Athena Blogs

"I get lost in the beauty of everything I see" -- this single lyric has replayed constantly in my mind ever since I arrived in this enchanting city. From the breathtaking Duomo to every forgotten ally way, Florence is drenched in character. It's no wonder this city gave rise to artists such as Michelangelo and Donatello!

I arrived in Florence a week ago, and haven't stopped smiling since. I flew from JFK to Dublin to Rome, and then took a train from Rome to Florence. It was quite a day! My apartment is located on a piazza next to the biggest market in Florence. Most mornings I walk out my door to buy fresh fruit and vegetables from the cutest old lady.

I have five roommates, and they are all super nice. The other night we all cooked meal together (pasta of course!). This past weekend, I went on the Cinque Terre trip the school offers. I was a little apprehensive about leaving Florence to go on a trip my first weekend in Italy, but in retrospect I am so glad I did.

So half of the fun of my study abroad experience is to be able to plan trips! Of course, these will run my bank account dry, but I feel that I will truly regret it if I don't travel.

Here is a list of trips that are currently in the works for me, and also the dates so you can know when I will be out of town:

• September 11-12: The Swiss Alps, Garda Lake, and Verona
• September 19: Cinque Terre
• September 23-26: Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany
• October 9-10: Nice, Monte Carlo, and the French Riviera
• October 23-26: Dublin, Ireland
• October 27-November 4: My parents come to town!
• And more adventures to come!

Tomorrow is my first day of class, and I'm actually really excited! I've been having a blast with my roommates over the last couple of days. We've explored the Duomo, gazed at the city from the Piazza de Michelangelo, checked out the pub scene in Florence, shopped at Ikea, accidently bought 9 euro gelatto, tried our first slice of Italian pizza, gotten bitten to death by mosquitos, drooled over potential shopping opportunites, and watched Camp Rock 2 in our jammies with a glass of wine in hand (Don't judge me.)

Ciao da Firenze!

I have arrived! I still am in total disbelief that I am here...I feel more like I walked onto a Hollywood movie set. Florence so far is beyond anything I could have imagined, and I've barely seen half of it!

We arrived Wednesday morning, after a long and cramped flight. I managed to sit next to the same guy on my flight to Switzerland and Florence...But I haven't seen him since! We flew over the Alps and I got some awesome pictures of it. I will actually be HIKING in the Alps in two weeks (contain your shock, please).

WOW.

In 14 hours, I will be boarding the plane. I have been running around like a chicken with its head cut off all day, but I am pretty much packed and ready to go!

But despite having everything in a suitcase, I am a nervous wreck. I have never been to Europe before, let alone lived outside of Orange County for more than a week. So with that, I would just like to list some things that I would love for you to pray for as I leave the country:

Holy cow...in a day and a half, I will be on a plane to Florence! I am FREAKING OUT...in good ways and bad ways. But I digress.

Anyways, a lot of my friends have been asking me how on earth they can keep in touch with me while I'm in Florence. This is mostly because....

I WILL NOT HAVE MY CELL PHONE.