It's Christmas Time in Zug and I'm Thankful to be a European.

Hey guys :)  I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving in the good ol' U.S.A.

Mine was surprisingly perfect. I had dinner with my friend Jamie and her host parents Mads and Genia.

They are a really cool couple, they met in law school at Boston University, and after they got married they lived in New York City for a few years before moving here. So they've had a good few Thanksgivings.  Genia is an amazing cook! The four of us had a nice little grown up dinner after Sasha and Sofie went to bed.  Red wine, turkey, and all the sides you'd come to expect at a proper Thanksgiving. Not bad at all considering I originally thought I would spend that Thursday in my room after work. 

I don't think I can say it enough but I feel incredibly lucky to be living the life that I do.  I haven't done anything specific to deserve the people I have in my life, but they are there none the less so I chalk it up to sheer luck.  

Not many people can say that they picked up and moved to a different country at the age of 22.  Though I do get to say, "I live in Switzerland!" That sentence would not be coming out of my mouth if it were not for Jen Cowan.  J, I don't think I'll ever be able to express enough gratitude for the wonderful situation you've put me in!  I'm really thankful for you and this experience. Thank you thank you thank you!

Allow me to elaborate on what I mean when I say I am so lucky.  What I am most thankful for in this life is my ability to meet the BEST of people and form lasting friendships with them :)  You guys all mean so much to me! My wonderful group in Pensacola who have remained close all of these years.  All the amazing friends I have in Jacksonville!  I find that I have been exposed to some of the most kind hearted, genuine, and hilarious people one could hope to be friends with. 

Each and every one of you bring so much to the table, you have all enhanced my life in so many ways :)  And Zug has been no exception. 

Tonight I had dinner with some good friends, Tom, Michelle, and Matt.  Tom and Michelle are the kind of people who instantly make you feel welcome.  After all, they have only known me a short time and yet they have invited me into their lives and have quickly made me feel like Zug is my home.  I was skyping my parents this afternoon at starbucks when Tom called me and said, "Hey we want you to come over for dinner, we're making fondue so just head over soon."  They are so sweet and so hospitable.  

Some authentic swiss fondue + white wine + good people = a perfect Sunday evening. 

It's just such a warm feeling to know that no matter where I go in this life and no matter what I do, it seems there will always be amazing people around who offer their friendship to me. And for that I am truly thankful!

(A parting note:  Get ready for some serious travel blogs coming your way!!

I am headed to Liverpool and London for Christmas!  Spain in February and Ireland in March!

Also I am moving out of the convent and into an apartment with my soon to be roommie Matt in January!!)

 

All you need is Italy.

My Favorite statue in Florence

A view from the top of the hill at sunset.

8 euros for an authentic Italian Pizza, a glass of beer, and if you're lucky a nice view.

I LOVE ITALY! I was debating on what to title this blog and my mind was racing. There is so much I want to say about Italy, how do you boil down an amazing experience into one sentence? I did my best because truthfully I think Italy is perfect and if I had died on the train ride home, you all should know I would have died happy.  

I was in Florence for 5 wonderful days. So much happened so I'll try to condense it into a short blog with only the best details, though I think that will be next to impossible because as I said, the entire experience was just perfect. 

FOOD: Phenomenal, and all other adjectives that mean extraordinary. I don't think I will ever be able to eat pizza or ice cream again. I've had a taste of the real thing and now no other imitation will compare. 

(Side Note: The food tasted that much better because Switzerland prides their food selections on being flavorless. The blander the better! Unless of course we're talking chocolate or cheese, but that's it!)

We had gelato for lunch every day...no big deal. 

Favorite Dish = Tiramisu and Latte...Oh My God...Best. Ever!

SIGHTS: I myself could easily spend an entire day roaming around a museum. I'm that person that likes to read every description of the painting or sculpture that you are looking at.  And I am happy to report that we got a ton of sight seeing done. We saw "The David", Michelangelo carved it out of one giant piece of stone in 1502. That was probably my favorite thing that we paid to see. Just to be standing in front of something so historical. I mean Michelangelo carved it! It was so surreal! The detail on the statue is insane, we all stood in front of the David, and walked around it for somewhere around 20 minutes, just marveling over it's beauty, this one work of art!

 I'm so happy I left Florence checking that off of my list. 

We also went to the Medici castle and palace. Jamie is obsessed with the history behind the Medici Family. They ruled over Florence in the 1500s and it was so cool to see the beds they slept in, the sinks and fire places they used, the paintings and statues they collected.  I loved seeing these places with Jamie because she was like a personal guide, she knew a lot about them and I love that kind of stuff.  I have a serious passion for the the Kennedy family, so I really enjoyed learning about the Medici's from her. I made a mental note to pick up a book about them and further my knowledge. 

The Duomo: Skip it.

Seriously, I was so unimpressed. Not much to it.  A couple of murals, nothing comparable to the others we saw in different buildings. 

NIGHT LIFE:  We were fortunate enough to have Jamie's friend from high school, Stephanie, showing us around and taking us out each night. She is in Florence studying photography for the semester.  Florence is packed with Americans studying abroad. I never realized how comfortable I had become with being in an area where all you hear is German, until I got to Florence. It kind of annoyed me that everywhere we went we heard Americans speaking English. Come on, we're in Italy! But that's just a personal pet peeve I developed while there. 

It was great hanging out with Steph and her friends because we went to bars and night clubs every single night and had many intense flip cup competitions at the hostel, which served as our pregames for each night. 

(Always in my heart Team Cola!)

Steph was such a great sport when we dragged her around for shopping, dinners, and asked her annoying touristy questions. Thanks for the hospitality Steph! You are such a cool girl, I loved getting to know you, you made my first Italian experience that much better!

Something I didn't expect to get out of this trip: The realization of a culture, and I'm not talking about Italian.

Our first night in our hostel we met a girl from Canada named Stefanie. She was back packing through Europe by herself. This was my first time staying in a hostel and I haven't met many backpackers. I thought it was both weird and brave of her to be doing something like that on her own. She kind of looked at me like I was crazy for thinking such a thing.

As the week went on I realized that most people who are backpacking are doing it alone. And it's a funny concept to think that someone who is backpacking solo is alone, because in all actuality they couldn't be further from it. 

At one point in our trip my new friend Elyse (also a nanny in Switzerland, from Canada) said to me, "Don't you feel above all of the backpackers? We actually LIVE in Europe!" 

I agreed with her, I love being able to say that I am living in Switzerland. Especially when I meet an American who is just passing through.  But as I became more aware of the 'backpacking culture' I decided that I didn't feel so lucky.  These people are out on their own wandering around the world, meeting new people, making new friends, and experiencing new places every single day. 

WHAT A LIFE! 

I was jealous, I am jealous. 

It planted a seed in me that I know will only continue to grow the longer I'm here; I MUST KEEP TRAVELING! I want to find a way to travel for the rest of my life. The best plan I have thus far, is that I will go back to the states and become a teacher; save money during each school year, and spend each summer break backpacking in various parts of the world. Done! 

Gelato..or should I say Heaven

First Night/Dinner in Florence

Happy Saint's Day!

Halloween is not really celebrated by the Swiss. Thankfully though, they do give you the day off for All Saint's Day. November 1st, conveniently right after Halloween, so if you do celebrate then you have the entire following day to nurse your hangover.

My friends and I went to our local watering hole, Pickwick's an english pub. Here are pictures from Halloween festivities that my good friend and fantastic photographer Matthew James Byrne took =)

papa paparazzi

Me and Jamie

Ha, these two pics I just love! Oh Jamie... ;)

Matt, Jamie and I are leaving for Florence, Italy in two days! I can't wait to eat real Italian food. 

Hopefully I will have a nice blog post to share with you all when I return!

Sending LOTS OF LOVE to YOU (Jacksonville, Pcola, Otown. And other various areas of the country in which my family lives)

xxxxxxxxxxoooooooooooo