Florence ● Italy

I couldn’t think of a better way to wrap up my adventure than ending it in the city where my love for traveling began. Florence was my temporary home for four weeks, but I still feel like I left a part of me here two summers ago.

We arrived in Florence late at night via car after stopping in Portofino, Cinque Terre and Pisa. I spent the next two days hitting all my favorite spots from my study abroad days – my old apartment, favorite sandwich shop, Salumeria Verdi, and more. We climbed the Duomo tower for the panoramic city view, and hiked up to Piazzale Michelangelo and the Basilica di San Miniato al Monte. The Florence skyline from there was as breathtaking as I remembered.

This past month has been unbelievable. I traveled through four countries, experienced cities I never thought I would make it to, and made memories that will last a lifetime. I’m so grateful to have had the chance to see the world's beauty once again.

Until next time…

Basilica di San Miniato al Monte

Piazza di Santa Croce

Owner of the World's Greatest Panini Shop: Pino

My Old Study Abroad Stomping Grounds: Via Ghibellina

Cinque Terre ● Italy

When my Dad first started talking to me about planning this trip a year before, I told him Cinque Terre was a must. After doing a Cinque Terre daytrip when I studied abroad, I decided it was one of the most beautiful and interesting places in the world.

Cinque Terre translates to “Five Lands,” or five towns. The small coastal villages are connected by narrow roads, a train and a rather steep hiking path. Our driver dropped us off at Monterosso, the largest of the five towns, for an afternoon lunch and some sightseeing time.

Cinque Terre has amazing seafood dishes – not hard to believe considering its location. And after eating a large and delicious lunch, you can take to the walking paths to burn it all off. We climbed up a steep hill to the base of the Hotel Porta Roca, which gave us a great view of the bright waters and green plants below the cliffs.

The only downside to Cinque Terre is the “getting there” part, considering it’s pretty secluded. I much prefer the train route to the winding-road car route, but either way, it’s so worth the trip. If you make it to Italy, don’t miss out on this region unlike any other.

Portofino ● Italy

After the Monte Carlo “missing ship fiasco,” we were hoping for much smoother sailing as we disembarked the ship in the morning. We hired a driver to take us from the final port to Florence (where we would end our trip) with a few stops in between.

Portofino was first, and our time there seemed much too short. When I studied abroad in Italy a few summers ago, Portofino was one of the places I wanted to see but didn’t have the time. The way the pastel-colored buildings contrasted the bright blue water, I’ve never seen such beautiful colors. We spent the time we had there by the docked ships, sipping cappuccinos and eating gelato at a café. Not a bad way to spend the afternoon at all. Then, it was back in the car and off to Cinque Terre.

Monte Carlo ● Monaco

To say today was a bit of an adventure would be quite the understatement. Let me start from the beginning…

The cruise ship dropped anchor just outside the port of Monte Carlo in the early morning. A quick tender ride into shore and we were off exploring the city.

Monte Carlo is amazing. The streets that wind up from the sailboats docked below set the track for the Grand Prix. And at the top of these winding streets sits the Hotel de Paris (F. Scott Fitzgerald's writing location) and the world-famous Casino Monte-Carlo, featured in Bond movies. My sister and I decided as soon as we were up in video poker, we would cash out. So 30 minutes later we walked away two Euros richer.

We then headed to the aquarium, which had the best lookout point. Here’s where our trouble started. When we looked out over the water, our ship was missing. Thinking that our bearings were wrong, we shrugged it off. But as we made it down to the port and saw a huge crowd of people, it became obvious: our ship stranded all its passengers.

The waters were so rough that the ship lifted anchor and bailed. A few hours later, we were on charter buses, driving into the night to get us to an entirely different port than our itinerary read. The whole thing was a mess – especially considering our passports and luggage were all still on the ship while we crossed Italy's border.

I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy to get off a bus in my life.