Anyway, so I wrote a few emails, added an important thought to my blog from yesterday and then I started getting ready for my trip to Chianti! Breakfast was good...the graham cracker things again, but two with the jelly and two with this fancy chocolate that was like Nutella but came from a bakery in centro! It was really good! I dressed warmly again, double checked my purse (which was super light today...THANK GOODNESS), relaxed a bit, and then I was off. I left early so that I could stop in the park and look at some of the things that the people were selling (on my way home last night I saw that the booths were still set up and that they would be back today). I didn't see anything too interested...a few glass pieces that Erin might have loved, but not much else.
If I were living here I'm sure I would have been more interested in some things. People were selling furniture, tea sets, books, etc. etc...YOU name it, THEY were selling it. It was really cool, but nothing I needed. So then I just walked the rest of the way to school (we were meeting under the arches at the school). As I got to the Piazza della Repubblica, I noticed that there was something going on here too. There were a lot of white tents set up, so naturally I went to see what they were doing. THey were sampling their Italian olive oils! SO, I did too! 
There were a few that were not good and one or two that were really good! However, I did not have time to buy because I was supposed to meet them under the arch at 11:30 and I wanted to go to the bathroom one more time before we left. Remember me saying that I would NOT go to the Hard Rock Cafe? Well, I broke that promise, but it doesn't count because it was only so that I could go to the bathroom (and it was clean..yay!). When I walked out of the Hard Rock, they were right there talking. However, Natalie was with Fiona and then Tamsin walked up! I thought we were ALL going, but turns out that Natalie was on her way to the train station to go to Siena (alone, so now I dont feel so stupid for going places alone...and it's next weekend she is going to Venice) and Tamsin was on her way somewhere... So, it was just going to be me, Fiona, Gabriella, and Alberto (and no, I dont have any pictures with any of them...I'll explain why later).So, we got in their car and we were off!! They asked if we minded if we stopped at their house for something and of course we didn't mind. THis was the house down by the river. Now, let me just pause here to say that when we are with them, speaking in English is NOT allowed (though we of course sneak it when possible...if we...and by we I mostly mean I...dont know how to say something). This no English thing is very frustrating for me because it means I spend most of the day not saying anything, but it also means that I spend the entire day not following a full conversation...I'll be following and then a few minutes later I'm thinking, "wait, when did the subject change?!?" VERY frustrating!!! Anyway, after we left their house (well, we sat in the car) we were off to Chianti!
Let me start by telling you about the drive there: It was twisty and curvy...Erin, you would have been SO EXTREMELY car sick that you couldn't have done it! I was having somewhat of a hard time with it and I dont get car sick. However, as we got further out of Firenze, the landscape was becoming just what you'd expect in the Tuscan country side (compagna)...GORGEOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rolling hills with grape vines everywhere (all perfect lined up...I love symmetry and straight lines; probably part of why I love the Rockettes...hmm...). It was just amazing! Around every turn Fiona and I kept saying, "wow!" and just loving how beautiful it was. Unfortunately I dont have any AMAZING pictures because they were all taken from the car window! :( Here is one good one though:
This is the least of what we saw though! The drive may have been curvy and uphill all of the way, but it was just beautiful!! When I return to Italy I am going to stay a weekend in Chianti and do nothing but drive around the area taking pictures and drink wine (hmmm...I'll hire a driver first). It was just breathtaking. I really cannot even describe it! I think the other thing that made it so beautiful was the fall colors! The grape vines (right?) were yellow and some had red stuff and then some of the trees were colored...simply magnificent! BELLISSIMA!! So we drove for a little bit (maaayybe 45 minutes???) and then we started approaching our destination. It was waaaayyyy uphill and with even more gorgeous views than we had already seen.The restaurant we first went into was so cute and quaint. The tables were set so elaborately, and then we found out why: it was closed for a private party and if we'd had a reservation we could have eaten, but otherwise...no. So apparently (I didnt understand the full explanation), this place was where they had a funeral for a cow because of the meat stuff that happened in England a few years ago...I dont know, anwyay, they had a thing on the outside of the building saying that they were the place that had the funeral and everything. Even though we couldn't eat, Gabriella asked something and then when down some stairs and we were told to follow. We were in the part where they sell meat...I think. They also had a big spread where you could sample bread with olive oil and bread with what I think they were calling "lard" (and yes, I tried it...it was good...though I dont know what it was exactly!), and wine. Fiona and I tried the olive oil and lard, but no wine. They also had a diagram (basically) of the cow and the cuts of the meat (they were numbered, so you told them what part you wanted). Man, they waste nothing of that cow! Ughh okay too much talk about where my meat comes from; Im starting to feel like I'm going to throw up.
So, we met a girl there (an American girl with the strongest handshake of ANY female I've ever met in my life...it kind of hurt...I mean I am all for a strong/firm handshake, but I think she almost broke my hand!). So as we were leaving, Gabriella told us that it was just fine that we didnt' eat there because another place had better food; she had just wanted us to go to the other place because it is more of a "show" than the place we were headed to. Well, personally I'd rather have better food than a fancy presentation of mediocre food. The place we went was really cute...made of stones and cozy inside. The place settings were nice and it was a quiet and peaceful atmosphere! All of Chianti seemed to be peaceful and relaxing (even the "busy" areas we drove through). **Side note: while I could NEVER live in the country in the U.S., I could TOTALLY do it here because they have everything you need close to you, even though you aren't in the city...now THAT is the way to do it!** Okay, so the restaurant. They brought us the menus and I had no clue what to eat. Gabriella was going on about some special something, but I was so confused. Gabriella asked what I like to eat and I just said chicken or beef and she said I should just have the specialty, which isn't on the menu; so Fiona and I had that and Gabriella ordered...something...and Alberto ordered a first course of spinach ravioli (which I had anticipated ordering, but then I ordered the other) and "fried chicken".
The conversation: So, the conversation pretty much went like this the whole time: Fiona, Gabriella, and Alberto had conversation, and I sat there pretty much CLUELESS!! I was hanging on every word, but as soon as I would THINK I knew what was going on, I would be lost again! They asked me a few questions, but I need people to speak so slowly and clearly that I had a hard time answering them, and forget about it with Alberto; he slurs and speaks so quietly that I STRUGGLE more than normal with him. A lot of the time they would directly address Fiona and seemingly pretend I wasn't there. I didn't mind this too much because it meant I didn't have to struggle for words. However, it's ironically a "lonely" feeling when you are sitting there and cannot participate in conversation. I do not like it!! The funny part for me was trying to explain hamburger helper...Alberto thought it was a bunch of hamburger patties stacked on top of each other with pasta and vegetables...haha..NO! Then he saw the "A" on my jacket and asked what it was for, but before I could answer him, Gabriella said, "Per Alabama!!!!" I said yes, and showed them where it says BAMA on the neck. He said, "oooooh NOT for Alberto?!?!" I told him that it could be for Alberto if he wanted it to be!
The food: The ravioli that Alberto ordered was DELICIOUS!!!!!!! He let us try it, so Fiona and I split one. It was soooo good and just melted in your mouth! The bread they brought was okay, but it would have been better with olive oil...oh well, what are you going to do? I was getting a bit nervous about my food because I still had no clue exactly what to expect because I hadn't fully understood what Gabriella was saying and I just knew that it was a meat that I should eat. So, when it came, it was like meat on bones in a bowl with what looked like barbeque sauce. So, I started with the piece that looked like a chicken leg, but wasn't. It was really good. Whatever the sauce was, it had a really good flavor to it! There were some WEIRD bones in that food though...pretty sure that I did NOT want to know what kind of bones or exactly what it is I was eating. It was something about "sette tippa carne" or something. Anyway, I ate as much "meat" as i could find on the bones. We also had spinach as a side dish (meant for Fiona and I to share), and I ate some of it. I've really never eaten just cooked spinach, but the flavoring on this was good, so I ate some! Overall, the food was delicious. OOOOhhh Gabriella had us try her meat which looked like a huge smoked sausage, but it didn't taste like it. It was good!
Thennnn....we had dessert...these people LOOOVVVVEEEE to feed you! Fiona, Gabriella, and I all had this gelato with tartufo, or it was tartufo? Anyway, it was gelato with some chocolate...DELICIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was STUFFED though, I could not have eaten more food if they had shoved it down my throat!! The wine we had with lunch was good too...not the best I've ever had or anything, but it was good! Alberto had these almond cookies with a dessert wine that he INSISTED that I try and it was really good. I was surprised at how sweet the dessert wine was...but you dipped the cookies in the wine and it make the cookie soft and sweet (kind of like biscotti with coffee or something!). After we were all finished, and stuffed, we left. I took some pictures before we left. I would want to go eat here in the summer when you can sit outside and look over the hills of Chianti!
After this, we walked to the car and we were off on our next adventure...to where? Fiona and I had NO clue; we were just along for the beautiful, scenic ride. Every where we turned (and we did a lot of twisty, windy, loopy, curvy turning) there was more beautiful scenery to take in. Again, just the colors and hills and simplicity of the view. After we drove for a bit and went up some steep hills again, we came to a place that we were supposed to be going. I couldn't gather whether it was a winery, or a hotel, or a combination, or whatever, but it was closed for the winter. Gabriella was sooo disappointed, but of course Fiona and I were both unsure of whether we should be disappointed or not!?!?! I'm pretty sure that she was lost in the translation of what we were supposed to be seeing as well. FOr once, I dont think I was alone in the confusion. However, we got a beautiful drive out of it!!
So then we drove back into what seemed to be like the "center" of town in this area. Ohh we were in "Greve in Chianti"!?!? Anyway, they wanted to show us the Piazza in the center of town. Apparently it was in the shape of a fish (which I could kind of see) and the fish was a famous symbol at some point. Gabriella kept saying, "Elisa you remember from San Miniato (church from the other day)???" I just said yes because I did not remember (or apparently hadn't understood) anything about a fish...ughhhhhh frustrated with being so lost and confused in conversation ALL of the time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Whatever, the piazza was beautiful. It was quaint and lined with cute little shops (mostly closed though because it was Sunday), and some wine shops and a restaurant. They were so excited to show me this statue of this man because there is a bridge in NYC named after him. They kept saying the name and I couldn't understand him and finally they said, "look at the name of the restaurant..." OOOOOHHH Yes....the Verrazzano bridge...the one that connects Brooklyn to Staten Island. Well, apparently he was born her or something and so they have a statue for him and the restaurant was named after him.
Then, they wanted a caffe and we went into the restaurant...now, my stomach CANNOT handle any more of this Starbucks on crack coffee, so I passed. Plus, they pay all this money for like 2 sips of coffee; WHAT IS THE POINT?!?!? Anyway, so then we headed to the car....I wanted to take a picture with Fiona, but she was sooo against it...well, not soooo but she did NOT want to and wouldn't help me ask them! She said she looked like crap and didn't want her picture taken! Well, I guess I'm going to have a hard time getting a picture out of her...hmm..I will though; dont worry! And, we didn't get to go in any wine shops! :( However, it was still a great little walk through the Piazza.After the Piazza, we drove up some more hills to this beautiful little area where there is a church, and all of the "homes" are built in a circle around it. You walk the path and and it makes a circle. There are homes on both sides of you! It was a little bizarre, but BEAUTIFUL!! The roads were stones and they made that awesome sound that stone roads make when their are shoes hitting it (I dont know if you know this sound, but I LOVE it!!). The views from these homes must be AMAZING as well! We saw some cats and a cute dog. Then we met this cat that looked JUST LIKE my Coopy cat and it made me want to be at home and squeeze Coopy Butt to death!! The cat followed us all the way to the car...I think he knew that I wanted to keep him!! (Actually, if I am keeping ANY cat, I am keeping Mauito!!). SO, we walked around and Gabriella said things in Italian that I didnt follow and it was just beautiful!! We were so high up too...the view was amazing, but again, no pictures with anyone... :( Dont these people know that I am a picture-taking-aholic?!?!?! Apparently not! :( However, here is one of our views on the way down:
The drive was just amazing. Gabriella and ALberto asked if we minded going to their home for a few minutes. Now, I was under the impression that this was their NEW home, and we drove for what seemed like forever up into the mountains. Again, gorgeous, but holy crap...the twisting and turning was beginning to give me a headache! We did drive near their interstate, which wound through mountains and looked as though it would be a scenic drive. We could see the sun starting to set and it was gorgeous. When we got to their house, I used their FREEZING COLD bathroom; actually the ENTIRE house was freezing and a HUGE mess. I was wondering how they were going to make this livable any time soon! It was SO cold in the house that I had to go back outside with Fiona while Alberto loaded the dishwasher and stuff. Fiona was on the phone with her mom so I walked around a bit and looked at the house from the outside. Then, Fiona got off the phone and we were just talking. She said her mom had found her a temporary job at Oxford (the college that "rejected" her), and she didn't really want to do that. Instead, she wants to go to Rome for 3 months and continue learning Italian...I'm thinking at this point they must be pretty well off. THEN, I asked her where she DID go to college and she said, "St. Andrews". My response was, "not to sound super American, but" and at the same time we both said, "Isn't that where Prince William went?" Haha...I told her that I just meant that I was making sure that I was thinking of the right place. SO, now I am pretty sure that they are not hurting for much (and based off of her descriptions of her childhood/home/vacations/life after college), and how cool that she went to such a well known University. She of course said that WIlliam left a few years before her, but she had met Harry in a bar a few months ago in London. She said that he was, "a bit of an odd character!" Sometimes the way Fiona talks cracks me up...the phrases and words she uses...but I love it! My favorite word is "literally"; she says litrallly...can you see/hear in your head, the difference?? I love it... Also, Fiona explained that this was their OLD house, and I was wondering why they had purchased a new home with some crazy staircases that would be hard for Gabriella (who walks with a cane), but now I understood. SO, the house i went to on the river is their NEW home and this one is their old home. Not too long after this, it was time to go. It was another GORGEOUS drive where we saw more of the sun setting. Oooh as we were leaving, my momma called me to tell me about some awesome "pre-black Friday" sales at Target...i was so excited and then so sad to reailze that I was going to miss black Friday! :( Then, I had to explain black Friday to them...something I DID have the vocabulary for...yay!! Then i explained to Fiona that this week is "Iron Bowl" week and our big game with our huge in-state rivalry! I was so excited to be talking about something that I love so much!
Then, Gabriella and Albeto were going to drop us off. THey dropped us off at the bridge before the Ponte Vecchio, which meant another long walk home, but at least Fiona got out with me and we were able to walk some of it together. Plus, it was nice to walk off some of that food! :) We just talked and discussed our day! It was nice...and really pretty at night...the Ponte Vecchio had a GORGEOUS reflection in the water...the picture doesn't even do it justice!
Fiona had missed her movie: she was going to see Twilight, but she was also planning to go to Mass at the Duomo, but said she didn't really want to go because she isnt religious! Anyway, so on the rest of my walk home, I stopped at the Olive Oil Tasting thing again and bought two small bottles from two different vendors. Then, I tried some wine at one vendor and bought a bottle to bring home and a bottle to give the family before I leave...as a sort of thank you for everything!! I was excited to have found a wine that I really liked...and will be drinking for my birthday...that's what I have decided... Also on my way home, I was SO SO SO EXCITED to see Christmas decorations hanging up and in store windows. My favorite was this one; for two reasons, 1. it was pretty 2. It reminded me of Erin, my bestest friend...whose voice I need to hear, face I need to see, and neck I NEED to hug!!
I spent my evening writing blogs and talking on Skype. I finished yesterdays blog and then started todays. Theeeeennnnn...I saw Kelly and the girl sign on to skype and was so excited! I was so happy to see all of their faces (though I didn't see very much of Sarah Mason's, but I will forgive her because she was hard at work on a project!! ;) ). By the way, these girls are so brilliant...not a single grade below like a 97...for either of them!! So smart and hard working! So proud!! Anyway, so it was really good to talk, but I had to run and eat. When I got to the table I was SHOCKED to see what dinner was...a piazza bigger than my plate...ALL for me! Are these people CRAZY?!?!? Anyway, it was pretty good, but I ate like...maaayybe 1/4 of it. They asked me if I didnt like it or something...my response, "Yes, I love it, but I've had so much food and bread today that I cannot eat anymore!" Okay, so I'll give them that other meals, maaaayyybe I could have sucked it up and eaten more, but this was absurd! DO they KNOW how unhealthy that was and how big it was and that it probably had 5000 calories in it?!?! It was HUGE...I so wish I had a picture, because I just dont think you can grasp HOW BIG IT WAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And this is no fish story of "it was thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis big..."; NO, it really was! THey've lost their minds if they think I could have eaten that whole thing. Now, some for lunch, some for dinner, and then cold pizza for breakfast, YES...but all in one sitting?!?! NO! Of course they all ate theirs in one sitting, but I think their stomachs are trained for marathon eating...mine is trained to be a dancer and to be healthy...soooo Also for dinner they had this white wine, which I tried, but it just reminded me that I hate white wine and that it is ALL about the red wine! BUt, I tried it...aren't you guys proud of me for trying so many new things?!?! I'm sure some of you have come close to falling out of your chairs/off your beds when you found out some of the things I've tried, but I'm trying to get the full experience (but will NEVER eat Rabbit...no thanks!). Also, at the end of dinner, the tv was on and they changed the channel and stopped on Andre Botcelli (sp?) and GUESS WHAT SONG HE WAS SINGING?!?!?!?....NEW YORK, NEW YORK!! Hello...because that is THE GREATEST city in the world...and yes, now I can say world because I have been outside of the U.S....so I guess it's at least the best city I've seen in the U.S., Italy, and what little I've seen of Canada!!
Then, when I got back from dinner I was able to talk to Gracie some more! :) yay!! I'm so looking forward to spending an evening with them the week before graduation (and sharing pictures and drinking some wine...well, not the girls...but the rest of us ;)... haha)! THen I worked on my blogs for a few minutes and then I talked to my momma and daddy on skype (which wasn't easy because at this point the connection was HORRIBLE!! I dont know what happened because Gracie and I had a GREAT connection to begin with, but it went downhill and by the time I was talking to my momma and daddy, the connection was so bad that I dont think you could even call it a conversation.
Anyway, so then I set myself a limit of 11 o'clock to work on blogs and then I turned out the slights....
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