What were you grateful for this week?Being able to Facetime my friends and family back at home.

What was the most difficult or challenging part of this week?That transportation is very different in every city. 

Tell us about a “wow” moment you had this week. This week [my host family’s daughter] and I made sugar cookies and we all really enjoyed eating them. 

Tell us about your week!This week I went to visit Milan and Lake Como. I was able to meet up with M2 and L for this trip. We all took a train to Varenna and brought ferry tickets to travel to some of the surrounding lake towns. Our first stop was Belagio and we were able to walk up and down the alleys. It was a cute town with little shops and boutiques.

After Belagio we jumped back onto the ferry and was able to visit real life Naboo (kudos to everyone who knows what I am talking about). This little town is called Lenna and we were able to explore Villa del Balbianello and the gardens. 

An explorer named Guido Monzino owned the property and if he wasn’t exploring the world he was at his home, which was basically a smaller castle. The organization that owns the property turned Guido’s home into a little museum about his life and his explorations. We were able to tour the home and get a glimpse into his adventurous life. 

We walked around the property and the beautiful garden. M2 said that she felt like she was at “a very fancy Olive Garden”. We were also all able to take pictures of where Anakin first kissed and married Padmé (hence the Naboo reference). Which was really cool, because I had no idea that they shot some Star Wars scenes in Lenna until we got onto the ferry. 

The next day I took a small half-day trip to Milan. I, of course, visited the Duomo and the famous shopping districts of Milan. It was very fun weekend and cannot wait for my next planned trips!