T-G-I-F Playlist of the Day

TGIF! To help you get through your Friday, here's a little musical remedy to kick start your weekend... First on the list: A prescription from the Dr.... Dr. Dog that is. I present to you, Dr. Dog's, "Heart It Races."

1.  Dr. Dog - Heart it Races
2. Starf*cker - Rawnwald Gregory Erickson the Second
3. Spoon - I Turn My Camera On 
4. Beck - I Think I'm In Love 
5. The Whitest Boy Alive - The Golden Cage (Fred Falke Remix)
6. Empire of the Sun - We Are the People (Shazam Remix)

Hope you all have a magical, fun-filled weekend full of lollipops and unicorns

xx

MAMBO ITALIANO

Day 7: Torre Degli Asinelli-- A Bird's Eye View of Bologna

Lushly covered green mountains as far as the eye can see sprinkled with pink brick-colored buildings which become more abundant as  you draw your eyes closer to the city--this is my view atop one of Bologna's famous towers, "Torre Degli Asinelli." The tower leans at a slight angle and stands 97.6 meters tall (that's about 320 feet high!) and with the 498 steps you have to climb to reach the top, it definitely feels as high as it looks! Despite the 498 steps and all of the huffing and puffing that comes along with such a work-out, the effort is most certainly worth the view! But you don't have to take my word for it... take a look for yourself 

;-)

A word of warning to the cautious: Legend says it's bad luck to climb the tower if you're studying at the University in Bologna, or if you are in a relationship. Apparently it's not good luck for your relationship or your studies to climb the tower! Students that graduate at the University all climb the tower once they've graduated and celebrate for having finished their schooling. Good thing for me I wasn't adhered to either of those things! ;-)

Fairy Tale Town

It's hard to believe that the seaside town of Amafli could get anymore beautiful, but as nightfall came, homes and restaurants along the cliff-side lit up with warm yellow lights. The ocean water reflected iridescent sparkles of the moonlight as boats sailed across the quiet sea. I couldn't help but feel I had just landed in a story book, in a town that only existed in fairy-tales. The Amalfi coastline was most certainly one of my favorite places we visited along our remarkable journey... 

Because we stayed only the weekend, I tried to pack as lightly as possible. I opted for this simple, all-black outfit that I could use to mix-match the few pieces that I brought to transition from day to night. 

Here are a few more photos of the scenic view... I just couldn't get enough of this beautiful, seaside town!

At night, I would just sit on our balcony overlooking the ocean, soaking it all in, not wanting to close my eyes for fear of missing a single moment. Families laughing as they walked on the sidewalk below us as they returned home, boats sounding off bells as they returned to shore, and the glistening moonlight dancing on the calm ocean water. These are images of Amalfi that I will never forget. 

Day 3: Amalfi

Amalfi is a magical place; it's buildings seem to emerge from the side of the mountain, strung along the coastline of the sea. Boats line the docks and giant rocks tower over the small, secluded pebble beach. Among the pebbles we find remnants of old glass and painted clay--reminders of part of the city that collapsed into the ocean in 1343. The Cattedrale di Sant' Andrea --a hybrid of architectural styles--stands strong, and white-washed homes loom over us as we splash and float in the Tyrrhenian sea...

Getting There: To get to Positano or Amalfi, simply take the train to Salerno, and from Salerno buy bus or boat tickets to Amalfi. The bus tickets were a couple of euros, but very packed, yet still had a lovely scenic view. I'm not quite sure how much boat tickets were, but it might be an option worth looking into. From Amalfi, you can take another bus or boat to Positano. It's about a 20-30 minute journey from Amalfi to Positano. Boats also leave from Positano and Amalfi to the island of Capri.

Chiesa di Sant'Ignazio

Stepping foot into the Chiesa di Sant'Ignazio, or Church of Saint Ignatius, I was immediately blown away and completely awe-struck by the magnificence and utter beauty of this place. The architecture, the detail in the painting, the golden altar adorned with cherubim--it was absolutely breathtaking. Enough of me describing it! Here are some photos to see for yourself! :-)

Rome in Black & White

My view of Rome in Black and White. 

Costa Rica, Day 5: Waterfalls & Rainforests

It's raining heavily the morning of our second day in Costa Rica. As we head out to meet our forest tour guide, the rain ceases. Jorge is a kind man, no taller than me, sporting a smile and a large machete. We meet him at his home near the forest and are greeted by him and his brown-eyed, white-furred husky, Theo. 

Jorge leads us along the path to the forest as he tells us that his backyard is filled with artifacts the ancient natives left behind hundreds of years ago. "Nadie conoce este lugare, solamente yo," he tells us: "Nobody knows of this place, only me." As we trek deeper into the forest, hiking through the river and up tree-covered mountain tops, Jorge tells us of the different animals of the forest: the tepezcuintles, the cherengas, and capuchin monkeys to name a few. We see an abundance of green and white layered rocks. Jorge tells us its a quartz and other-rock mixture, and can only mean one thing: Gold. 

We finally arrive at a large fallen tree, adorned with moss, purple flowers, and luminescent panellus (bitter oyster fungi). We've reached our destination: It's a beautiful waterfall enclave. Forest surrounds us and above us us a green canopy of life and beaming light. The water is cool and fresh: A refreshing treat after a long hike in a dense jungle.  The feeling you get from the forest, the cool water, and fresh mist of the waterfall can be described as none other than magical. You are in a dense forest, untouched by man; it feels as if you've walked out of real-life and into a fairy tale where everything is vivid and alive. 



















After our hike back through the forest, we bid our farewells to Jorge and thanked him for our wonderful journey. Although it was our last day in Costa Rica, we couldn't help but feel that one day we would once again return to the magical forest of life, water, and color.