Who needs a valentine when you have gelato

Last weekend I fell in love- with Italy- mostly the food though =)

All seven of us girls from UCF bought plane tickets to Milan, Italy for Valentines Day weekend. There are a few lost cost airlines here in Europe- Ryanair is our fave- I think we paid 50 Euros for the plane tickets ($75) not bad for a weekend in Italy. The first lesson we learned is it is not as easy as just getting on a plane and your there. To get to Milan we took- bus- train-bus-plane-bus- yeah- it’s exhausting, but so worth it.

So Ryanair was an experience- felt more like a bus than a plane, but for the price we paid, I’m ok with that. We also had to walk outside and up stairs to get on the plane- something I am not use too- but it was ok. No drinks or snacks. BUT half way though the flight I looked out my window and literally my breath was taken away- we were flying over the Alps. I don’t know if I have ever seen something so beautiful out of a plane window- and I have been on many planes.

Anyways- Nicole, Kim, and I stayed at the Best western (it ended up costing the same as a hostel) and the other 4 couch surfed. The first night we meet up with the girls who were couch surfing at the host’s flat and had dinner with them. The thing a love most about couch surfing is that you get to spend quality time with locals and really learn and experience how they live their lives. Marco (the host) made some crazy good pasta. His friends came over and we all talked for a while. One of the friends brought some home made lemoncello- not my favorite.

On Saturday morning we walked through the park and to the castle. We noticed that the dogs in the park in Milan were much larger than any on the other dogs we had seen in European cities- interesting. We walked though the castle and got some AMAZING gelato. Let me tell you about the gelato. Seriously- the best dessert I think my mouth has ever experienced. Cold stone has nothing on gelato. The city center in Milan is beautiful. It has a lot of pedestrian streets lined with cute shops and cafes. The big cathedral in Milan is the Duomo (check my facebook page for pictures). It is SO BEAUTIFUL! There is just SO much detail that went into it (di Vinci designed it). It was just one of those moments when you get chills up your spine. The square in front of the Duomo is always packed with people. Also, I think the Italians celebrate the week or so before the start of lent, maybe it’s a carnival type thing. Anyways there were loads of children dressed up as animals and throwing confetti. It was cute =)

We took the stairs to the roof of the Duomo. I feel like this is all we have done in Europe- climbed crazy staircases =) Being on top of the church was so cool. We really could see the detail that went into this church now. Of course we took loads of pictures. And apparently the top of the Duomo is the Number one make-out spot in Milan- lol (it was Valentines Day weekend I guess we should have expected it- but really- the top of a church? Lol).

Saturday night we meet the couch surfing host, Marco, at a really cool bar called Noon. Seriously, my favorite bar I have ever been too. So it was really nice. Everyone was dressed up. But there were young people- families- older people- everyone. We all sat around a small table. So drink were 8 Euros (like $12) Sounds a little high, but once you order a drink you can go up to the buffet and eat all night =) They had meats, cheese, veggies, pizzas, and just a lot of appetizers. We probably stayed there for 2 hours. But seriously if you ever go to Milan GO THERE. Marco took us to a few other bars and we danced the night away in Milan. We also went to one of his friend’s house party- that was interesting. It was really PACKED and everyone was smoking. We just could not breath- so we went home early.

The next day (valentines day) we went to see a few museums. First we went to the Steve McCurry exhibit. Seriously- the BEST are exhibit I have ever seen. Google image Steve McCurry. His pictures are amazing. He takes lots of pictures of people (especially children) in third would countries. Every picture was so moving. It was just one of those things where I needed to sit and think about life for like days after seeing all those pictures. Some of his photographs are permanently engraved in my mind now.

We also saw some di vinci exhibits. It was mostly his original letters and drawings. Really cool. We ended our day with some shopping and dinner at a cute sidewalk café. Our sweet waiter sang in Italian the whole time. It was magical. We were all really tired, but we just laughed a lot and enjoyed our dinner and each other.

I can’t believe we just took a weekend trip to Milan. I think I am going to be super depressed when I get back to the states and the only place I can go for the weekend is the beach. Oh well. I’m not thinking about that.

But seriously I am just so thankful for having the opportunity to have this experience. I have been saying since I moved back to the states in 1998 that I would study in France one day- and it has finally happened. I have been dreaming and saving for this for so long- and it a million time better than I ever imagined. It’s going to be really hard to get me to leave.

Turning 21 in France- and a weekend in Bordeaux

So a lot has happened in the past week or so- sorry if this is really long =/

So I had my 21^st birthday here in Angers. The girls from UCF were really sweet and decorated my door =) We all ate dinner together and they had a little surprise birthday party for me complete with balloons, streamers, cake, and champagne. Nearly everyone from my class came along with a bunch of people from the dorms. We had cake and drinks and I even taught some line dances. (I was really sad to not be spending my 21^st at my fave cowboy bar in Orlando- so I just had to do a few line dances).

Anyways I figured since I am Irish, it would only be appropriate to go to the Irish pub that night. So we all went to James Joyce for some pints. We hung out there for a while and went to K’lypso (another bar/club in town) a little later. It was loads of fun. I have been able to buy alcohol since I have been here- so it really is not that big of a deal in France- But I was showing all the French people at the bar that my ID says that I can not drink until 1-28-2010 =). It was a really good night.

I think my birthday party was the first time my class all got together and bonded. Before we had kind of dived ourselves and stuck with our friends from our respective countries- but ever since we all went out together on my Birthday we have been mixing and hanging out. It is rare now for us to sit with our classmates from our schools back home. I love it. We ask questions about each other’s countries constantly and just learn a little bit more everyday about different cultures and people.

So this past weekend 10 of us (all 7 UCF girls- Cahal from Texas- Anna from Sweden- and Federico from Italy) went to Bordeaux. We took the train- and can I just say- I LOVE taking the train. It is so nice and relaxing- you have great views- I can’t tell you how many castles I saw on my way. Through little towns- and farm land- but seriously- the soundtrack to beauty and the beast is constantly playing in my head =)

So in Bordeaux 4 of us tried out Couch surfing. Basically how it works is you make a profile on the site and you can look for people who are willing to host people in their home/apartment. It sounds kind of sketch- but I know so many people who have done it and loved it- and by the way- it’s free =) So we (me, Amy, Kim, and Cahal) stayed with 5 roommates (3 guys and 2 girls) at there house on the outskirts of Bordeaux. I’m not gonna lie- I was kind of nervous, but as soon as we arrived I felt welcome and safe. Damien was the main roommate who hosted us. He is a rubgy-playing-magic-trick-playing-handsom- French man =) how’s a girl not going to have a little crush. But seriously- he was really nice. The first night we hung out and had some wine- and just basically got to know each other.

I’m basically in love with this idea- It make so much sense that a person who has a couch or extra bed would offer it up to travelers. I love that we really got to know some French people from Bordeaux and really got to live like a temporary local- not just see the sights. It kind of blows my mind how much I trusted these people- but everything went so well. I plan on couch surfing as much as possible.

Anyways- while we were in Bordeaux we went up the tall bell tower outside the big cathedral- 231 stairs later- we were at the top and had incredible views of the city. We went in the cathedral after- breathtaking as always. We had a real French dinner that night and a glass of Bordeaux.

We also did a wine tasting tour. They drove us though the vineyards past all the beautiful chateaus. We tasted at 2 different vineyards. One in Margaux and the other in Medoc- bought a bottle of the Medoc. I kind of felt like a grown up- don’t know how I feel about that yet.

On our last night in Bordeaux Damien showed us the bars/pubs that him and his rugby teammates hang out at. We went to a Pirate run bar- which felt like you were in a pirate ship- it was really cool- complete with hammocks. Then we went to an Irish pub for some pints of Guinness and good conversation. After visiting one more pub we took a PACKED tram back to Damien’s.

The next morning we left- to show our gratitude for letting us stay at their house we bought them some Jim Bean and a case of Heineken- lol. We spent our last day walking along the river- having coffee at a café in the park and visiting some ruins. Then we got on the train and headed home to Angers.

Friday morning we leave for Milan =) Valentines Day in Italy- here we come- Just the 7 UCF girls- I can’t wait!