Venice was amazing. this was my 2nd time going, and it was just as beautiful as i remembered it. a city on the literal edge of the water. outstanding stuff, i tell you. 

a bit of unfortunate news however: i didn’t take any pictures. A) my camera’s memory card is currently MIA and B) i was sick. so MASSIVE bummer. but i think i can dig up some old pics from when i was there 2 years ago on my computer. 

so Nero, our art history professor at school, traveled with us and gave us an extensive tour of all the important monuments and buildings on the island. learned a lot. the Church in San Marco’s square is breathtaking! the ceiling is gold mosaic and took about 700 years to complete. incredible!

later on, we had our group dinner. i love those things. however this time, we had a 4-5 course meal, and that ladies and gentlemen, is where our problem begins. i find that when FREE meals are presented to you here in Italy, you TAKE them no matter what, and you eat as much as you can. it sounds gluttonous, but we only get 1 a month. it’s like being invited to a rich friend’s house when they throw their seasonal/holiday party a couple times a year; you accept the invitation cuz you know the party will be a hit, the food will be good, and it’ll be an expensive free meal. WHY WOULD YOU DECLINE? the food was delightfully amazing, of course. 

as you can imagine by what i said earlier, i woke up feeling rather…ill. now, i’m not sure what it was exactly, but i tell ya, it got worse as the day went on. THANK GOD FOR MOTRIN AND KATI MCFARLAND. 

so the 2nd day in Venice was less lovely on account of my worsening state, but it was cool nonetheless. In the morning, we visited the Academia and got a brief history on Venetian style and WHY it’s better than the Florentine style (in summation, the Venetian’s went for a less strict style and form and focused more on discovery of different styles and use of colors, while the Florentine’s were strictly business in style and form). interesting, indeed. 

then in the afternoon, we visited the Guggenheim museum. Nero gave us another lecture, this time focusing more on modern art, and teaching us what modern art and futurism really is. As you can imagine, the Guggenheim was filled with Picasso, Modigliani, Pollack, Italian futurists, and many, many more. a very educational day, indeed.

so i was supposed to stay in Venice another day, however, by the time Guggenheim was over with, i needed to go home, and so here i am, in bed, getting my day started. still feeling largely crappy, but better than yesterday (i did go to bed at 10:30 last night). 

well, i’m off to get some work done on my depressing Nero paper. ciao ciao 

so, naturally, it was a terrace day. it’s GORGEOUS outside. in fact, it’s even HOT!

i woke up around 1 by Ben telling me to get out on the terrace. so i shower, and get fully dressed for a typical cold day, only to discover, once out on the terrace it was so so hot. so i went downstairs, realized i didn’t have a bikini and just decided to put on shorts and find a sports bra or something. i did so, and went upstairs to the terrace and soaked up the sun. see, i had a Stella Artois, beers were passed around, the sun was soaked up…unfff glorious.

so i’ll be uploading pictures from today’s lazy adventures, but in the meantime, i’ll be cooking up some pesto pasta and some italian pesto grilled cheeses…my specialty.

since i’ve been back from Spring Break, i’ve just had this overwhelming sense of homeyness here in Florence. this place, if it wasn’t before, really and truly is my home. i had this discussion with Ben the other day and everyone here can agree how much they feel at home here. 

we have about 42 days left before the program ends, and i’m beginning to realize how much i want to stay forever. obviously, if film school weren’t SO important to me, i’d find a way to stay…kinda. please don’t think i’m not interested in film school anymore, but when you LIVE IN ITALY, Tallahassee pales in comparison. 

so i’m really enjoying my time here. i’ve been spending a lot of time outside on our terrace this week. the weather is warming up just a bit, and we’re getting that yellow-orangy glow.

i’m loving life right now. gonna spend the evening tonight at Gusta Osteria and chillin’ on the terrace with everybody and drinking port and maybe a Stella?

i’ll be back. miss you guys.

p.s. my Mom and Bridget are coming to visit me next week!