My Italian Adventure

This past weekend my friend Elyse and I had a quick adventure in Italy... we have been talking about taking cooking lessons for a few months, and this weekend, it finally worked out. We were a good tag team with planning - I found some cheap flights, Elyse found the class, and we were on the same page about what we wanted to do. We got up in the wee hours of Friday morning, and took the 7:00am flight into Pisa, which is about an hour from Florence. It was a pretty empty flight, so we both had our own rows and were able to sleep during the two hour flight. When we got into the airport and went to book our tickets to Florence, guess what? Remember how the museum workers were on strike the last time I was in Italy? Well, this time the TRAIN workers were on strike. I have a feeling that going on strike is a common theme in Italy. :) Luckily, there was a bus to Florence, so we were able to secure transportation before exploring in Pisa a bit. First stop: The Leaning Tower of Pisa. When we finally came upon it, I felt much like I did the first time I saw the Eiffel Tower... "Oh my God! I can't believe I'm REALLY seeing this.". The Leaning Tower of Pisa is just one of those things that people know all around the world, and actually getting to SEE it was amazing. Elyse and I had a nice conversation about how lucky we both feel to get to have these amazing experiences. Don't worry - I don't forget this for one second! (okay, I might forget when I'm frustrated at the grocery store trying to find cilantro... or good peanut butter... or bread crumbs... but I digress!). :) The building was open to climb to the top - from what I understand, this is a fairly recent change... it was closed for years because it was too unstable to climb. It was a pretty steep entrance fee (15 euros), but, hey, when else was I going to have this opportunity???

Elyse and I doing our best to hold the tower up - it's quite heavy!

View of Pisa from the top - how I miss the mountains!!

After doing a little shopping (the sales in Italy are in January!), we took our bus to Florence, and made our way to our cute hotel, which was actually more of someone's house. It was in a perfect location, and the staff were super friendly and helpful. That evening, we finally got to see the David statue - all 14 feet of male perfection. Seriously - wow! :) I didn't get to see him the last time I was in Florence because of the strike, so I was happy to get to see him this time.

Saturday morning, we got up and were picked up by a driver, who took us into the Tuscan countryside for our cooking lesson. Elyse and I were joking before the class that it would be a hot young Italian guy, and, wow, it was a good prediction. :) This guy had the cutest dimples I've ever seen, and spending 5 hours with him was no sacrifice. We had a lot of fun, making risotto, handmade ravioli, crostini, baked fish, and a really nice dessert in the process. Oh yeah, and then we ate it all! :) I was amazingly full at the end of this feast. :)

The cooking class - L to R - Elyse, Simone, Louise (a nice Scottish girl who was also in our class), & me

Elyse rolling out her ravioli

Simone showing us how to make ravioli

Our yummy dessert - very artistic presentation!

That afternoon and evening, we did a lot of shopping at the local markets... Elyse was on a mission to find birthday gifts for her mom and sister, which was fun. And, of course, we ate more. I always feel like I EAT my way through Italy. :)

The next morning, we got up early and went for a run up to the beautiful Piazzale Michaelangelo, which has an amazing view of Florence. We continued our run up to a Benedictine monastery, and then made our way back down. We had a little more time in the city after that, and then made our way back to Amsterdam. The weekend was a great mix - culture, cooking, shopping, and friendship. I truly enjoyed it. :)

The view from Piazzale Michaelangelo


The view further up from the monastery/cemetery