Spain

Barcelona

We really only had one full day here, plus a half day when we got there. Felt like we were going to be there for like four days but it went super quick. We didn't notice that it was going to be a quick one. I surprised him with a day trip to Madrid. So the first night, after the taxi, buses, and flights we got to our amazing hotel. It was pretty dang nice compared to the other cheap ones I've stayed in. I've heard how cheap it was in Spain, and it's true. Very affordable for college kids. And our view was incredible, we were seventh floor. The eighth floor was the roof with a pool. Anyway, we went out to get dinner on a street next door. This street was great for food. Every one spoke English as well, so it was very easy to communicate, unlike French people. We were looking for tapas, Spanish rice as well (Paella). Our first dinner was great, I had some vegetables and then we shared a vegetarian paella. The paella is always served last and in a huge hot dish. Unfortunately, the waiter took the order wrong. He came with seafood paella. The shrimp had their eyes still and it was making me sick. Thank God we were able to switch with no problem. It was heaven. I will most likely try to cook this in my apartment this Fall. After dinner, we grabbed some gelato. They have gelato every where you turn here, I didn't think I was in Italy. Oh, we tried Manchego cheese, it's a special Spanish cheese. I loved it. Oh, and the gates that close the shops on the streets all have spray painted images, most times it was really cool images and designs.

The full day in Barcelona was perfect. Slept in a little and headed for the beach. The beach was not crowded or tourist filled, which was weird to me. It's June, summer and vacation time, and it's Barcelona. Why are their not more people? Anyway, the people who were there were topless. I mean the women were going topless. I mean I agree to the #freethenipple but it was a little hard not to be shocked being in that situation and setting for the first time. We laid around until it got a little hotter, then we went into the freezing water. The waves were crazy big, but I got used to it. It was like the wave pool at the Wisconsin Dell's (Amusement and Water Parks), takes me a while to consider and to do it. It was great until I spotted a dark pink jelly fish about two feet in front of me. I freaked. It was the length of a liter of soda. I mean, I freaked. Swam and ran away. Done for the day. After drying off, we got some food at a restaurant on the beach. I got a mojito and some chips with guacamole, cheese, and pico de gallo. Delicious. It hit the spot. When you go to Spain, get a mojito. Do it. Went back for some gelato and to get ready for the Sagrada Familia. We walked there, only took about 40 minutes. Got to walk by some cool stuff. Barcelona has some crazy cool and fun architecture. When we got there, it was insane. The outside was rather dirty, I wish it was cleaner. But the inside was insane as well, I mean it was crazy cool and fun. The colors and the shapes and designs, all very fun. After, while walking back, I grabbed some churros. And we hit the mall, shopped for candy. At the El Mercat, I found heaven. It was a candy store called Happy Pills. You would pick a size of pill jar and fill it with all different kinds of candies, and even pick out a sticker that says when to eat a happy pill (candy). Dinner was again great, more paella. Todd found cheese curds on the menu and I was so happy. Gelato again tonight.

Madrid

So we woke up early for an hour and twenty minute plane ride from Barcelona to Madrid. Took the metro into town. We really didn't have any plans except the Guernica by Picasso painting, but I looked at the hours and of course... the museum is closed on Tuesdays. So now, not only do I have to go back to Milan for The Last Supper, I as well have to go back to Madrid for the Guernica by Picasso. Got some lunch, took a while to find something on the menu that was available. Every time I ordered something, the guy was like "don't have". Ended up with a cheese crepe and a mojito. Oh and walking down the shopping streets, there were people dressed in costumes (like New York City) and two tiny, short, little smurfs were there. One of them was laughing and chasing me. Sounds funny? No, it was creepy and scary. After walking up and down those streets, we went to the Retiro Park. Had a dessert there, I had a chocolate pastry that looked like a chocolate covered pretzel, he had another eau claire. After that, took the metro to the Plaza de Espana. Then the metro back and the plane back. The view from the plane was amazing, it was sunset pink clouds and raining in one part, mountains, and foggy in another spot. Got back to the hotel around 10pm. Ordered some pizza from downstairs and watched Orange is the New Black. Passed out.

Woke up from the sun shining in. Thank God, because I thought our flight back to London was around 4pm. I checked because I am always paranoid about being early. Our flight was in two hours and 20 minutes. Oh my God. We packed and ran to a taxi. Traffic. Long lines. But, we made it. We even had enough time to sit down for some juice and breakfast. Oh, saw a rainbow in the sky.

              

Paris Once Again

Only two days in Paris, my second and last visit this year. We took the Eurostar from London St. Pancras to Gare Nord, got there sometime in the afternoon. So once we got to the strange hotel, yet really nice because it had a small balcony and it was right next to the Luxemburg Gardens, we left for the Eiffel Tower. We walked, and on the way we tried to find food. Finding a restaurant that also has English translated menus that is not near to the Eiffel Tower is difficult. We did find one and I just got some cheesy mashed potatoes and some bread, however it was filling and satisfying. Took us about 40 minutes to get to the Eiffel tower. When we got there we decided to go look around for a blanket because the grass was filled with cigarette buds and trash, we gave up because most stores that were still open, didn't sell them. I guess it would be more dirty than when I was there in March because it's tourist season. Once we gave up, we were behind the Eiffel Tower and it started to glitter, I couldn't believe it was already 11pm, it was still twilight. March, it was so dark outside. We then grabbed dessert, I got a vanilla macaroon and he got a Nutella crepe. Also, something hilarious happened.. when we were standing under the tower we heard a bunch of jingling all of a sudden. It was all of the men selling the metal Eiffel Towers, they were running. At least ten of them ran right past us, and then three cops on bicycles followed. Coming back, we took the metro. Discovered that Paris has double decker metros. You would think London would have them instead.

The next day (our full day), we went to the Modern Art Museum (the last museum in Paris that I wanted to see). It was wonderful. After, we got some food for a difficult picnic. I only say difficult because we still didn't have a blanket and we didn't have a knife for our camembert cheese. It was still good. I had my baguette and the cheese and a cafe macaroon. We had it right in front of the Eiffel Tower as well. Then we took a metro to Montparnasse Tower for the view. My second time up there and I was still speechless. Then we took a nap at the hotel. Woke up and left for the Eiffel Tower, with a blanket. We grabbed some food to take away, and eat by the Tower. It was really expensive and crappy food. Not satisfying at all. I had cheese pasta and it had no flavour at all. He got a fourteen euro cheeseburger and it was crap too. We then laid around until 11pm again, just to watch the Eiffel Tower do it's magic for five minutes. After, I got another macaroon. It was a grande chocolate one. He got a cafe eau claire. Coming back, we got caught in the huge mob of tourists. It was crazy busy. The sky was also very very light grey, it was creepy and cool. Oh this morning, we took the metro the wrong way and ended up in zone three, on the out-skirts of Paris, oops.

The last morning, we walked around our hotel and found a large populated and shopping street, sat down at a cafe outside and got some coffee. I had a latte and he got a cappuccino. Found a space invader. Also, tried a donut that looked like a Italian bombalone but it was lie. Stupid jam inside than the cream. Also, hey, Paris has a ton of these weird motor bikes. They had two wheels in the front and one in the back. Anyway, after all of that, we laid in the Luxemburg Gardens and then grabbed some macaroons for the road. Took the Eurostar back to London and a Southeastern train to Canterbury. We only had one day to do laundry and re-pack for Spain.

             

London Once Again

I have been to London countless times when you count all of the times I had to have a bus layover for a trip else where. But, if you are only counting the times I went to explore for a few days, then this would be my third time. I just got back from Italy and had less than 24 hours before I had to get on a bus to London. It was an insane few hours, of unpacking, laundry, re-packing, cleaning, washing up, etc. And this time, I headed to the Heathrow airport. It was crazy to be there because the last time I was at that airport was when I got here in January. Besides crazy, it was also very sad because I'll be there in a few days to go back to America. Anyway, I picked Todd up and we headed to our hotel to nap and finally get up to see London because it was about 11am when we got to the hotel. That day, we walked to the Houses of the Parliament (Big Ben) which was only about half an hour walk. We also rode the London Eye with our well-needed coffee. After that, we walked to Picadilly Circus with a stop by the Trafalgar Square to grab some food. We had some naked burritos that, I think, weren't so satisfying. Oh, We also hit up M&M World because light pink peanut M&Ms are life. When we got to Picadilly Circus, we took a photo and got on the tube to get back to the hotel.

The next day, we slept in a little, got on a tube and headed for the Borough Market for some food. I had the most amazing plate of a four cheese breaded thing with a side of hummus. The guy even poured a little olive oil on top of the hummus and a few chick peas. Also, he put some chili dipping sauce on the side as well. It was heaven. I am so happy because the first time I went to the Borough Market, I didn't eat because I had the worst tummy ache. He had some kind of meat wrap. He loved the Borough Market the most out of London, I can just tell. After, we grabbed some fresh juice, I almost got watermelon but I bought the pineapple and orange, he just got plain old lemonade. Next time, I'll get the watermelon. Then we walked over to the Tower Bridge. We bought the tickets to go up and walk on the glass. It was awesome. Then we went to the Natural History Museum, walked around. And then, we walked through a park/garden to the Marble Arch. Saw an older lady pouring bird food out for all of the pigeon right next to the Marble Arch. That will be me in fifty years. Walked down Oxford Street, and then found a pub for dinner. I had the most amazing pub dish ever, probably only saying that because I love cheese curds and miss them. Well, it was called "Veggie Fish and Chips". It was literally three big pieces of fried cheese. I was also upset that I haven't discovered that sooner. Of course I find the English cheese curds the last few days that I am here. Oh well.

The last full day was spent waking up for the changing of the guards. I think that was the dumbest thing. If they do that every day at 11am, thats too much. Too many tourists and too much standing around, just for a few horses and guards to walk by. It probably would have been better if I got a picture of the guard walking up to the fence, but that means I would have to be seven feet tall of be there an hour early to get a spot on the fence. We left early because we weren't feeling it. Also, I wanted candy because it felt like a parade but no candy was being thrown. We went back to the hotel because we were freezing and didn't bring a jumper (sweater). We walked to New Covent Garden Market to find that it was under construction so we had to take the tube to Camden Market. Which it was fine, we were really hungry, but we found a great pub and I tried the Vegetarian spicy bean burger. It has been a while since I had a burger. It was amazing, I was incredibly full. Walked through Camden Market a bit. Left after an hour or so, Todd didn't really like it. We walked to Sherlock Holme's Museum (House). It was pretty cool, we didn't take the tour or whatever because apparently it wasn't available until after 5pm. We were tired and didn't want to wait. Went back to the hotel to freshen up and went back to Big Ben to see it at twilight and at night. As well as the London Eye. It was beautiful, I have been wanting to do that for a while and the last night in London, I finally did it. Walked back and found an Italian restaurant to order some pizza and pasta for take away. Watched Orange is the New Black (Finished already!) and ate our food, then passed out. Left in the morning for Paris.

             

Mondello, Sicilia, Italia

Originally, I wanted to stay in Palermo (the capital of Sicily). I booked a homestay from Homestay.com and thought this place in Mondello was close enough to Palermo. It was still a drive but that was fine because honestly, I liked Mondello way more. The beach and the view from the mountain I climbed. Palermo was great, don't get me wrong, I went there for half a day and saw a lot. Including the Catacombes, the port, the Cathedral, Quattro Conti (basically a four-way road in centre of the city), the Ballarò Mercato (a market), and etc. I wouldn't have known what to even look for besides the catacombes and the cathedral without the help of my homestay familia. I got extremely lucky when I ended up with this familia in Mondello. I was told how nice Sicilians can be and it really is true. I felt like a part of their family. Silvia and Baldo and their son Fabrizio and his fiancé Valeria were the nicest they could be. Fabrizio and Valeria are learning English with a Philippine man via Skype and vise versa. So their English is very, very good. I helped them with pronunciations sometimes. I made a deal with Valeria that I could roll my "R's" in five months. Maybe.

I was picked up by Silvia and Baldo (o Boldo?) at the airport and came to find out they prepared a potato and ham dish for a late dinner for me. Only thing, I am a vegetarian. But no problem, she made some pasta for me. She is a super hero doing everything she does with the home and cooking and helping with anything and everything. They knew a good amount of english as well. I watched The Simpsons Movie with Baldo with Italian subtitles so it was pretty cool. He even told me that the subtitles are in Sicilian. Yeah, for those of you who don't know.. there are over 700 different dialects in Italy. It's like how the United Kingdom has the Wales accent and Scottish, Irish, and English. Well, there are over 700 different ones in Italy. That's crazy. They couldn't tell the difference between my American accent and an English (but said the American ones are easier to understand) however they could tell that the Italian couple staying with them from Genova had a different dialect than them. Crazy. I remember being told last year, that Nonna from Giano (Southern Italy) was hard to understand because of her different dialect but I didn't think there would be so many. I thought only Northern and Southern and probably Sicilian, but no no no no.

Breakfast was always an espresso and a croissant filled with the egg cream, perfect. Oh and one morning I got croissants filled with a flavour, I had a half of a white chocolate and half of a pistachio and woah, the flavour was insane. Oh, and the last night, I had a knock at my door with a briche filled with caffe gelato and whip cream on top. From Moritzio, the ice cream man that drives around there neighbourhood. Definitely a crazy taste, but something you should try in Sicilia.

I remember going to Palermo like I said, the first day. Also, in Palermo they have a museum with the writings from witches on walls right before they were killed, written in urine, feces, and blood. I didn't pay to see but wow. I was shown a park by Fabrizo and Valeria, and she was suppose to give me names of the stuff I learned but I forgot to ask. I remember learning about the Sicilian flag, the legs point to the three parts of Sicily. Oh, when parking your car in a free parking spot, it's not free. The street guys who sell you crap like sunglasses or towels, or coconuts, etc.. well they sit there and wait for you to park and expect some money (like fifty cents). If you don't pay, you come back to your car broken. That's insane. After my morning and early afternoon in Palermo, I went to the beach in Mondello. Breath-taking. Mountains are everywhere you turn. Having breakfast with everyone on their terrace, I was blown away by them but it was just every where you go. Can we trade the Midwest flats with the Sicilian mountains please? The water was so clear. Santorini was really blue but this water was so clear, you can walk and see where you step and the sand was white, you could also walk for a long way out and still not be shoulder deep. I was once pretty far out and i was only knee deep. Michaela (scared of fish) would have loved it, I didn't see ANY fish and it's shallow as heck.

             

Came back a little burned on my shoulders from walking around Palermo. But also came back with a tummy filled with an Aranchini. I was told about this and the granita (which I got limoni granita in Palermo, so goooooood) by Alessandra and Giacomo. I ordered an aranchini without meat (senza carne) and it was amazing. Took me two bites to consider if I liked it or not. It is basically a fried rice ball with different fillings. I think mine was the rice (obviously) and then mashed potato.

The next day, breakfast and off to Monreale. Monreale for the cathedral. It was filled with mosaics as well as Ravenna had. I got a cheap mosaic ring there. I also got a Panne Conzata because when they dropped me off, they said this was there thing. I got one, it was basically a sandwich. Mine was good but way too big, I got one with mozzarella, olive oil, pepe (pepper) and tomato. Climbed to the top of the cathedral for an amazing view. Well worth the 2.50 euro. While climbing, I was near someone who spoke English and she said to me (because the walk ways were so tiny), "imagine two Americans trying to pass one another!". Obviously she had no idea that I was an American, but yeah, Americans can be larger than Europeans. This also reminds me of when Michaela and I went to see Pitch Perfect 2 at the movies and when an American said in the movie, "they (Europeans) hate us!", some British girls next to us laughed and said "ITS TRUE!". They had no idea they were sitting right next to two Americans.

After Monreale, I slept a little and then went for a run to the beach and the hike up the mountain. The beach, when I got there was green. What happened? I have no idea but glad I swam the day before. The mountain was horrible but worth it. My only regret was not buying the larger water bottle, when I just simply bought a small one. I ran out of water before I got to the top. The view though, it was like no other. I think this is the top three views I have ever witnessed (not in order): San Marino Castle, Santorini Light House, and Riserva Naturale del Monte Gallo (this view). Incredible. Going up, I felt like I was on the Survivor because of my empty water bottle and finding aloe plants on the side of the road for my shoulders. Coming down, I was stopped by men freaking out at me in Italian and I got out of their mouths that it was a private residence where I came from and that they didn't see me. So I said, "non lo so" and "Sono American, mi dispiache" which is, "I don't know" and "I am American, I'm Sorry". They finally gave up trying to explain and said ciao. I won't say anything else. I got amazing pictures and the most beautiful scene in front of me, breath-taking (or breathless from the walk up).

             

So that night we booked myself a train to Trapani. Over three hours in a train. Not worth it. Trapani scared me, I felt so unsafe and my stomach was hurting really bad that entire morning. I was getting cat called by men saying, "ciao, ciao bella". It was dirty, with garbage everywhere. Also, no one around. I felt like someone could have drove a van up next to me and take me without anyone noticing. That's why I didn't go into the streets to find the cable cars up to the town Erice or to find the sea salt. I stayed on the beach walk and didn't go far on that either. Didn't try to find the port for the ferries to go to Favignana (an island nearby). Decided to buy an earlier train ticket right back to Mondello. But I had four hours to waste until the next one came. I was so tired too. I was up buying the Trapani ticket after midnight and having to wake up at 5am to get ready. Wasn't a fun day at all. Would I go back to see the cable cars, sea salt, Favignana? Yes, only if I had a group of people with me and I had a rented car.

Found some pink sand in an area though, but I also did see a man fully nude on the beach tanning. But I did buy some limoni granita in Trapani and I think it was better than the one I got in Palermo. Helped my tummy ache too. Oh and the night before, when we stayed up late buying the ticket, we had Panella and Crocché for dinner. Fried Sicilian food, we ordered it. All fried foods are good, so yeah.

Anyway, if you would like to see Palermo/Mondello, stay with this family, seriously. It really is affordable and they really help you to be as comfortable as possible. As well, they offer food and transport (for a fee, but come on, you get the real stuff).

https://www.homestay.com/italy/palermo/64407-homestay-in-partanna-mondello-palermo 

Cesena, Italia

May 26th was when I left for Italy, so I probably will miss many details since that was over two weeks ago. It's my second time here, in the same house, with the same family just for those of you who didn't know. Last year, I traveled Italy for a little over a month and it was amazing. I saw Pisa, Firenze, Napoli, Roma, Pompeii, Giano, Cesena (obviousy), Bellaria, Rimini, and Venice. I just had to come back to see Milano for the Last Supper and to see Sicilia. Well, I saw Milano, just not The Last Supper. Apparently, you have to book ahead of time and it makes sense but I never really considered it. So, I'll be back soon. After about six days in Cesena, I took a plane down to Palermo, Sicily. But first, Cesena.

Cesena

This family is something special. Home-y, beyond delicious homemade Italian food, and a bellissimo familia. I was picked up by Fabio at the airport, he is amazing. Also, he isn't that crazy of a driver, Italians are absolutely crazy on the road (la strada). He can understand a lot of English but can't talk that much. Lucky me, because I don't know hardly any Italian... which might change once I land in America. After those few days, I knew I would come back some day and I would love to learn the language. I took about five years of Spanish and I barely remember any of it. I think Italian would be perfect to learn. Out of all of the European countries that I had the opportunity to experience.. Italy is probably my favourite (Santorini very, very close to beating it though) so I will be coming back as much as I can in my life. I as well think it is a very beautiful language. Hey, I know some words. I probably knew more last year because I was there for a month, and in the past year I lost it so I regaining it again quickly in this year's week.

Dante. Dante is a slight obsession of mine. Dante is their gatto di familia (is that right?). Their family cat, I met Dante last year and I fell in love. Dante has a smushed face, and I love that in animals. Hence, my dog has a slightly smushed in face and I want a snorting pug. Anyway, Dante was shaved when I arrived, besides the face. Ugly and beautiful. Alessandra (the madre of the familia) said the tail reminds her of an umbilical cord. There was also a very funny story of her and her fear of lizards (which is insanely funny, for me at least) with a mop and Dante. The end of the story, Dante passes out from getting hit by Alessandra's mop. Oh, they got a new cat named Paco. Dare devil with bruises but apparently he is a normal cat compared to Dante.

Alessandra's food. Yum. Before anything, she made my favourite. She made it last year and it was so good, I made it as soon as I got back to America in 2014. Chocolate Salami. It's a frozen chocolate dessert that when cut into, it looks like salami (the meat). I'm pretty sure when I get back to America this year and into my new apartment, I will make it again along with her recipe for bombalones. Bombalones are the Italian donut with a egg cream filling. Ugh, can't get enough of those as well. Alessandra also made, besides the chocolate salami, a strawberry tiramisu and a caffe tiramisu, also homemade gelato, and a strawberry milkshake. She has a mini garden this summer so lots and lots of strawberries. She is growing other many goodies but she has butt loads of sweet strawberries. I wasn't complaining. One day I walked into two bowls filled with cherries from her friend's cherry tree. Besides having her delicious desserts and fruits, her pasta, handmade pizza, and the piadinas were just what I needed. I didn't realize how much I missed Italian food until I smelled it the first day. Just like when I was landing in Bologna on the 26th, I was smiling ear to ear because I didn't realise how much I missed Italia. Oh, and someone gave us beer-amisu and some black liquorice.

I also had gelato from the streets of Italy. I had occholia and caffe once. Pineapple and banana another time, and once more with crema de latte (pretty sure i got that wrong) and marscapone. My spelling is probably all wrong too, but I'll learn.

I went to Milan for a whole day, via Trenitalia. Solo trip, normal for me now. I found out how much I like to travel alone. Milano was pretty, the Duomo was the best part obviously. While I was there, the Expo 2015 was happening. There was a huge stage with live radio music playing with a huge crowd right in front of the Duomo. Pretty cool to see. Figured out the metro to get from the train station to the Dumo and back. Saw the high shops, the skinny alley, the castle, and much more.

Coming back, I forgot what night, but I think it was that night or the following.. I went out with Steven (the oldest son, my age) and Lucia (a friend and part of the family, a year younger) and Giacomo. Well, we just went for my first gelato (caffe and nocchiola) and after got some drinks at the same bar I first went to last year with the boys (last year I traveled with three boys around Italy). This time at the bar, I didn't feel the excitement because last year I was ordering my first alcoholic drink legally and this year it's completely normal for me. Europe changes you. Anyway, last year I had a strong Long Island Iced Tea and I was close to being drunk. This time, I had an equally as strong drink called Long Red and it did the same, I don't think they noticed but it only lasted for about ten minutes. Don't laugh at me.

Driving through the same parts from last year was amazing. I missed the San Marino hill at night with all the lights glowing on the hooked mountain the very most. I also looked for it once in the car. They blasted Numero Uno (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4S8bDzS0BM) in the car. Also drove on the prostitute road again and learned a very, very bad word. God Pig (Dio Porco). The other night when we went out for Christian's birthday (not the youngest son in the family, another Christian). We went to the same bar, now my third time at this bar by the beach. Met some really cool people. Three super nice girls and some crazy guys, one guy was drunk enough for us all and when he was trying to speak english it was crazy hilarious. He kept trying to tell me that all girls at discos are bitches (sorry grandma for the language). And when he said "disco" he would do a small dance, probably because he thought I didn't know what a disco was. He kept us entertained. They were all very cool and very nice. They were constantly trying to speak english to me and teaching me Italian. Sorry to Steven for being the translator for most of the night. Which also for Alessandra during the dinners.. with Fabio constantly poking your arm. Still very happy I got a photo of it happening!

Met the dogs in the back. An alfa was present in the two. At the market that Steven took me to one morning, he was looking at dog beds and I was super confused, thinking that he only has two cats. But then I remember the barking in the back of their home after he reminded me of them.

Went to Ravenna for some absolutely gorgeous and colorful mosaics. I also found tons of Space Invaders in Ravenna! Duh, because the space invaders are made of ceramic tiles. Ravenna was a pretty town, very peaceful and filled with culture and art. I went with Alessandra, we took gelato selfies and found two lizards (not her favourite part). Practically made my heart skip a beat when I heard her scream.

Another day, Fabio and Alessandra took me to Siena, Arezzo, Lucignano, and a place with the sword in the rock and with a (I completely forgot the name) church with the ceiling gone and open to the sky. The place with the sword was spent laughing with Alessandra like hyenas, which was even worse because it was meant to be quiet in that place. We were laughing at pictures of Dante and Paco on her phone. We were bad. Siena was the main reason for our long day journey. It will be a day to remember for sure. We saw so many beautiful things. The duomo in Siena was probably my favourite, it was stunning. The colors were the main reason. Last time they went, it was dirty and you couldn't see the pink, but they washed it so now it's all white and light pink. This entire day, we walked over 12 miles I think. We also ran into a wedding in Siena, which is common for Fabio and Alessandra.

           

Fabio and I like to run. We first went to the same place from last year (over three miles) and then the next time, we ran five miles along the Cesenatico beach (first time running on sand). Loved it.

Gina came over for my last dinner in the house, we had their homemade pizza. Also, stop using the pizza rollers America, use scissors to cut the pizza. It is SO MUCH easier, seriously, try it next time you have pizza. Maybe it wont work though with the thick American pizzas. Gina was so nice to give me some Italian chocolate to take home, even though I haven't even touched the ones I saved for myself from last year.

Before leaving for Palermo, everyone including me were trying really hard to get Alessandra to come to Palermo with me. But unfortunately, all the cheap seat were taken and she had Christian's graduation. So I had to leave the Fabio, Alessandra, Steven, Veronica, Christian, and Dante on the 1st of June. Took a quick night plane to Palermo.



Will post as soon as possible about Palermo today. I have to leave for London at 5am (so 8 hours from now) and I won't be back for a few days. I'll be staying in London and then Paris. One night Canterbury and then off to Barcelona, Spain. So, very busy starting now. I'll have three days to clean and pack for going back to America after Spain is finished. Ciao.