I have been here for less than a week and it has been fabulous so far! I give the 2 days I spent traveling 2 thumbs down and a middle finger up. Every airport experience was a bit of a fiasco. I took longer than I probably should've saying goodbye to my parents and, when I got on the train to get to terminal E (the farthest terminal from security), it got stuck TWICE . When I finally got off, I ran up the escalator and into the bathroom (because no one likes to pee in a coffin) and when I got to the gate, NO ONE WAS THERE! So, I ran as fast as my legs could take me to the nearest screens and, can you believe it? The gate changed to terminal T, the same train stop as security (where I had just come from). Bare in mind that I also had a huge bookbag and Ricky (my guitar). I wanted to board early to ensure a spot for my guitar but now I just wanted to get to the plane before it left the runway. I finally made it to my seat, completely out of breath and on the verge of tears. The combination of my nervousness regarding leaving home for 3.75 months and the stress of the situation was almost more than I could handle.
When I landed, it was 6 am in Paris but my body thought it was midnight. I found the terminal on the boards and followed the signs to G. Each line for customs was packed and when I realized I had gotten in the line for terminal E, I pushed my way through the crowd to get to G. On my way there, I was chewed out by this beastly American jerk. He said "You're going to have to hold up! You see all these people!?". To which I responded, "Dude, I'm good. Chill out." After he replied with "No, you and your big a$$ guitar are going to have to wait!", his line moved forward. I'm flattered that he took me for such an experienced traveler but, seriously, show some respect. Anyways, the Paris airport is almost impossible to navigate. It's huge and I had to leave the airport and take a shuttle to find my terminal. On the bright side, they have cute little pastry stands in their terminals. One was a teal wooden cart that sold brightly colored and multi-flavored macaroons. Now, that's the adorable side of Paris that I'd like to see more of!
The Florence airport and Charles de Gaulle in Paris are polar opposites. Florence has 3 baggage claim carousels and customs is consists of an Italian guy who merely stands at the door, glances at your luggage, and waves you on, saying, "okay." No complaints here.
We spent the first 2-3 days in the grand Hotel Baglioni (BAHL-YONEE) which was molto belissimo, to say the least.
Orientation took up the first few days and my program had some other things planned for us. A 2 hour guided tour of the city took place on cold and rainy Tuesday. And yesterday (Wednesday) we took a cooking class at a local cooking school. We cooked...
Stuffed Zucchini (Can we get these crazy awesome zucchini balls in the States?!)
Crespelle alla Florentina (crepes with riccotta/spinach and Bechamel sauce)
And, of course, tiramisu
And, these are my roommates (Kate, Ella, and Natalie)
Other than that, we've been exploring Florence and all it has to offer. And, believe me, it offers A LOT. I'm thanking God for every moment I have here.
I have a lot to say so let's have another chat tomorrow, mmkay?
~Britt
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. - Philppians 4:7
Those food pics are making me hungry!! I'm glad that everything is going well. Everyone feels the same about the traveling part of it all. It's the worst. Now that your body has caught up with the time change you should feel two thumbs up! :D
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