Puccini Montecatini Terme

Pisa photos here:
http://www.facebook.com/album. php?aid=168082&id=613699523&l=a c84a07047

Got to Rome just after 9am and then 10am train to Pisa.
Lockers at Pisa station are out of order so lugged my backpack to the leaning tower, took some photos and now slowly making my way back to the station stopping for coffee, food and beer along the way.

Forgot that northern Italy food options were ...

... loved. The price was a little high, so I left and looked around a little more, then decided on the highest price I would pay for the purse that I had wanted. I went back and offered, but they said they couldn’t go that low, but countered with a price only 5 euros more than I had wanted to spend- SOLD. Ok I know I said that’s as high as I wanted to go, but 5 euros more isn’t much, and it was Italian leather, made in Florence, and a ...

... 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

Florence photos here:
http://www.facebook.com/album. php?aid=164753&id=613699523&l=6 143dbc5b4

On the train from Riomaggiore to Florence saw some large marble processing plants on the stretch from Riomaggiore to Pisa which was really cool as we had just seen a doco on TV about marble mining in Italy a few weeks ago in Split.
Checked into Academy Hostel which is actually the first proper hostel I've seen in Italy, rather ...

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

... details. When he told his uncle that I agreed to 35, I truly thought a sniper had taken him out through the window. After he caught his breath I was able to figure out that the numbers 3 and 5 had gotten lost in translation. Fortunately for us my haggling skills had been refined. My technique eventually landed us a slightly different but extremely nice bedroom upstairs for 38. I find in haggling that you selling your willingness to leave without purchasing is the best ...

... shared many fun tidbits about the sites, and we have high hopes for learning lots and lots about the history and local culture. Tomorrow we have a full day planned in Florence. Arrivederci!!! Jen, Linda, and Rebecca PS - The keyboards here are a little different than what we're used to, so please forgive any spelling and grammar errors and/or typos.

... and that was pretty exciting to use that too! It' s so weird that it works to talk to someone over the internet! Now that I' ve had some time to get used to things around here and know my way around, I' m really starting to get a since for Italian life! Picking up on the little things has been very interesting. For example, at the grocery store you can' t pick up fresh food with your hands, you have to ...

... city doesn't always work out so great and can often be confusing. Now we had found our hostel, now we had to check in. After the three of us had checked in, we placed our bags in the luggage storage area for now (because our rooms weren't ready yet). Once that was done, the three of us went into the hostel's cafiteria to eat our breakfast and began to discuss our plans for the day and as to where we'd go from here.....

Sunday was a lazy day for us. We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast buffet at the hotel before heading out across the Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge) to the Palazzo Piti, the home of the Medici family. No tour this time - so we had to wait in line for about a half hour. But it was worth it! Palace does begin to describe this place. The Boboli Gardens behind the palace are spectacular as well. Afterwards, we headed across the street to one of the many "Internet Point" places to check e-mail ...