[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. 

[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?

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! 

Did I Mention . . . ?

I struggled for a while on what to title this post.  There were just too many good options with the likes of:

"I'M SO EXCITED!"

or

"IT'S.SO.CLOSE."

or, even the lamest one in the book would have applied here, 

"!!!!!!!!!!" 

However, I chose the elusive and mysterious option that made it seem like I have my emotions totally in control right now: "Did I mention . . . ?"

You're totally wondering what I may or may not have mentioned right now, aren't you? Good, that was the goal.  

I'll just cut to the chase: I'm off to Europe soon! Like as in four days from now soon. I cannot cannot cannot wait! 

I signed up for this trip back in October of 2012, so you better believe that I am beyond ready to jet off across the world.  

My 2.5 week tour has me traveling all over Italy, Greece and a touch of Turkey. Some of the highlights include: Venice, Florence, Pisa, Rome, Pompeii, Delphi, Athens, Mykonos, Crete & Santorini.  Whew! And that's not even everything!

I've been trying to get some posts scheduled so my blog isn't completely abandoned while I'm gone, but with all the other chaos that is going on, that may or may not happen ;) Just know that when I get back I will definitely have stories and pictures that I want to share coming out of my ears. 

If you want a little more info on my trip, you can check out posts that I had written for my old blog here, here & here.

*Sidenote: Guys, do you realize that I just posted two times just today? Looking at the archives, two post weeks are a rarity around here!

**Another sidenote: Yes, I did mention Europe here . . . sneaky, sneaky. 

***Yet another sidenote: This trip will allow me to cross off my third event from my 20 before 20 bucket list! Wooo! 

So, now you know! Have you ever traveled in Italy, Greece or Turkey? Any tips or tricks? Food suggestions? What not to do? Let me know! I need all the insight that I can get!

Well, I better get to packing.  Can't forget the toothbrush. Ciao!