Tuscany!

This weekend was actually the result of a very last minute decision.  We had planned to go to the Cinque Terre, but when we went to book places everything was full!  Then we figured we would stay in Switzerland and explore somewhere new, but when we looked at the weather report almost everywhere in Europe was pouring rain.... except for Tuscany! So we did some research, booked a hostel, and hoped for the best!

We left Friday afternoon for Pistoia which is a smallish town in the Chianti region of Tuscany.  When we got there, the owner of  the hostel picked us up and drove us to the hostel.  This was absolutely the most amazing hostel ever! Infinity pool, private rooms, restaurant, 6,000 olive trees, wine made from the owner, and beautiful views!  We spent the evening eating a wonderful home cooked dinner and enjoying the company of our new Australian friends. 

On Saturday, we got up early and made our way to the train station.  When we got to the train station we had to change our plans up a bit, so we headed to Florence.  We spent a couple hours in Florence, then we had to head back because the owner of the hostel had to pick us up.  Florence was nice, but since I had already been there and there was so many people so I was ready to head back to our Tuscan Villa!

When we got back to the hostel, we had time to lay by the infinity pool for a couple hours.  This is exactly what I needed, some relaxation time.  According to the hostel owner it is Italian law to wear a swim cap in all pools.  So of course we had to abide!

After pool time, the hostel owner took us on a wonderful tour of the area and wine tasting with the Australians we met!  We saw the house where Da Vinci grew up and and beautiful mansion where the locals have events and parties.  Then we headed to a vineyard where he taught us how they make olive oil and wine.  After we headed down to the actual vines where we could pick and eat as many grapes as we liked.  They were so delicious, because the next day they were going to be harvested and made into wine.  Finally, they took us to a table where we had 4 bottles of wine from the vineyard, homemade bruschetta, salami, bread with olive oil, cheese, and cantaloupe.  It was unreal sitting in Tuscany, drinking local wine while watching the sunset.  Once we were done at the vineyard we headed to a local castle that we explored in the dark then back to the hostel! Such a lovely evening!

On Sunday we packed up our things, ate some breakfast, and headed down to the train station.  We jumped on the first train to a town called Lucca.  It is a city that is surrounded by huge walls. There were gorgeous buildings of white marble and elaborate churches.  We wandered into a fun local market and had yummy kebabs for lunch.  Now that we were out of the area by our hostel the weather started getting very gloomy with a couple sprinkles of rain here and there.  Before we knew it we found ourselves running through the pouring rain absolutely drenched.  We were obviously not prepared, but since it was still warm out we weren't that uncomfortable.  

We then hopped on a bus headed to Pisa.  The girls really wanted to get that typical tourist picture, so of course we made it happen... still looking completely drenched.  So many tourists, but the tower was just as amazing as it was 5 years ago.  I got some yummy real Italian gelato and then we made our way to the train station.  Little did we know what was in store for us.....

If there is one word you should know in Italian when traveling around Italy it is sciopero.  Yes, that means strike.  Apparently Italians love to strike about anything and Sunday the train workers felt like striking.  We didn't find this out until we go to the overly crowded train station in Pisa.  We went to buy our train tickets to Switzerland and the guy just laughed at us and pointed us away.  Luckily our group stayed very calm and collected, even though most of us had class at 8:30am the next day.  So, to make a very long story short, we took a bus to the airport, then a hour long shuttle to Florence, then a train from Florence to Bologna, got off at Bologna and saw that our connecting train was canceled.  So within seconds we hopped back on the same train, it took us to Milan where we arrived around 11pm.  From there we were unsure whether to wait for the train that would take us back to Lugano at 5am or take a taxi that would be really expensive.  For me, it is always about safety first and I did not like the idea of waiting/sleeping in the Milan train station as four American girls.  With a little pushing we caught a taxi and finally made it to Lugano at 12:45am! Home safely, I busted out my homework and got a little sleep in time for class in the morning.


This morning I woke up to see snow on the peaks of the mountains around the lake.  Who knew snow could make me so happy!?! I am so thankful to be in Switzerland, such a wonderful country!


This weekend I have some exciting adventures planned!

XOXO