Fuoriporta Castello di Coiano Castelnuovo d'Elsa

... a browse through their beer selection and as I was doing so the waitress extolled the virtues of the Aventinus Eisbock.
She said it was a 12% beer that still had a Belgian fruity quality but with the 12% kick.
Had to give it a go and after half a glass on top of the 9% tripel I just had before am really feeling that kick as I write this!!!
Lucky she gave me some bread and crisps to go with the beer...

... headed into the cemetery. It was actually very ornate, the headstones were huge (I remember one being a life size statue of 2 people dancing), and some were in rooms/buildings, I’m sure there is a proper word for them. We each broke off and strolled around separately, then convened together and started walking further up the road. We made it to the Piazza we had wanted to go to, took tons of pictures, and goofed off (I can’t express enough how ...

... 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

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

... with the O'Calahans, Orrs, Harpers and Ina. We had a competition where some riders told a story explaining the empty farm houses in the valleys that we rode pass. The evening concluded after dinner when we retired to our rooms.

Italy Day 14

We rose this morning and had breakfast with the Orrs. Today was planned off day with everyone taking a bus into Siena for a day of touring. Kathie and I had a head start from the day before but joined in for the tour also ...

... wearing our thongs mind you!). Spending the afternoon swimming and eating pizza and gelato was the perfect way to cool off. We then went to a nice little bar we spotted the night before, it right on the cliff edge to watch the sunset (very romantic spot). We then enjoyed a fresh seafood dinner. Cinque Terre was divine!

... had had enough, or at least our stomachs seemed to think so. We were also really thirsty without our water bottles, so went outside to have our sandwiches and went in search of water. After lunch, we ended up in Santa Croce, a huge marble fronted church which contained the remains of both Michelangelo and Galileo. However, nearby also had supposedly the best gelato in all of Italy, so of course we had to try! I got the hazelnut and rice flavoured gelato ...

... We went into the duomo which is right outside the hotel where we're staying! Claire read that 8 of the 9 rooms of the Albergo San Giovanni have views of this magnificent cathedral. We're in the 9th room which doesn't have any view! But hey, we'vee been so lucky so far, we won't complain about the noise, the tiny bathroom or the view of the covered courtyard. It's a bed, and tomorrow we're off to the Amalfi coast! Ciao!

... tomatoes, and basil on it and popped it into the oven. I thought the dough would rise as it cooked but, when she served them to us, they still looked hard and flaky. It was the most disgusting "pizza" I'd ever eaten. I felt awful that Valentin only had a week to eat amazing Italian food and I'd taken him to this place. It was a funny experience though, and it was hard for us to keep from laughing ...

While in Florence the two of us with our pals Marnie and Clare took a day trip out to neighbouring Siena, about 1 hour away. We met up with Dave and Mitchell and wasted no time in getting on the ****. (Even though it was only 1 in the afternoon.) It was the horse race festival of Palio where all the local villages put in a horse into the race so you can imagine how serious it is taken by the local people. It was a great time to go because people were ...