A Week in Italy!

I can't believe I'm writing about spending a week in Italy - I've always though it would be just a dream, and now I can say I actually did it! 

While I saw some of the most incredible, beautiful, and awe-inspiring sites and cities, I'm not going to pretend it wasn't a tough week for me. As most of you know, I have Celiac Disease and have to maintain a gluten free diet at all times, which is pretty tough in a country whose cuisine mainly revolves around pizza and pasta. With this in mind, I planned ahead and packed snacks in my suitcase to supplement the meals I knew I was going to miss out on. It was pretty hard for me to watch all my friends enjoying their pizzas and pastas while I ate salad after salad, but there were a few days that I found some great gluten free meals!

For instance:

Rome, Sunday night, I was able to get this delicious grilled fish:

Florence, Wednesday, most of the group went on an optional day trip to Tuscany for wine tasting, but I was feeling physically drained and needed a "Casey day" to get some energy back. For dinner I found a restaurant with gluten free "Vegetariana" pizza!! Yum!

Venice, Thursday night, I got delicious gluten free pasta with tomato sauce, basil, and fresh mozzarella:

That about sums up my "real Italian food" experience, but what I did get to have was delicious!!!

Now for the cities themselves - there is a lot to talk about!

I flew into Rome Sunday morning and immediately started a walking tour led by an awesome guy named Justin once I made it to the hostel. The weather was beautiful, sunny and mid-70's. Sunday, I saw the Parthenon, Vittoriano, Castel St. Angelo, Colosseum, and Roman Forums. The Colosseum was by far my favorite site, and I spent the longest time there re-living my childhood by scream-singing, "THIS IS WHAT DREAAAMMSSS ARE MADE OF" from the Lizzie McGuire Movie ;)

Monday was another day in Rome, and Justin led us around the city again to see more famous cathedrals, ending at the Vatican! We toured St. Peter's Basilica and I got to see the Sistine Chapel!! It was unbelievably beautiful. That night after dinner, Stacey, Allie, Meredith, Andy and I went to the Trevi Fountain to see it lit up at night. That was one of my favorite moments from the trip!

Tuesday morning we departed for Florence, and got there by train around 11 am. I loved Florence so much - it is smaller and more walkable than Rome, and it really feels like an authentic Italian city! Danny (our tour leader) took us on a walking tour of the city and we saw the Duomo cathedral, the river with gold market bridge, and the leather markets. I got myself a new Italian leather jacket for way too much money, but YOLO

Before dinner, Danny took us up to the hilltop on the other side of the river for sunset. The views were unbelievable!! Another favorite moment from the trip, for sure!

Wednesday I decided to stay in Florence in order to recuperate a little bit and find some real food, so I spent the day walking around the city and eating a lot. I also climbed the 463 steps to the top of the Duomo and had some more awesome views of the city!

Thursday morning, we left Florence on a bus for Venice!! Venice is truly one of the most beautiful and picturesque cities I have ever seen. The water made me feel so happy and at home, I could have easily spent another 2 days there. I rode on a gondola with Stefano (who sang to us at the beginning) and saw San Marco's Square. This was the night I finally got to eat pasta in Italy! So delicious!!

Friday morning we left Venice (sadness) for Milan, with a stop in Verona for lunch. Verona is a very pretty little city, but extremely rich. It is the city where Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet takes place, and I was able to see the wall and balcony where he got his inspiration! I also wrote a letter to Juilet and dropped it in the post box! The letters are actually read by a group of people and they write you a response eventually, how cool is that?!?! I can't wait to get my letter back from "Juliet" :)

When we got to Milan, I wasn't overly impressed because our hotel was pretty far from the city center. The only good thing was that we actually stayed in a REAL hotel with amazing accommodations!! Danny took us to see the famous Duomo cathedral which was absolutely huge and sorta creeped me out. This was the only city that I didn't care for - it just felt like another big city in any other part of the world.

Knowing I didn't want to spend all day Saturday in Milan, I took a train up to Lake Como with Allie, Meredith, Stacey and Chris!! I'm so glad I did because the views were stunning and the city was a lot of fun to walk around! There were some great street markets with tons of antiques. I saw sailboats and wanted to be on all of them at once even though that's not possible but yeah :'''')))))

My flight on Sunday got me back to London around 2:00 in the afternoon, and I'm honestly so happy to be back here - there's no place like "home"!! :)

I'm not going anywhere this coming weekend, so I'm exciting to finally have time to really explore parts of London that I haven't had the time to see yet! 



Lots of Love,
Casey

Paris - The City of Love and Lights!

This past weekend I went to Paris! Saturday morning at 7:30, we took the Eurostar from London under the English Channel and got to Paris in just over 2 hours.... pretty cool :)

I was so tired on Saturday from getting up at 4:45, but had a great day overall. The first thing we did after checking into the hotel was go on a walking tour to the Notre Dame cathedral. It was beautiful inside and out. I couldn't believe all the history of the statues and architecture as my tour guide described it. After that, we walked to the Louvre! Along the river, there are hundreds of street vendors that sell old books and prints, I wish we could have stopped and looked. I didn't get a chance to tour the inside of the Louvre, but I never knew how big that place actually is! I feel like it would take 6 months to walk through and see everything there.

We walked across the "Lock Bridge" - it's a famous bridge where couples write their names on a lock and place in on the bridge for good luck in love. :) 

Next, my tour leader left us to on our own, and my group walked to the Royal Opera House, yet another beautiful building in Paris! We then took the metro to the Eiffel Tower where we got some pictures, then found some dinner in the square there. By the time we were done, it was about 8 and we wanted to see the Tower sparkle at 9. I was in complete awe when the Tower lit up.... I never thought I'd see that in person!!! Words cannot describe how amazing of an experience that was. 

Sunday morning, we left on another walking tour of a section of the city called Montmartre. We walked to the top of a hill to a cathedral called the Sacre Couer, and the views of the city from the top were stunning. We were lucky to have a clear day! There was a food/tasting festival going on outside the cathedral, and I got 2 jars of fig jam. I may have a slight obsession with figs ;). We then left the Sacre Couer and walked around Montmartre - this part of the city was more of the typical quaint Parisian town you would picture when you think of France - and I think it was my favorite part of the city!

When the tour was over, my friend and I took the metro to the Arc de Triomphe, then found the Princess Diana memorial near the bridge where she died, and then walked to sit under the Eiffel Tower for a little while and eat lunch before heading back to the hotel.

Paris was an incredible experience and something I will never forget. I'm still reminding myself that I'm actually in Europe seeing these famous sites and cities in person! Incredible.

Lots of Love,

Casey

A Weekend in Edinburgh!!

This past weekend I went to Edinburgh, Scotland! We left Friday morning from King's Cross Station in London and it took about 4 and a half hours to get to Edinburgh by train. I woke up early in order to get to the station in time to take my picture at 'Platform 9 3/4' :D There was even an awesome Harry Potter gift shop where I got my one way ticket to Hogwarts!

I took a picture of some of the beautiful props and replica jewelry that I stared at longingly for a while wishing I could afford it all.... I think I actually liked this shop better than the Harry Potter Studio one, and that's saying something! So needless to say, this was a great start to my weekend :)

Can I have it all?

We left the station at exactly 9:30 am, and a group of my friends luckily got booth seating with a table! I really enjoyed the train ride, I definitely prefer seeing the landscape of wherever I'm traveling. And of course, the English countryside is beautiful! We even got to see the ocean for a little while as we got closer to Edinburgh. :)

Blurry ocean

Countryside

We got to Edinburgh around 2 pm and immediately set off on a guided bus tour of the city. I cannot even begin to describe how beautiful Edinburgh is - there is a view from everywhere!! The city is extremely hilly, but small enough to be easily walkable. 

Just a few minutes walk from the city center is a stunning volcanic hill - if you climb the path it's just over 3 miles - this city would be PERFECT for running if I lived there! I honestly wish I brought my sneakers and a pair of running clothes!! The views were unbelievable from the top. Looking to one side you can see both the Old and New Towns, and Edinburgh Castle perched at the top of the Royal Mile. Looking to the other side, you see a stunning valley with a lake and village. Absolutely beautiful; words cannot describe how much I loved it!

After the bus tour, we checked in at the hostel and then went to find dinner. Another reason why I love Edinburgh so much is because it is EXTREMELY easy to eat gluten free there. We went to dinner at a little bistro/cafe place, and the menu didn't look very promising for GF. I asked the manager if there was anything they could do for me, and she was extremely helpful and willing to make something special for me. I ended up with a baked salmon fillet, huge baked potato, peas, and a salad. Best meal I've had since I've been in the UK!

My friend and I walked around High Street in the Old Town, also called the "Royal Mile." I loved all the shops and street vendors on this street! Found some great souvenirs :)

Saturday morning, my friends and I toured Edinburgh Castle. The views were also stunning from here because it is located at the top of (another) hill :). After that, we shopped along the Royal Mile and then met up at 5 pm for the Harry Potter walking tour!! I won a wand from the tour guide, as well :D. I loved seeing JK Rowling's inspirations for characters (many of which came from the headstones in Blackfriars Graveyard). 

This was a little cutie statue that I loved and had to take a picture of:

Greyfriar's Bobby!

Saturday night was dinner at Mamma's American Pizza House - you should have seen how excited I was when I saw the huge sign outside saying "GLUTEN FREE PIZZA" :D I chose not to go to the pub after because I knew I wanted to be up in the morning to get more sightseeing in. A quick yoga session and shower and I was off to bed! 

Sunday my friend and I ventured into the New Town and had fun looking in the stores, but I definitely prefer the Old Town; it is more charming and the buildings are older, the shops and cafe's are quainter, and it just feels more like a quintessential Scottish town. 

For example, I loved this little alleyway:

Side note - we popped into this cafe and I got excited about this.....

..... until I saw "almond" -_-

We climbed Calton Hill, another of the many hills with monuments for viewing the beautiful city. We got lunch at Pizza Express (gluten free pizza again, no shame), and then it was time to meet for the trip home.

We left Edinburgh at 5 pm, and got back to London around 10:10 pm. I was a long ride but again, so beautiful.


Edinburgh has byfar been my favorite place, and I honestly wish I could go back for a visit!!


Lots of Love,
Casey