Maybe I'm ready, maybe not.

On Easter (happy belated easter everyone!), I called home and well ya know I usually just talk to my mom and she wasn't home so I talked to my daddy and he asked me "so are you ready to come yet?"

And my answer was "smeh". That's the only way I could describe it. A few weeks away I was counting down the days until I was home. i mean I LOVE it here, but I also love home. But then I went to Italy and I think it just finally clicked that I was use to it in Sevilla. I'm just content, I would love to come home, but I'm use to this life here now too.

I dunno it was just a new reaction that I hadn't thought I would react too. I wanted to say yes, but I just didn't.

Well anyways, I still have 39 days left to enjoy here. && 31 days until my mom gets to Spain. We, I mean I, started planning our trip, it's going to be a lot of fun. And she is more excited than she sounds I'm pretty sure.

Florence, my favorite

So we arrived in Florence via bus....a bus that dropped us off on the side of a roundabout. He must of known we were all kind of scared and confused so he goes "buuuuus, that a way" because he didn't know much english but he was really nice. 

We knew we were going to be a little outside of the city but REALLY? Not like that. We just had to wait for a bus, which never came. We got offered by a man who goes "don't worry, I'm not like some strange guy or something." Mmmm...no thanks. We just decided to get on the next bus and see where we went. We made it there eventually. 

This is the Duomo, the Cathedral of Florence. It's famous for for being one of the largest dome's in Europe and THE largest brick dome in all of Europe. 

I really loved the buildings in Florence, they are so different than any other buildings I've seen in Europe. The detail on the outside is beautiful with colored marble.

I liked the clock here because it has 24 hours on it.

Katie also has a friend studying in Florence which was just AWESOME for us because she was a fabulous tour guide. She knew where we should go, where to eat and get the best gelato and of course to shop.

This is the famous bridge, Ponte Vecchio. It is covered which is unique but it has tons of shops along it, mostly jewelry. I guess Mr. Crouch's lock is on the right side greenery, pretty cool.

So cute and home town feeling but it is rather large of a city, I fell in love with Florence it was my favorite.

Taking our tour to dinner and well ya know my toe just decided it wanted a tour too I guess. Me and Katie were really tired by this time so we just got the worst giggles over this. Jemima and Laura were just like what is soooo funny lol

Saint Maria Church

Say hello to my new Italian Moka espresso maker :) in teal! I can't wait to use it at home!!!

We also had the BEST food while in Florence, real Italian food, I think because Laura knew where to go.

I must just have this thing for Davids ;) haha but this is the real Michelangelo David. 

We weren't suppose to take pictures but I just HAD to.

He is so much bigger than I thought he would be. He is just so perfect, you can see veins in his arms its just incredible.

The story of a young man beating an older man for the woman.

This is the fake David & my bad impression of him.

mmmmm spicy panini :) so good!

The Duomo

The major sights in florence

Our last night in Italy was actually the first time we had wine, ha and it was because it was free haha but it was still good! I hate amazing pasta there.

While we were in Florence we got the chance to go to a free TRL Italia award show. It was crowded and everything Italian but it was still fun to go.

When we got back to fly out of Rome, for some reason we got put on stand by. I had to be real assertive in that we HAD to get on that plane because we had a bus to catch back to Sevilla. I don't understand why we got put on when we booked it so early. They had managed to get me a seat but not for Katie. I wasn't getting on that plane without her. We RAN through the airport to the gate, at the last minute someone cancelled and we made it on! It was so stressful but I'm glad it all worked out.

I'm making lots of memories and great stories to tell when I'm older! 

&& I WILL go back to Italy, I absolutely LOVED it!

Venice, where the water rules, like Waterworld ;) ha jk

One overnight train later, we get to Venice!....at 5:30 am, on a Sunday. That just isn't any fun at all right there. We made it to our hotel and they were nice enough to let us sit in the lobby for a little while, well maybe I just slept on the couch for a few more hours. 

As the sun rises, we ate the BEST croissants ever. They were freshly baked warm && filled with ooozing chocolate :) alongside with one of the best cappuccinos I've ever had. That was the right way to start off the day.

Venice has soo many more waterways that I expected. i know it was the thing here but I didn't realize how dependent they were. It's so old fashioned, it gives the city a cute little quaint feel.

As the city wakes, the gondolas, the flags, the church, they are come out.

The Duke Palace
&
The San Marco Church

Rialto Bridge, where there are tons of tourist shops & fun food markets. One of the few bridges that cross the Grand Canal.

Since we hadn't really gotten any sleep & we had unlimited land bus & water bus rides for 24 hrs, we brought a little Spanish culture to Italy & took a good siesta but came back into the heart of the city for the sunset and a romantic tour on the water...ok well maybe it was just on a water bus but we're cheap college girls, gondolas are spendy. So we just imagined being on one with a really cute Italian man and an amazing gondola singer.  

Our romantic water bus included the moon rise, just breathtaking. 

On the water bus, we thought we were getting lucky sitting in the back outside, we didn't know that included loud engine noise, but we made it fun.

&& then we conquered some italian food, rawr

The next day we went to Murano Island, where it is known for their glass blowing. Apparently (thanks to the guide in Katie's kindle) back in the day, all the glass blowers were forced to live on this island because they didn't want Venice to ever burn down. Which kind of is mean, but funny.

Left: real flowers
Right: glass flower tree
cool huh

Also glass, a lot of the stuff they made there I was like MAN, if only Paint your World could be this awesome. My mom and gee would have just been in oooo's and awww's all day at all this art. 

Inside of San Marco's Church, wasn't allowed to take photos, but I managed to stole a few because it was so different. It was almost ALL mosaic, tiny TINY pieces, it was really incredible.

This is mosaic on the FLOOR! I actually was looking at it upside down and had to snap it for my momma.

Some of the above & below are from the Campo dei Frari, which I think it's just another big church. A little comical. 

I completely forgot, but I will ask Katie, who's tomb this is, I couldn't even guess right now.

Venice, I think we could have skipped it. It is beautiful so so beautiful, but it's more of a vacation spot, and we weren't really there for that, so there wasn't too much for us to do. But I'm glad we went :) Moving on to my favorite....FLORENCE!