Tre Buon Compleannos

Ciao cuties!

I hope that everyone's happy and having a great day.  I've been thinking of the Silver Sands boardwalk....

There are certain times that I believe are spent best at home.  I have shared every birthday with my family up until my first year of college.  Celebrating so far away from Mom, Dad, and Chris this year broke my heart a little bit.  Since I've gotten here, I've been wishing that my parents could see what I see... as my 20th came up, I wanted them to be in Florence more than ever.  Regardless of that sad tidbit, I had an awesome weekend with people who I adore.

There were three birthdays, one after the other... starting with mine on the 25th, Sarah's on the 26th, and Jackie's on the 27th!  The weekend was a non-stop party!  If I could relive those four days over again I would.  

On Thursday night, I whipped out the sparkly gold top-- shout out to Caitlin-- and went with all of my roommates to Shot Cafe, where I met up with a bunch of friends.  It may have been a few hours short of my real birthday, but people were really sweet.  My girls cheered with drinks that were on fire!

Roomies-- Going out to play

LOVE them!

Afterward we headed over to Astor and hung out for a bit more.  At that point in the month there were more American students who arrived in Florence for their study abroad programs, so I met a couple of new faces.  A group of us ended up leaving Astor to mosey over to one of Florence's finest gems, the "Secret Bakery!"  

A note about the Secret Bakery:  It is hard to understand the concept behind this fantastic Italian treasure unless you witness it in person.  Basically, for about two hours (between midnight and 2 a.m.) a wholesale bakery opens up in a back alley in the middle of the city.  Not many people know where it is, but Brad is a phantom of the night (and knew the address) so he led us there.  A "security guard" makes every person whisper and form a line outside of the door.  One at a time, a person can enter the bakery, order a pastry or piece of pizza, and then quietly leave.  The reason behind the sneaky aspect of the business is that in Italy, it's illegal to sell food past a certain time of night.  I got a warm chocolate cornetto, which I totally dropped on the ground.  The section that I did eat was soooooo good though.  To anyone interested in visiting Florence in the future, definitely check out this bakery.... if you could find it!

The next day, I hiked to Piazza Michelangelo with Margo and Hannah.  I wanted to check out one of the best views of Florence.  There were a lot of stone steps to the top, but it was all outdoors and the incline was nothin' compared to climbing the Duomo.  Fantastic overlook.  Everything could be seen from Michelangelo-- Belltower, Ponte Vecchio, the Arno, and a spitting image of the Great Wall of China.  

Piazza Michelangelo

The rest of the day was filled with great food and great people.  Gusta Pizza (my favorite spot) for lunch, and Il Gato e Volpe for a family-style dinner-- Antipasto, bread dipped in thick balsamic, pastas, and wine.  Kim surprised me with gorgeous flowers from the market and a sassy chihuahua card.

Salute (Cheers) !!!

I traveled to Pisa and Lucca during the day on Saturday, but at night we celebrated Sarah's 21st birthday at Lion's Fountain and Uncle Jimmy's!  The song of the night was "Thrift Shop" by Macklemore.  

"Only got two euros in my pockettttt!"

Jackie's birthday dinner at Acqua al Due and a ride on the carousel in Piazza Republica wrapped up the birthday weekend on Sunday!  I have a feeling that future birthdays will have a hard time competing with my 20th.  For the entire weekend in Florence, I was surrounded by such amazing friends.  The moments that I shared with them will be imprinted in my memory forever. 

"We grow neither better nor worse as we get older... but more like ourselves."

- May Lamberton Becker

Never growing up!

Ciao ciao, keep it real!

-A