A Beautiful Saturday in Verona

On Saturday I went to Verona with a group of about 30 other people. It was a truly amazing experience. I got to see so many beautiful views from almost everywhere we went to. I got to see the arena, the duomo, a bridge, the castle, and numerous piazzas. I even got to put a letter in a mailbox near Juliets balcony! A little history, Verona is where Romeo and Juliet took place and also where the movie "Letters to Juliet" was filmed. Here are some pictures because words cannot describe the beauty of this place:

Our walk from the train.

The entrance to the main city center!

The arena!

There was a marathon going on the day we were there, so there was a lot of little kids on these steps

A gold drinking fountain!

A creepy mummy person...I was tooo scared to go any closer

The castle!

The entrance into the castle.

I just love castles, I want to live in one.

The amazing view from one of the bridges.

The castle to the right, and an awesome view!

Just another angle

ME!

It was just so pretty not to take a hundred pictures of!

The bridge that had a little market on it

Lots of different vendors

Do you see that LOG of cheese!?

OMG! This cracked me up because this guy looked nothing like Michael Jackson, but I thought bout you Mom! Oh and I didn't tell you but the kid I babysit for loves Michael Jackson!

Uhm I thought the statue of liberty was green?

This was shocking at first, but then I figured it out, can you?

People confessing their love! How cute!

Juliets balcony!

Club of Juliet where I put in my letter!

The "lovers balcony"

Really close to the balcony

The floor had love confessions written on them in all different languages, it was adorable.

ME again

This one says "Home is wherever I am with you!" <3

My letter is in that mailbox!

A fountain!

My lunch! A caprese foccacia sandwich!

One of the many piazzas

Even the alleys are pretty!

What a cute pup

One church!

A peek inside since we had to pay to get in!

Me and Catia!

Anna, Catia, Jill and Me

Right after I put my letter in!

The Duomo, a church.

Another castle!!

Breathtaking

I wish we could have gone up there!

What a view

The archway of the bridge.

Climbing up to get the best view

Me very happy to be in such a beautiful place

Banana and nutella gelato! The best!

Me and Catia at the top!

Catia, Jill and Me at the top

Utter and complete shock!

This place is beyond beautiful

I was on top of the world

Verona!!

Happy as ever!

My favorite view

Wow, I don't even know what else to say.

As you can tell, this place was the most beautiful place ever and we got really perfect weather for our trip there. Everything was perfect that day, but let me tell you I was so tired after the day was over. We got back on the train at 5:40 and embarked on our 2 hour trip to Central station. I read while everyone else passed out, and when I got home, I cooked some dinner (hamburger and fresh veggies), watched a show, and then went straight to sleep. This place has to be on my top 5 places that I have been so far, and it is a perfect day trip to take. It was bittersweet to see all the love birds and couples and tourists walking around enjoying each others company, and even though I wish my family and friends were there with me, I am glad I got to share it with the new (and hopefully lifetime) friends that I have made here! Tell me your thoughts about Verona, and I hope you enjoyed the pictures even though they do not do this place any justice. If you ever go to see it in person, you will know what I am talking about!

On Sunday I stayed in, did some grocery shopping and lots of reading for school! For dinner, I made risotto and fresh veggies, and ended the night reading for pleasure!

Today, (Monday), I had class and then came back home, did a workout, made dinner (pizza and salad), and then did some reading and researching for a trip to Vienna because "Vienna waits for me!"

Anyway, I am off to go do my last bits of reading and then sleep since I did not get a good sleep last night. Love and miss you all, wish you all could experience the emotions and exquisite beauty of this place called Italia, but until then, goodnight.

"When will you realize, Vienna waits for you."

Amore,

<3 Lauren

I know my last post was a week ago but...

So I know its been a week since I last posted and all you dedicated followers are probably freaking out that you cannot read my oh so wonderful blog errrday anymore, but have no fear, I am back, with not toooo much to say, but a lot to fill you in on. Last weekend was spent around the house, cooking, reading for class, and being a bum since it was raining most of the time. Here is some of the dishes I cooked up being cooped up at home:

eggs and potatoes for breakfast

veggies, pizza, and tomato and mozarella

veggies and the rest of my pizza

pasta with oil, zucchini, onions, and garlic

On Monday, I had class. After that I went straight to babysit and then from there went to my friends to book our hostel for Florence! Tuesday brought me more school and babysitting again. Then Wednesday was...you guessed it, class. However I did not babysit that day because Giovanni (that's the boys name I babysit for) had a party at school. So instead my friends and I went out to Old Fashion which is an aperitivo, and the best part is that it is free for us international students! So we ate, hung out, and left for home.

Ann, my roomie, did my makeup, and it was really pretty!

Me and some of my roomies!

Me in my new dress I got here!

Finally, Thursday came along and I had class, and my last class let us out early because he took us to see this garage. Do not ask me why, but supposedly its pertinent to contemporary art, these Italians are koo-koo.

Me going to class on Thursday!

As you all know, Thursday is my new Friday, and I do not have class on Friday. So today (Friday), I got some lunch at school and went grocery shopping with my friend, Jill. After that, I went to babysit, and I worked on English with Giovanni and we played while his mother set up for a party she was having at her home. Everything is going great with the job. Giovanni is really energetic and very mature. I am trying my best to teach him as much as possible, and I really hope it helps! This is right next to Giovanni's home:

 After I got home, I had a big bowl of cereal, which reminded me of home, and I loved it especially because I found Honey Nut Cheerios today!!

YUM!

After that, I watch some shows and I am getting ready for my trip to Verona tomorrow!! That is where the story Romeo and Juliet took place and where Letters to Juliet was filmed. I am writing a letter to put into the wall there, and I hope someone finds it and answers my note! I am so excited and I will take lots of pictures. All is well here, just lots of reading for school and teaching English! 

"Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking."

Until tomorrow,

<3 Lauren