Kinder Bars...

are a delicious candy consisting of a Kit-Kat bar filled with Hazelnut Cream. yum!
Time for some photo sharing!

The view from my hotel window upon arriving in Florence, Tuscan rooftops and the Duomo.

Part of the Ponte Vecchio taken during a walking tour of the city.

The David... is a fake. The real one was moved to the Academia so it would be better preserved. At every street corner you can purchase your David memorabilia featuring that famous groin: boxers, postcards, and aprons to name a few.

Doing the touristy thing in front of the Duomo, not embarrassed.

Roommates and I with our Chef during cooking class!
Left to Right: Brooke, Nicole, Fabrizio, Jessica, Me.

I am taking a Literature course called Italian Grand Tour that focuses on the Travel Writing and works of famous people who traveled through Europe specifically during the late 18th century and the 19th century. This journey was seen as a rite of passage and an education in social, cultural and personal realms. These travelers were young, rich men and women who were privileged enough to go on this journey of discovering music, people, culture, art, sex, alcohol, lifestyles, anything really. As we talked more about this idea of traveling for a personal education during early adulthood, the parallels between these young people and ourselves became more evident. Over hundreds of years, young people have been making the same journey with the same goal: to become a more well-rounded, independent, educated member of society. After World War II, the Grand Tour became better known in Western civilizations as Study Abroad. So you could consider my journal, blogging, notes, photos, etc. my own travel writings from my Grand Tour.

Every day I am here I am reminded of the small connections between all of us. It makes home seem not-so-far away.