Weekend in Italy

Recap on the last week... (Thank you for caring so deeply and being excited to read about my life over here. Know that I'm sending love and can't wait to see ya'll again!)

Last weekend I got to visit Katie Woodruff, a sweet friend of mine from camp last summer. She graduated from LSU this spring and took a 10-day trip through Italy with her friend, Allison. They visited 5 places, spending two nights in each. When Katie heard that I would be in Spain, she invited me to join their adventure during any part. I was so lucky to get to see Florence and Cinque Terre with them and not miss too much work.

Florence was beautiful. I expected to stay in a hostel, but got there to find they had found a room in a former castle for the same price. Guess what, it even included breakfast! To say the least, I felt like a queen! It was rainy on our day in the city, but still so much fun. They have a market that seems 1/2 mile long. Florence is known for their leather. It was offered throughout the vendors' stands and we also got to see/tour a leather school. Thank goodness for the walking and Allison's genius tour-guide skills, because we ate like royalty too. For lunch we split pizza and a calazone, followed by a late dinner feast in a local ristorante. Mmm-hmm. I love me some Italian food in the States. Of course it was even better there. :)

The next day we rode a train to Cinque Terre. It is pronounced kind of like: Chink-way Ter-ray. I think I said it ten different ways. "Cinque" means five. The Cinque is made up of five cities along the northwest coast of Italy. It was beautiful! One of the prettiest places I've seen before. We stayed the night in Vernazza. The five cities are connected by train and by a seven-mile walking trail. I wasn't there long enough to get out and explore, but I think Katie and Allison got to the next day when I headed back to Spain. Vernazza is a one street town that reminded me of what I would picture Greece to look like. Except the stacked homes were splashed with vibrant colors. There was not much of a beach. People laid on the stacked stones of the breakwater, sprayed by mist from the sea. The water was crystal blue and glittering. Along the one street of cobblestones were vendors, restaurants, and gift shops. Many little stairways winded up in a maze of stairs and homes. The places stacked and twisted and turned. It was truly incredible!

I got home on Tuesday and worked through Friday. That night Javi and I went to the International Church Bible Study again, then to the Homeless Ministry in Sol. Around 10:45 when we needed to catch the train (to catch the midnight bus from Alcala to Los Hueros...It takes about an hour and a half to take public transportation into the city), we found out that the train was on strike. It was the start of an adventure and a late night. :)

We took the metro to catch a long bus ride. Long story short, our bus pulls into the station at 12:04, missing our ride up the hill by 4 minutes. The next bus didn't run until 1:30AM. With the help of a local waitress, we found a cafe that was open until 2:30. We caught the 1:30 bus and got home safely, but sleepy.

Earlier that Friday the IMM gang had talked about doing a brunch when everyone woke up on Saturday. It didn't happen until about 1:00... but I got to make biscuits and Kim made gravy. Mmmhmm! Good 'ole remembrance of the South. Then I went back to sleep. The weekend was restful and today has been another day at work. Life is good. I am blessed. I am so happy to be here. Please know all the time that I am missing you, sending my love, and wishing you amazing summer days wherever you are! Love, Haley