I've got a golden bici!

Pronounced "bee-chee," short for bicicletta or BIKE! It's solid gold and very sassy, if I do say so myself. I used to bike in NYC alot, so I'm happy to have a one here as well. Except all the cobble stone makes for quite the bumpy ride. Every Italian has one and it's a wonderful way to get around and see the city. On a golden chariot, even! Pictures coming soon, my digital camera isn't working.

Last night was my friend's 21st birthday, so we all met up for dinner at one of our favorite spots. It was about a 7-10 minute walk from my apartment and we wanted to arrive in style, so I drove one of my roommates on the back of my bike to the restaurant! Fairly successful, but much more difficult than they make it look. When I was in Amsterdam I saw all these beautiful people effortlessly biking families of four one one bicycle. Not as easy as you'd think. But fun, nonetheless!

Last Wednesday my friend PJ and I played a show at a local pub, Lion's Fountain. It was a lot of fun, we handed my guitar back and forth and supplied the crowd with some Eagles and Michael Jackson covers, as well as a couple acoustic Beyonce/Rhianna/Britney crowd-pleasers. Lots of classic rock and folk... my Tennessee was showing. My friend Blake jumped up for a couple songs, too, and in the end we fulfilled our two hour set requirement and had a really great time. Hope everybody else did, too. The best part is we got paid. A lot. Thanks to the overwhelming number of people who showed up - see you next week!

Only damper on my past week was that the afternoon before the gig on Wednesday I got pickpocketed on the bus. My whole wallet - gone. Sometime between buying a bottle of water at the San Marco bus stop and getting off the bus at campus my wallet got grabbed out of my purse. In America people pickpocket for the adrenaline rush or for extra cash but in Italy, for many people, it's their career. They're good at it. It happens so frequently, but I'm just disappointed that I was negligent enough for fifteen minutes to get it stolen. Good news is I had my passport and debit card at my apartment so I only lost cash, a credit card, and some sentimental items. Could be a lot worse, so that's the good news.

I think it's about time to take a spin around this wonderful town on my golden bici!

Thanks for keeping up!

Love,

B

Boh!

Picked up a copy of the newspaper "The Florentine" a couple days ago and found a particular little encouraging blurb:

"Florence is home to many expats: those who have longed to live here, those who have found love and moved here, and those who have come to Florence and felt immediately at home. Many people arrive in the city at a point in their lives when they feel a desire to redefine themselves: whether they were not completely happy, were searching for something new, or were looking for love, it seems that those who come to Florence are reborn. Florence will always be the 'cradle of the Renaissance' for the art world, but it also welcomes people of all walks of life who are seeking to follow their hearts."

Can't wait.

Also, I bought a guitar. It's pretty and red and I am experiencing the wonderful pain and pleasure of redeveloping my callouses.

And I got a haircut! By a very nice Moroccan man.

Things are good! Rainstorms all week, but makes for great puddle jumping!

I've met some amazing people outside of the NYU program and that's keeping me happy and excited. Also, my photography class is incredible. I'm learning so much about art and about myself. Shooting, processing, and developing film is very tedious, patient work. We all know those are definitely not traits that come easily to me. Ha! So many chemicals, so many machines, so many negatives. So much happy.

I'll leave you with a blurb from another article in The Florentine about the different ways Americans and Italians argue:

"Filippo was right. Angry English-speakers sharpen silence like a weapon meant to sting. For most, icy calm makes a far superior argument than argument itself. To say that Italians get fiery rather than frigid is more banal than sliced bread for breakfast, yet the theory is never quite as memorable as its practice. Get Italians mad and their verbal battles will give new meaning to the words snap, crackle, and pop. Their speech gives rise to sky-high fireworks that, in reality, bark more than they actually burn."

To my knowledge, I haven't made any Italians mad yet.

Can't wait for that either.

xo

B

Pics from the Arno and Boboli Gardens

Ciao!

I made it!

I left August 18th for Amsterdam, arrived the 19th and had a wonderful few days with Grayson, Eric, and Evan wandering about the city. What a gorgeous place! Canals, bicycles, beautiful people! I had some of the best food I've ever eaten. It was a very nice introduction to Europe. Grayson and I continued on to Bruges, Belgium (yes, like the movie In Bruges) and had a wonderful time in a beautiful place. The city has so much character and history - really charming! After that I ventured on my own by bus, two trains, and another bus to the airport in Brussels, Belgium where I took a flight to Pisa, Italy.

I met an angel Italian couple on the bus from the train station in Brussels to the airport who put some of my things in their bags. I couldn't believe it! Evidentally Ryanair (the airline I took) has a MUCH more strict weight limit than any American airline. I had to wear six shirts and two pairs of pants through security but I was able to bring both of my (honestly smaller than you'd expect) bags on board. But - finally Italy! Pisa looked similar to Amsterdam with canals and tourists, but even the locals will tell you there's not much to see other than the leaning tower which was, undoubtedly, pretty breathtaking.

The next morning I took a train to Florence and a taxi to the La Pietra NYU campus. I've never seen anything like it, pictures don't even do it justice. My apartment is beautiful, though a 45 min trip from campus. I have 4 roommates, two girls from NYU (Tisch, CAP21 of all places), my roommate is from Duke University, and there's a girl from Carnegie Mellon. Nice girls. We have a huge kitchen with a six foot glass dining room table. So far I really love Florence, it's very different than I expected and it looks and feels like a very old, beautiful New York City which is interesting. At least around my apartment.

No complaints! Except for the weather. HOT. ALL. DAY. EVERY. DAY. No wonder people take siestas in the afternoon in Italy, by about 3:30 I'm so exhausted from the heat a nice nap is in order - which I've been taking every chance I get! There have been optional orientation events on campus each day, a few of which I've gone to but I've spent most of my time getting happily lost in the city and finding my way around. I'm trying to speak in (broken) Italian as much as possible and I'm definitely learning. I'm excited to actually take an Italian class while I'm here to help me learn.

Speaking of, classes start on Monday. As of right now I'm taking a Photography class, Drawing and Painting, History of Italian fashion, and Italian language. I'm so so so excited for these classes, but I'm notorious for switching my schedule around once classes start so it may change a bit. I'll keep you updated.

I just cooked myself some dinner and I'm enjoying a glass of wine while looking out the window at my beautiful view. I don't have any pictures of my view yet, but I'll post when I take them. For now, I'll leave you with a few pictures of my adventures so far. I forgot to charge my camera before I left so I don't have many pictures of Amsterdam, but Bruges and Pisa and Florence are well documented!

Thanks for visiting! Missing you all!

xo

Bailey