Day Eight

A place where you've traveled.

Vernazza, Cinque Terre, Italy
My sophomore year, my two roomates Jenna and Dominique studied abroad in Florence, Italy. I saved my dollars and flew all the way to Italy by myself for two weeks! It's exhilirating to travel by yourself. Getting lost, speaking a combination of English, the native tongue, and some body language, meeting new people, getting to know yourself in a different light, and finding your way back to wherever it was you were lost from. Probably my favorite day trip was to Cinque Terre, literally "five lands". Cinque Terre is a series of five villages on the coast of Italy and it is absolutely breath taking. You hike from village to village, climbing up mountains and smelling the lemon and olive groves. Each secluded village is a treasure trove for incredible home cooked food and smiling villagers.

There was a love wall along one of the hillsides on our hike and the entire wall was filled with names, quotes, and drawings of love. Apparently we had a sharpie on our hike.


I also took a solo day trip to Venice which was equally stunning. So picturesque and such a feeling of home in every window of every shop and eatery. On my way back to Florence from Venice I got on the train that said it's destination was Florence. I jumped on just in time and was trying to find an empty seat when the train began to leave the station. I walked through private cars and cars with assigned seats thinking I was heading toward the open seating "coach" section of the train. When I hit the last car, i knew I had gotten on the wrong train. Of course, the conductor was making her way down the aisle toward where I was standing looking scared out of mind. My friends had told me that Italian trains had no patience for ignorant travelers and would fine them 80 Euro for not having a ticket and then charge them the difference in price between whatever ticket they did have and the cost of the new ticket...in cash...on the spot. Needless to say, i did not have the kind of cash on me and considering the Euro was almost twice the dollar, I was not about to be fined $200/jailed for not having cash on me. So I did what any solo traveler would do; I found the nearest bathroom, locked the door, and prayed for an hour and a half straight that there wouldn't be conductor waiting for me outside the door when we arrived in Florence. The train finally stopped (the bathroom had no windows so I had to hope we were actually stopping in Florence) and when I saw the sign that said "Florence" I hightailed it off of that train. Though I don't recommend the EuroStar's toilet as a seat from Venice to Florence, I'm thankful I made it back to Florence in one piece.

Hysterical "David" boxers. Too good not to share.