Sono tornato dalla Svizzera!

Ciao Ragazzi,

I'm back in Florence today. We got in from Interlaken, Switzerland last night at about 11pm. It was the absolute most gorgeous place I'd ever been in my life. The mountains took my breath away. We took a bus with a group that runs trips from Rome and Florence and got into our hostel at about 4am on Friday. Friday afternoon I went Canyoning, which was one of the coolest experiences of my life. We wore wet suits and jumped off rocks and over waterfalls into the water in the canyons. It was so invigorating and I'm really proud of myself for doing it. I rappelled 25 feet down into the canyon to start, and then we did three jumps, another rappel, and a slide at the end. I walked behind two waterfalls. It was perfect.

The next day, my friend Mel and I took a train to a nearby town in the country. We took a lift up about a mile into the mountains and walked for an hour and a half along a trail at the top. The view was spectacular (pictures are on facebook). When we got to the end of the trail we took a lift down and landed in the Valley of the Waterfalls--which is exactly what it sounds like. We walked for another hour and a half back and saw about 6 waterfalls coming off the mountains to either side of us. There were creeks and streams near us and the water was so cold. The weather was perfect, a really nice break from the heat of Florence, and I absolutely have to go back to Switzerland.

I have a midterm due in Art History on Thursday that I should be able to finish today. We're going to Chianti for a wine tasting today, and then on Friday the study center is taking a trip to Rome. We're staying through Saturday, and we're only doing Ancient Rome so the Vatican is not on the agenda. Some people are staying an extra day to go to the Vatican on Sunday, and I want to, but I have to book a hostel and then get a train back so we'll see how that goes.

After Rome I only have a week and a half left. We have one week of classes after this weekend and then I have final exams. I'll be getting into Pensacola at 11pm on Wednesday, August 4th!

I'm so excited to see all of you and to be home again. I'm absolutely loving my experience here, even though it took me a while to get used to it, but nothing compares to family and friends. I'm excited to have a few days in Milton and then to ship off again to Tallahassee to attend RA training and start my Junior year. Time really does fly, but I'm loving every second of it.

Amore,

Athena