Diary Entry #2

Deary diary...

I have a lot to catch you up on.

I'm writing to you from New Jersey. I arrived home from Italy about one month ago, and the trip already feels like a distant memory. It's crazy how quickly a one-month life changing trip can become a distant memory. To make sure those memories never fade, let's recap the second half of my trip.

The last time we talked, I was on a train to Cinque Terre. Instead of detailing the entire trip, I'm going to give small details about every place I traveled to.

Cinque Terre April 10-14

This was my first true solo trip after fleeing my World Packers. I hopped on a train hoping it was the right one and let it whisk me away to what I was hoping would be a coastal getaway.

While I was on the train, I was scrolling through Instagram. As I was clicking through stories, someone I graduated from high school with and haven't seen since high school, posted that he was in Cinque Terre. Since traveling is all about going out of your comfort zone, I sent a quick message telling him that I was also about to be in Cinque Terre.

Thank God I had the balls to send that text because I spent the next three days having the best time ever with my friend Robert and his girlfriend Jess. I'm a firm believer that even if we were friends five years ago, we're still friends now. That proved incredibly true after three days of beach days, wine nights, and gelatto.

When I wasn't crashing their couples trip, I was hiking through Cinque Terre's five towns. I woke up early on my first full day and set off on a five mile hike from Riomaggiore to Corniglia.

Truthfully, I'm a little directionally challenged when it comes to hiking, but thankfully I ran into a man who spoke no English, and he led me through the whole hike. Despite me not knowing a lick of French, he spent three miles talking to me in French and taking pictures of me at every scenic spot.

They say never get in a car with a stranger, but there's no saying about hiking with strange French men named Renee.

On my last night in Cinque Terre, I made another friend. Sophia was a girl in my hostel, and we bonded over the pot of coffee she offered me on our hostel's balcony. After a beach day together, we shared a bottle of wine and watched the sunset. During the beautiful sunset a heron flew across the ocean, and I got stung by a bee; two amazing signs that I was in the right place at the right time.

April 15-23

For the next week, I tried my luck again at a World Packers. This time I took a bus to a remote house on the top of a mountain in Tuscany.

I stayed at a house with a man named David. I planted hundreds of strawberries, learned how to make bread, hosted a Sharma workshop, and drank a lot of limoncello.

I didn't flee this stay and ended up having a great time. I don't really feel like talking more about it. It was good. A little silly. Very tiring.

April 24-April 30

Now, if any of you know my mom, you know that she isn't the most spontaneous lady. I definitely get my love for plans and organization from her, but that crazy lady decided she needed some more adenture in her life and flew back to Italy to meet me in Naples for her birthday.

I planned us a five day trip through Naples to Sorrento celebrate her 46th birthday. I booked the excursions, and she picked the hotels because she has high standards.

Some highlights of our trip include gelato every night, shoving through crowds in the Amalfi Coast, drinking a lot because Joanne loves a good drink, and a pasta making trip.

Mom and I have never really done a duo trip like this before, and it was 100% successful. We laughed, shopped, and had the time of our lives.

On her birthday, I made us a reservation for dinner at this cute homey restaurant. She decided she wanted something with live music, so she found us a different place to go to.

However, said music happened to be a 70 year old man missing teeth and chaotically strumming his guitar with no rhythm or music in mind.

Honestly, all I want to really tell you guys about is my last day, or should I say last ten hours, in Italy.

May 5-9

During my last week in Italy, I did a writer's retreat. Me and 12 other people all over the age of 30 spent four days writing and meeting with guest speakers. I truthfully didn't know what to expect, and when I showed up to my welcome dinner and realized I'd be the youngest person in the group, I sighed a breath of relief.

There were no cute boys to impress or intense writing girls I'd feel intimidated by. Just a group of nice people all at different stages of their writing career looking to learn more. It was amazing.

May 9th 2 pm

The morning of the 9th was my last writing class, and we had our goodbye dinner that night. I was leaving Italy the next day and hadn't had the epic Italian romance I was hoping for.

So I did as any American girl would do and downloaded Hinge. I put in my bio "leaving Florence tomorrow. Take me to your favorite restaurant," and thankfully a cute boy, who we'll call Italian boy, was up for the task.

I went to my writing dinner and afterwards, headed to drinks with Italian boy at 10:30. First dates are stressful, and they're even more stressful when you show up and realize the guy is hotter than you expected. Not only was he hot, he was Italian.

I'll spare you the details from drinks because nothing much happened besides average conversation until I asked him how he'd be getting home. When he told me he would drive his vespa home, my brain blacked out for a second.

Riding on the back of a vespa with an Italian boy driving was the top thing on my bucket list, and here I was with less than seven hours in Italy, and I was presented with my dream.

After drinks and him kissing my little socks off in the middle of a piazza, he invited me back to his place.

I forgot to mention my flight was at 6 am the next day, and I had to leave for the airport by 4:30 am.

It was 12:30, and I made him promise to have me back at my hostel by 3 am. Then, jokingly, I said he could drive me to the airport if he wants more time with me. Maybe he was in love with me or maybe he didn't get my humor, because he said sure!

After another blush worthy kiss, he took my hand and led me to his vespa. He handed me a helmet, and I lived out a romance fantasy of mine by him buckeling my helmet for me. I almost died.

Then we were off. My arms around his waist and his hand on my leg at every red light had me feeling like I was the main character in a movie.

For all the adults reading this and thinking "I can't believe she went home with a stranger," like what other option did I have. You expected me to say no to a hot guy with a vespa? If I was going to die, at least I died smiling.

After a thrilling ride through Florence, we started climbing up a hill and part of me acknowledged that that could be where he killed me. Then, we pulled up to a gate that he opened with a press of a button on his keys, and I was a little in awe. I was even more in awe when the gaits opened revealing the most pituresque view of Florence at night.

The stars were twinkeling, and Florence's lights were shining brightly. I felt like I was in a dream.

We spent the rest of the night talking, kissing, and CUDDLING. I'm a hoe for a good cuddle.

But let me tell you the kicker. As I'm laying on his bed, waiting for him to come back into the room, I notice a book on his bedside table. And it wasn't just any book, it was the same book that I was currently reading.

If you know me, you know reading is the sexiest thing a person could do.

So I told him I was reading the same book as him, and he proceded to read me IN ITALIAN his favorite lines of the book.

Long story short, that night was dream like and ended even more like a movie when he kissed me goodbye in an airport parking lot.

If you're jealous of me after reading this, you should be.

If you're Italian boy and reading this, sorry! I'm a writer, and you gave me perfect fuel for the best story ever. Hope you miss me ;)

Overall, my trip in Italy was a 10/10 experience that went way better than I expected. I learned so much about me and what I can handle.

PICTURE TIME!!!!!

Pictures Renee took of me from our hike