which were being difficult!) we finally got to the Vatican area around 11:00. Before even walking all the way to the Vatican from the metro, we stopped in for our first meal in Italy: lunch! We were starving, having not had much dinner the night before or breakfast. 

I ordered an espresso and then stuck with what I know best: caesar salad. I know it's Italy and all but sometimes I'm just not willing to risk stomach troubles!

It turned out to be a good thing that I stuck with boring old Caesar salad because it turned out to be the BEST salad I've ever had. It had fresh, crunchy croutons, 3 very thin slices of parmesan, fresh tomatoes, and the dressing was amazing. It was so good that we went back on our second day (today) and I ordered the exact same two things: espresso and the Caesar salad.

After lunch we finally made it to the Vatican. We (or maybe I'm speaking for myself!) felt kind of harassed by the number of street vendors there were. They were not aggressive, like in Paris, but you'd have someone approach you every 5 steps. It was nuts! However, we did notice that the vendors were friendly and helpful, and we slowly got a bit more comfortable when we realized we didn't have to feel threatened. We only briefly walked into the Vatican before getting swarmed and turning around to go to the museum for our reservation. We decided to return later and just go inside to the see the Sistine Chapel.

It was very slow going through the museum, with many works that I was unfamiliar with. Once we finally got to the Sistine Chapel, guards rushed us through. Of course, no pictures were permitted but I took some sneaky ones. However, we were funneled through so quickly that I didn't get a proper look for myself.

On our way out of the Vatican, we stopped for sorbetto/gelato. This MAY have been one of my primary inspirations in coming to Italy. Let me tell you, it is worth the trip!

Alex got banana - it was great!

Next it was time for the Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps. Both were, of course, swarmed with tourists. We took our time at both, sitting on the fountain for awhile and also climbing the steps. 

Next, we did an activity that Europe has taught us to do very well: shopping. We make an effort to go into an H&M in each country we visit and so far we haven't failed. We usually walk out empty handed (often out of necessity!) but we enjoy going into this chain and seeing how the styles differ in each region. Italy was more different than most others, with a very distinct style (not really to my preference, or Alex's).

We stopped for dinner in a very touristy spot because we were starving, and then slowly made our way back to the hostel. Without too many activities, it had ended up being a very long day!

Oranges over the sidewalk!

Today we started out earlier and went to the Roman Forum. Most people do the Colosseum and then the Forum, but we'd gotten a tip from some friends who said to buy the ticket at the Forum where there wouldn't be a line and see that, and then go to the Colosseum where we could then advance the line with the ticket we'd already bought. This plan worked out perfectly and I definitely recommend it if you ever travel there!

I was excited for the Forum and the Colosseum, but I hadn't realized how interested I would be. It turned out I was fascinated! I wanted to read each informational sign (there were many!) and soak in each part. I particularly loved the Forum, which was very empty when we were there. We got to walk right inside it which I hadn't expected. Definitely a topic that interests me!

It didn't hurt that the weather was amazing.

After the Colosseum, it was about time for lunch so we headed back to the same old restaurant by the Vatican. This worked out well because I wanted to go in the Vatican again. When we got there, they were starting preparations for the Pope, who was going to be speaking later on! We still got to enter and take a look around though.

We even ended up making a full circle around the Vatican City so that we could say we circled an entire country in a day on foot! It took longer than I'd expected...about 40 minutes!

After that, we headed off the to Pantheon on foot. There was no metro line that would get us close, and it was pretty far! It took a good hour to get there while walking. Along the way, we passed several other monuments and castles. I didn't know much about them but it was cool to see. Rome is so rich with history.

The neighborhood that the Pantheon is located in is really nice. Somehow all of the tourism is pocketed right at the Pantheon and the rest of the neighborhood seems a little bit more normal with authentic Italian shopping and restaurants. I'm glad we took the long trek through it!

After that, it was time for an early dinner and then back to pick up our bags for our train! We went to a nicer Italian restaurant and I had veggie minestrone and bruschetta. I wanted to try something truly Italian before leaving Rome. I didn't finish the bruschetta but I'm glad I tried it - it was great! Alex had his favorite spaghetti aglio a oglio.

We got on our train for Florence at about 8 and loved the lavish comforts that our business class tickets provided us! We got complimentary juice and a biscuit. There was also supposedly wifi but it didn't really work for me! I took a short nap and suddenly we were in Florence!

It took some time to find our B&B after leaving the train station but once we found it, we saw that it was quite nice and in a great area. I already love Florence! Tomorrow: the Uffizi Gallery and a cooking class (!!!) and some general exploring (I've learned that we love unscheduled time that we can use just to wander and get a feel for the city). Sunday will be the Academia Gallery and a couple more monuments and who knows what else is in store! Happy Easter!

Finishing Up Poland and Amazing News :)

Before I go any further about Poland... I have to share some amazing news :)

I cannot describe how thrilled I am to have this opportunity. The odds were about 1.25 in 10 or something like that... Things like this make me so appreciative for my ability to run and to be a healthy, strong individual and to be able to do things like this. I am SO excited for October 12 and to embark on my training journey when I arrive home in the United States. I have a lot to learn about marathon training, running, recovery, nutrition, and racing and cannot wait to start the experience.

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Okay back to Poland.

After our Saturday trip to Auschwitz, things got significantly less profound. We've mostly spent time seeing all the old parts of Poland (what parts of Poland aren't old?) and seeing museums and art, which are all things pertinent to Poland's history but not necessarily to our Hitler class (which is why we are here). Still, we are receiving an amazing education here. Our tour guide, Filip, is really great and has worked with MUDEC for many years.

Yesterday, we went to Schindler's factory in the morning. We all expected it to be just a factory, as we'd seen in the movie. However, it was transformed into one of the best, most information-dense museums I'd been in! It did a great job illustrating what war-time Poland looked like and we saw many very interesting things. We were kind of rushed through it though, and had a questionnaire to fill out for class so we didn't get to focus on all of the things we would've liked to. Still, I thought it was very interesting.

Yesterday evening, we went to a Chopin concert. I'd always thought Chopin was French but apparently only his father was French, and his mother was Polish. He died at age 38 and though he was buried in France, he asked for his heart to be buried in Warsaw.

The concert was performed in an intimate setting in a hotel by one of Poland's best pianists. I really enjoyed the classical music. 

St. Mary's Church after the concert last night. Check out the moon!

Yesterday and today we stopped for lunch in a giant mall (much like our big American malls) and went to "Salad Story." You can create your own or choose from a number of set salads. I adored it!

Today we went to Poland's oldest university (Copernicus studied there in the Middle Ages) and several churches. It was freezing (aka 40 degrees and rainy) and I was so shivery that I couldn't focus on much of what Filip was saying.

The university.

We climbed to the top of one of the churches, which led us to the best view in all of Kraków!

When our morning class tour ended, we had no choice but to go to "Coffee Heaven" to warm up. Plain black coffee is now my normal choice in coffee shops.

We went to an outdoor Easter market as well, and I was so cold that I was inspired to buy these woolen hand-knitted socks for 5 US dollars. Warmest socks I've ever put on, I think!

Tomorrow morning is the end of our stay in Poland and it will be our trip to the Salt Mines, which is a big tourist attraction here. Then we'll be off to hang out in the airport for awhile and get into Rome late tomorrow night! Looking forward to some warm Italian weather.

This trip has been so well organized and educational. I don't think I ever could've seen Kraków in this way without such a great guide. I've learned more than I ever thought I would have about this place, and it's all been very interesting to me. I wouldn't have chosen to come to Kraków individually, but this class trip has been very meaningful. I can't believe that 1 month from today I'll be back on the road to Cleveland.