Showing posts with label travel blog. Show all posts
Showing posts with label travel blog. Show all posts
Sunday, June 21, 2015

Getting Screamed At By An Italian, A Reunion, and Bologna


Ciao darlings,

As I am writing this, I am sitting at my desk in my new home for the summer and listening to the lovely sounds of birds chirping outside and feeling the sun on my skin from my open window overlooking the countryside.

I am absolutely ecstatic to be here :D

After 12+ hours of traveling, my body is finally back in somewhat of a normal mode. I can wakeup at a decent hour and will start following a more regular schedule this coming week.

So what was I up to my first weekend? Well, I got to see a friend from college who is also living in Italy for the summer! She just recently graduated from my college and is definitely giving me an idea of what post-grad life will be like. What are the chances?!

I hopped on a train to Bologna, a very popular and central Italian city, from my little town and decided to explore the city this Saturday since I had never been to Bologna when I lived in Florence apart from leaving to England from their airport.

For starters, I am living in a small town near Verona and do not have huge stores to get to so I decided to take advantage of going to Bologna, join civilization by getting an Italian number, and not try to live off of Wifi while I'm here.

I went to a Vodafone to buy a SIM card (which was hella cheap for 3GB, 3000 texts, and 1,000 minutes for the month -- 25 Euros..HOLLA), although my phone still hasn't been unlocked thanks to AT&T -_-

So apart from the fact I couldn't understand everything the man at Vodafone was telling me, I apparently didn't take his advice on putting the SIM card in my phone and shutting it off although I asked if I could use my phone while it was activating. And I quote, just imagine a loud Italian accent, "WHY YOU DON'T(A) LISTEN TO ME!". And then I preceded to shut my phone off and thanked him as I laughed out the door.

Apart from getting a SIM card, we explored, chit chatted through the markets, went out for lunch (I FINALLY HAD PIZZA WOO), and walked around until our train rides home.


Asinelli Tower of Bologna
Fun Fact: These towers were distinct to Bologna--considered like the modern day Manhattan of the time

This huge tower was being graciously photobombed by construction. 






When I traveled all around Europe the past couple of months, I've collected dozens of photos of windows. I have a slight obsession with taking pictures of windows. Yes, I know that's weird as most would say.  So what is your weird obsession with windows? Well friends, apart from the architecture, it somehow is a "window" to the past. 
Get it? Ha Ha. 
Ok Kim, continue and stop torturing us with your corny puns. 
I also love to see windows that belong to inhabitants. They show their lifestyle in someway. How they live. What they wear. So anywhere I go I always find windows and they end up on my camera roll.

Italian Word of the Day: figo - trendy, cool
ex. Che figo!

I hope you have a fabulous end of your weekend and do stay tuned for my next post :) 
Catch all of my snaps and daily musings on social media all linked in the side bar <3 

P.S. 2 weeks until my 21st Birthday. OMG.

xoxo,

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Wednesday, June 3, 2015

European Travel | Do's, Dont's, Tips & More!


Who's ready for a European summer?! HOLLA. 

With so many new graduates and summer travel plans to Europe I see around the web, I would love to share my tid bits on traveling in Europe and anything that could help you on your voyage. 

I will also be spending my summer in Italy and will be able to speak more about summer travel but for now let's share all that I've learned after living there for 4 months and extend these tips for your travel! 





Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Revisiting My Bucket List


Ciao my loves! 


So I am finally getting back to this list (check it out if you haven't!) I made prior to spending 4 months in Italy as a study abroad student. I can't believe the best semester of my life is over and I am graduating this upcoming year. Epic sad-excited-scared-all emotions in one-face. I am absolutely excited to return to school after experiencing more than I will ever again in college within those months. 

I was able to visit: Venice, Verona, Positano, Rome, Capri, Pompeii, Nice,  Eze, Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Arrecife de Lanzarote, Morocco, Monaco, and London (I'm probably missing a few but many countries and cities!)

I cannot tell you how much I cried when I left Florence and had to head back home. I definitely left a piece of my heart in Italy and it will remain there forever <3 

Here are some fun ideas for any of you embarking on the semester of your life in Europe for study abroad or if you need ideas for your next European escapade. 

It is the moment of truth and I can finally share all that I accomplished on my study abroad bucket list!!

Without further ado...

Eat gelato for the very first time ✔️

Vivaldi Gelato Shop in Florence, Italy

Hike and view Florence from above ✔️

Piazzale Michaelangelo

Cappuccino it up at a local cafe ✔️

Go to an aperitivo...(or like a bunch) ✔️

Attempt to wear heels on cobblestone & catch it on camera ✔️




Have a fabulous night out including partying at a European night club ✔️


Venice & a gondola ride ✔️


Eat an entire pizza without any shame ✔️
*P.S. I did this way too often...evidence below*





Take a totally cliché pic with the Tower of Pisa ✔️


Go to a beach ✔️

Positano, Italy

Gran Canaria, Spain

Eze, France

Go to a soccer game ✔️

Side note: Don't ever go on a rainy day...NOT COOL.

Leave a note on Juliet's Wall (sort of...I touched her boob? Does that count?) ✔️
*adding this again to my Summer Bucket List!* 



Visit Platform 9 3/4 ✔️


Go inside a red telephone booth in London ✔️




Go to Vatican city ✔️



Visit the Coliseum ✔️



Go to the French Riviera ✔️

Monaco

Nice, France


Have an adventurous Spring Break ✔️
Go to Morocco ✔️

Hassan II Mosque

Rick's Cafe in Casablanca, Morocco


Go on a cruise ✔️


Ride a camel ✔️


Visit the Amalfi Coast ✔️




Make some fabulous new friends ✔️





And last but certainly not least...

Go on a date ✔️
*.... and maybe you'll meet someone completely out of the blue :) 




If you are about to embark on your study abroad adventure, I definitely advise you to make a bucket list and also leave your adventures to spontaneity because you never know what will happen...

xoxo,

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Monday, May 4, 2015

Motivational Monday | Thinking Outside the Box + H8ters

Eze, France 

Have you ever had an idea or thought and shared with someone to then be totally shut down or called crazy? Welcome to the club. I totally applaud you for your thinking and doing something or thinking of something most people would find insane. 

If you want something, go for it. The amount of people that will tell you that you are crazy or insane or not thinking logically are the people who are just assuring you that it is the right decision. I’m all for trying something new or even deciding to I don’t know live in a different country with an entirely different language, culture, and having no relatives or friends in it. Life is way to short to live ordinarily. Why not do something different? 

I’ll give you a recent example. So I had plans on interning this summer, working, and pretty much living up summer like I do every other year. Shore trips. Going to the gym. Hanging out with friends and family. I had a random source of inspiration while traveling in France and completely decided that I wanted to do something different this summer. I could always do an internship during my last semesters of college. If I got one, I know I will be able to get another. As for doing the same mundane tasks and activities over the summer like going to the shore? I could live without that. So what to do? I have spent a period of 4 months in one of the most interesting, beautiful, and captivating areas of the world. I do not want to leave. When I want something, I do not care how I will make it happen but it will happen. Being that I have some other reasons for staying here for the summer, I thought why not leave this summer up to adventure and just do something absolutely crazy. Thus, I will be an au pair for a wonderful Italian family in Verona for the summer! Not only will I be able to learn Italian, teach English in return, I can train and swim with the kids I will be watching. I could not tell you how perfect this worked out. In addition, I’ll be able to travel while I’m here :D 
Thinking outside the box will do wonders. Did my parents and friends think I was slightly crazy or gone nuts when I decided this? Totally. Did I care? Nope. You can’t base your decisions on someone else’s thinking. I personally don’t think all that rationally and would rather do something different or unexpected. Thus, here I am, planning my summer in Italy. 
I am very blessed to have the opportunity to go home before I come back for the summer to see my family and friends. Will it be expensive? Yup. Am I going to miss home? You bet. Are either of those reasons going to stop me? Not one bit. 


If you want something bad enough, you will do anything and everything to do it. So if you want to quit your job and travel the world. Do it. If you fail, lesson learned. That’s what life is all about. Quit living in fear of making mistakes and just embrace them as they come along. 

xoxo,
Saturday, April 4, 2015

It's Wanderlust: A Reunion, Doing as the Romans Do, & Posing in Pisa


Ciao my loves!

I have been quite MIA and have been busy making memories in Europe.
I have quite a few posts to dedicate to my adventures these past few weeks so definitely stay tuned for those!

To begin, I want to share all about the fun I was able to have when my best friend (who takes a lot of my outfit pictures at home and is the best at the them of course) came to visit me in Florence!

We were able to explore Rome, enjoy Florence, and catch up for sure. Funny how after not seeing each other for so long it felt like we had never left each other. Plus, a few fights definitely happened but that's the norm for true best friends. I love her to death and was so happy she came all the way to come visit me for her Spring Break.

As always our adventures were full of shopping, shenanigans, and eating a whole lotta gelato.


We were able to visit Rome for a day and we tried our best to go to every spot imaginable. Unfortunately, The Trevi Fountain was under construction so we were not able to have the atypical Lizzie McGuire-throw-a-wish moment but we did anyway and thankfully did not hit any construction workers in the process. 



My grandma will be very proud to hear that I went to Vatican City as well and saw Papa Francesco from a tiny minuscule window that is his office. 


The Trevi Fountain

The Pantheon

The Pantheon 

We were able to take a billion selfies in front of the Coliseum after getting lost in Rome and having a minor heart attack because our tour guide and group left us. Disaster avoided, we made it to the Coliseum. 

In addition to our escapade in Rome, we made a day trip to Pisa that is thankfully not that far from Florence. The area literally only has the tower and a Duomo to look at apart from men trying to sell you selfie sticks and watching people try to get a good picture. The area looked like a karate convention or people who look like they enjoy looking like weird statues if you didn't know it was all for a picture with this very funny looking tower. 

I could not have imagined anything better than having a little piece of home and of my heart come visit me in Italy! 


Next: Spring Break 2015, Exploring Africa, Getting Horrible Tan Lines, and Beaching It Up in Spain? 

xoxo,

Meet Kimmy

I'm Kimberly, a Latina lifestyle blogger and total wine enthusiast. Welcome to the party!

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