No school just travel
It's been a while since I have sat down and written anything about traveling, life in Florence and all the amazing things I have been eating recently, so sorry about the delayed catchup. A Lot has happened since my last post talking about Lisbon and my spring break travels. Pretty much directly after spring break, Grace stayed in town for another week in Florence, living life alongside me and seeing what all the city has to offer. I ended up traveling with her to Milan after realizing earlier that week that my supposedly everyday italian class wasn't actually starting until March 24th, so I ended up having way more time on my hands than predicted. In the end, it was a blessing and a curse. From being a full time student for over 13 years and rarely having more than a couple days off of education except for the select holiday breaks, I went a bit stir crazy. Anyways, after parting ways at the train station I made it a personal mission to embark on a solo trip to lake como, starting the trip in the city of Como where I stayed alone at a hostel in town and then traveling the next day to Lecco where I stayed in another hostel. The goal of this trip was to see if i could do it. Could I handle the challenges of social anxiety, meeting strangers in two separate hostels, navigating the bus and train systems in northern Italy and finding enough things to do to fill my time?
The first day and the second day were pretty mellow, trying to stay dry from the insane amount of rain that was pouring down 24/7, meeting new people and going on walks. The whole experience was less intimidating than I expected and very ego boosting considering my soloness during the whole thing, having undivided time to think, walk and listen to good podcasts. I managed to get a good burger from the restaurant below my room in the second hostel before attending the funeral service of my grandfather via facetime. That whole experience was a bit crazy, sitting in my hostel bedroom in lake como, watching my whole family congregate at home for a big moment while I sat alone in northern Italy. Not very often you get to say you went to your grandparents' funeral in Lake Como.
The first big trip after my spring break adventures was my short weekend away in Malta with a few friends I met through my sister’s ex-boyfriend's sister. I only say that because the connection is still so funny to me, that I have met such a dear and sweet friend because of a friendship that ended. Anyways, Ellie and two of her close friends took the hour and a half flight from Milan to Malta on March 8th. Malta was so unexpected and lovely, somewhere like no other, truly because of the cultural fusion of southern italy, greek architecture, and middle eastern inspired foods. We swam in the Med both days, got the best chocolate croissant of my life, walked around Valletta, the older city and explored our side of the island, Silema. The trip was way too short but it gave us a good taste of Malta life and I cannot wait to go back.
Life in Florence during those weeks, between trips, was daily dull. I think I have realized that I thrive on having a routine, so when there is no class pulling at my attention, my days feel long and slightly purposeless. I found new walk routes in Florence, some new coffee shops and had a lot of time to do yoga, read my fantasy books series and spend time in my apartment.
