Since Last Post: A Chance to Play Tourist

Well I know to this point I have posted mostly on the internship side of things, writing about visits to various Italian companies and what not, but I was given the past week to play tourist and so here is the first post in a few weeks, covering my experience! On Wednesday, July 1st, I left Pescara traveling via train through Bologna and ending up in Florence. Florence is one of the more popular what I would call "tourist towns" in Italy and rightfully so... Florence is know for many famous attractions including but certainly not limited to the Duomo (3rd highest cathedral dome in the world), the Ponte Vecchio bridge, the Uffizi museum of art, the accademia (home of Michelangelo's David), and numerous other plazas, castles, and narrow cobble-stoned streets!

During my stay in Florence I forunately ran into two buddies from the UofA, Tripp and Scott, that began their study abroad program in Florence on the day I got there. I knew they were in Florence from the time I got there, but had a hard time communicating with them due to the fact that they were just getting settled in and had no cell phones and no internet to check email! Unbelievably, the second night in Florence, just when I thought I would never find them, I saw them across the street walking the opposite direction from me! I walked up to them and non-chalantly asked "hey fellas, what's up!"

Hangin' with Tripp and Scott ended up being a blast as we visited a few completely americanized venues including a place with a live Beatles coverband and another place with ESPN and a Padres-Astros baseball game on! It was the first time I had seen ESPN on the TV since I left the US 3 weeks ago... I cried. Anyway... on Saturday the three amigos also headed to the Cinque Terre to hike the 5 villages perched on cliffs overlooking the Mediterranean. It was ridiculous and by ridiculous I mean amazing! Check out the few pictures I have posted below, and you can also see more on facebook if you have one... we took a combined 400+ photos of the hike. The views were beautiful the entire 7.5 mile hike! After the hike we headed back to Florence and lucky Tripp and Scott went to a Dave Matthews concert in coastal Lucca on Sunday and I headed for Venice where I am now! I guess I'm lucky too. I am visiting a nice dessert company here called La Donatella. Further details to come in later posts this week! Hope you all are doing well!

- Jordan