i met my dad, kim, and reed in vernazza, one of the towns that make up the beautiful cinque terra. not really knowing much besides the name and address of the hotel we were staying at, i ventured out in seek of my family with excitement and anticipation as my guide. i took the train from Florence to la spezia and transferred trains to get to vernazza. after about three hours of traveling i had arrived. walking down a small street leading away from the train station i was filled to the brim with enthusiasm! the next scene from this adventure could have been taken from a movie, where you say something along the lines of "this never happens in real life," only it did!! i was slowing my pace down the cobblestone street looking down studying the address i held and repeating the street name and number in my head. i looked up to see the street i was approaching and as i glanced up the familiarity of my own fathers profile nearly startled me. i was not used to seeing people i recognized on the street is passing. without hesitation i ran up and hugged him. kim was not far to follow and i greeted them both with so many emotions. seeing their faces and tangible beings right in front of me- i was overwhelmed with joy.
as afternoon turned into evening we spent time in a little cafe, catching up, telling stories, laughing, and filling one another in on the events of the past three months. i had so much that i wanted to tell them all at once i dont think i gave my mouth a rest until i realized how much i was chatting their ears off. when reed came through the doors of the cafe i ran towards him and leaped for his welcoming arms. i dont think i have ever missed my little brother so much before. it was like christmas. was getting to have family here and share their love as well as experiencing a lovely part of the world. at that moment i just felt so blessed. i could not wipe the smile from my face. the next day, once the rest of my visitors got settled in and had slept off some of their jet lag, we wandered around the town of vernazza. we hiked about halfway to the town of montarosso. i had to turn back in order to catch my train back to firenze to prepare for the midterm exams that were soon to come with the next day. the fam met me in florence and we took the city by storm.
conquering the duomo, the academia to see the david, the boboli gardens, and exposing everyone to some basic italian traditions, i'd say we did pretty good for four days in florence. i took everyone to my favorite pizza place, gusta pizza and to my favorite cafe, volume. we indeed had our share of delicious italian food and gelato. the things i enjoyed most was just spending downtime with my family and conversing about past memories and future plans. i was so enthralled to just sit and be with them. i hope they enjoyed their time here as much as i truly enjoyed having them here. not only did i get to spend a once in a lifetime vacation with them, but we also got to experience a rare italian festival celebrating 150 years of italy's unification. it was an exceptional delight that they got to be here for this special time in italy's history. i said my goodbyes as they headed off to montapucciano then back to roma. it was a quick trip, but it was so wonderful to have them here. the immense love i have for my family was made more aware to me having them here and especially when they left. i was not necessarily homesick, but i was just wishing i could partake in more life adventures with them by my side. but the best part of me leaving to embark on this journey on my own is, that i know they will be there for me upon my return.
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