Finally, the post you've all been waiting for...

La Fiera del Cioccolato! A true Gillianasana-style holiday (emphasis on the holy...as in HOLY YUM!) Prepare to be bombarded with a fantastic array of some seriously drool-worthy pictures (many, as usual, courtesy of the lovely and talented Alaina :)

My roommates and I happily ventured to the Piazza della Santa Croce, where this long-anticipated event was taking place. I had yet to walk around this area of Florence and I actually really liked it; less touristy, cute little fruttivendolo (fruit & veg market). I like that it's a bit farther from our apartment too. I plan on wandering around there more, chocolate festival or not.

We finally rounded a corner and saw the tent:

No, I don't know what that church is in back of it. Hello, tent full of CHOCOLATE right there...that's a LOT closer to my idea of divinity!

Prepare to feast your eyes on pure, delicious chocolateyness...

Real cacao pods

Look at those roses! CRAZY detail!

I freakin loved this frog. In a top hat, playing a drum, made of chocolate. Randomly delicious.

This is where I bought my truffles...SO pretty!

These fruit spreads were ridiculous. It was like eating the fruit itself. I tried strawberry and pear :)

Ok, you see that tower? They shaved off pieces (what's inside the roll-up) of that tower - it was like chocolate-hazelnut-melt-in-your-mouth amazingness. Nutella ain't got NOTHIN on this stuff. They took the shavings and rolled them up into a thin rectangle of short-bread like stuff to create that amazing "chocolate kebab" you see in my very happy roomie's hands above.

This was what Alaina and I split. It was chocolate cake with dark ganache on top and then they poured liquid hot chocolate over the top. Basically: Heaven. On. A. Plate. We were happy girls!!!

Now OBVIOUSLY I was not leaving this tent without something. Here is what I brought home:

4 of the prettiest truffles I have EVER laid eyes on, an extra dark truffle (that big dark ball), a chocolate covered dried melon and two chocolate-dipped pears. It actually wasn't extravagantly expensive, but you all know me - if I spend money on anything, it's usually edible!

Dark truffle

Rose (I haven't had it yet, so NO idea what's in it...but who cares! LOOK how pretty!)

(Caffe filling, of course!)

The leaf is mint, the little square is green tea, and the swirly log is tiramisu. I haven't tried these yet - but don't worry, you'l hear about it when I do :)

And there you have it. La Fiera del Cioccolato in Firenze. Be jealous.

~Namaste~

Ponderments from the other side of the Atlantic

It is true what they say about studying abroad - you definitely learn more about yourself and really get inside your own head and heart. I have experienced it before - going to India was life-changing for me in ways it is difficult to put words to (even for an English major!). But it never ceases to amaze me how much one can grow simply by getting out of the comfort zone.


I am becoming more comfortable with who I am. No, I haven't gone on any of the pub crawls or to any of the local discotecs (usually flooded with Americans and the, ahem, questionable characters who are simply waiting for them to get inebriated enough). But you know what? That's not my thing. I adore going out and walking the streets of Florence all day, window shopping, stopping at a cafe for an espresso. Come home, make dinner, wind down. Yes, it is not perhaps "typical" of a 20-year-old to not want to go out and party all night, but when have I ever been "typical" for my age? It is admittedly difficult to not feel a little out of place when most of your other peers around you are talking about what bar they went to last night or how late they got home, but I would prefer to feel a little out of place and comfortable in my own skin than trying to be something I'm not. I'm not saying I'll never go out, but I am aware of who I am enough to know that it is not all that fun for me, and it's empowering to be able to say that and be comfortable with the truth.


I've noticed a similar thing fashion-wise. No, I am not fresh from a Milan runway or even a mall in the U.S., but I like how I dress. I like that I've always just worn what I am comfortable in and don't feel compelled to adhere to a trend just because everyone else is. I'm a flat-footed-yoga-pant-shawl-wearing signorina!


Another thing that has crossed my mind frequently since settling in here is how lucky I am. Part of the reason I am so at home here is because I have traveled so much, and I am grateful beyond words to my parents for giving me those opportunities and always supporting me, in my travel endeavours and everywhere else. I often hear other people talk about their parents and I always think "man, my parents are pretty cool." I got lucky. Don't know why, but I did. I don't question it, I am simply sincerely grateful.


Yes, I know, a *gasp* mushy post. But this is my blog, so I might as well write about what's in my head! And don't fret, Chocolate Festival pictures are to come. Prepare to drool.


Vi amo molto!

~Namaste~ 

Singin in the rain...in Pisa!

Disclaimer: The vast majority of these photos were taken by my roommate Alaina, whose blog I highly recommend! (click her name to visit!) :)

Friday morning we woke up to some very scary looking skies, but we would NOT be deterred from our Pisan mission! Off we ventured to Stazione di Santa Maria Novella, about a 15 minute walk from our apartment, and bought train tickets for the first time.

It's actually really easy with these self-service machines. You just have to go up to a little yellow box after the ticket prints out and get it stamped. Italian train system: conquered.

And off to Pisa we were! We arrived there about an hour later to pouring rain. We had a restaurant recommendation, but since none of us had a map or any desire to wander around in the rain, we took a taxi.

We were HUNGRY signorinas! We eventually found the restaurant, Vineria.

Don't I look a little scared?!

Since it was supposedly a fish restaurant, most of us ordered the pasta with fresh tomatoes and calamari...

Oh dear me. BEST thing I have tasted so far. I pretty much inhaled this in a very un-European manner. Could have used a few more tomatoes, but really...It was amazing. The kind of food you can still remember the taste of years later. Needless to say, the end result was...

Yup. Mmmm, I had a happy belly!

So off to the tower we went! On our way we came across this totally random little building:

NO idea what it was. But you know, you see an old structure in ruins in Italy, you figure it had to be important to someone at some point in history. And therefore, you must take a picture of it.

The tower was soon in sight!

And yes, we did the stereotypical tourist poses. People stared, hilarity ensued. The usual.

You probably can't quite see it, but I am in fact holding up the tower with a mere index finger. I told you yoga makes you stronger!

Marissa and I, at war!

RUN AWAY!

Leaning tower? Just call the ladies of Apartment 17!

Alaina and I attempted to stay dry.

After we felt that we had made sufficient fools of ourselves, we proceeded on to our next mission: the first gelato. I know, I've been here two weeks and I hadn't had any yet, but it's been COLD! Anyway, weather be damned, today was the day. We found a random restaurant - really, we just wanted somewhere to eat it inside and be warm! It wasn't the most amazing gelato I've had, but it was quite tasty. Strawberry and coffee. Weird combo, but hey, so am I.

We eventually found the train station again and were on our way back home, anxiously awaiting some downtime. Being an obnoxious tourist really takes it out of you!

Once home, I needed to make a quick trip to the market for some water...on my way, I may or may not have gone into a store I've been dying to go in and I may or may not have bought 2 ponchos...Listen, I'm cold. And they were on sale. 21 euro for two. I feel much more stylish now :)

The roomies got kebabs, but I wasn't all that hungry. I made dinner later...it was definitely an, um, Gillianasana original. Basically took random stuff out of the fridge and stir-fried it. Eggplant, zucchini, spinach, tomato, turkey and some pecorino (with balsamic vin, obviously):

Nothing world-shattering, but then again, after my lunch, nothing would have compared.

And tomorrow...the chocolate festival! Man, it's tough here:)

~Namaste~

Catching Up

Have you ever tasted almond extract and said "well, it's tasty, but I have no idea how this flavor relates to almonds," ? Well, I have. And now I know the answer.

These are unlike any almond I have EVER tasted! It will be hard to go back to the Costco lifetime-supply jar kind.

I've actually been thinking a lot about that recently, and I am anticipating some major reverse culture shock when I come home. I know, I know, I've been here barely 2 weeks and my mind is already 3 months in the future. But I can't help it; this lifestyle feels so natural to me. I suppose I will cross that bridge when I come to it.

ANYway, to pick up where I last left you all, with baited breath I'm sure...

Thursday - Giovedi. I had Italian, which was a bit better, learned the trapassato tense. I don't know what to call it in English - when there is a sentence like "When they arrived, class had already started" the trapassato is the "the class had already started" part. Capisci? Bene!

Went back, made some oatmeal, chilled before...my first cooking class! I am in love. The teacher is great - very Italian but very smart and congenial, and definitely knows his stuff. This class is basically the way I try to cook all the time, which made me so happy. It's actually a Nutrition course (even though Converse wouldn't give me science credit for it...don't GET me started), and the emphasis is on using fresh ingredients and portions that can be feasibly eaten by one person (ahem, America - take notes!). We made AMAZING fresh pasta with mushrooms and these to DIE for chocolate cookies, all with healthy, fresh ingredients. I was so hungry by the time we sat down I forgot to pull out my camera - mi dispiace! (sorry!) I will remember this week, vi prometo.

After that, I floated home on a pasta high, hung out. My roommate and I ventured out to the train station to check out how to buy tickets for our trip to Pisa (don't worry, I'm getting to it!)

My cold has vastly improved, partially because my sleep has vastly improved, but also because I ventured into a farmacia and was given this (after I demonstratively sniffled to the pharmacist - cold, by the way, is 'raffredore'):

Basically a powder I mix into water. It's actually not bad, very much like powdered lemonade mix. I've been dutifully sucking it down, and I do feel better. NO idea what's in it - magic cold dust, I suppose.

Oh, I have a new man in my life to introduce you to...

Meet the Moka! It's the coffee maker that most Italians use in their homes. I am totally getting one, it's sooo easy. And yummy :) It's kind of like a French press - you put water in the bottom part, then put coffee grounds in a filter, and put the top on. A couple minutes later...COFFEE! It's pretty awesome.

Ok, our fantastic trip to Pisa deserves a post all by itself - as does the chocolate festival (yes, you read that right - get excited), so stay tuned!

~Namaste~

Buon Compleanno, Norman Rockwell!

It figures I would get sick. BUT I'm still in Italy, and that makes it significantly more bearable. I'm only stuffed up, bit of a sore throat. I know a big problem is sleep. It's still quite a struggle, which is frustrating, but I'm determined to not let it bring me down.

I had Italian again this morning. Meh. We're doing really really basic stuff and I kinda want to pick up where I left off last semester. I still haven't learned the subjunctive, which I find odd. I should have brought my textbook from home and just taught it to myself. I guess what frustrates me is that I want a slightly more intensive practice so that when I wander into a random caffe, I can understand what people are saying around me. I feel like I walk in a store and they can tell I speak English just from the vibe I am sending off because I am thinking so hard about how to say it in Italian. But, this is not the first language class I've gotten frustrated in. In fact, I don't think I've ever had a language class where I wasn't at some point wishing we could go faster. Huh.

After Italian I trudged back home and made oatmeal, quite successfully if I do say so myself. Banana, milk, cinnamon. Simple but oh so yummy - and it is definitely my #1 comfort food, which I really needed. it was freezing and rainy for most of today, made me feel sicker (?). But it was still pretty successful.

My roommate Alaina and I are going on a day tour to Cinque Terre in April (40 euro, covers transport and a guide, pretty sweet), so we went to the office to book it. We did some grocery shopping at Mercato Centrale. P.S. - I LOVE pecorino cheese. Molto. And then, the best part of my day...

CAPPUCCINO! With a foam heart :) It's my first one since I've been here, and no, it wasn't as good as it looks. It was better.

Came back and made some lunch. I love it - a turkey and cheese sandwich turned into turkey and pecorino with tomatoes on Tuscan bread toasted in the skillet, then topped with arugula and drizzled with balsamic vinegar. AND it was free. I'm doing ok, no?

Ran out to do some more errands, grab a couple things I forgot, get a textbook. I made dinner tonight, totally random but seriously delicious:

I chopped up a clove of garlic and heated it up in a pan with olive oil, then added chopped eggplant, zucchini, tomato, and cannellini beans, and added a good bit of olive oil and balsamic to it. Threw it over some leftover pasta. My roommates really liked it, as did I. I kinda figured it was hard to screw up that combo.

I am planning a trip to Prague for the first weekend in March, which I'm pretty excited about. I may be going to Lake Como for Easter break because we get a long weekend. Maybe Sorrento/Capri tour for the beginning of Spring Break...I refuse to stress out about travel. We've been making dates and stuff to figure out where we want to go and when to do it...3 months goes by WAY. TOO. FAST!

Going to Pisa on Friday. We want to learn how to get around via the train system, so this is our practice. And tomorrow is my first cooking class...mamma mia!

I'm sorry if this post is spastic...I'm so tired and stuffed up I'm not thinking very clearly.

I will leave you with a pic of me and my awesome roomies at dinner the other night:

Aren't we cute? Yes.

Reading/bed time. Buona notte!

~Namaste~

By the way...

I'm good at these 2 posts in a row thing right?

I just thought you might want to see what I see everytime I turn on my computer:

Give the baby a kiss for me!

Another Day, Another...Duomo?

First day of classes today! Here is my beauteous breakfast (colazione):Oats with yogurt, jam (frutti di bosco= fruit of the forest=berries), banana and cinnamon. MMMM :)

First up was Food and Culture, an anthropology course. It's held in one of the earliest existing examples of Renaissance buildings, the Piazza Strozzi.

Yup. That's where I take class. Which was AWESOME. Makes me nervous, because I'm worried it will get worse because I was soo jazzed by it this morning. It's just so interesting. Totally what I want to study forever and ever and ever. *Sigh*

Next was my Italian Culture through Music. I'm really only taking it to finish up my minor. I like the professor a lot - she's British and I love her accent! We listened to some "tarantellas," which are folk music started in southern Italy. They were thought to be the cure for people bitten by tarantulas. It was actually really interesting and I do looove Italian music.  It's just got a certain...something. Just fun to listen to. We'll see how that class goes. Que sera!

Then...I got lost. Pathetically, massively lost. I felt like such an obnoxious tourist - I literally would just stop, open my map and start talking to myself: "Ok, so if that street is there and I am on this interesction then I must go up there and take a right...or a left...oh shit." Whatever, I found my way and hit my current favorite cafe for a macchiato and felt much better.

Then I came home and discovered the awesomeness that is SKYPE! So cool. I was actually quite productive though today - got my school supplies, got a textbook, got a bag for school, got money, got a PHONE that WORKS. AND I didn't get lost coming home.

We had a free "Welcome Dinner" that our school Lorenzo de'Medici provided us at a palace (palazzo) here. It was nice. The food was less than it's usual drool-worthyness, but hey, free tiramisu. Hard to complain. My tummy kinda hurts now, though. But, let's face it...it was tiramisu (and 2 other desserts. Oh yes.). It was worth it.

Right now I'm working on planning trips with other people. PRAGUE is on the list, I'm beyond excited. I kinda want to just toodle around Italy for the most part though. Traveling is just too important to me, so I know it's not like this is my last time in Europe. And I am pretty much obsessed with the Duomo. I could just stare at it all day long. I walk by it on my way to class like, "...whoa."

Tomorrow is my first Italian class. I'm a little intimidated by it, just because I'm a higher level and the teacher will probably teach mostly in Italian. I'm happy, because I will learn so much faster, but it's still a bit nerve-wrecking. I also have to get my books, go the Mercato Centrale (foodie HEAVEN), and check my mail. The area where most of the school builidings are is where I get lost the fastest. I really need to just go forth and wander around for a couple hours and get to know it.

Ok, I need to go to bed. 8 AM class tomorrow. And I have a whole bunch of reading for my F&C class.

I'm sorry I don't have more photos, I'm just not much of a photographer. I'll work on it. It's a pain in the ass to get them in the blog - I hit backspace, the picture deletes, I have to move it, a paragraph goes away...you get the idea. Practice makes perfect!

Buona notte & Namaste!