My European study abroad adventures ended over two years ago in May of 2024. Since then, I've had the travel bug which impelled me to have adventures in lots of Caribbean islands and various states in the US. I've been to Europe once since 2024, back in March, when my boyfriend RJ and I went to England (for four days) and Scotland (for one day). With that being said, living in Europe allowed me to become immersed in culture and I've missed that long-term feeling of being in a new place. So, RJ and I booked our dream trip: a 3-week European vacation that'll include country hopping, eating our body weights in good-quality food, drinking lots and lots of coffee, walking 30,000 steps each day and admiring the fall foliage while soaking up the last bit of warm European weather. We started with a ticket to Amsterdam and giggled as we clicked "one-way" because the unknown is exciting. At that point, we didn't know when we would be coming home or the plans we would soon make. For the last two months we've been meticulously planning our trip of a lifetime. 

Never in a million years would I have thought I would be at the most important mass in the world, but here I am, having spent Easter Sunday in Vatican City at mass in front of St. Peter's Basilica. The basilica is in Vatican City which is technically its own country (even though it's kind of still in Rome). This experience was so special and unique, I will cherish it forever. St. Peter's Basilica is one of the most incredible works of architecture I have ever seen. The sheer size of the basilica alone is something I cannot process, especially being built in the early 16th century. The detail of each statue, the gigantic pillars in the front, and the Latin words wrapping around the top of the basilica are some of my favorite parts.

I have been living in Florence for one month and have not been to a single museum until today. In honor of spending all that time here, I visited the infamous David of Michelangelo at the Accademia Gallery. It's located only ten minutes from my apartment and I have passed the gallery multiple times unknowingly. I even had class on the same block as the gallery once a week for the last four weeks. There are 72 museums, galleries, and exhibits around the city and I finally checked one off the list.

Another morning spent traveling through Italy's coast. The city of the day was Cinque Terre and we town hopped the entire day. Cinque Terre is known for the famous colorful houses on a hill photo posted all over Instagram. There are five towns located in this area of Italy and some surrounding the area as well. Since there are so many villages to cross off the list, definitely have a game plan if you're thinking about visiting all of them. We booked a train from Florence to Monterosso and that was the only definite plan we had. It ended up working out in our favor and we were able to visit three of the villages.

There is not much to see in Pisa besides the leaning tower, a few museums, and a church. I did Pisa in less than an hour, but the whole thing was definitely an experience. It started at 6am which is way too early for most people, including myself. RJ and I decided that we had to see it because what if it falls down tomorrow and we miss our chance forever? No, but seriously, how could we not go and see the famous tower? It was a very short adventure, let's just say that.

Today was the BUSIEST DAY thus far in Paris. We woke up fairly early because we had an appointment with Ms. Mona Lisa at the Louvre Museum at 9:30am. But before that, we stumbled upon a Sunday food market and obviously had to stop and walk through, even though we didn't have intentions of buying anything. Locals walked around with their baskets, going to each stand and buying fruit, vegetables, flowers, nuts, fish, pastries, you name it they had it. We were lucky enough to watch this market get set up from our hotel window this morning since it was located directly under the train. It was long enough that it started at the train stop across from our hotel and ended at the next stop that was a decent distance away.

Since I was a little girl, I would fantasize about and romanticize the city of Paris. The Eiffel Tower, speaking the French language to locals, and doing it all with the person I love most. If only I could tell that little girl how her dream became reality this weekend. Paris is the city of love and lights, and definitely one of my greatest adventures thus far. Over the past four days, we have been running through the streets of Paris and making it our own. We had a packed schedule so I'm going to take you day by day.

Venice was a dream, a place so unusual and beautiful. The streets were lined with rivers and boats replaced the normal cars. For two days I roamed the streets of Venice and went into each and every store that looked cute. Most of the stores sell Murano glass sculptures. Some fun pieces I saw were small animals, bugs, flowers, pots, chandeliers, and jewelry such as rings, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets. Here are some postcard photos I took throughout my time in Venice. The streets and buildings are so photogenic, it is hard to only take one picture of them. 

If you're staying in Italy (or anywhere outside your home country, for that matter) and doing overnight trips in different regions, BRING YOUR PASSPORT!! My friends and I booked a weekend trip to Venice and took the fast train there. The train from Florence was just about two hours so since we left at 5:45pm, we got to Venice at 7:50pm. The hostel we booked was a seven minute walk from the Venice Mestre train station so we started walking with our backpacks, open umbrellas (it was pouring rain) and purses in that direction. Walking, we passed restaurants and thought to ourselves "I can't wait to eat once we get to the hostel and put our stuff down."

I opened the window this morning to let some light and fresh air into my room and found myself looking at a wet window pane. Another rainy day. It's cloudy but bright, like I need sunglasses to walk outside to be able to see. It's been raining for three days straight here in Florence and according to the weather app, it's going to be raining for five more days. I usually don't mind the rain, but that's when I'm back home and can stay inside, make popcorn and put my favorite movie on the TV. Here, in Florence, I am forced to go out and wander. By 11:30am, I walked almost 8,000 steps and by the time it got dark at the end of the day, I had over 20,000 steps. 

Life does not feel real right now. After spending an entire day traveling from New York, I made it to my final destination, Florence, Italy. My first time in Europe and after four days of walking an average of 20,000 steps, I can confidently say I know the streets of Florence better than I thought I would. I have a lot to cover but for now I am going to touch on three topics: food, fashion, and friends.