I couldn't help myself...

Today I went to the leaning tower of Pisa. I couldn't resist taking tons of cheesy tourist photos. Yet, what was funnier was seeing everyone around me posing and looking ridiculous too! After a brief stay there, I went to the small town of Lucca nearby. It was really cute and has a really wide wall surrounding the city. We rented bikes and rode around the wall for an hour. It felt like being a little kid again and was definitely a highlight of the trip thus far. Finding the train station was a little more difficult than anticipated but the group I was with got home eventually, exhausted but pleased with our excursion.

Jeans

One of the professors told us about a free event in Florence today, so we went to a gallery opening for Fiorucci, who apparently revolutionized blue jeans. It was cool to hear how he envisioned them as everyday wear rather than just for work. It took place at an art school and afterwards we got h'ordeuvres and wandered the gallery with photos of his jeans. It was a fun experience, followed by more shopping afterwards!

Wishful Window Shopping

Today was everyone's last day of class for the weekend. A bunch of us decided to head in to Florence for the evening, where we were going to go catch a cover band at a bar. Unfortunately, the place we were planning on going was closed (sometimes Italian schedules aren't very accurate.) We really didn't care though, because on our way we passed the stores of basically every famous desiger: Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Armani, Prada, Chanel...
Never ever could I buy anything from those places. But it was fun to peer in the windows and dream. And eventually we found a really fun pub that I'm sure I will visit again sometime!

A Mini Adventure

Today I spent the afternoon wandering Florence with a fellow program participant. We went and admired Michelangelo's David for a ridiculously long time. It is so beautiful. On our way to get gelato, the fellow above was playing accordion in the street. I felt like I was in an Italian movie.
However, things got exciting on the way back to the villa. We were so involved in trying to translate an Italian newspaper that we went two stops past where we needed to leave the train. Panic set in, but with the help of two friendly women we eventually figured out which bus to take back to our town, making it there just in time for our evening class. Needless to say, we felt pretty accomplished for getting back so successfully.

Arrivederci, Pants

Today I had to send the pants to the next member of the Quad. My mind blanked of all Italian when I stepped up to the window at the Esselunga (Post Office/Grocery Store/Pharmacy/Place to get anything you ever need). I was really sad to see them go, but know that giving them to someone new is part of the fun. I've been missing the Quad lately, and am so thankful I got to have a little symbol of our love with me for my first week here.

Score

Today I had a long day of classes and was just generally feeling unsettled. I decided to go for a run in the hills nearby. While I can't say I lasted long, I did discover a soccer team practicing at this field. I just stayed and watched them for a while, enjoying the action. (Ok, and the guys...)
I realized that these are the type of things I'm going to treasure about this trip: the little moments where I discover something new and unexpected.

Flight Finder

Today was chilly and cloudy, and while I did take a short hike through the nearby hills, much of my day was spent finding flights for future travels. I decided to spring break with a friend in Barcelona, the Canary Islands, and Portugal. The internet here is quite slow and sometimes malfunctions, leaving me quite frantic when I had successfully purchased a flight from the islands to Portugal but couldn't purchase one actually to the islands. But it worked out, and in the end was more exciting than doing homework...

Shop til you Drop

Today was all about shopping. In Italy, sales go on in January and every store has great deals. But they end when the month does, and thing never really go on sale again for the time that I'm here. I spent more than I wanted, but found some gorgeous things I couldn't pass up. Here are a few of my favorite new possessions.

With our hands, we join our hearts.

A Luther alum, Ben Larsen, died in the Haiti earthquake. He was there doing mission work with his wife and cousin when the quake hit. His wife and cousin survived, but Ben wasn't found under the rubble. Ben was Nordic Choir president his senior year, the same year our conductor began conducting the choir.

Today, we sang for his memorial service. It was very emotional. So many people knew him and loved him. I didn't know him, but he must have been quite the man. Every conversation about his death quickly turns to words of celebration of his life.

I didn't actually take this photo today. A memorial service isn't exactly an appropriate time to be photographing things. But this is a photo of two Nordic singers holding hands, something we do when we sing, as a sign of unity.

Siena

It's my goal to not make every post be something incredible that I'm doing on this trip, but I have crammed so much into this first week. Today we went to Siena and it was one of the cutest towns I have ever seen. I climbed to the top of a tower to snag this shot. We stopped for wine tasting on the way back to Florence--probably my favorite day here so far.

Computer Rebirth

My computer has had a virus all week. It had gotten so bad that my computer could no longer function. After several trips to the technology help desk, my final solution was to have the entire computer wiped out and restarted. I was able to save all the important things like photos, music, and documents, but my computer was cleared of all data. I lost all my programs and things. When it restarted, it was as if it was brand new. It was a pretty sad day. This is what it looks like now, void of any personality.

Hands on Learning

I switched into an art history course, and while I think it's going to be difficult, I love it. Professor Mariotti takes us on-site once a week to explore the sites we talk about--it's crazy how much she knows. Plus, we get to see a lot of sites for free and I think I'll appreciate them a lot more than I would if I just went and looked at them. Today we went to a basilica. Needless to say, it was gorgeous.