Mom and Dad in Florence!

Friday, November 19th - Tuesday, November 23rd

Mom and Dad at Piazzale Michelangelo 

I had a great time last week when my parents were in Florence. My dad started off the week in Germany, Amsterdam, and Switzerland to look at a couple drill sites and factories for his business. He was accompanied by my god parents, Michael and Jean Ryan. They had a great time and tried some unique German food. They took the train to Florence from Switzerland and had a rather “interesting” train experience. I think my dad realized he would much rather fly from place to place from here on out. My mom flew into the Florence airport  on Friday as well, and they all met at the hotel. My mom met me on the bridge near their hotel, which was so special. I will never forget seeing my mom at the other end of a long bridge, waving as big as she could and trying to get over to her as quick as I could. Such a memorable moment.

My mom and I enjoying the rainy day! 

That night, we went out to eat for Jean’s birthday at a restaurant right on the river near the Ponte Vecchio (famous bridge). Then I took them to my apartment for the “grand tour”. My mom thought it was pretty hilarious that I had no dryer for my clothes and literally had to hang them out to dry. I still don’t think its THAT funny. After this, we went to my favorite gelato shop for their first cone of the most delicious treat in the world. We walked along the river back to their hotel and hung out for the rest of the night. It was so nice to catch up after not seeing them for almost three months.

Mom and Dad with a couple big scoops of Gelato! 

Saturday morning, they had a tour at the Uffizi Gallery (largest museum in Florence) with my favorite tour guide, Bernardo. They loved all the beautiful paintings and the stories behind them. Bernardo does a really great job of almost bringing them alive. Then we headed over to Santa Croce, the large church in which many famous men are buried including: Galileo, Dante (father of language), and Donatello. It was pretty incredible to me that so many influential men were buried in one place. We stepped outside the church when the tour was finished and the sun was out! I was so happy we were finally getting a little good weather. Later in the afternoon, we took a taxi up to Piazza Michelangelo, which overlooks the entire city of Florence. It was very nice to see the sunset from this beautiful location. My mom, dad and I climbed all the way to the church at the top and were able to explore around in the huge cemetery behind the church before it was dark. My mom found a beautiful grave marker of a young bride and groom, dressed in his military suit. She later found out (after asking the monk working at the gift shop) that they were a brother and sister who died in their early twenties. Neither were married and their mother decided to dress them in their wedding outfits since they were never able to experience what could have been the happiest day of their life. It made the grave memorial that much more beautiful. After the sun set, we went back to the hotel and had a couple glasses of wine while relaxing in the beautiful lobby. I must say these were my favorite times of their visit. I loved being able to catch up with them and talk like we do at home.

The whole group after our tour at Santa Croce

Piazzale Michelangelo

The beautiful memorial my mom found
of the bride and groom.

Sunday went by pretty quick. They had another short tour in the morning with Bernardo, this time of Academia museum which houses the famous “David” statue. They were all very impressed with his massive size and beauty. They joked the rest of the weekend that David and my dad looked pretty similar. I would have to disagree, although it was a pretty funny thought. We headed to the huge leather market in Piazza Mercato and loaded up on some great leather goods that are as smooth as butter. I think my dad had a pretty good time bartering with all the sellers.

My dad and I enjoying some Gelato together

We all kind of did our own thing in the afternoon and before we knew it, the sun was setting and another day was done. On Monday, my parents and the Ryan’s headed off on a bus tour of  Sienna, San Giminano, and Pisa to see the famous leaning tower. I had some catching up on homework to do, so it really worked out perfect. They loved every city and were very happy with the tour. Although it rained, it did not put a damper on these beautiful villages in Tuscany. They also had a wine tasting and lunch at a small farm in Tuscany.  I’m so glad they had a good day.

My parents and god parents on their wine tasting
tour in Tuscany. What a beautiful view!

Tuesday was our last day together and was pretty laid back. I took my parents to the “ISA office”, which is where all our program coordinators work. They were happy to meet the women who take care of me so well over here. I think my program directors were excited to meet them too. They are all so sweet! I will really miss them when I am gone. My mom and I got some shopping done in the afternoon, which was so much fun. I love girls days with my mom, especially when it involves a little shopping!  Tuesday night, we went to a restaurant recommended to us by my Aunt Cheryl and Uncle Mark, that specializes in Florentine Bisteck (HUGE steaks). They brought the steaks out on these huge charcoal grills, so the meat stayed hot. My dad’s eyes kind of lit up when they were brought to our table. Such a cool way to be served.

Me with two of my program directors, Lucia and Sabrina. 

On Wednesday morning, I was a little sad to say goodbye to my parents after having such a great week with them, but excited to see my cousin Kara only a few hours after they left. However, it was much easier saying goodbye when I knew I would see them in three weeks instead of three months. I am so glad they were able to come and visit me. I know they are also very glad they had the opportunity to visit and see a little bit of Europe.

Me and my MAMA!