green.

Colorado in the Summer... wait, what?  I barely recognize the place!  There is so much green!  I already love it!  What a contrast from my last location... old, stone buildings with small, winding streets, no greenery, and people everywhere to serene and natural Snowmass Village, Colorado.  What a change of pace.

I have never actually been to Colorado in the summertime, besides summer in miniscule Florissant, Colorado during my summer camp days.  I have only ever visited Snowmass when snow covered every surface: the trees, the slopes, the chair lifts, and every building rooftop.  Snowmass in the summer is completely green.  Birds are a-chirping, leaves are quivering, and NOBODY is talking.  It is wonderful, natural, and a great way to relax after a movement-filled study abroad experience.

Yesterday was quite the trip over... in the past year and a half, we have traveled to Snowmass four times, and exactly none of those plane trips have run smoothly.  My mom coined the term "airport hell" for out nightmarish experiences.  We have stayed in two hotels and one condo due to cancelled flights, sat in the airport for hours on end from weather and mechanical issues at our destinations, had delay after delay, missed connections, had re-routing through New York, and we were even late to school after Spring Break because of flights in and out of Colorado.  We were lucky enough last night to be the LAST flight into the Aspen airport at eleven o'clock.  Thunderstorms persisted throughout the evening... causing massive delays in Denver.  Nothing made us happier than seeing our beautiful condo still in great condition after months or renting out.

It is beautiful right now as we sit with all the windows open just basking in the silence and cool wind.  I am glad that Firenze was only hot for a week because I was born for the cool weather!  We plan on hiking the Rio Grande trail today... apparently and easy trek along the river to get ourselves acclimated!  Excited to see Aspen in the summertime with the music festivals, art shows and farmers markets, and of course the stores carrying a completely different season!

Hopefully I can keep up my Chaco tan as I head out with my parents!  Have a great day and it's nice to actually be on a more similar time line even though I am still eight hours ahead in Firenze!

As always, Ciao-Ciao:
Rachele in Colorado