Bittersweet Departure

As my time in Rome comes to an end I find myself constantly reminiscing. This past weekend spent in Cinque Terre, was one of my favorite trips. After 7 hours of hiking through 5 towns we finally arrived in Monto Rosso where we spent the night indulging in great seafood and wine and the following day relaxing on the beach. This week in Rome has been stressful with finals to say the least, but I have been making sure to go to all my favorite places for that one last time. I can not wait for Friday, for my finals to be over, to out to our last dinner, and to then grab a bottle of wine and frolic around the city to the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, the Pantheon, Piazza Navona. I can not believe how fast time has gone and Rome truly has a special place in my heart <3

Beach in Monterosso

Piazza Navona (one of my favorite places)

Veranza, one of the 5 towns

Buona Pasqua!

Why I love easter:

1.) It is a great excuse to eat chocolate eggs

2.) Decorating easter eggs (which I did not get to do this year, unfortunately)

3.) Being with the family

4.) Peeps

5.) Easter baskets from Mom and Dad

6.) Baked ham that Grandma makes

There are days like today where I miss my family and the traditions that we have built together over the years. I just have to remind myself that being in the holiest city on Easter, going to Easter mass this morning at the vatican, and being a few feet away from the pope are all pretty awesome and unforgettable to say the least. And the good thing is when I go home, i know there will be plenty of chocolate eggs and peeps awaiting my arrival :) 

Czech it Out!

Prague was unreal. What other place in the world can you go to where you feel like you have stepped into a fairytale land? With absolutely no idea what to expect, I was completely taken away at all the things I saw. Whether I was crossing the Charles Bridge, taking pictures in front of the Lennon Wall, or exploring the Castle, I could not get over how magical Prague was. And...not to mention there was an Easter Fair going on that was filled with food and music: sweet cinnamon sugar rolls, fried cheese, fried dough, and candy! If all that was not enough to convince you to go to Prague, we also went to a 5 story club where each floor has a different music genre, including "black music" (bizarre?) Friday night we went to an 80s/90s club called Lucerna where they streamed music videos of Grease and Bon Jovi throughout the entire club. It was a huge sing-along dance party, what's not to love about that?! I also had my first piece of sushi since January, Starbucks, and Mexican food. Although the switch up of food was a great break when I returned to Rome yesterday and went out to dinner for Kelly's birthday I was happy to be back home. Home Sweet Roma!

Oh, and I forgot to mention...these disgusting fish ate at my feet. Gross? Yes, but at least now my feet are so soft!

Fitness Magazine

Being an avid reader of fitness magazine, loving fashion, and having a passion for healthy living seems to me like the perfect internship would be working in the fashion department at Fitness Magazine, and I am!!!! I am so excited for an amazing summer consisting of interning in NYC  and hanging out with the family and my boyfriend. To go along the topic of fitness and fashion I came across today that H&M has a new sportswear line that I am so excited about. Workout clothes can be so expensive, so I am more than thrilled to check out the new line when I get home!

Amalfi Coast to French Riviera

Wow, these past two weeks have really flown by... which only means that the next 4 weeks are going to go by even faster (so scary)! The Amalfi coast two weekends ago and the French Riviera last weekend were two trips that I will never forget. I can not believe the beauty that is in these two places. While I was at the Amalfi I took a boat ride around the entire Island of Capri, walked around the beautiful town in Sorrento, went in the Blue Grotto, had too much lemoncello, and relaxed on the beach in Positano. Positano was by far my favorite place in the Amalfi. The town embedded in the mountains, with its black sand beaches was so beautiful that when it was time to leave I was in pure denial. And, although it took me nearly 15 minutes to jump off the top of a 35 foot cliff, I finally gathered some courage and did it!

Before entering the Blue Grotto

In the Blue Grotto <3

Lemoncello and lemon chocolates = yum!

Took the chair lift up to the top of Anacapri

Positano

Right before I jumped 35 ft off a cliff, call me crazy... I know

The weekend flew by and a few days and 10 hour bus ride later I was in the French Riviera. We stayed in Nice, which i instantly fell in love with. And although my obsession with fresh markets all over Europe is a bit extreme, anyone would have to agree that the fresh flower and fresh fruit market in Nice, is amazing! The next day we headed to Monoco were I felt like an outsider looking in on such a lavish and luxorious lifestyle. The Bentleys and Rolls Royces parked in front of the Monte Carlo Casino where enough to make me a little intimated before entering. With some encouragement from my friends I played my first slot ever, and with no surprise lost within 30 seconds. We also got to go to Eze, where we climbed to the top of the medieval village to see the exotic gardens and the view of the entire French Riviera. Before departing home, we traveled to Antibes and spent a few much needed hours of relaxation on the beach there. I am off to prague tomorrow, I am so excited to finally see this fairy-tale-like place that everyone raves about. Look out for another post soon!

The streets of Nice, France

The beautiful yachts in Monoco

Monte Carlo Casino

View from the exotic gardens in Eze, an old medieval village

MOLLY

I can not believe that this is actually happening. Just two weeks ago I was threatening my mom to get on top of her dog searching game, before I took over. Yes, I know it sounds a little vicious, but after Hailey passed away this past summer I felt a huge part of me was missing. With the new addition of Molly to our family, and Hailey still in my heart forever, this is one more reason that makes me excited to come home! I hope Molly is able to recognize me when i come home, considering that we have skyped like 4 times already! Good luck mom with this little terror, and do not get too preoccupied with making Molly cooked carrots as a snack ;)

Rome becoming home....

As the weeks go by, I seem to love Rome more and more it really is beginning to feel like home. It amazes me that after being in Rome all this time there are still so many places that I have on my “to do” of places to eat and things to see before I leave. This week I tackled three things on my list. Thanks to this amazing spring weather, my friends and I decided to head to the closest beach called Ostia Lido. Seeing the ocean, eating coconuts, and roasting in the sun was the perfect way to celebrate the oncoming of this beautiful weather. Kelly, Jenny, Laurie and I decided to head to Villa Pamphilla which is a beautiful park that I have been wanting to explore. Not only was it gigantic, but the relaxation amongst the local Roman’s picnicking and bike riding made me appreciate all the beauty that Rome has to offer. Later that night I checked off the third thing on my to do list: A ROMA SOCCER GAME! I felt completely culturally immersed as I sat next to Romans screaming the AS Roma chants and watching beer bottles being thrown at the opposing fans. It was crazy to say the least, but sipping on a Peroni and watching the game was the perfect ending to an unforgettable, low-key weekend in Rome.

Villa Pamphilli

Ostia Lido

Go Roma! 

Just some fresh coconuts, no big deal.

Picnic at Villa Pamphilli ( next on my "to do" list)