home.

at approximately 8:13 (boston time) last night, twin and i arrived home. as we descended through the pink clouds, illuminated by the sunset over the boston skyline, i could not believe it. we had made it home. after a day of flying (which i happen to be terrified of), the plane's wheels touched down and we were back in america. after that moment, everything felt so surreal. rolling our heavy slew of bags around for the last time...our days of travel ending...seeing our family and knowing we were here to stay? what could be better. the moment we got home and i stepped out of the car (with flowers in hand, thanks to laura's boyfriend!) i breathed in the familiar warm summer air, heard the hush of nearby crickets and everything seemed so perfect in that moment, once again. 

i know that this summer is going to be different from past ones, a couple of the reasons being my new job in boston (yay!) and a six week online summer course (boo), but i've come home with a new sense of maturity and a greater feeling of who i am. don't get me wrong, i still have A LOT to figure out, but i feel that i'm at a place where i'm content in that. 

currently, i have more things to do than i can sort in my brain, but i feel my only importances are resting and finishing this book i started on the plane. on one of our days in dublin, call us crazy, but twin and i went to the movies. we had been wanting to see the movie for months now, and were finally in a country where movie theaters were showing it...in english. there was only one other person in the theater, which made the experience even more personal. it's a lovely story, and one that i highly recommend. 

so, it's back to reality. what will be made of this summer? of my life, now that i'm back home? 

i'm pretty sure i'll be taking a few notes ;)

{p.s. i have SO much to still share, about my last weeks abroad, 

and many pictures to go along with it, too. }

there's no place like home *clicks heels*

after:

london

paris

rome

milan

florence

venice

french riviera

barcelona

greece

&

ireland...

i can honestly say...

there's no place like home.

tomorrow. 

distance.

for some, distance can be an identifier, a measure of feelings. it can make you, or break you. it's not something we often think about, but distance plays a large role in our lives. it proves us, strengthens us, or makes us crumble. it determines, wearies, or completely gets in the way of relationships. i've watched my sister deal with distance for almost two years now, and i'd have to say she's a pro. since we study in new york city, and her boyfriend lives in boston, summer and christmas are the only times when they really get to spend good time together. her relationship with her boyfriend is basically built around distance...very rarely is it, 'time means nothing,' and too rarely is it counting days left together, or counting the days until seeing each other again. seeing her face light up when he calls, and her pace the floor while talking to him, that makes it all worth it. she gets to dream of what it will be like when they are together again. even though there are miles between them, they seem so close, 

and prove their distance is only physical.

yesterday my sister, brother, and i took a train into rome, to meet up with our parents at the strike of noon. our parents have been cruising the mediterranean for a week now, with the intent of this meeting on this day. up until yesterday, the thought of seeing my parents again seemed so far away, and so foreign. it was the type of thing where i knew i wouldn't believe it until it was right in front of me, and i had no clue how i was going to react when i'd see their faces again. so noon came, and we stood in front of the vatican, and they were nowhere to be seen. my eyes kept scanning the massive area. i pondered how they would look, and what it would be like when they finally were here. and then a moment later, i heard my sister gasp and immediately turned my head, to see my parents ten feet away. i'd never seen them look so happy. i ran for our dad while laura ran for our mom, and within seconds, my face was pressed against his chest while he said, 'hi my baby.' my slow tears turned into a steady sob, while my parents sandwiched their twins between them. i looked at laura, she looked at me. we missed them so much.

{me, dad, laura.}

you don't know what you really have until it's stripped from you. and sometimes, it's so important for this to happen. i'm thankful that it happened to me at this point in my life, because i don't think it would have had such a great effect on me, if it happened any sooner. being away makes you realize the things you love, miss, and can't live without. it leaves you with a completely new perspective, and humbles you in a way that nothing else can. 

 the way i see it is, distance makes everything worth it. without it, we wouldn't know how vital time truly is, and how important it is to not take people or places for granted. when the clock ticks...that's when we really know what matters to us. that's when we know most what we want.  

*photos found via tumblr

when brother came to firenze.

my brother may not think italians are the most hospitable (after overbooking his hotel room and sending him to a different one down the street), but with the amount of photos he has stopped to take, i think it's safe to say he just might love this place. every time he sees the duomo, no matter where he is in the city, he HAS to stop and take a picture of it. he's just fascinated by it. it's so adorable. 

and he's been spoiling us too, which we aren't complaining about. it's been really nice having another 'golden' around, and having the ability to show him what we believe are florence's treasures. 

tomorrow morning we all head to rome, to meet up with momma and papa golden. 

i can't put into words how excited i am to see them. it's been too long. 

laura and brother patrick. 

this is where we ate dinner last night. positively one of florence's gems.

 brother took one bite of his pasta and said 'this is excellent!' he never says that. 

brother and i, hanging out with the ponte vecchio. 

twin needs this chair.

brother, we love you. we hope the next four days go by really slow. 

an evening ride on a carousel.

my day started off with a very exciting trip to the airport, turned into a slow hobble around florence with my bandaged ankle (how embarrassing), and ended with an evening ride on a carousel. 

i've been meaning to ride this carousel since my first night in florence, and never seemed to make time.

until tonight.

here's to a bunch more firsts during my last week in this enchanting town,

and lots and lots more fun with my brother who is now exploring with us,

and our parents, too! (in a couple days)

a little tumble.

it's funny and sometimes completely unfortunate how timing works. i have been patiently awaiting tomorrow because it's when my brother arrives! and two days after, we have plans to meet my parents in rome, as they are currently cruising the mediterranean. so why did today have to be the day when i sprain my ankle, frantically running across the cobblestone streets of florence? 

my sister and i were running out to buy some cleaning supplies since we need to pack up our little apartment this week. as we were crossing the street, my left foot got stuck in a gap where a stone used to be. i heard a loud snap and yelled in agony as i leaped to the sidewalk. as laura was asking me if i was okay, i said 'no, no i'm not,' and at that moment lost my vision and immediately felt that i was going to pass out. i told her i was about to faint and at that moment she threw the paper towels and whisked me up off my feet, running me back to our apartment. i sat in the entry way in horrifying pain, certain my foot was broken. the pain was throbbing. 

laura ran to get our roommates but i told her i did not want an ambulance. i said i would rather drag myself to the hospital than be the reason those obnoxious sirens were buzzing around the city. we decided we would try to get a taxi. so laura and our two roommates trotted me to the taxi stand where no taxis were in sight, but luckily a tourist who happened to be a nurse took a look at my foot. he said it was most likely a sprain, and instructed me to rest and make sure the pain doesn't worsen.

so i'm currently stuck in my bed, hoping this will miraculously go away. 

i don't want to be on crutches for my family's long-awaited visit! :( 

i hope your tuesday has been better than mine! 

a picnic.

 on saturday we celebrated the semester's end with a student and professor picnic. a local panini shop catered, and the weather wasn't shy of perfect. smiles, laughs, and hugs filled the afternoon, along with a little frisbee! it was lovely. i am so sad to say goodbye to all of the beautiful people i met this semester, but i know these new friendships will be waiting for me when i get back to new york city. 

thank you so much to daisy for these wonderful photos you snapped all afternoon!

 if you want to check out her lovely blog, click here. 

bitter sweet. but a tad more sweet.

today, we kissed this fountain goodbye...

and said "see yah" to this beastly hill that we had to hike the past four months.

and it felt really good.

school's out! 

a home away from home.

if you recognize this first picture, consider yourself incredibly lucky because this means you have visited one of the most beautiful places on earth (according to me).

 this is castle hill. 

on a set of lovely rolling hills sits a mansion, which is home to enchanting weddings and concerts whose tunes play into the sunset, all summer long. surely ipswich massachusetts's hidden gem...movies have been filmed here, dreams have come true here...and it's all about twenty minutes from my house. at the bottom of these cascading hills is crane's beach, where boats frequent all season long. its landscaping is the design of the olmsted brothers, whose father crafted new york's central park and brooklyn's prospect park. 

i knew that these grounds were designed after italian renaissance architecture, but was stunned to find a place in florence that reminded me exactly of my favorite spot at home. seriously...look at the wall in the above picture, and then look at the one in the picture below. uncanny. it made me feel like everything in life truly happens for a reason. i would discover the wondrous land of crane's estate, and years later visit the very place where its inspiration was born. 

and come to find out, mr. crane's wife was even named florence.

 in the early 1900's he had an italian renaissance-style villa constructed for her, with an unbelievable view of the atlantic ocean and distant isles. although florence insisted a new home be built in place of the italian one which once stood atop castle hill, every other aspect of these acres is bursting with timeworn italian style, to this day.

 here is a picture of the grounds of pitti palace, part of florence italy's famous 

boboli gardens.

if you were half way across the world,
would there be a place like this instilled in your heart?

i really hope so.

 i think everyone should have that one place they truly feel 'home.'

horseback riding in the tuscan hills.

over the weekend i had the opportunity to ride a horse for the very first time. since it's always been my dream to live on a farm, you can imagine how excited i was. i don't know how it took me 22 years to hop on a saddle. i've always envied people with horses. anyway... when we got to the stables i was terrified! when these big horses were in front of me, i looked at them and said to myself, "i'm going to ride that thing?!" side note: i sort of imagined my first lesson being in english. 

my sister and i watched our friends ride around the ring and nearby trails, and were perfectly fine with just watching. but nope...the farm owners kept yelling 'gemelle! gemelle!' which means 'twins' in italian. there was no way they were not going to let us slip by. so finally, it was my turn. an italian man who works on the farm guided my horse while i rode it in circles for a good half hour. our program coordinator even told me i had great posture! (that's the first time i've ever heard that, in my life) i absolutely LOVED being up there. it was so calming, so peaceful. although i didn't try any trails, it's not the end of riding for me! i would love to try it again. and again. anyone with a lot of patience and a friendly horse want to teach me? :)

 twin in all her farm glory. 

 they loved the camera. 

 my friend hilary actually owns a horse back home,

 so she was completely in her element, all day. 

 then we found some kittens.

xo, m.