Vacation...while on vacation!

Well, we’re back in the swing of things here in Siena! My dad was able to come two weeks ago and it was so nice seeing him. He arrived Saturday evening. I picked him up at the Florence airport and we took a bus back to Siena. That night we had dinner at my favorite pizza restaurant, Nonno Mede. Sunday we walked all around Siena. I had a blast showing him where I’ve been living the past few months and he then figured out why I don’t want to leave in December! He really enjoyed Siena and the vibe here. It’s not a big city but it takes all day to tour and site see! 

Monday morning we flew to London. London may be on my top 2 places in Europe now. I strongly suggest a visit to London to those who can! It’s expensive but worth every penny spent! The first day, Monday, we went at saw Big Ben, The Eye, Westminster Abbey, Parliament, and 10 Downing Street (where the Prime Minister lives). It was absolutely beautiful. We did stroll down Oxford Street as well. Being I was with my dad, no shopping happened! That night we went to a British Pub for dinner. That was a blast! The staff was so nice and fun. The next day we went and saw the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. That was really neat to see as well…everything was actually! Then we went and saw London Bridge and London Tower. The area where they are located is very pretty and modern. The skyscrapers are very unique. Then we went and saw St. Pauls Cathedral, and I quote my dad “which is where the fateful marriage of Charles and Diana took place. Cool place”!! That night we went to an Italian Ristorante… my dad thought I would go through withdrawals if we didn’t… HA! 

The next morning our plane left to take us back to Italy but we were able to walk around Hyde park first. Just like in the movies! It’s beautiful! The cars in London are just like you see in the movies, too. Needless to say, we had a blast in London. We flew into Pisa Wednesday afternoon and rented a car. I don’t recommend this to anyone unless you are REALLY REALLY good at reading signs that point you in the wrong direction! We went to the Leaning Tower and then headed off to Barga. Barga is close to Lucca. We stayed in a beautiful hotel there right outside of Barga. That night for dinner we went into town and had a nice meal at a ristorante inside the walls. Again, the staff was so kind. We went and explored Barga after dinner. It is so small it only took us an hour or so to walk every street there! Thursday morning we enjoyed breakfast then sat on our balcony and answered emails from our family and enjoyed the beautiful view and weather. Then we took off back to Siena. We rented a car so we could drive the countryside. I have no complaints about that, Tuscany is unbelievably beautiful to drive around, lost or not! Friday night we were in Florence because my dad’s plane left early Saturday morning. I was sad to see him go but we had such an amazing time together and made memories I will never forget!

This past week was fun to see everyone again. It’s nice to be back at school and speaking Italian more and more! I have the greatest teachers here so that makes learning fun and engaging for me. It’s really nice to have someone pay attention to each person’s needs individually and take the time to teach them one on one if need be. I can’t believe I only have seven more weeks left in Italy. Time has literally flown by. Everyone kept telling me, “the first couple weeks are the hardest, then the time just flies by”…and they weren’t kidding!