Cinque Terre | Day two in Italy

Italy is full of magical places.

Florence is magical in it's own way

being the birthplace of the renaissance and all.

But on Thursday we left Florence in the dust

and headed to one of the most beautiful places in Italy,

Cinque Terre.

Cinque Terre is a rugged portion of Coast on

the Italian Riviera.

That right there should wet your appetite

enough to look into this amazing place.

It's located in the Liguria region to the west of La Spezia.

I'll tell you all about our day trip to Cinque Terre while also

giving out travel tips on how we got there and how you can too.

Our day started early, like early early, 6am early.

We needed to be at S.M Novella station by 7:15 to catch

our train that was leaving at 7:45.

[From Florence you will get the train to La Spezia Centrale]

We sat at a McDonalds in the station and ate fries for breakfast

because they didn't have hash browns...Fries were the next best thing.

And I'd be lying if I said eating fries for breakfast upset me.

We caught our train and settled in for a 2 hour ride to La Spezia.

[For the two of us it cost 50 euro to get round trip tickets to La Spezia and back]

[Don't try driving to Cinque Terre as you cannot actually drive into the towns]

[Only residents are allowed cars so park it at a station and take a train]

We arrive at La Spezia Centrale and instantly see a line

going into these doors with s sign above saying Cinque Terre Point.

Don't be fooled into thinking that once you're in La Spezia

that you're in Cinque Terre, because you're not.

[La Spezia Centrale is the hub for all of the trains going into Cinque Terre.]

Also, Cinque Terre is not just one town but 5.

Cinque - 5 | Terre - Towns

5 Towns.

It took me a while to understand that...

So What happens is you'll get into the Cinque Terre line

and once you get to the ticket counter you'll buy a cinque Terre 5 town pass.

It cost 12 euro each and it gets you a day pass to ride

the trains to and from any of the towns.

It also gets you into other stuff that i'll go into later.

[Buy the pass and go get on the next train to Cinque Terre.]

This is how Cinque Terre is set up...

[The first stop from La Spezia is Riomaggiore.

You don't have to get off there but you can if you like.

You can get off and on at any station you like,

go see the town and then move onto the next one.]

Tom and I decided before we came that we wanted to visit Monterosso Al Mare

for the majority of the day because it was beachy and we wanted to catch some rays.

So we headed off to Monterosso.

Monterosso is absolutely gorgeous.

Once we got there we walked around a bit 

and got some yummy lunch with an amazing view.

After lunch we just went down to the beach and caught a little sun.

The beach is not soft and sandy but it's not rocky and uncomfortable either.

We both really enjoyed the beach and there are chairs and umbrellas to rent

if laying on a towel in the sand isn't your thing.

Here are some pictures from our couple of hours in Monterosso.

Next stop is Vernazza.

We hop back on a train going towards La Spezia

but we get off at the next town called Vernazza.

I knew of Vernazza from pictures.

You walk up to a high point and are able to

get a photo of the town with all of the colorful houses

and the water in the center.

I knew we had to go high up but the hike up that hill

put our previous day in florence to shame.

Hiking...again??? Oy!

Plus I was wearing a maxi skirt.

You better believe I hiked that skirt up and tucked it in

at the waist, turned my maxi into a knee length.

It was wet and muddy plus my keds and tom's sandals

made for an interesting little hike.

We didn't initially know where to go to get this picture

but we saw some stairs and some people walking up them

and just decided to do it and luckily we were right.

To get up to a good spot to take the magical photo

you have to act as if you're hiking back to Monterosso.

See, all of the towns are connected by hiking trails.

We prefer the comfort of a train.

Anyways, we start hiking up but we got to a point

where they were checking tickets or selling tickets.

This is where your 5 terre pass comes in handy.

People who don't buy the pass have to buy a ticket before going up.

If you have the pass they'll just let you through.

So we keep walking until we felt we had found a good spot for this picture.

Isn't it just so beautiful!!!

This hike up was hard and to be honest we could have kept walking up

to find an even better spot for the picture but this girl and her baby lungs

were just about ready to collapse so we stopped.

But i'm so happy with our pictures from Vernazza, it's such 

a wonderful part of Cinque Terre.

We skipped Corniglia for time's sake so I can't vouch for that town

but i'm sure it was just as enchanting as the rest.

Next stop was Manarola.

The colorful houses on the hill in Manarola

seem to be one of the most popular images of Cinque Terre.

When I saw the image online that's what made me look into it more

and that image is initially what made us come to Cinque Terre.

So knowing that I now have my very own personal copy 

of this place is pretty exciting to me.

We were on a time crunch in Manarola so we

hurried to the spot to take some magical photos

and then we ate some yummy homemade pasta from

a little restaurant nearby, got some gelato and headed back to La Spezia.

I can't say enough nice things about Cinque Terre.

It's one of my favorite places in the whole wide world and

I am so happy that Tom and I got to explore it for a day.

At around 7pm we hopped back on our train at La Spezia and

made it back to Florence by 9pm, we changed clothes and went out

for some late night pizza on the road where our Hostel was at.

The day really could not have gone smoother.

I know you can stay in Cinque Terre

if you don't want to stay somewhere like Florence.

But you should book way in advance as the summer months

are going to be CRAZY busy.

I would stay in Florence or an outside city just because

I feel like you'll have more choices of where to stay but that's just me.

If you have any logistical questions about Cinque Terre email me and I'd love to

to help you plan a trip out there or just answer any questions you might have.

I can't wait to go back one day!! :)

*Please link all images back to this site if you use them.

*There is now a pin it hover button over all images if you choose to pin them.

Florence, Italy | Day one

We're back in the UK after a really amazing trip to Italy.

When people ask us how it was we just say 'really great'

because if we went into detail it would take us a few hours to really

tell you how great our trip really was.

So i'll write it out for you guys here

and hope that it doesn't get too long.

We left Tuesday night and flew into Pisa Airport.

From Pisa Airport we just hopped on our pre booked bus

and headed off to the city of Florence.

You can get a bus or a train to Florence from Pisa

but I would 100% say get the bus.

Cheaper and quicker and the station

 is right outside the airport.

The Train station is a 20 minute walk

or a 5 minute Taxi ride.

It cost us about 8 Euro to get from

the train station to the airport.

So that's just money you won't need to spend

if you simply get the bus to Florence.

Moving on..

We stayed in a Hostel called Emerald Fields.

I would recommend it to anyone looking for a hostel in Florence.

It's not anything super special but it has beds, nice hot showers, clean bathrooms,

a kitchen for you to use and the location couldn't be better.

It's a 3 minute walk from the S.M. Novella station

and about a 5 minute walk from the Duomo.

Not to shabby!!

That first night after we got in and got settled

we headed out to find some Pizza and snacks.

We got a little glimpse of the top of the Duomo

but headed back before we could see too much.

We wanted to see it for the first time in all it's glory

glowing in the sunlight.

So the next day we were out on the town quite early.

I think we stepped foot outside at around 9:30.

We walked straight towards the Duomo.

It was really strange because while I had no clue

as to where we were going Tom seemed to know the city

backwards and forwards.

He led us straight towards the Duomo and it was just breathtaking.

It's SO big and just gorgeous on the outside!!

I was a little surprised by the inside of the Cathedral.

Isn't this Italian, where's all the gold accents and bright colors???

It was pretty tame on the inside except for the Dome.

The dome was what I expected the rest of the Cathedral to look like.

But all in all it was a gorgeous place!!

One of my favorite Cathedrals by far.

On Wednesday I'll share our climbing to the top of the Dome story.

That was an adventure.

We decided to keep it simple on Wednesday and just

walk around the city and see the sights.

No museums, no tours, just walking.

We came across Ponte Veccio first.

Such a cool bridge with shops lining the span of the bridge.

The shops all seemed to be Jewelry shops that were way out

of our price range but it was still pretty cool.

We kept walking on and found the Boboli Gardens.

We weren't aware that you had to pay to enter the gardens

but after we got in we realized why.

It was stunning in there, with views of the tuscan hills

and an amazing view of the Duomo from afar.

Plus the gardens themselves were wonderful.

After the gardens, excuse me, after hiking in the gardens

we decided we were close enough to walk to, excuse me, 

hike to Piazza Michelangelo where there is an amazing spot to 

look out over the city.

So we hike up to the Piazza and it's so breathtaking that

I don't realize my legs are literally shaking from all of the hiking we had done.

We sat down and I pointed my toes and stretched my leg out and 

the amount of involuntary leg shaking was shocking.

We had been on our feet for about 8 hours and

I couldn't really handle it, neither could Tom

so that's when we packed it in for the day.

It was about 5 in the afternoon but we felt like it was closer to 11pm.

We took naps and rested our legs before adventuring out again for our dinner.

Dinner was delicious, we both had pasta while sitting in the 

Piazza Della Signoria which is the square that houses the replica statue of David.

So that was really neat.

Let me just tell you now...The prices for a meal in Florence

are actually pretty cheap considering what it could be.

I think we payed 8 or 9 Euro per plate which

is a pretty common number for dinner.

However...the price for a single can of coke

was SHOCKING!!!!!!!

This wasn't just a one time thing either.

We had a few meals where our two cokes

equalled 12-13 Euro.

Whhhaaaattt?????

That's crazy!!

I ain't down with that!!

At lunch we'd get a can of coke for 2 euro

and at dinner we'd get the SAME can of coke and

they charge us 6 euro...for a can of coke.

I can't, I just won't!!

Anyways...

That's the first day!

I'll just do a photo dump so

you can see the iphone pics along

with the fancy camera pics above!! :)

Tomorrow I'll post about Cinque Terre.

Which is by far one of my favorite places in the whole world!!

:)

*Share/Pin these photos if you like but pretty please link any and all images back to this site!!

Oh hey Italy week!!

So it's finally time for Italia.

I'll be saying Grazie to Gelato servers in no time.

The last time I was in Italia was March, 2012.

We went to Milan and Venice.

It was a good trip, but we were backpacking

so it was budgeted and we missed some things I'll

probably go back and do one day.

But this trip to Florence was a gift from Tom's parents.

So we're kicking back and relaxing and doing any and everything 

we can possible do (within reason and budget) while we're there.

I'm looking forward to three four things.

Italian food, Gelato, Sunshine, Culture.

Tom and I are Pizza lovers on a regular day so

Italy is going to make us really fat, basically.

I can't wait to round that corner and be in the Piazza Del Duomo.

I can't wait to see the Statue of David.

I can't wait to see views of the city

while stuffing my face with more gelato.

My only fear is the weather.

It's looking a little rainy in the forecast.

Looks like we'll be bringing our brelly with us.

I'm not too worried though, Gelato will taste the same, rain or shine.

Plus thursday is looking pretty nice.

We're thinking about heading to the coast

and seeing a little bit of beach.

Rain or shine it will be such a fun trip!

I'll be updating on Instagram daily but won't blog

about it till the weekend! :)

Instagram - emily_hopefulwandering

Hope you all have a great week!!

19 things about Emily

Here's some things you may not know about me.

1. Lizards are my worst fear. No really, I run, screaming.

2. I am a super picky eater, the tomato is the Devils favorite food.

3. I hate wearing more than one ring on each hand. 

(Ahem...Wedding/Engagement rings are obviously allowed)

4. I own very little makeup and I wear even less. 

5. I laugh at my own jokes on a regular basis. I'm hilarious!!
I also like Jim giggle gif's.

6. I studied abroad in Paris, France with Lauren Knight [Aspiring Kennedy] as my Tutor.

(She's amazing, by the way!!)

7. Tom is my first real boyfriend. I've had 'boyfriends', but none that I dated more than a few weeks. 

8. I played soccer from age 5 to 18, I've beat Tom at one on one every time we've played.

9. I had a really really rebellious year when I was about 10. I toilet papered my school's bathroom.

10.  I sang in choir from Elementary school through College. I have a lovely voice. 

(At least that's what my mom tells me.)

11. I joined the penpal site where I met Tom back in 2009. I just happened to look at it the same day Tom messaged me.

12. I talk in a British accent more than i'd like to admit.

13. Between 2006-2009 I took approximately 22,000,000 selfies. I also photoshopped all of them.

(Yupp)

14. I've seen about 20 live Musicals. And I loved every single one of them.

15. I used to pray for my stuffed animal elephant to come alive so I could have a friend.

(I had tons of friends I just liked being dramatic)

16. Tom and I are trying to perfect the Australian accent. We start each sentence with Ah! CRIKEY!!...

17. I'm allergic to cats and dogs. When a dog licks me I break out and get itchy. And cats just make me ill. However, there is hope for me with hypoallergenic animals like this little kitty.....yikes.

18. I have this feeling that if I was ever kidnapped or just threatened in general that my overly nice personality would lead to my release and change the baddies life for the better. We'd become friends and he or she would leave behind their life of crime. It's just a feeling...

19. My first thought after winning anything is that i'm on a hot streak and need to go to Vegas ASAP.

(Even though I don't gamble, that's always my first thought)

19 seems like enough for now!!
I'm just feeling a bit random and this did the trick.

Hope you're all having a great FRIDAY!!
Have a happy weekend!!

Tripception {Trips within trips within trips}

So a week from today Tom and I will be in ITALIA!!

ITTTAAALLLLLIIIAAAAAA!!!!

ahem..

We are so so excited for this trip.

Three days in Florence and the surrounding areas

and one day in Cinque Terre.

It's going to be absolutely brilliant, 

as the British would say!! ;)

It's weird to be mid trip here in Liverpool

but preparing for another trip [to Italy].

And if that's not crazy enough

we're planning for another trip 

to the Dominican [Caribbean] in August.

I actually bought my flight yesterday for my Dominican trip.

I've been trying to save about $650 so that I could book this flight

either at the end of my stay here in England or right when I got home.

Back story: Tom's family and a few friends of theirs will

be going to the Dominican and have had this trip planned since

last summer while Tom was in America.

We actually found out about the trip while eating at a Denny's

in the Mojave Desert in CA while on our CA trip!!

So almost a year later...I'm booking my flight.

Tom hasn't even booked his yet because we're going

to find the best way for him to go to the Dominican and then

come to Texas afterwards...for a while.

That's right Texas, Tom is coming back for ya ;)

Anyways...

$650 seemed like a lot to spend on a flight.

Which is why it's taken me so long to buy it.

Mostly because I didn't have the money.

So yesterday I randomly decided to look into flights again

and GUESS WHAT???!!!???

They were $339.

Whhaaaa???

That's a steal!!!

An instant panic came over me because

that's what happens when flight prices plummet.

Your palms get sweaty and you know

that this is a stroke of luck and you need to ACT FAST!!!

So Tom had my debit card which meant

I had to text him to send me an image of my card

so that I could go through with the purchase.

[He holds onto that bad boy because i have no restraint when shopping]

We have a good little system set up ;)

So I book the flight for $339!!

Holllaaaa, like the realest Holla ever Holllaa'd

Three hours later...It's back up to $650.

My sweaty palms return because i know

i totally lucked out on that flight purchase.

Phheewww!!

It was an adrenaline rush!!

All that being said...Flight prices are so tricky.

It's not fair that there are better times to buy because

it's a total game of chance as to whether or not you're getting a good deal.

I don't like that system but i'm glad I caught it at a good moment.

Saved me about $400 dollars.

I purchased my ticket on a monday between 12:00-12:30pm UK time.

Which is 6:00-6:30am US time.

Maybe there is luck in that timing.

Try it out if you're booking flights soon.

:)

Hope you're all having a great week!

Favorite things

I'm currently loving flowers.
Tom laughs at me every time I stop to literally smell the roses.
I can't pass a bush of flowers without taking them in.
And right now, Spring has sprung and the flowers
are in full bloom and i'm loving it!!

I'm loving this skirt from H&M.

It's a maxi skirt, with pockets, color is cognac.

I window shopped this skirt for like a month before

finally buying it and i'm so glad i did.

It's so lovely!!

H&M has really hit it off with me so far this season.
These shoes, are so comfy and are floral.
Double win!!

At least it was a double win until i dropped pasta sauce
in a Tesco and it went all over them.

They've been washed so all is well!!
I've bought three different pairs so far and i love them all.

Sunshine and the great outdoors.
Tom and I have swapped the gym for some
much needed sunshine and football or tennis.

I think i'd much rather play outside than go to the gym.

And finally i'm loving game of thrones.
Holy Moly!!

This show is so good.
Tom and i questioned whether or not to watch it for a long time.
I'm glad we finally started it, now we're almost caught up to the current episode
which is SO great because spoilers have been ruining our lives!!!

Hope you're all having a great day!!
:)

Mean kids!

I love kids, i do, but I could do without the mean ones.

Not really do without them, like i don't want to lock them away in a dungeon,

but rather put them into a school that teaches them to be polite.

Mean kids make me really uncomfortable. 

Maybe it's because I'm a nice girl and I've always been a nice girl.

So when I see a really mean kid  I'm like whhaaaaaa??? 

How can you be mean? You're like 10!!!

    

Then i'm reminded of monkey see monkey do

and a majority of kids learn to be mean from parents,

or siblings or kids at school or they're just really observant

and they see random people being mean and just think it looks good.

But really, when you stumble upon a mean kid or a couple of mean kids

you just really feel like putting them in their place and giving them

a lesson that will make them sit back and think about their actions.

The other day I was on the bus by myself and these two

teenage kids were sitting at the front of the bus in the cool bus seats.

They were not deserving of those bus seats, but that's not the point...

One of them decided it would be funny to draw a penis on the foggy window

while the other one played a game called pick out the ugliest

woman walking down the street.

Rude!!

More and more rude comments came followed by some

Hitler hand gestures that eventually led me to a dangerously dark place.

I was so ready to zing them.

Teach them a lesson.

My favorite line that i came up with was walking up to them and asking

if the penis drawn on the window was a self portrait...

"Oh wow, did you draw that?? It looks just like you, well done!!"

Whoaaaaa Em!!! Calm down tiger!!!!

I giggled to myself at what could have been
and then i went on my way.

Once i met Tom in town he told me that he saw a little kid

who was probably like 8 spit on an old man who was 

playing an instrument for some extra money.

He spit on him.

That's like one of the most degrading things

one human can do to another and it was a kid spitting on an old man.

My heart broke, we walked over and gave the man some money

and went on our way, which really meant kept an eye out for the bratty kid

so we could say something to him about respect.

We passed the kid again, Tom spotted him and we said nothing.

As much as i would have LOVED to teach him a lesson worth learning

there was nothing that i was going to say to him that would change his ways.

Plus i was probably going to tell him something like

how we gave the cops his picture and they were after him.

I really just wanted to make him pee his pants.

But then i was like hmmm...that's like being mean to a meanie

and what does that teach the meanie??

Probably nothing.

So how do you deal with mean kids that aren't your kids??

No clue!! I just hope my future kids are like superbly nice

which i'm sure they will be because i'm really nice.

And I promise to keep my zings to myself.

Us nice people have some darkness too, we are just better at keeping it locked away.

And while we may not say the things we think we sure do giggle about them.
If you see a nice person giggle it's probably because they've thought of something
in their heads that they'd never ever say out loud.

It's the truest of true statements.

Hope you're all having a good weekend ;)