The Beauty of Florence ✔

Thirteen

If my usual mornings back in the Philippines were waking up to Mom's hollers from downstairs, this time, in a brand new place and in a different time zone, I woke up to the sound of sea that is not far away from Aunt Saph's home.

It was so soothing that there are also birds chirping in the background. I was tempted to wake up later on but, out of courtesy to Auntie and Alonzo, I had to wake up because we also have a scheduled trip today.

Today marks my first official day in Italy!

Applause, applause!

I yawned and stretched my arms before I blindly grabbed my towel and bathrobe to the bathroom inside my room.

I took a quick shower and did my morning rituals before wearing my denim skirt and haltered white blouse paired with a beige sandals for my footwear.

I wouldn't go out without my mini-sling bag draped over my shoulders.

Once satisfied with my get-up, I went downstairs to see Aunt Saph preparing our breakfast. Valerie was already sitting in her usual place beside at the dining table and Alonzo was approaching them from the backyard.

"Good morning, Flo. How was your sleep? Did you get enough rest?" Aunt Saph was the first to recognized me and smiled.

I nodded and returned her greeting with a wide smile. "Yes, Auntie. The bed was so comfy and was so inviting that I almost didn't wake at the sound of my alarm clock."

"You shouldn't have done that. It's still weekend and you still have a week before you go to work, right? Come and have a seat. Let's have breakfast first before we tour you around the neighborhood." Aunt Saph said and she took her seat at the end of the table.

"Good morning, Aunt Flo!" Valerie grinned at me toothily and I greeted her too.

We had our traditional Italian breakfast, Italian brunch torte wherein a beautiful tasty meal layered with mixed greens and tomato wedges.

It was appetizing and once we were done, we locked the doors before getting inside their posh car for this weekend's itinerary.

Aunt Saph drove us along the beautiful town of Cinque Terre and I have learned that it consists of five hillside towns: Monterozzo, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore.

Our first stop outside of Cinque Terre was in Portofino. Since it will take us an hour to get there, Aunt Saph laid out our plans and how long will we be staying there to avoid the hassle of driving back home for Alonzo.

We agreed to spend five hours touring around and get home by four in the afternoon to be able to rest since tomorrow is a Monday.

There, we went to Castello Brown, a historic house museum located atop the harbour of Portofino. It was a breathtaking place but it's inevitable to get tired because of the process of climbing up the stairs. However, it was worth it.

We had a couple of snapshots before we went down and proceeded to our next destination.

We had our lunch at the La Cervara- San Girolamo Abbey and their view was picturesque. It was so stunning and the gardens are breathtaking.

I had the time of my life since I am a fan of beautiful sceneries and fresh air. I'm glad that I was able to experience these things before my hairs even turn grey.

Suddenly, I missed my parents. I used to enjoy these kind of things when we get to travel to Taiwan after my Graduation Day in Highschool. We went there for three days and two nights and we had a blast.

One thing I love about my parents is that they are so cool with traveling. They say I should enjoy life more while I can.

I just don't know where I get the attitude of being so keen with schedules and why I am so organized with life and things. I even don't know to whom I inherited that trait.

We spent a good two and a half hour there before we decided to go home and call it a day. This time, it was Alonzo who drove us home since it's starting to get dark.

"Thank you for today's trip, Aunt Saph and Alonzo! I never knew that Cinque Terre is so beautiful!" I said once we started our dinner after we unloaded our foods which we bought from the store.

"Wait, until you get to see Florence and Venice. You'll see more of Italy soon." Aunt Saph winked and my eyes sparkled with excitement.

We began to eat and once done, we began to prepare for bed.

Alonzo said that we'll go to Pisa by Tuesday since it was his off from work. I just nodded in agreement and he must have noticed how beat I was so he let me go and rest for the night.

We all bid our goodnights before we headed to our respective rooms. I was tired yet happy.

I made a video call to my parents before I went to sleep. Coz, tomorrow will be another fine day in Italy.