Cinque Terre

I am taking a break from cleaning our apartment and packing. We have to deep clean our apartment for an intense inspection on Tuesday when our landlord comes to check for any damages and stuff. We have also started packing because final exams are this week and we don't want to be distracted with packing. I also want to be able to have fun on the last few days and say my goodbyes to Florence without having to spend all my time packing up my last semester.

Last night, Marielle, Patee and I went to "L'acqua calda" near Siena with Luca, Ana and their friend Muhommad, which was basically a river over a large concentration of sulfur, which made it hot water - it felt like we were in a hot tub. I thought it was hilarious when they told us it was called "the hot waters" because I just assumed they didn't know the real name of it, but turns out it really is called "the hot water." It is situated in some woods that have no lighting, so it was really dark and it is a gathering place for many natives. The six of us had so much fun hanging out in the water and afterwards Ana drove us to get some delicious hamburgers and hot dogs near the Florence airport. I swear i have never had such a delicious hot dog - maybe it's because I haven't had one in four months. Ana keeps telling us she is extremely sad we have to leave in only five days, and I keep telling myself not to think about it because I don't want to say goodbye to her and Luca. I wish we hadn't gotten so close too late in the semester - I wish we could have thought to hang out more at the beginning and middle of this amazing semester. We have to keep in touch via the old mailing system of writing letters because they hate technology. Luca also wants us to send them some American gum as soon as we get home... so I am excited to have my "pen pals" and I really hope I get to come back some day to see them.

On Friday, we went to Cinque Terre for the day. Patee, Marielle, Austin, David, Caitlin, Victoria and I hiked the majority of the four trails and it was such a fun day! It was so beautiful - I wish Dad could have been able to see it! We started in the town of Monterosso and hiked from there to Vernazza... we had no idea how hard that trail was going to be! We knew from books that it was the hardest trail to hike, and that is such an understatement... it was so exhausting! It was literally like hiking on the side of a mountain... on tiny, narrow paths with the most spectacular views of Monterosso and the next towns over. Patee actually missed her step at one point and slipped and fell towards the side where below was a vineyard, but some lady caught her arm... it was really scary but really hilarious after it all happened. It took about two hours to hike the entire thing and I swear I got more fit from that hike than I have from running the past two months! When we arrived in the town of Vernazza, we jumped for joy and were so tired that we had to take to the train to the town of Corniglia, where we hiked to Riomaggiore. Monterosso is known for its beaches (and yes, there were a few nude!) and gelato, while Vernazza is known for its beautiful and colorful houses ... Riomaggiore was really beautiful too and we were there during sunset... it is special for its "Via dell'Amore," which is basically a "Love walkway" that has graffiti written in a tunnel by people about their love.. and it has love locks everywhere on the fences, which are little locks with peoples' initials and dates... they are supposed to stay there forever and symbolize their love. It was so cute! When we arrived in Riomaggiore, we took the train to La Spezia where we had our train back to Florence. It was such a beautiful day and we all returned exhausted and sunburned... I wish we had had more time there because we could have gone swimming and kayaking before taking the train home, but oh well.

On Saturday, Patee and I took the day to roam around Florence for one last time... we love having those days where we wake up and the sun is shining and we can just walk around the market and the river without any rush or worries. Tonight we are going to have quick drinks with Ana and then returning to our studying and writing of papers and packing. Five more days until I am back in America. It is truly a bittersweet feeling - I am so sad to leave this beautiful country where I have learned so much about myself... but yet I am very ready to return home to friends and family and Fluffy who I miss so much. I am also very ready to return to Mexican food. I am unsure how my goodbyes will be on Thursday. We finish exams on Thursday and I organized a big dinner for our program at Dante's... I am most worried about saying goodbye to Ana because we have all made such good friends with her and I know she is going through such hard times with her brother dying and stuff.

Nevertheless, I am leaving here with amazing memories and an amazing experience. I am jealous of all my friends who are coming for the summer program and that I have to leave it all here. I really hope I get to come back one day and re-visit it and reminisce about our time here.