The Wanderlust Is So Real

Lately I've been scrolling through all my Europe pictures more often than I usually do.  I know what you're thinking: it's time to send me to some support group or something.

Hi, my name is Allison and I can't stop reliving the summer of 2014.

Hiiiii, Allison.

And that's how it would go.  Between Katie's and my Travel Thursday blog swap last week to my new wall quote crafted out of Europe pictures and my sister's excitement over her upcoming European adventure, my heart is clearly elsewhere in the world. 

Also I just took a BuzzFeed quiz that confirmed that in 10 years I will be traveling the world.  So it's meant to be . . . BuzzFeed told me so.

I could take this wanderlust-laden obsession and turn it into a productive habit like learning a new language or discovering how to cook food from around the world.  However, those are things that people who are ready to move on with their life do.  I don't think that I'm quite there yet or want to be there, so I'll fuel this fire a little more.

Out of all of the towns, villages, cities, and countries in this big world, I can only think of two places that I don't really have a desire to go.  That leaves approximately 72,983 places that I do want to see and feel and experience. And that's a lot of places.  Ain't nobody got the time to write about 72,983 places, so I made the tough executive call to chop the list to the top 8 places that I want  need to visit in my lifetime. (In no specific order because do you know how long that would take me to decide? I spent nearly an entire study hall just narrowing it down to my top 8 choices so no way am I getting any more detailed than that.)

Paris, France

Top 5 Paris bucket list: Climb the Eiffel Tower // eat in a corner cafe // visit the Louvre // see the Arc de Triomphe // be in awe of the Notre Dame Cathedral

Cape Town, South Africa

Top 5 Cape Town bucket list: sit on top of Table Mountain // spy on penguins // take a dip in those waters // learn a few things about African culture // visit the Cape of Good Hope

London, England

Top 5 London bucket list: drink tea // take a ride in the London eye // fangirl over the Harry Potter studios // tell the time on Big Ben // get an inside scoop on the London fashion scene

Machu Picchu, Peru

Top 5 Machu Picchu bucket list: trek the Inca trail (yep, all of it!) // get cultured at an indigenous village // taste the local cuisine // ascend to Huayna Picchu // explore Incan ruins 

Innsbruck, Austria

Top 5 Innsbruck bucket list:  wonder at the Innsbruck Cathedral // hit the Alpine slopes with my snowboard // photograph the Goldenes Dachl // hike those mountains! // wander in and out of shops and cafes

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Amsterdam Top 5 bucket list: marvel in the Museum Quarter // check out the Anne Frank house // taste the street food // tour the city by bike // get on the canals (ice skate in the winter, take a ride in the summer)

Extra! What I will not do in Amsterdam: Proclaim that Anne Frank would have been a belieber.

New Zealand

I couldn't just pick one place in New Zealand because its all just so gorgeous so the whole shebang landed on my list. 

NZ Top 5: take a mud bath in Rotorua // skydive // take in the views while hiking the Tongariro Crossing // kayak the Milford Sound // stargaze  

Denver, Colorado, USA

Denver Top 5: snowboard! // catch a concert at Red Rocks Amphitheater // hike in the mountains // stop and smell the roses at the Denver Botanical Gardens // find some really good eats

So much for a productive day . . . I could actually be accomplishing something if resenting why plane tickets are so expensive is considered "accomplishing something."  

Have you ever been to any of these places? Are they on your bucket lists?

Love,

Allison

Travel Thursday // Paris!

Hope you all are having a great Thursday! I'm really excited to introduce one of my favorite blog friends today! Katie from Katie's Great Perhaps and I are pretty much the same person in about three hundred different ways so it's no surprise that we both have a pretty extreme case of wanderlust. She went to Paris last spring which I am insanely jealous of (and even more after I read her post!) So, travelers, wanderers, adventurers, (and if none of the above apply to you) blog readers, continue on!

Hello everyone! My name is Katie and I’m a high school student who blogs over at Katie’s Great Perhaps. Because Allison and I both love travel so much, we decided to swap blogs for the day and tell each other’s audience about our travel experiences.

I’ve only been out of the country once so far. I ventured to Paris with my high school’s photography club and a wonderful company called Travel for Teens last March, but that trip gave me such an in depth, intimate look at Paris.

Because Travel for Teens prides themselves on teaching young adults how to be “travellers, not tourists,” I got to experience Paris as a local and do a lot of cool things I wouldn’t have done had I travelled there on my own.

Today I’m going to share with you the top five things you have to do in Paris:

1. Visit a Sunday Market

Each Sunday, a bunch of little markets spring up around town. If you’re in Paris on a Sunday, you have to visit one. You can pick up all the ingredients you need to make an excellent baguette, delicious desserts, fresh fruit and so much more for relatively cheap at the markets. You also catch a glimpse of local life while visiting the markets and interact with some of the kindest Parisians you will meet while in France.

2. Climb the Eiffel Tower

When visit the Eiffel Tower, you’ll have the option of either climbing to the top of the tower or riding an elevator up the majority of it.  I highly recommend climbing it. By climbing it, you’ll get to see all sights of Paris the Eiffel Tour offers and get the bragging rights that you climbed all 1000 plus stairs of the monument.

* Okay, Allison input here . . . Isn't Katie's picture of the Eiffel Tower the absolute coolest? I am determined to someday get a picture as fun as this one! . . . *end input!*

3. Go on a bike tour

My group and I went on a bike tour around Paris with Bike About Tours and it was an excellent way to see the city without having to walk a thousand miles. The tour takes you to both major monuments, like the Louvre and lesser known attractions, like hidden parks in the city. Not to mention, the tour guides are hilarious.

4.  See the catacombs

Seeing the catacombs was the only thing I was uneasy about doing on my trip. I’m very squeamish when it comes to bones and gory things. But as weird as it sounds, standing in the middle of a tunnel full of bones and skulls wasn’t that creepy, it was actually kind of cool. And it’s a great place to figure out how to use the exposure, shutter and other settings on your camera.

5. Eat like a local

Avoid turning to touristy restaurants for your meals while in France and opt for the smaller cafes and restaurants while in Paris. Not only will this save you money and time, but you’ll find that the food at the smaller, lesser known restaurants is amazing. The best baguettes and macaroons I had were at small, hole in the wall cafes.

Her trip sounds so amazing, doesn't it? I love the idea of being a traveller rather than a tourist. That's my kind of adventuring! If you haven't had your wanderlust fill yet, you can head on over to Katie's blog to read all about some of my favorite spots in Athens, Delphi, and Santorini from my Europe trip last summer.

Thanks so much to Katie for taking over my blog today! I've had a lot of fun with this!

Have you ever been to Paris?

Love,

Allison

[E] is for [Expensive Rugs]

location // Kusadasi, Turkey

When I'm talking "expensive rugs," I'm not saying rugs that are hundreds of dollars. Nope, what we're looking at here is thousands and tens of thousands of dollars. I don't even think that "expensive" covers these rugs appropriately! 

But while I'm saying that the Turkish silk rugs are beyond pricey, I actually don't think that they're grossly overpriced. I mean, $10,000 is way more than I'm ever spending on something that I wipe my feet on (and if I ever become a millionaire and start to spend my money like this, someone give me a reality check, please.), but when we got an up-close and personal look at the amount of work and effort that goes into each and every rug, I began to see a little justification for the hefty price tags. 

Before boarding our cruise ship and leaving Turkey in the wake, we took a pit stop at a Turkish rug maker. Walking in, the first thing that caught my eye was a giant loom. Sitting in front was a Turkish woman that was dwarfed by the loom which she was threading. The particular rug that she was working on had been in progress for over a month and seemed as if it were barely even started! Each and every row of silk that she twisted and pulled into a future finished masterpiece was so intricate and complicated.

The next thing that we crowded around to catch a glimpse of was how the silk was gathered.  I can't even explain the process because I don't know the technical terms and I'm not about to make you read sentences like "and the worms were in this thing and then they spun it and then they used this other thing to get the silk and . . . " so you can probably google the process if you're interested. But it was really, really cool and all I could think of was how someone even invented this process.

Then we were given apple tea to drink as they unrolled like 30 rugs for us to see. Petting and stepping on the rugs were encouraged, so we all looked like we had dropped something in the carpet as we walked around hunched over with our eyes on the floor.

Overall, seeing the process of how Turkish silk rugs are made was really interesting. Would I ever buy one? No. Even though they are so beautiful and unique, do you know how many other things I could buy with a couple thousand?

Would I visit again? Yes! Because then I would get apple tea and maybe be able to pick up the lingo of silk gathering so I could explain it a little better.

I did not leave the rug place empty-handed though! I picked up a rug bookmark for only €3 which I totally thought was a steal until I found the same exact ones in the Turkish bazaar about 10 minutes later with a price tag of €1.

Oh well, I guess that I can say I bought an overpriced Turkish rug then.

Have you ever seen the process of rug making?

xx,
Allison

Airport Survival Guide // 5 Steps to Take

Let's just put it out there right now that I'm no travel expert.  But, I've traveled.  Therefore, I have experience. And therefore, I know things like not to take your filled water bottle through international airport security because that leads to them not liking you very much.  Hey, live and learn, I guess. And you're getting some free advice out of it, so it paid off?

Anyway, having a bad experience at the airport can ruin the start of your adventure quicker than almost anything else can.  You know, like missing your flight. Just a tad frustrating. Just a tad.

Airports don't need to be any harder than they already are. If you've flown at least twice, there's probably a pretty good chance that you've run into a squishy situation or two.  The people who fly a lot and have traveler's cards bubbling over with miles and miles have probably gotten the process down to a science. (Example: they empty their water bottles before heading to security.) That's not me. But I have learned a thing or two about airports on the way.

1. Be prepared with your age. 

I don't know whether adults are asked this or not, but every time I have flown, a (usually) cranky TSA worker asks my age to make sure that my parents aren't actually kidnappers that stole me and are flying me to another country. Here's what not to do when asked that question: "Ummmm . . . . . (insert three second pause) eleven!" Unless you want an extra suspicious glance shot your way, know how old you are. (That one was courtesy of my sister, by the way.)

2. Bring rations. 
After a long flight from Munich, Germany to Chicago, I was hungry. It wasn't just a normal "oh, I guess I could eat now," it was on the border of hangry. I was more than ready to be home in my own house eating my own food that I didn't have to pay for in euros.  However, our flight from Chicago to Detroit (home!) was delayed by about two hours. That's when I knew that the hanger couldn't wait. I found a kiosk with some fresh looking food and proceeded to buy some yogurt, a little cup of fruit, and some juice. And then I paid nearly $20 for it. Ouch. A granola bar or two could have saved me a little lot of moola and the people I was with wouldn't have had to deal with my hanger.  So, food is a yes. Just believe me on this one.

*And no, I do not consider a few peanuts and a couple pretzels as rations.

Don't believe the "happy" part. One small handful of crackers is considered a pre-snack in my mind.

3. Apple Juice
 . . . you know, like an iPhone charger? Clever, right? I think I saw that on Pinterest (. . . basically the source of 93% of my ideas.) But you know as much as I do that this is a necessity. Long hours in an airport can drain your battery just as fast as it can drain your mood.  However, when you go to plug that Apple into the juice, what happens when everyone else seems to be having an energy crisis at the same time? You end up wandering around to other terminals and eventually taking the walk of shame back to your own still holding your dead phone.  That's when you wish you had bought one of those portable chargers that looked so handy. (Hint: they are handy.) So while other people are wandering around in search of an open outlet, you can be the envy of the terminal with your own little personal electricity source.
* I use the Halo charger and it works great! I recommend it! 

4. Don't Give Any Extra Volume to Your Hair
This little tip is courtesy of my mom (hi mom!). You know the drill for getting past TSA.  Stand in line, bring as little attention to yourself as possible, take off every little piece of metal on you, turn off your phone, try to hold your carryon, boarding ticket, little metal pieces that you took off, purse, and what feels like 37 other things all while attempting to appear as least suspicious as possible. My mom passed all of that criteria with flying colors. Well, except for the last one.  Apparently, her fluffy hair seemed a little too fluffy for these TSA agents and she was pulled aside to have her hair patted down. Her hair, you guys. Have you ever heard of someone getting their hair patted down? If this is a common occurrence, please tell me so I can stop acting like it's one of the craziest things in the world. Thanks. 

4.2 Extra, Extra! // Don't have the same name as someone on the FBI's Most Wanted List
This piece of advice also comes from my mom's experiences.  If you don't want to be subjected to intense questioning, change your name.  That process might just be easier than having to deal with TSA agents that think you're a terrorist.

5. Don't Choose the Wrong Car Rental Company
I haven't had many experiences with car rental companies (considering that I'm not even old enough to rent one!) but I can say that every single time that I've stepped foot in one of those places, I've gotten a headache that has lasted for the entire three hours I'm stuck there (when we had been promised an "in and out visit" . . . lies.).  After a long flight, all I want to do is leave the vicinity of the airport as soon as possible, not wait around for a car. I can remember one time that my sister and I watched Monsters, Inc. one and a half times in the waiting room of the rental car company while they shuffled cars around trying to find the one that we had requested.  And let's not even talk about that one car we got with the USO (unidentified slimy object) on the seat. No, let's just not even go there.

Rental car companies just seem to be a pain in general due to the long lines, confusion, and nastiness found stuck on the seat cushions.  I really think that RelayRides has found the solution to those problems though! At airports all across the U.S. you can rent someone else's personal car. Instead of having to deal with massive crowds, overworked service people, and having the car you request mysteriously disappear, you only meet with one person - the owner of the car! They can rent their own personal car out to you (and you can bet there most likely won't be any USOs found in there!) for daily, weekly, or monthly rates. Now that sounds a whole lot better!

*I have never had any personal experience with RelayRides, but you can bet that when I turn 25 and can finally drive a rental car, I'll be checking it out! RelayRides contacted me and asked if I would get the word out about their great service. I'm receiving no compensation for this post, but I do honestly think that RelayRides is worth a look!

How do you survive the airports? Any funny airport mishap stories? Do tell!

xx,
Allison

[D] is for [il Duomo]

It's Thursday.  Let's throw it back a little bit to last July.  

Imagine me sitting at a Panera Bread 15 minutes before their close, frantically trying to upload a scholarship paper.  The internet connection was down at home, so I was praying that their website would get its act together [who am I kidding? It was probably bogged down by 2,483 other applicants  submitting their entries with minutes to spare like I was doing.] and hurry up on the photo uploading process before Panera closed.

The scholarship in discussion here was a teen travel blog contest.  Umm, I'm a teen. And I travel.  And I conveniently have a blog as well.  It was meant to be, obviously.  

As the last photo finally spun its way to 100% uploaded, I breathed a sigh of relief, hit submit, and got out of there before any more annoyed glances were shot my way.  

Fast forward to the present.  I had completely forgotten about that scholarship and became really anxious to see what had happened with it.  Not to toot my own horn here, but in terms of writing and grammar, I generally know where to put commas and stuff which leads to a large advantage over a lot of my peers.  So I got excited, hoping to see some prize money with my name on it, just waiting for me to swing on by and claim it.  

However, what I found was completely different.  

Instead of the best case scenario of "Congratulations! You're a winner! Here, take $1,000!" I found the word "disqualified." 

Why? Because I hadn't uploaded a stupid profile picture, that's why.  

This really bugged me all week long and to be honest, I was a little upset with myself for most of the day after I found out. Not being one who enjoys to dwell on the negatives though, I figured that since I had been disqualified, I can at least share my story here now!

And get this: my A to Z Europe series is now on letter D and I had written all about the Duomo in Florence, Italy.  See?  Every cloud has a silver lining! So without further ado, I present to you my disqualified essay travel blog!

location // Florence, Italy

I glanced down at my watch for what must have been the third time that minute.  The line wasn’t getting any shorter, but time was certainly ticking. To take my mind off my watch, I looked up to take in the intricate detail that adorned the Cathedral of Florence. That view was much better than the one of the seconds flying by.  

After we had passed about an hour admiring the Cathedral from the line, the chance that we had been waiting for finally presented itself.  We were next in line to take a stab at climbing the 463 steps that wound their way up to the viewing platform of il Duomo. 

We had been told that the ascent itself, not including time at the top to drop our jaws because of the view or the climb down, took 45 minutes.  Our group meeting time was slotted for 5 pm which was less than 40 minutes away.  We had to move! 

Directed into a narrow, concrete stairway, I stepped up onto the first stair.  

“Good news, guys! Only 462 steps to go!” Sometimes I’m funny. That wasn’t one of those times.  

Placing one foot in front of the other, over and over and over again, we were climbing.  Attempting to keep track of where we were, I counted the stairs in my head, updating everyone every fifty steps.  At one point, a constant spiral of 150 stairs in a row made my head spin, but I kept going because I was determined to make it to the top.  No way was I going to stand in line for about an hour only to miss out on the view! 

Part of the climb takes you right up close and personal with the frescoes in the dome.  It was incredible!

Eventually, I lost track of what step we were on and my legs were definitely not feeling as fresh as they had before I had bounded up the first 200. Luckily for me, this is when the waiting game started.  Due to the less than abundant width of the staircase, there was barely enough room for a single file line to pass through, so even beginning to imagine that two-way traffic was possible could be considered insane.  

One of the more spacious stairwells. 

Facing a steady flow of descending tourists, we were doomed to stand on a crowded landing for eternity.  Well, at least that’s how it felt.  When there was finally a large enough break for us to claim our spot on the stairs, we were headed up again. 

Soon, the stairs got even steeper.  After one final mini-stairwell, we hit step number 463 and all of a sudden, we were on top of the world.  

Literally stopping in my tracks, I breathed “wow” over and over again.  The entire city of Florence stretched out below me and the hills undulated in the distance.  The bell tower, which had completely dwarfed me when I had my feet on the ground, was now like a little kid that I had to look down to see. 

Wow.

Taking advantage of the opportunity to see the view from all 360°, I slowly made my way around the platform, never taking my eyes off the scenery.  

After I made my rounds, I regrettably began my descent back to the real world. As I stepped down, down, down, I mused over the incredible display of beauty I had just taken in. After 463 more stairs that were a piece of cake compared to the first set of 463, I stepped into the sunlight.

My jaw dropped for the second time that day when I learned that we still had ten minutes to spare until we met our group.  Wow. 

[C] is for [cats]

location // Delphi, Greece

Let's get this post started off right: 

Now that you have a clear idea about how Debbie feels about cats, you are somewhere in the ballpark of my feelings towards cats.  I just love them, but I don't want to have them in my bed. Animals just don't understand personal space.

Greece was a cat-lover's heaven.  You don't even have to try to find cats - look anywhere and it's pretty much guaranteed that you will see a cat! This was especially unfortunate for the three cat-loathers that I was traveling with, but hey! more cat pictures for me.  To show you how dominant the cat control of the Grecian streets is, I made a collage for your viewing pleasure.

Ta-da!

Since I had so many opportunities to express my affection towards cats, I gained a reputation.  By the end of the trip, I was responding to CL like it was the name on my birth certificate. Cat Lady, that is.  Whenever anyone would see a cat, they would run over to me and point it out so I wouldn't miss it. Everyone showed me their own cat pictures and made sure that I noticed all of the cat themed merchandise.  I even got a "Cats of Greece" 2015 mini-calendar from a lady that I traveled with, so y'all can be excited for that after the new year. 

In the top photo, you see me stealing the show with my feline friends.  We were waiting for some people to take a bathroom break for the seventh time that day before we went up to see the Temple of Apollo in Delphi. Standing in this little outdoor café area, I counted - no joke! - 14 cats lounging around and pretending like they didn't see us.  

However, there was this little guy who stole my attention.  

 To him, this stick was dabomb.com. He was having a ball pushing and tossing it around.  In my infinite cat-wisdom, I decided it was a good idea to take the stick to play with him a little bit. And he loved it! But so did the 13 other cats.  

In no time, I was surrounded - literally surrounded! - by a hoard? school? flock? (I like flock) flock of cats who all decided that since I was now providing entertainment, they would acknowledge my presence. And then this drew a crowd of people who all watched me play with the cats.  

Here I was, kneeling on the ground, trying to please all of my new cat acquaintances with equal stick-playing time, surrounded by cats, surrounded by people. 

That is officially the peak of my cat lady-ness. 

I'm very cool. I know that already; you don't have to tell me. 

Happy Thursday!

Love,

Allison

(And if I ever do decide to pursue "cat lady" as a career, I know a place where my business can take off!) 

[B] is for [bridges]

I was having a really hard time deciding how to tell all my stories from Europe.  I don't want it to drag on forever but there are just so many things I want to share!  I decided to start Italy & Greece from A to Z.  I'll go in alphabetical order and pick a picture with something that starts with the letter that we're on and I'll tell the story behind it. But don't worry, it won't be 26 days straight of  Europe stories. Promise. 

location // Venice, Italy

It's what you've all been waiting for: Europe pt. 2!  Out of all of the places that I went to, Venice takes the cake for having the most bridges.  So if you're a bridge enthusiast of any kind, I would recommend Venice! 

The first taste of them that I got was when we took a mini-walking tour of the Italian islands. Our guide told us that every time we crossed a bridge, we were on a new island, which for some reason, I thought was really cool! 

One of my favorite things about the Venetian bridges was that all of them were different.  Each had its own distinct "personality." The black and white one above was one of my favorites because it just seemed so sophisticated to me.  I know, I'm a snob about my bridge preferences, you don't have to tell me.  

After our walking tour, you've probably guessed by my spoiler pictures that we took a gondola ride! Unfortunately, my expectations crashed and burned because our gondolier didn't sing to us.  What.a.bummer. 

A few times, I was honestly concerned that we were going to tip as we had been seated extremely unequally weight-wise.  Other than that, I really loved the canals of Venice.  When you take some of the back canals, everything is so quiet, peaceful, and quaint.  I could have stayed for hours.  

Can you imagine looking out your bedroom window and having this canal as your view? 

Of course, I couldn't show you all these other bridges without showing you the Bridge of Sighs! For those of you who don't know, the Bridge of Sighs is named this because it connects the prison and the interrogation room in the Doge's Palace.  As prisoners would cross the bridge, it was said that they would sigh because they knew that they were pretty much walking to their execution.  

Unfortunately, I didn't get the chance to walk on the bridge.  I unknowingly turned around to head out of the Doge's Palace just before the entrance to the bridge.  I was so bummed when I found out what I had missed.

Have you ever been to Venice and crossed any of these gorgeous bridges? Do you want to? 

Love,

Allison

[A] is for [apples]

I was having a really hard time deciding how to tell all my stories from Europe.  I don't want it to drag on forever but there are just so many things I want to share!  I decided to start Italy & Greece from A to Z.  I'll go in alphabetical order and pick a picture with something that starts with the letter that we're on and I'll tell the story behind it. But don't worry, it won't be 26 days straight of  Europe stories. Promise. 

location // Ferrara, Italy

So, for my very first installment of Italy & Greece from A to Z, out of all the pictures that I could have chosen of notable European landmarks, I picked the one that could have been taken at the grocery store five minutes from my house.  Heck, it could have been taken at my house based on the number of apples that we buy.  

But it is the A to Z challenge, isn't it? And apples start with A, so this is what we're talking about (never mind Athens and Assisi and the Acropolis and art . . . nope, it's apples). 

This picture comes with some emotional baggage for me.  Every time I see it, I crack a smile because of the ridiculous amount of work they ended up being.  So, gather 'round the campfire because it's story time!

Once upon a time when I was packing for my European adventure, I made sure to throw some Jif-To-Go peanut butter in my bag because 18 days is way too long for a girl and her PB to be separated.  Fast forward about four days and I was already needing a creamy fix. We made a short stop in Ferrara and my eyes quickly found a small supermarket.

Supermarket meant that there was a large chance of apples, which as everybody knows, is peanut butter's best friend.  Luckily for me, they didn't just have apples, they had my favorite type of apples! I know, it was like I was floating on a cloud.

I picked out four good looking ones to share with some friends later at our apples&peanut butter party that I was planning on hosting and stuck them in my backpack for later.

I kind of wanted to dig into one them right then and there, but I have this thing with unwashed fruit where I either wash it or don't eat it. So, we stopped at a little bakery and while everyone was enjoying their Italian pastries, I snuck into the bathroom to do some fruit washing.

As it turned out that there was one sink that was shared by both the men's and the women's bathrooms. And also conveniently didn't have a counter attached.  And to top it all off, the sink was really gross so if an apple fell, it was never coming back.  No pressure, right?

After trying to hold all four apples, turning the faucet on with my elbows, and thoroughly soaking my sleeves,  I let myself think that the apples were more clean than they were before and that I better get out of there before someone came out of the bathroom/I dropped one.  So I turned around to grab some paper towel and lo and behold, there was a hand dryer smirking at me. (It was totally smirking, I swear.)

Usually I'm pretty eco-friendly friendly but I was not appreciating the hand dryer at this moment.  So I compromised and dug my rain jacket out of the bottom of my bag and wrapped the apples up all while giving the evil eye to the dryer.  With those kind of survival skills, I'm pretty sure I could be a boy scout.

Many hours and a walking tour of Florence later (those suckers added some serious weight to my backpack!) there was finally an opportune time for some apples&PB. This time occurred in our hotel room which conveniently featured a clean sink complete with a full counter.  I wish I was kidding.

But it's a good ending because I ate my peanut butter and lived happily ever after.

The end.

Just kidding, that's not the end.

But, wait! There's more! 

Only three apples were consumed at my apples&PB party, so using math skills, that means that one was left. I stuck it in the mini-fridge for the next day and accidentally left it there forever and ever.  After all that, I just forgot about it.

*slow clap*

Okay, now it's the end for real.  I feel like this post should start a What I'd #DoForPeanutButter hashtag.  What would you #DoForPeanutButter?

Five Florence Favorites on Friday!

I wasn't expecting to love Florence, Italy.  Smushed in between killers like Venice & Rome, I thought that Florence would just be a stop on the way.

Wrong.

So, so, very wrong.

I am absolutely crazy about Florence! The art! The history! The architecture! *swoon*  Okay, so maybe I'm being a little dramatic, but Florence is definitely a dramatic place.  Home to so many amazing things, the day and a half that I spent there was no where close to enough time.  I barely scratched the surface of the Florence Cathedral and didn't have time to venture to Piazzale Michelangelo and the Boboli Gardens, which is a crime in my opinion.

I'm linking up again today with Juliette, Faith, & Allie to blog everyday in July (which despite my recent track record, I won't keep up. Promise.) and today's prompt is to talk about five favorites.  So to keep the alliteration going, we're talking about five of my favorite Florentine things!

|| 1. The street art.

Umm, how is this happening? Stuff like this goes in museums and she's just painting it on the street like it's no big deal. If you didn't know that Florence is an art city, you do now.  

|| 2. This awesome statue of Machiavelli. 

First things first, check out that leg! Watch out Angelina Jolie, you've got competition! Second, if you thought that maybe he was a pretty nice guy underneath his whole "ends justify the means" thing, you may want to think again.  Check out that expression! Or, if you get nightmares easily, don't. 

|| 3. The street cleaner // the fact that Florence in Italian is Firenze. 

If you were about to litter and then saw this cute little street cleaner begging you to please place your trash in a trashcan instead of on the ground, you would, wouldn't you? (Unless you're heartless/don't think that the baby street cleaner is cute like I do.) Also, I was loving the Italian versions of city's names.  Florence was by far my favorite though for unknown reasons. To me, Firenze just sounds tall, dark & handsome. Anyone with me? 

|| 4. David

This is me maturely reacting to a 14 foot tall naked man.  

Once the initial shock of "oh, hey, naked man! *avert eyes*" was over, I was super glad that I coughed up a few extra euros to see David in person.  The detail was incredible! I kept staring at the back of his hands and imagining how much work it must have taken to carve out the veins so perfectly.  (I just typed veins and for all of you who don't know me, that's a big deal.  #Gross) If you're ever in Florence, see David.  For real.  10 points to Michelangelo.

|| 5. THE DUOMO! 

I am obsessed with the Duomo.  Oh my gosh.  Seeing it in person was one of the things that blew me away on this trip.  Prior to leaving, I had read a book entirely devoted to how the dome was built and to see the finished product right in front of my eyes was unbelievable.  I wish I could go back and look at it all day. (Glad we're talking about a building here because if we were talking about pretty much anything else, I would be labeled Creep of the Year.) 

|| Extra, extra!

I got to climb the Duomo! Best. Experience. Ever. No joke.  But that's another story for a different day.  Here's some pictures to tide you over since I know you're all on the edges of your seats now.

Ever been to Florence? What did you like/dislike about it? What are your five favorites this Friday? Link-up and comment with your link so I can check them out! 

Happy weekend everyone! 

An Open Letter to Gelato

Dear Gelato,

It was love at first sight.  Then, at first taste, I was ready to spend the rest of my life with you.  After indulging in your creamy deliciousness two times within six hours of being on Italian soil, I didn't know how our relationship could get any closer.

Hazelnut Chocolate - Verona, Italy // 4/5 stars

Amarena (cherry) - Venice, Italy // 2/5 stars

Sure, your tiny little scoops were wimpy by my American standards, but all that meant was that I had room for more! I paid the price for you and I didn't even flinch.  While I haggled to lower the price of €3.50 keychains, I put down the same amount of money to get two flavors of you in my belly with no problem.

Stracciatella - Venice, Italy // 4/5 stars

You offered me so much variety and choice.  I was never bored when I was in your presence.  Although, I do admit that occasionally you did cause a panic attack because I was next in line and still couldn't decide.  (Especially at that place in Rome that had 150 flavors . . . that was rough.)

Coconut & Nutella - Florence, Italy // 5/5 stars

Every relationship has their problems though.  That's just a rule of life.  Ours is no exception.  While you usually were the perfect escape from the scorching Italian sun, there was that one time where I took a chance and ordered a random flavor that left me trying to get the taste out of my mouth a few hours later.  I've learned to forgive that offense though because nobody is perfect.  Rule of life #2.  

After Eight - Florence, Italy  // 3/5 stars

To wrap this up, gelato, I just wanted to tell you that I miss you terribly.  Although my wallet may disapprove of our relationship, there will always be someone who doesn't understand.  It's hard on me because I can no longer look around and see at least five gelato shops within ten steps that allow me to indulge in you.  Instead, I can only look at the pictures and remember all the great times that we once had.  

Pistachio - Florence, Italy // 4/5 stars

Arrivederci, gelato.  Until we meet again! 

I'm linking up a day late with Juliette, Faith, and Allie to blog every day in July! (Disclaimer: I'm not going to blog every day in July.  That just won't happen. I'm too busy mourning the absence of gelato.)

Are you a gelato fan? What flavor is your favorite? Mine is definitely a tie between Twix, Nutella, and coconut!