March, what a month! After a fast-paced February travelling around Italy, I was quite happy to spend all of March in one place. To be honest I’m still a little shocked that it’s already April – no idea where the first three months of 2019 have gone! On the other hand, it feels like I’ve been in Italy far longer. Time is a strange thing.
This month I’ve been helping out at a lovely little B&B in Florence. While most of my time has been spent here in Firenze, I’ve managed to head out on a few day trips to explore more of the surrounding area. So far I’ve visited Lucca, Siena and San Gimignano and I hope to visit at least one more place before I leave. It’s hard to choose a favourite as they were all beautiful, but I think San Gimignano takes the prize! Keep an eye out for some beautiful Tuscan content coming your way soon and check out my Instagram for more in the meantime.
I feel incredibly lucky to have experienced life living in Italy, even if only for a few months. I believe in my last monthly update one of my goals was to improve my Italian… unfortunately with my time in Italy nearing the end I’m still not fluent, or anywhere close! While there’s no hope for me learning now, I definitely feel more comfortable speaking the words I have learnt. I’m also better at picking up what’s being said around me, although most of the time I still have no idea what anyone is saying I’m more aware than when I arrived. That’s something I guess! I have managed to master eating pasta like a true Italian though – I’ve eaten so much delicious pasta and so many varieties – they really take their pasta seriously here! Seeing the pasta aisle in the supermarkets here shows you just how much they love it. I’ll miss all the pasta, but I think my gluten opposed body will be happy to give it up for a while.
It’s also been an incredibly busy month planning the next steps in my life. Changing my mind happens daily but at this stage I’m heading to Berlin in a weeks time – I’ve got a little studio sorted for the first month and will go from there. I only have a few contacts in Berlin, so if you happen to be around and want to meet up for a coffee sometime please let me know!
You may have noticed this websites had a little makeover – it was time to freshen things up around here. I’m no tech expert so I was glued to my laptop for a while and there are still a few tweaks to make but I’m very happy with how it’s turned out. Let me know what you think.
What I’ve been Writing This Month
+ 5 Easy Day Hikes on the Isle of Skye | The one post I managed to write this month wasn’t even about the country where I’ve spent the past two months… whoops! It was a post I’ve been wanting to write for a while so I’m glad that after two years I have finally shared my favourite day hikes on the Isle of Skye! Writing this post absolutely had me missing my second home, and now that I will be living only a short flight away I plan to head back for a visit soon.
Plans for April
+ Enjoy my final weeks in Florence | I’ll be leaving Florence mid April, and I’m already feeling a little sad about saying goodbye to this beautiful city. There is SO much more I want to see and do, my plans for any free time I get over the next two weeks are to head out and explore, explore, explore!
+ Pisa | I’ve still got a few places on my visit list around Tuscany, but given my time is running out I’ve got to make some decisions. While I haven’t heard amazing things about Pisa it’s somewhere I would like to check out while I’m so close. On my next day off I plan to jump on a train and spend some time wandering Pisa, and probably taking a couple of cheesy photos with that leaning tower…
+ Prepare for my next move | With my move to Germany only one week away there is still plenty of preparation I need to get done. My evenings are going to spent figuring out everything I need to apply for my visa, finding a job + flat searching. Most importantly, I’ll be figuring where the closest coffee shop to my new studio!
+ Begin building my new life | Moving to a new country or city can be a difficult adjustment. Especially one where you don’t yet have a job, home or speak the language – among many other changes. The final weeks of April will be spent in Berlin adjusting to my new life and hopefully starting (or at least securing) a new job, finding a new home and taking German language classes! I really want to make the most of this time and ensure the transition goes as smoothly as possible.
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