Disturbing the Universe: My Final Hurrahs

With three days left of class and four days left in Florence, it's hard not to count down the days. As I have obviously already done. Finals, however, tends to distract one from the sadness as well as all the awesome food Florence has to offer. There's got to be hundreds of blogs just dedicated to the good eats, and here are my two cents:

1. The Diner - American diner. How American can I get?
2. Gelateria dei Neri - The best gelato around and it's not super crowded.
3. Grom - The second best gelato around and right next to the Duomo. One reason why hundreds of tourists are there every time I go.
4. Libreria Cafe la Cite - A cute coffee shop with a laid-back feel.
5. Kikuya - Good nachos, good drinks. Gets too crowded too fast, though.
6. Be Bop - No food, but great drinks and awesome live music. Tuesday Beatles nights!

Obviously I haven't done too much eating outside of my home stay, but I have been enjoying home-cooked meals every night. It's worth not spending 20 euros or so at some pizzeria as a student.

In the last week since coming back from Rome, I've been trying to study for finals (going slowly) and papers (even worse), but I have been spending a lot of time at my new favorite cafe, Libreria Cafe la Cite. It's a cute little place that is a lot bigger inside than it looks. I'm pretty sure they play live music too around ten at night. As the name suggests, it is part bookstore/library. People go in there all the time just to look at the books. It's a really cozy environment for anyone who wants to spend a euro-fifty on a cappuccino and sit on one of the couches to read or study.

Other than that, school's been school and everyone's been getting a little flustered about final projects and papers and all. Finals are stressful wherever you are, as I have quickly discovered.

One thing that spiced up my weekend was the trip to Tuscany. It would have been more beautiful if it wasn't raining, but it was still lovely. After checking out a monastery and a couple different churches, the fun part most of us had been waiting for finally came. We took a visit to Capezzana where our (incredibly attractive) tour guide showed us around the winery. After the tour, we had a little wine tasting session where we tried three different wines. It was so tasty and along with our tasting, he taught us how to drink wine properly. Like a refined connoisseur. I know I'm going to be showing off a little to everyone when I get the chance.

Besides that, this weekend was, well, really relaxed. Other people had their fun out late at night, but I enjoyed spending the rainy afternoons at La Cite drinking coffee and doing some work. Little cafes are the best finds in my opinion. Almost as great as finding amazing gelaterias. And attractive men whose families own an international (delicious) wine-producing vineyard. Together, they have the power to create...the happiest little American student around!