simplicty: the way to go!

This past week was the first week that Mason was gone, so I will admit that I was a bit sad. I had such a wonderful time with him here, traveling around Pisa, Firenze, and Paris. Going back to class and not being with him was a really sad thought. We had to get up really early for him to leave and of course we ran into problems with the bus. We thought the bus to the airport wasn't going to show (it was 4am so it was REALLY cold!) but it finally did. I went to the airport with him and cried as I walked away to get back on the bus. It was a good thing that I was really tired from traveling because it gave me an excuse to sleep for the rest of the day. Enough of the sob story!

This week was a relatively ordinary week. Classes and homework. I did go out with some friends a couple of times and it was a lot of fun. I have met a lot of people this week and I am happy for that but a little sad at the same time. I feel like it is so late in the semester for my having met people. I have finally been able to find situations that I've been able to meet Italians, Germans, Greeks, etc. but I am leaving in 6 weeks. I wish I had met these people earlier so that I would be able to have more time with them. One of the new people I met introduced me to a jazz club that I absolutely love, so we will be going there pretty often. The jazz club not only has jazz musicians but also classical musicians. It has a secret bathroom hidden in a book case and smells like the coffee shop at home. Needless to say, I felt completely at home!

This weekend I went to Bologna for the day, on Saturday. It worked out wonderfully because I had not really gotten the chance to spend time with one of my friends, Marissa, and she was going to the same city that I wanted to go to. So, the night before we went to a piano concert (which was one of the strangest things I have been too yet.) Then woke up the next morning and jumped on the train and went to Bologna. She has a friend in town but we could not meet with him until 1:00 so we walked around the town in the street market and then climbed the tower. The tower was very different than the other ones I have climbed because it had wooden steps and some places the steps were so narrow it was like climbing a ladder. We then went to the piazza where we were supposed to meet her friend. He then became our personal tour guide! We went to eat a place that only locals know about. We had a long wait, but it was definitely worth it! I had pasta, vegetables, tiramisu and coffee. By the time lunch was over I couldn't even think about moving (or eating) any more! Of course, that was only the beginning of our day. We then walked around town and Giovanni, our friend and tour guide, told us all about the city. We met his friend Diego who then hung out with us for the rest of the day. My favorite part was going to a church that was absolutely beautiful and looked like a story book! (when we got there, I looked at Giovanni and said "this is not real, you know." he laughed) Monks actually do live in this church so we were sure to be very quiet. I did not want to leave but we had to because I had not planned on staying. The last train out was 8:45 and I got my ticket at 8:37. I had to run about half a km to the train so we barely made it!

This week was a simple week but I really enjoyed it once I got out of the house and started doing things. I feel like I did not get enough time in Bologna so I am planning on going back. It was a beautiful city with no tourists (Except for Marissa and I haha). The food was amazing, the lights were amazing, and the view was breath taking!