The Euros:
I've been a massive soccer fan for as long as I remember. As a kid I would often go to the Cotton Bowl (for a couple years they even played at a high school football stadium) in Dallas to watch what was then the Dallas Burn. Yet, things didn't really get serious until I started to follow the European game. Around the 2010 World Cup I decided to jump on the bandwagon of Everton, an English Premier League club, and from there I began to take in football from all across Europe. During my stay in Europe I've been to a few matches. One Bundesliga match in Berlin and two Europa League matches where I watched both Lazio and Villarreal play Sparta Prague. And as great as those experiences were, I don't think they live up to watching the 2016 Euros in a bar with Italians. The atmosphere is tense, almost too quiet for a sports bar, but you can really capture the passion they locals have for their national team. Italy even won both matches, the second of which with a late goal. You could sense the tension around you as nervousness set in that maybe Italy would have to settle for a tie. When they scored that late goal just before added time the crowd lit up with joy. Not only was it a great goal, but it also guaranteed that the Italians would advance to the knockout rounds with one more game still left in the group stage. It was a party when the ref blew the final whistle, smiles and cheering all around. It's a truly special experience to watch a major soccer tournament in Europe. While I'm happy to see soccer growing its audience in the United States every year, we still have a ways to go before we can even get close to the passion Italians have for the sport. I can't even begin to express the excitement I have for that first knockout match in two weeks. It would be incredible to see Italy go far and be able to celebrate with the home fans. I'm glad I can be apart of this great sporting event on this side of theAtlantic and not just on my couch back home. It makes every match much more thrilling to watch.

Agriturismo and Pisa-
It's quite humorous living the dream of almost every married American woman as a 21 year old college student. When visiting the enchanting and beautiful Tuscany, tourists often gravitate to the most well know cities in the region, whether that is Pisa, Florence or Siena. That really isn't the best way. Those cities are beautiful of course, but Tuscany is a place where you should really take in the natural beauty. Staying at a remote Agriturismo where you're free to escape the tourism traffic within those cities is the way to go. All you need is a rental car and a little sense of adventure. In truth, I almost wish I was spending this whole week at our villa, looking over the vineyards, swimming, and enjoying the great company that this group we have has to offer. When it comes to vacations, the people that you're going with is honestly more important than where you plan to go.

The first day after arriving we took a two hour or so bus ride to the enchanting city of Pisa. Most people think solely of the Leaning tower when visiting the gorgeous city, but really the whole "piazza dei miracoli' as it has come to be known is marvelous. If there's one thing to do there, I wouldn't even recommend going up the tower. In the baptistery on the square on the hour and half hour a man sings to show off the incredible acoustics of the dome. The sound is unreal and even offers the singer an opportunity to harmonize with himself. I'm not sure I have yet to grasp how something finished way back in the 14th century could have such grace and perfection in its construction.

Florence-
Having gone to Firenze before only four years ago, I thought I had already got a pretty good feel for the city in the one day I was there. That wasn't the case. It turns out Firenze has so much to it that you can probably spend a week there and do something entirely different within that week. For me, my main quest within the city walls was trying to find one store, the same store where four years prior I had purchased a Fiorentina jersey which I of course wore that day. It was almost a moment of fate that I found the store. When we stopped our morning tour outside the San Lorenzo chapel, a beautiful, Renaissance structure that served as the private chapel for the Medici family, I just glanced left, recognizing the steps around the chapel and immediately knew that the store was right there. Because we were let off on our own for lunch I stopped in the store to pay my respects to the place where I bought one of my favorite shirts I have ever owned. I spoke in Italian to tell the shop owner that I had bought the shirt there four years ago and he smiled, appreciating that not only did I stop in, but that I was even still wearing that shirt four years later. It was a moment of mutual appreciation that I was quite pleased to encounter. Wearing the jersey was actually a quite special experience in the city. The shirt led to a wonderful conversation with the pasta Fresca take away stop in the San Lorenzo market where the woman complimented my jersey as she was born and raised in Firenze while the man working next to her is a Roma fan. It was cool to relate a little with the locals and I'm also pretty sure I got a few extra pieces of ravioli on my plate because of it! Speaking of which, for 5 euros you get fresh, homemade pasta with really any type of sauce you'd like. If you're looking for a quick, cheap meal, that's flavor exceeds its price, stop by the little location on the first floor of the San Lorenzo market. You won't regret it I don't think.