Gettin' Loose and Croazia

Hello faithful readers!
I think I might rush through the epic tale of the family's visit. For several reasons: 1.) Most of my readers ARE my family 2.) We didn't really DO much at all and 3.) It's all a little hazy, to be honest. But don't get me wrong. Best week of my young life.
So everyone got here on Saturday, April 23 and we had a lovely dinner, everybody caught up, and the boys all learned how much fun it was to throw wine bottle corks into a cup sitting on a chair across the courtyard. I mean, we all knew that was going to be a hit, didn't we? Easter Sunday ended up being an absolute ZOO in Firenze, I don't know why I didn't plan on that... but the streets were absolutely packed with people, and it made sight-seeing much less enjoyable. So we retired to our rooftop fortress a little earlier than usual that day, and I think that's when Matty finally convinced the parents to play Asshole with us (note: despite it's charming name, this is a very entertaining card games often enjoyed with a beverage by America's youth, for those of you who are not familiar.) And this quickly became the group's favorite pastime. Monday and Tuesday were spent wandering around the city, visiting museums and churches, and me pretended to go to class a couple of times. Wednesday, Scate, Schmoe, Gob and I woke up bright and early to head to Cinque Terre for a day of hiking and soaking in the beautiful landscape. (Yes, I am aware that I have now been there 4 times. But, I think my experience made me a pretty stellar tour guide the last time.) We lucked out with a hostel RIGHT on the water, and had a lovely hike for the afternoon where everyone learned just how long it's actually been since Matty exerted himself physically. Hint: a really long time. We were all very proud that everyone eventually finished and no one had to be airlifted off of the hillside!
Thursday morning we returned to Firenze and I again pretended to go to class while everyone else wandered around and met Michelangelo's David. That afternoon Laura Patty, one of Gob's best friends from home joined the clan! Thursday was our last night in the palace and we celebrated accordingly because on Friday morning Scate, Schmoe and I were headed off to Rome! The weather was absolutely awesome on Friday, and we got to see all of the standard touristy things: Colosseum, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Piazza Navona, ya know all the fun outside stuff. That night we found ourselves in a really fun area of the city for dinner where I ran into a kid from Holy Cross. That was bizarre. And besides the point. Saturday we went to the Vatican, like the dummies that we are unaware that the next day was Pope John Paul II's beatification. Sooo the Vatican was even more absurdly packed than usual, but we didn't actually have to wait that long to get in. Scott made friends with a Polish lady in front of him who had him write his digits in her Bible. Really normal stuff.
In short: I had an absolutely unreal week with my family, and I already miss those goofballs a lot.Buuut I didn't have time to get sad because on Thursday Jenna, Anna and I left for Croatia! If you're like me a few months ago, you think Croatia sound Eastern European and therefore pretty sketchy and scary and you're not sure why I'd go there. However, you and Lauren circa 2010 would be SO WRONG! We went to a city called Split on the Dalmatian Coast and it was (I know, I know) the most beautiful place I've ever seen! To get to Split, however, you have to take a ferry from a city on Italy's eastern coast. So after a relatively painless train ride and the process of procuring our tickets and finding out where to go in the land where no one labels anything (!!) we got ready to board our ferry *company name: LOW COST!* fellow travellers *senile* whole experience *hilarious*. Okay, those asterisks were a little unnecessary, but I'm trying to make a point. It was a bunch of geriatric Italians, a small group of nuns, Jenna, Anna and yours truly. We splurged on the cabin instead of the airplane seats and curled up in our comically cramped bunk beds only to wake up in Croatia at 7 o'clock the next morning!
The weather in Split absolutely could not have been better. Sunny enough to burn this study abroad bod to an absolute crisp the first day on the beach, that is. Friday we were absolute bums all day long, laying on the beach and judging the hell out of all the frat kids we were listening to tell idiotic stories. I didn't care. I had sunshine, the ocean, and Tina Fey. Nothing could upset me. Friday night we went on a very fun pub crawl around the city of Split, met some serious characters, made some bearded friends, I yelled at a Welch kid. It was an all around success, I think.
Saturday we were much more productive! We decided to go on a white water rafting trip for the afternoon. Our guide was such a stud! He had so many funny stories to share, and he knew a lot about the river and the area-- so it was not only fun, but very educational. However, he told us that Croatians invented the lightbulb...so maybe his nationalism skewed the truth a little bit. Much like me and the Welch kid. Except I was just a ranting lunatic. The paddlers included: Ivan (tourguide) Jenna, Anna, me, and Martin. Martin is a middle-aged Polish chef working in London who was on holiday in Split. Any questions? Didn't think so. Dude just wants to white water raft. He was very cool until he asked what we were doing that night. (Fortunately I was sound asleep in the van at this point, and got to avoid the awkwardness of responding. Jenna and Anna were not as fortunate.) In the middle of the rafting trip we got to climb behind a waterfall into a cave. I can't even describe how cool it was! Saturday night we thought we were tired, so we were going to have a "chill night", but it turned out to be Split's patron saint's day, and the city was too happening to pass up.

Things like this were going on!

So we naturally ended up doing things like this.

All in all, it was a very fun night.
Sunday we woke up a liiiiittle later, for logical reasons, but still managed to spend a full day soaking in the sun. It was absolutely wonderful! The skin peeling off my back will tell you a different story. But I'll tell that skin (not really, it'd be weird for me to talk to my skin) that it better get it's act together because I'm leaving for the Amalfi Coast on Friday morning!!
Anna, Spencer, Adair, Jenna and I are packing into a rental car and driving down to Sorrento to spend Spencer and my birthday weekend hanging out and hopefully being complete jokes!
Can't wait to have my first taste of alcohol on my 21st birthday! Hope it's not yucky.

Good talking to you. See you in a month. (Whaaaaa?)

Baci!