It's Hard To Live In The City

Our tour today started off interestingly enough. We met at the building at 8:45am and were joined by two other women, who we quickly learnt were from the US. We were taking a bus to the outside of Florence and then beginning our walk. While we were waiting for the bus one of the women started talking about immigrants in America. She basically generalised them all to be the reason there is any crime in America and actually said that they are all horrible parents. N, A, and I were all kind of standing there and I was trying my best to hold my tongue (I didn't want to make any enemies after only having been on the tour for 5 minutes) but Andrea was not able to do so. She basically challenged the woman (not in a rude way though) and subtley said things like 'not all americans are good parents either' and 'i heard that if all the immigrants in america left, america wouldn't be able to function as a nation' . I was kind of glad she said something because all of us were thinking it. Then she stopped herself because the debate was becoming kind of heated and she didn't want to make enemies so short into the tour either. Suprisingly we did befriend this lady during lunch but that story will come later. Our tour guide was awesome- very funny and knowledgeable, and his English was perfect. He speaks four different languages fluently, works 9 months a year in Germany doing something in the fashion industry and was flamboyently gay (these are the things you learn when you are in a tour group of only 5 people. He didn't tell us about being gay... but it was pretty obvious, not that it mattered or anything..). The first part of the tour we had to walk up and over a mountain, which was a good workout and i managed to get some spectacular pictures of Florence in the distance as well as the real Tuscan country side. It would have been too hot if basically the whole treck hadn't been in the shade but it was okay. The air was so fresh and floraly and earthy... I had forgotten how fresh air smells after being in the city for three weeks straight. It was such a nice break to be able to get out of the city and into the country. Standing on top of that hill looking down at the city in the distance made me feel so incredibley alive...more then i've ever felt. I don't know how else to describe that feeling but that is how i felt and it was crazy. When we get to the base of the mountain ( I call it a mountain but it was more like a giant hill) we begin to make our way to this AMAZING tuscan villa where we met up with 3 other tourists. We learn about olive trees (there were so many trees!!!), the history of the Villa, certain pieces of art that were inside, and had a whole lesson about wine (although i was not paying so much attention to this, so do not quiz me). Once the tour of the villa was through with, we made our way to the restraunt where we were eating... which was owned by the villa (actually did you know that one person owns almost 17000 acres of land (or something unbelievable...everywhere we walked was owned by one person!). Lunch was easily the highlight but that is not too suprising considering what a foodie I am. First of all, we had an increible view of the tuscan countryside, and it was so sunny and so warm even if the food had been disgusting i probably still would have been happy. There was red wine from Chianti that i tried (because we had just learnt ALL about it) and actually did not hate because it wasn't dry like every other red wine i have tasted. There was fresh olive oil from the villa with bread and balsamic vineger and let me tell you I never knew that olive oil could be packed with so much flavor! Then they brough out brushetta's and cheeses and meats , all made locally and they told us all about each thing we ate and it all was so, so delicious. I thought this was all there was to lunch so i LOADED up big time. And just as i ate my last bite, i was told that the second course was about to be served. Luckily i metabolise pretty fast (not that fast enough unfortunitly) and I can almost always find room for more food so i ate more. I ate risotto and pasta and this tomato\bread soup and everything was soo good and I honestly think I could eat tuscan cuisine until the day I die (but I actually decided just this second that I don't want to because it would get boring BUT ANYWAY it is VERY good!). Seriously we ate like royalty which has only really happend once because we have been budgeting quite a bit and it was SUCH a treat to eat like that again. To top it all off, everyone got coffee for dessert and I ordered a cappuccino and drank the whole entire thing. I have no idea why I did because I have tried all the ones A and N get and I do not like them one bit but the espresso they used was so smooth I apparently didn't mind it. Okay so by this point I'm thinking I am going to have to be rolled home because I am so full and we still have a 45 minute walk before we can catch a bus back into Florence. I am not even lying. But once we start walking I start feeling un full and it is so beautiful- EVERYTHING looks like it belongs in a postcard and i took a googleplex amount of pictures and they turned out wonderfully!
Oh i forgot to add the whole befriending of the racist American lady.
What happend is that we ended up sitting by her at lunch and we started talking. She turned out to be incredibly insightful and fun to talk to. I found out that her hobby is entering contests, which made me very excited because I've only ever heard about it a few times and one time I saw it on Oprah but I have never in my life met someone who actually has that hobby! So she told us about all the cool things she's won and how she spends two hours every night just entering contests and in that time she can enter like 200. She also asked all of us what we wanted to be (we told her we were students backpacking through Europe) and I told her that I wasn't sure but I was thinking of doing something with design and becoming a writer. And not that is mattered because she was practically a stranger, but she told me that she could definitely see me doing that and it made me feel good. I guess everyone was drinking a lot of wine (minus N and myself because we do not like it) but our small group of tourist companions talked like we had known eachother for years and we just talked and talked and talked about everything and it was so nice. She told us not to never give up on our dreams, which sounds cliche and i totally already knew that but she told us she did and now she is stuck with a job that she hates. I told her that it is never to late to try something new, which is also cliche but it's true plus i think it made her feel a bit better. ANYWAY... back to the tour
Basically after taking a googleplex of pictures, we got on the bus and got off the bus and walked back to our hotel. And i will tell you that that was some of the most well spent money i have used since i have been here. It was fabulous. Now we are back in the city and the desil feels like it is burning my nose and the air feels thick and smoggy. I do miss that fresh air.
If you could see what I see, you would probably think you had died and gone to heaven, it is that beautiful.

Side note...
Mom and Dad: i sort of have become a vegetarian during my trip. Not like seriously but i havn't had meat since i left and i don't have any desire to eat any again anytime soon. don't be mad. everything here is so good without meat and i don't miss it at all! i already know that i will break down when i come home and dad will make some delicious meaty meal or something. Maybe can i request a flaffle dinner for my comming home dinner? I have been wanting some for quite some time. Okay this was random...
Side note number 2:
Andrea and I decided to be friends instead of just cousins. I actually like her as a person and I never realised how much we have in common. Does that sound strange? It actually does make sense. There is a difference between knowing someone as your cousin and knowing someone as your friend.
Side note number 3:
Italians speak really really really loudly.

I am still full from lunch today and it is nearly 7 o'clock here.
I am still the same but I feel incredibly different.
I think all three of us are learning from eachother and growing together and independantly. We are learning what we like and what we don't like and growing up and feeling ready for life.
Who would have thought that the three of us would have clicked so well. I couldn't be doing this with any other girls.

I'm off, but i'll be back. Until then..

Luv,
J