just a walk in the park

wow, this last weekend was jam packed, full of adventures.

venerdi (friday) - somers, audrey, and i took a day trip out to cinque terre. and let me tell you... it is beautiful! and totally worth it! we were originally thinking of not going there, because thats where everyone goes... but then we decided that we should... and there is a reason that everyone goes there!

it was a long day, i got up at the crack of dawn - literally. 4:15 am baby! the reason? the first bus in the morning comes in at 5;25, if i missed that, i wouldnt have been able to go to the station till 6:25, which would be non buona, perche the next bus didnt come till 6:25, and our train left at 6:35. so i got up super early, got ready, caught the bus, caught the train, made all the connections, and got to cinque terre around 10:30.

if you go to cinque terre, do the hike. it is definatly worth it, but dont worry, at times, it feels like the stairs never end! but the view that you get of the cities, is amazing. there are five cities right on the coast - hence "cinque" in the name. the building go right down the cliffs to the water. bright colored buildings, colorful fishing boats, bright blue water. cant beat that! and, get this, it was warm enough to go swimming - in october! we did the hike between each city, except between the 3rd and 4th, because there had been a landslide, and the trail was closed. and we had time to see all five in one day! and we felt like we had a good feel for each city by the time we had left.

and then... yesterday, we spent the day with our mom and dad. it was sooo much fun! we slept in that morning and did some homework... or well... we were supposed to... =) and so our dad made us lunch. and then after that, we went for a drive in the country, out to the forest, and went looking for chestnuts! i had no idea that chestnuts were surrounded by a prickly pod, and that three come in one pod. it felt really good to get out of the city, and be back in nature. and our dad is a crazy driver- love it! italians pass cars like no other, go super fast, and they tail each other too. definatly a different experience, but i've decided that i prefer driving in their car to riding a bus. after we spent the afternoon in the forest, we came back and went to the grand opening of an osteria (like restaurant) and met their friends. we ate some delicious food, and yes, i tried liver. i knew i wouldnt like it, but this cute old man had been talking to us for about 20 minutes, and then suggested that i try some food that he was eating. but dont worry, he told me that it was liver before i got some. it was really fun to be out with the locals, and seeing our parents in their social environment. i feel like i am truly getting the italian experience. i couldnt have asked for a better family! we are getting closer, and i feel like we really are a part of the family. i hope that we get to have more days with them like we did yesterday.