explore.

Sometimes you need to just get out & explore! Life is so much more fun when you're seeing, touching, hearing, smelling & living in the outdoors & mingling with the natives.

Whether you're in New York preparing for a new step in your life, backpacking through Europe on your own after college, moving to another country with a one-way ticket or just traveling with your family, make the most of it! Have a little or a lot of fun & get out there & EXPLORE!

This holiday break (this is a bit belated), my parents & I traveled to Peru & the Galapagos. We met the people, we walked the streets, we learned how to make colors out of bugs, we trekked on ancient ruins & cities, we swam with sea lions, we got our hands dirty, we played local bar games, we watched Sally Lightfoot crabs' mating dance, we ate the food (guinea pig & alpaca) & drank the drink, we listened to the music & we (attempted) to talk the talk! It was an experience to remember & something I couldn't even try to forget.

We started off in Peru with our "dear friend," Guido & became engrossed immediately in the city of Lima.  Sometimes it's hard to get out of a geocentric mindset. I visit a city in another country knowing it's not permanent, knowing that in a few weeks, I will be back at home sleeping in my own bed.  I forget that for millions of other people, this is their life. They walk these streets every day, they wear these clothes & they pass those buildings. For me it's travel, for them it's life.

Lima was a bustling city. There were cars everywhere, tall buildings, shopping malls, museums & even a coast line. There were parks & homeless people, bicyclists, stray cats & litter on the streets.  There was graffiti on the walls, street art being sold, bus stops, Starbucks & Subways on the corners & restaurants everywhere. The city I'm describing doesn't sound that different from Chicago or New York, but let me tell you... it was a whole other world.

Something interesting about Lima is that it never rains. EVER. Lima averages less than 1 inch of rain per year & it shows too. The city is dry & the roofs of all the buildings & homes are flat. Who needs a slanting roof when there's no rain? Another different aspect is how Lima itself is broken up into several different areas. When driving in the city, you can cross an invisible line & the city goes from clean & neat to trash piled everywhere with dogs rolling in anything they can muster. That invisible line is the difference between a governor with money & a good following & a governor with no funds on the brink of being booted out. The city was a checker board of safe & sketchy areas.

Once in the country, there was no questioning where you were. The people dressed in the brightest colors, wore the coolest hats & lived the most interesting, yet simple lifestyle. While nothing seemed to be actually going on... everything was happening. Little girls would sing to us for petty change, small snacks or stickers, women would sell everything & anything they could get their hands on & kids would scream in excitement over a small bracelet or trinket. They were a crafty bunch & it was cool seeing different ways people use their skills. Every skill had a purpose.

Now it's time to talk about Machu Picchu... It was crazy. I literally (yes... actually literally) have goosebumbs as I am even thinking about the place. I can't even imagine what Hiram Bingham thought as he pushed aside the overgrown Amazon bushes & saw that he was standing on an ancient Incan city from the 15th century.  How did this society build & sustain a life on the side of a jagged mountain in the middle of nowhere? Seriously... how? It was so incredible that it is hard to explain. I would love to return one day & hike the four-day Inca trail.  I would love to walk up to the Sun Gate once again, but this time from the other side, & see Machu Picchu sneaking out from behind the fog. I know that would just taste so good after four days of hiking & waiting.

We did tons of other stuff in Peru too, but if you've actually made it this far... you're probably about ready for me to quit writing; however, I haven't even talked about the Galapagos yet & you don't want to miss this! It will be quick... I promise!!!

This was our friend, the sea lion... he just wanted to play & luckily he invited us to join him! This little guy had so much personality & it made our adventure awesome! He swam with us in the water, barked like a dog, chewed sticks & practically played fetch.  He is the dog of the sea & for good reasons too!

 
The final most incredible part of this adventure was the group we traveled with. We went on a tour to these amazing places with a company called, Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT) & we were lucky enough to have the most dynamic & incredible individuals traveling alongside us. It was great getting to interact with people who have done such amazing things, have lived in incredible places, have traveled to the strangest locations, have been through crazy experiences & in the end, all ended up on a dusty road in the middle of Ollantaytambo with a huge smile on their faces & a taste for adventure.  I know this experience could have been 100% different & 100% less thrilling if the group had been a dud. But the group was awesome & I wouldn't have wanted anything to change; not even 1%.

Anyway, now is the time to explore. Now is the time to go outside. Now is the time to travel. Now is the time to follow the wind. Because there just isn't a better time than now.  Whether you do it now, or do it in 5 years... guess how old you'll be in 5 years? You'll be 5 years older... (good math, I know).

This is cliche, but I love it, because it reminds me of my aunt... so here it goes.  "It's not the years in your life that count, it's the life in your years!"-Good ole Abe Lincoln. So I'll say it again, get out there & EXPLORE today!

~ciao~

charleston.

If you know me, than you know I am not too crazy.  I follow most the rules, I am always on time, I like food, I like photos, I enjoy sports, I like people, I like camp, I like my parents, I like wine nights, I like adventures, I like being outside in the day time & I don't like leaving my apartment after dark.  If you know me at all... I think that pretty much sums me up. 

 
This weekend I almost got to do all my favorite things:
-I followed most rules.
-I made it Charleston at almost exactly 5pm... even though Chloe was with me ;)
-I ATE LOTS OF FOOD!
-I took 7576537 photos & probably annoyed Chloe because I was her personal paparazzi all weekend.
-I watched some (weak) football.
-I spent some time with some new & some old.
-I didn't get camp, but I felt close by.
-I didn't get to see my parents, but I know I walked along the same streets they did from this summer.
-No wine, but something a bit different.
-I had an adventure in the best of places.
-& I spent time outside exploring with my mains.

However, this weekend I even explored my "leaving the apartment after dark" side & ventured into the streets of Charleston for my friend's 22nd birthday (am I really celebrating 22nd birthdays right now? How did I get this old?)!  But yeah, we braved the streets of Charleston! & this homebody had fun! 

Besides the quaint charm the city offers in the day time, the city has some great places to visit with friends at night! The bars are all so classy & cute compared to the clusters found in Gainesville.  As much as I love my second home here in "Gainesvegas" or my personal (more accurate) favorite, "Rainesville," Charleston was just perfect.  The homes were southern with their colorful shutters & side decks to catch the summer breeze off the Ashley River.  The trees were lined down the cobblestone roads, which the horse & carriages bounded along, the people had a pleasant air about them, & the weather was 73563557343 times better than anything you'll find in Florida.

Anyway... I just had the best time wandering with some good friends this weekend.  

I loved road tripinnnn' with my bestie, Chloe. 

I loved seeing Emily & meeting all her fantastic friends.  

I loved spending time with her parents & taking the carriage ride through the city.  

I LOVED the food, going out & my Moscow Mule.  

I loved seeing the beach & feeling like the protagonist of a Nicholas Sparks original. 

I loved (& always do) shopping & taking in the culture.  

    

I loved it all! Thank you so much Emily, Madison, Alli, Emily's parents & anyone else who made this weekend so awesome!

Ciao!

you win some & you lose some.

GIORNO VENTITRE

The Albinia train station... Vacant, per usual...

You are probably wondering why my blog is titled, "You win some and you lose some..." Well I will tell you straight up that today, we lost some.

We woke up fairly early this morning with intentions of returning to Monterossa for a nice beach day, but when we checked the weather forecast we saw thunderstorms across the board, so we decided to head over to the train station anyway with anything we may need in our backpacks and no true plan.  We went straight to information at the train station and learned three things: 1. Some jobs in Italy are just for show... they actually don't do anything at all, 2. It is hard to do it yourself because trains are tricky and so is the Italian schedule, and 3. NOTHING IS EVER CLEAR.

We talked to several people before finding the hidden information desk and talking to first an unhelpful employee and than a helpful lady who pointed us in the right direction.  We had two ideas of things we wanted to do: either go to the aquarium in Genova or the mineral baths in Saturnia in the South of Toscana.

We wound up choosing the mineral baths because the route seemed simple and the price was right. WRONG.  Of course, we didn't know this at first...  From what we looked up online, the directions to the mineral baths were literally: "take train to Albinia, catch bus to Satunia, enjoy!"  It is that simple?  No!  We took the train to Albinia, excited and ready for a beautiful day at the hot springs.  We expected the two hour journey from Pisa, but we didn't expect the town of Albinia to be so small and so, so isolated.  The train station practically looked deserted and in fact, the whole town seemed to be empty.  Where are all the people? 

Too bad we couldn't appreciate it, but it was pretty!

Allora, we found a convoluted route to the bus stop near the city center and waited about fifteen minutes until this bus pulled up filled to capacity.  We asked if he was headed to Manciano and he said yes, so we jumped on the giant bus with every single high school and middle school kid who just got off school.  These kids were crazy.  We felt so out of place.  These kids were real and we didn't know how to handle all the activity on that bus... It wasn't until we read the street signs that Saturnia was abit beyond Manciano so we would have to take a second bus in order to arrive at Saturnia hot springs.  Sounds easy, again... NOPE!

LOST

We roll off the bus at our stop in the middle of nowhere.  Luckily there are some Italian kids that speak a little English and help us walk into the actual city of Manciano so we can catch the next bus.  Hills... this was the hilliest town we have been to.  Ten minutes into our walk to the actual city, my calves were burning!  And on another note, the town was empty.  A ghost town.  Not a single person visible throughout this tiny little city.  You don't understand the meaning of an Italian siesta until you go to an actual Italian small town like Manciano.  The whole world shuts down.  And you guessed it, so do all the buses.  After searching for forty minutes relentlessly for the bus stop, we found a restaurant and asked for directions.  The buses don't run again until after four.  Great.  Our return train leaves at seven and we have to leave the hot springs around five to get there in time.  We weren't going to make it to the hot springs in time.  Well played Italy.

It was awful knowing how close you were to something, precisely twelve kilometers, and you c
an't make it because NOTHING runs between two and four!  Exasperated and frustrated we turned to gelato.  Yes, we became "the girls who eat their feelings."  Not even gelato could handle our disappointment... nor could the quaintness of the little town.  The sub-par gelato did not fulfill the void of the hot spring in our lives... We even contemplated hitchhiking... JUST KIDDING MOM, or maybe not?  Anyway, so far nothing had been working out and we all needed some positivity in our day.  We waited around for a while until four o'clock rolled in and we caught the bus back to Albinia.  Fail.

Forty minutes later, we were back where we started... in small Albinia with growling stomachs.  Nothing was still quite open so we ended up at this little Pasticceria with some little flat breads and hazelnut things (sorry that is as detailed as I can get about those, but they were yummy!).  I knew we were close to the sea because I had seen the water from the train so I made the executive decision that we check out the beach here in Maremma.  And according to the lady from "Under the Tuscan Sun," it is one of the nicest areas for beaches.  We still had two hours to kill... so why not.  Let's have one thing work out for us!!!  We began heading west and hit a highway... oops!  Luckily, this nice lady on a bicycle led us to the foot path to the water...

It wasn't as close as we thought...

We walked under the highway, down a long bicycle trail through pretty grasses and poppies, under another overpass, past a smelly receptacle, and finally hit some sand(ish).  We kept walking along until the *ahem* dirt *ahem* turned into sand granules.  It was actually really beautiful and I was so happy that something actually sort of worked out for us.  It only took us forty minutes to walk there from the city...

We had thirty or so minutes to hang out and stare out at the water before we had to head back to Albinia for our train.  Pretty plain Jane day.  The water was cold, but not too bad and Danielle took a dip while we relaxed on our towels!  We finally used something we brought with us!  Score!  Italy was still in the lead (647847546-1), but hey, we had time to kill, so we might as well go out in style.

I walked along the beach for a bit and saw further down that there were camping places for people to sleep at the beach and rows of chairs and stuff for people to sit on.  The beach was prettier down there as the sand got finer and lighter, but we were content in our location close to the exit so we could leave forty minutes ahead of our train departure.    

Our bright side

We walked back to Albinia, everyone still a little "grump gills" and returned to the train station for our direct train back to Firenze.  Small, three cart train rolls up to the track all sketchy... guess this is us?  Of course we would get the creepy train back with one person on it, it was just that kind of day.  Three and a half hours later we returned to Firenze, tired and slightly cranky at eleven-thirty.  It was a long day and nothing went as planned.   

But hey, we learned a few things and not everything in life is easy.  You can always find a bright side and you can ALWAYS choose happiness.  Like I said before, it is what you make it.  Our day was an adventure... a stressful one, but I think we gained some character along the way.  

"Don't let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game."

--A Cinderella Story