The Well Needed Getaway

It's been awhile since I've last blogged. Things have been hectic in the lives of us intrepid study abroad students. Me and five of my friends are trying to plan our fall break trip and it's become a huge pain to get everyone together to plan. We're trying to go to Morocco (Marrakech and Fez) and then Barcelona. Everything is sounding amazing but we can't get anything done or finalized until everyone is in the same room, which seems to be an impossible feat. Tomorrow we made a definite plan to get together at 6pm and not leave until everything is done. Fingers crossed.

But today was AMAZING. One of the best days so far. There were seven of us that went on the bike tour through Chianti. We met the tour guide and the rest of the group at 10am, drove to the start and started biking! In total we rode 20 km, 5 before lunch and 15 after lunch. First stop was the winery Le Conti. The property has been with the same family since the 1200s and all 600 acres are beautiful! We got a short, but informative tour of the winery, learning about the wine and olive oil they bottle. It was so interesting to learn about wine and of course it didn't hurt that we got to try it afterwards. The wine and olive oil was so good! I definitely want to do another winery tour so I can learn more about wine. Maybe an educational session? I'm sure I'll find something in the next 3 months. Following the winery we rode for about 15 minutes to lunch. Lunch was truely an indulgence. The whole tour cost us 60 euros and we got a winery tour, wine/olive oil tasting, three course meal at an amazing restaurant and a choice of gelato or cold drink at the end of the biggest hill. The experience was worth every penny. All of us were in the best mood the entire day. I don't remember the last time I've been so happy doing something so simple like riding a bike. The scenary was BEAUTIFUL. Vineyards, olive groves, villas, churches, and monasteries were scattered across the landscape. After every hill we climbed up, the view always proved to be worth it. Plus the weather was PERFECT. Not too hot, not too sunny, but always beautiful. Basically the day was incredible. Tomorrow may be a different story, when we wake up sore and exhausted, but no matter what, it was worth the experience.

As the title says, it was a well needed getaway. Tomorrow is cleaning, working and planning day, so no time for fun (pressumably). Next weekend is Cinque Terre! We're going to be there from Saturday morning to Sunday evening. My fingers are crossed that the weather will be nice...photos will be updated shortly...