Venezia, Firenze!

Venice is like a storybook. You arrive at night, stars glittering overhead, passing alongside crumbling little shops with dainty treats in the windows, trotting over tiny bridges over still water. It's magical that first day, hopping for "free" onto the Vaporetto water taxis from island to island, treating yourself to a cappuccino and pistachio gelato. By the third day you realize that you haven't seen any Italians yet, just old English couples and Canadian backpackers, and you haven't thought through this decision to be a gondolier because really, there is not a whole lot to these islands but glass Murano shops and overpriced pizza shops. We ended Venice happily, content that we lived in a fairy tale for 2 days, glad to leave for Florence.

I was unimpressed with Florence at first. After meeting up with my dear friend Grace, we wandered around the city, admiring the Renaissance buildings and landmarks. I hadn't realized Florence was so small! We walked around a lot of the city in just a couple hours that night. But then I went to the Uffizi Gallery and saw Birth of Venus and Primavera, and saw the statue of David and the other classics in the main square. We found the best gelato places and experimented with different flavors a few times. Okay, every day...

I loved the cobblestone streets and local REAL Italian food joints, the bridge overlooking the city, and the wine tour through the Chianti region we joined. Next was the Cinque Terre.

Backpacking

After the program ended, I adios-ed the Conch and the Peps, my host parents, and I said my last "Vale", Theresa and I headed to Lagos, Portugal. We were SO READY for the beach! Too bad it rained for the first 2 days. However, we did get a good beach day in, lounging in between the towering cliffs and swimming around coves in the cold water. We also had a great hostel manager, Artur, who showed us around the little town and hooked us up with a surf instructor, Andre + dog, who taught us some tricksy surfing on the west coast. I got up a few time and got to wear this supersexy wet suit. I felt very Blue Crush.

(definitley not) Thoroughly tanned and ready, we left on a bus to central Portugal, Lisbon. SURPRISE! The Pope's here! And our hostel street is blocked off because of it! We have large backpacks and have to walk through the whole city to get there! We did get to see Mr. Pope though, which my very Catholic friend enjoyed. Lisbon was real cool, with its neighborhoods of colorfully tiled buildings and hilly street-riding yellow trolley cars. We visited the castle overlooking the bay, ate lemon cremes at the famous Pasteis de Belém, and tried in vain to figure out how to ride their Elevador, a giant intricate elevator, designed by an intern of Eiffel, which lifts you to the highest neighborhood of Lisbon. Thus, our last time near Spain ended and we flew off to Venice.