Borgo al Cornio B&B Prato

... purse. I still don’t regret it at all. After I found my purse, Katy found one she liked as well, so we both left with new purses. We went to grab a bite to eat at a little restaurant right down the street from our hostel, then went to pick up Steve. That night, we basically just chilled out, got settled, and caught up with stories from Rome and Poland (where Steve had been).

The second day Ali and Kelsa were coming in the late ...

... Cranberry Sauce, Stuffing, Potatoes, and Mixed Vegetables. For dessert pumpkin pie, ice cream, and apple cider! It was nice to spend the night with classmates and a few professors.

Friday night, we had yet another Thanksgiving with all of my friends. Everyone prepared their favorite dish and we spent the night telling stories of our families Thanksgivings.

I'll update you soon,

Siara

... since some monks were on the site a few hundred years ago.

Walked around Baboli Gardens which were pretty stunning and crazy to think they were someones backyard at one stage.

After dinner with Zoe, Nonie, James and Kerrin we walked around looking a bar and then when we found it didn't like it so just got 3 bottles of wine for 10 Euro and headed back to the hostel - only to see 4 bottles for 10 Euro around the corner!!!

Cinque Terre photos here:
http://www.facebook.com/album. php?aid=163678&id=613699523&l=b ae7645b89

Stayed at Affittacamere Patrizia Hostel in Rio Maggiore in Cinque Terre and wouldn't recommend it to anyone.
When we got to the Hostel it was just an office and no one was there. Our keys were stuck to the door with instructions on how to get to our dorm room. There was another set of keys there too so we could have taken those too and ...

Hi Everyone!

After an exhausting weekend in Brussels, I was in for yet another treat with cooking classes in Florence. Organized by my school, a group of us met with a chef for some lessons.

We were taught how to prepare typical Tuscan cuisine including Ribollita and Stuffed zucchini-flowers.

Everything was delicious & I look forward to trying these recipes at home!

I'll update you soon,

Siara

... an exciting time. I even had a chance to truly see the team rivalry when a Napoli fan crossed over into our section…brutal! I was even pushed in attempts to get this guy out of the stadium.

I visited a quality control center in nearby Prato. I was exposed to a number of tests performed on products before they were put onto the market.

I’ll update you soon,

Siara

... up in the gardens. We were disappointed at first we walked around the main area but couldn't find were the rest of the gardens were so Jerry sat down to read his book that he had to finish before the first day of class which is tomorrow (MON). I went of by my-self to try and find the other area which I did it was just as beautiful as the other part and bigger. Little side stories: as I was walking around by my-self and old Italian lady asked me ...

... Pollo alla Contadina) Tiramisu The professional chefs who were on hand to help were great - quite funny and entertaining especially when they were critiqueing our gnocchi-making ability (we weren't always able to achieve the ideal size and shape!!). If the gnocchi wasn't good enough, they threw it off the tray and onto the bench, with only faint sounds of disgust!! Was a really pleasant evening and the food turned out ...

... We toured museums, churches, and castles, went on road trips, and went on walks around the city. I also get asked how we dealt with the language barrier. Well, I spoke ZERO Italian before going. I knew basic words and colors. To tell the truth, I improved my vocab in the grocery stores - I would learn the names of food. Because, really, all I needed was to be able to order good things in restaurants. Oh ya, and buy bus tickets. I ran into some trouble ...

... Markus asked her for directions to the Duomo. The black lady couldn't English so she just started walking back from the direction she was coming and waved us to follow her. I was thinking we are going to have to pay for this somehow, or she was going to trick us. I started thinking of clever ways to not pay her and not look like an ******** at the same time. I had a good one in mind. We end up following this lady for about 7 minutes walk until we reach an intersection and she points ...